SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) -- A major overhaul of the state's ethics laws should give Illinoisans jaded by years of corruption a new reason to believe in state government, officials say.

"It's a new beginning for Illinois. It will not only change the way business is done, but it will create a whole new culture of accountability," said Gov. Rod Blagojevich, who promised to sign the measure that was approved late Thursday.

Cynthia Canary, executive director of the Illinois Campaign for Political Reform, praised the legislation.

Growing public discontent has finally forced lawmakers to respond, especially since they are up for election next year, she said. And after running for governor as an outsider who would clean up Springfield, Blagojevich had to make good on his promises, she added.

Others weren't so enthusiastic about the results.

Sen. Adeline Geo-Karis, R-Zion, said the bill is full of "cockamamie ideas." Sen. Denny Jacobs, D-East Moline, complained that it was passed so quickly that lawmakers had no chance to review it.

The legislation has been around for months in various forms as officials, including the governor and legislative leaders, conducted intense negotiations. But the final version zoomed through in a matter of hours Thursday, passing 111-0 in the House and 56-1 in the Senate.

The legislation touches on nearly every aspect of state government: lobbyists serving on state boards, behind-the-scenes advisers counseling the governor, lawmakers accepting gifts of food and golf. It also requires local governments to adopt similar ethics laws.

Most significantly, it would create inspectors to investigate corruption in the offices of each statewide official and in the Legislature. Two ethics commissions would oversee the work of the inspectors, limiting any politician's ability to interfere with investigations.

Creating strong inspectors is a direct response to corruption in the secretary of state's office under George Ryan. He appointed an old friend, Dean Bauer, to the post of inspector general, and Bauer was eventually convicted of hiding corruption to protect his boss.

The scope of the scandal -- nearly 60 people have been convicted -- became clear after Ryan was elected governor.

Rank-and-file employees took bribes in exchange for issuing drivers licenses. Midlevel managers pressured workers to make campaign donations. Top Ryan aides turned the office into an arm of his political campaign.

Ryan ended up leaving office after a single term. He has not been charged with any crime.

Federal investigators have followed threads of possible corruption to lobbyists, the Metra commuter rail service and legislative offices.

"If we were going to put any trust back in the system, we needed to do something real and not just for show," House Minority Leader Tom Cross, R-Oswego said. "I think this is as sweeping and meaningful and substantive (as) we've ever done in this state."

The ethics bill has a convoluted history.

The House approved a similar version in the spring, but the inspectors and ethics commissions were deleted by the Senate before the bill was sent to the governor. Blagojevich vetoed the weakened bill, leading to new negotiations and the introduction of some brand-new ideas.

The most prominent new element was the idea, offered by Senate Republicans, of requiring public disclosure of the financial interests of unpaid advisers -- a "shadow government," according to the Senate GOP.

Officials, especially governors, often have friends and political allies who are not state employees but still take part in negotiations or play some semiofficial role. Under this legislation, the public would learn more about where those people make their money.

The legislation also would bar public service announcements starring state officials, require annual ethics training for all state employees and impose a ban on employees negotiating contracts with private companies and then going to work for those companies.
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The bill is SB702.
On the Net: http://www.legis.state.il.us
(Copyright 2003 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)