October 27, 2005

In This Issue:

• New Ethics Reforms Debated in Capitol
  
• Sen. Durbin to Appear at ICPR Media Conference 
• Power Markets: Electric Utilities in the Legislature
  

New Ethics Reforms Debated in Capitol
A host of ethics bills are now pending in the legislature, including the governor's package (SB 1822), Comptroller Hynes' contractor ban (HB 4073) and Speaker Madigan's new clean-up trailer (HB 1879).  It's still not clear which, if any, have the stamina that ALLKIDS seems to have, but ICPR joined with other reform groups to call on the legislature to take action now to end pay-to-play in the awarding of state contracts. And our homepage has daily updates on what we're calling "The Tortoise and the Hare 2005".

Sen. Durbin to Appear at ICPR Media Conference
ICPR is pleased to announce that U.S. Senator Dick Durbin has agreed to join by video our media conference, "The Most Powerful Voice in America: How Candidates and Voters Speak to Each Other Through the Media".  If you're interested in broadcasters, elections, or coverage of political issues, then you should be at the Gene Siskel Film Center on Tuesday, November 15. Click here to register.

Power Markets: Electric Utilities in the Legislature
Maybe you've heard that Illinois electric companies are seeking rate hikes that could raise household bills by over $200 a year.  Maybe you've heard that some elected officials are opposed to this.  But what you haven't heard is how the utilities are trying to block changes in the law that might stop the hikes.   Click here for ICPR's analysis.

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ICPR Spotcheck is a publication of The Illinois Campaign for Political Reform, a non-partisan public interest group that educates, conducts research, and advocates reforms to promote public participation in government, address the role of money in politics, and encourage integrity, accountability, and transparency in government.

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