Legislature OKs weaker ethics bill

Sunday, June 1, 2003

By Kristen McQueary
Staff writer

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SPRINGFIELD -- A 120-page ethics bill introduced last week in Springfield found consensus among lawmakers until they reached the paragraph restricting free meals, golf and tennis.
The bill quickly landed on the operating table Saturday for a few incisions: Senate Democrats -- who became the latest group targeted by Operation Safe Road -- gutted portions of the bill that limited free meals and sacricinct unlimited golf between lawmakers and lobbyists.

More importantly, senators sliced out the inspectors general and ethics commissions that, in the original version, would oversee the legislative branch and constitutional officers. They also cut a hot line where ethics complaints could be reported.

"The Illinois Senate's refusal to consider meaningful ethics reforms approved by the House is disappointing but consistent with the General Assembly's sorry history of resisting efforts to establish and enforce ethical conduct throughout state government," said Cindi Canary, director of Illinois Campaign for Political Reform.

The House approved the Senate version with little debate.

The bill retains measures to track more closely how state workers spend their time during campaign season. It also prohibits state-funded public service announcements by political candidates during election season and forced outside groups who pay for television ads on behalf of a candidate to file reports with the State Board of Elections.