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Spotcheck

Newsletter of The Illinois Campaign for Political Reform
January 22, 2003

Contents: Our Goals for the New Year - Contact Senator Fitzgerald - Latest News

ICPR hopes you all had happy holidays! We have big plans for 2003- here is what we will be working on in the coming months:

1. Campaign Contribution Limits ICPR is working to enact legislation that will limit the amount of money that can be donated to political campaigns by individuals, corporations, and unions. While candidates for federal office are barred from accepting more than $2,000 from any individual donor, Illinois currently has absolutely no limit on how much money can be contributed! Passage of this legislation would be a landmark for campaign finance reform in Illinois- we encourage you to talk with your legislators about this issue and we'll keep you up to date throughout the year!

2. Public Financing of Judicial Campaigns Currently, candidates for judicial office can receive campaign contributions from any source- including attorneys, corporations, and others who may have issues before the court! ICPR feels that this creates the possibility and the perception of bias in the judiciary- and this system must be changed. As part of the Justice at Stake - Illinois coalition, we are proposing a new system of public financing of Supreme Court campaigns. Check out the section of our website devoted to judicial campaigns at http://ilcampaign.org/court.

3. Ethics Reform The Ethics Act of 2002 was a big step forward for ethics reform in Illinois. With the current Licenses-for-Bribes scandal still at the forefront of the public conciousness, now is the perfect time for the next step. As part of the Illinois Ethics Reform Project, we will be working for the following reforms:

• Banning the solicitation of campaign funds by government employees and elected officials from those they supervise;
• Embracing full disclosure on all matters relate to public business and the use of public resources;
• Establishing a state commission to investigate and rule on ethical complaints; and
• Instituting ongoing ethics training for government officials and employees.

For more information on the Licenses-for-Bribes scandal, head to our special "Scandal" section on our website: http://ilcampaign.org/scandal. If you'd like to learn more about the Ethics Act of 2002 and the Illinois Ethics Reform Project, go to http://ilcampaign.org/ethics.

4. Voters' Guides ICPR continues to work for a state-sponsored Voters' Guide, which would provide voters with vital information on candidates, registration, and using voting equipment. Be sure to read the final report of the Illinois Voters' Guide Task Force, found here: http://ilcampaign.org/votersguide.

5. The Free Air Time Campaign ICPR is organizing support for this national grassroots campaign. Free Air Time is the next step for campaign reform at the federal level- to learn more about the campaign, go to http://ilcampaign.org/alliance. If you would like to volunteer for the campaign, please e-mail sandy@ilcampaign.org or give us a call at 312-335-1767. To help the campaign right now, check out the "Contact Senator Fitzgerald" section of Spotcheck below!

6. Illinois Sunshine Database Update ICPR's top-notch campaign finance database, located at http://ilcampaign.org/search, will be updated in the coming weeks. Campaign finance information for the last six months of 2002 will be added, the Candidate and Contributor Profiles will be revised, and the Top 20 Contributors for 2001-2002 will be published. Be sure to check it out!

We'll keep you posted on all of our goals for 2003, and will be sending updates on how you can help! If you have any questions or comments, don't hesitate to let us know- post a message to our on-line discussion group (the link is below) or call us at 312-335-1767.

Contact Senator Fitzgerald!

U.S. Senators John McCain, Russ Feingold and Richard Durbin are expected to reintroduce their free air time bill in the next couple of weeks. Organizations across the country are mobilizing their members to encourage their senators to sponsor the legislation. The Illinois Campaign for Political Reform is a state partner of the national Alliance for Better Campaigns and is leading the Free Air Time Coalition's efforts here in Illinois.

We urge you to contact Senator Peter Fitzgerald and ask him to co-sponsor the McCain-Feingold-Durbin free air time bill.

By Mail:
Washington Office
555 Dirksen Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510

By Phone:
(202) 224-2854 (Washington)
(312) 886-3506 (Chicago)

By E-mail:
http://fitzgerald.senate.gov/contact/contact_email.htm

We hope you will help us make sure Illinois does its part to promote support for the free air time bill.

Latest News:

Check out these newspaper articles for the most recent doings in Illinois politics- we're sure you'll find them interesting! Watch this space for upcoming issue briefings and news analyses.

For starters, Blagojevich fires 35
Chicago Tribune, January 15, 2003

George Ryan: How corruption, fraud, and cronyism taught him to hate the death penalty
Slate.com, January 15, 2003

Illinois' leadership turns the page
Chicago Tribune, January 13, 2003