Suburban lawmakers try to tie up ethical loose ends
SPRINGFIELD - Rod Blagojevich may be gone from the governor's office, but his behavior there hasn't been forgotten.
Several suburban lawmakers are among the state officials trying to wrap up ethical loose ends exposed by the former governor's arrest and subsequent expulsion from office via an impeachment trial.
Myriad proposals have surfaced at the Capitol that, if successful, would have voters rather than governors fill U.S. Senate vacancies, put more information online about who gets state money and force any future officials impeached and removed from office to surrender their pensions.
"Reform legislation is an essential precondition. But it's like when we talk about anti-violence legislation, like it is going to solve everything," said Cindi Canary, executive director for Illinois Campaign for Political Reform.
Canary said these laws would make government more transparent and the public will need to hold officials accountable.
Special elections
The catalyst that started Blagojevich's impeachment was his early December arrest on federal charges that allege he attempted to sell President Barack Obama's vacant U.S. Senate seat. Blagojevich's final choice - Roland Burris - has now similarly been tainted by allegations he lied to lawmakers about his contact with Blagojevich over the appointment. The ongoing saga has new Gov. Patrick Quinn endorsing state Rep. Jack Franks' plan for a special election, something many Republicans also want. The Marengo Democrat's proposal would require a special election for any future open U.S. Senate seat. A governor could temporarily fill the seat until the election to ensure the state maintains full representation in Washington, D.C.
"I don't think one person should have that much power in Illinois and now history backs me up," said Franks. "They do this in other states and we should be much more progressive in Illinois."
Health care
While not as politically exciting as the arrest, one of the key components of the impeachment case against Blagojevich was his spending taxpayer money on health care programs without ever getting lawmakers' approval. The former governor's health care aides have had difficulty explaining how many people were signed up under these programs and how much it has cost taxpayers.
Blagojevich also launched the I-Save RX program in October 2004, which imported prescription drugs from Canada and was later declared illegal by the state's auditor general. As governor, Blagojevich also spent millions on foreign flu vaccines without ever getting permission to import them. The state never got the shots, but taxpayers got the tab.
State Rep. Rosemary Mulligan, a Des Plaines Republican, wants to create a panel to coordinate health care spending across all state agencies in an effort to streamline the $22 billion in annual state spending in this area. Her proposal creates the Legislative Oversight Council on Cost Feasibility for Health Care Plan Implementation.
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