Lawmakers approve sweeping ethics plans targeting cronies, lobbyists

SPRINGFIELD - The Illinois House set about issuing sweeping ethics reforms Thursday that would change the way the state does business in the wake of former Gov. Rod Blagojevich's arrest and impeachment.

House members overwhelmingly voted in favor of three separate government reform measures designed to "fumigate" cronies of Blagojevich and former Gov. George Ryan from the state payroll, change how the state purchases goods and services, broaden ethical training and open internal investigations to public review. The plans now go to the Illinois Senate.

"Impeachment was a good first step," said state Rep. Jack Franks, a Marengo Democrat, urging his colleagues to vote for the series of changes as needed ethical follow-up.

In many cases the House actions reclaim from the governor's office responsibilities and control that Blagojevich had obtained in the name of ethical reform soon after taking office in 2003.

For instance, the Illinois State Board of Education members would be appointed to staggered terms to ensure one governor can't control the entire board, as Blagojevich sought to do.

Similarly, the state's lottery department and gambling regulators would move out from beneath the governor's revenue department to once again be their own agencies.

Many of the proposals mirror what'd been recommended by an ethics commission appointed by Pat Quinn shortly before he became governor upon Blagojevich's ouster. Lawmakers had also been working on their own ethics plans.

The "fumigation" plan would force nearly 750 top-level state officials and members of boards and commissions appointed under Ryan and Blagojevich to reapply for their jobs subject to Quinn's review. The legislation gives the governor 90 days to decide which of the employees will stay and which will be fired.

House Speaker Michael Madigan, a Chicago Democrat, unveiled that proposal in recent weeks, initially calling for nearly 3,000 employees and officials to possibly lose their jobs. He said he'd advised Quinn from day one to clean out the state employment ranks and had grown "impatient at the pace of change."

He said he personally negotiated the deal with Quinn and that the governor agreed to the newer version. Madigan agreed to back off from putting in law that Blagojevich's former budget director John Filan be fired. Filan now runs the Illinois Finance Authority and is a longtime friend of Quinn. Madigan said Quinn assured him Filan would resign effective July 1.

State Rep. Mark Walker, an Arlington Heights Democrat, agreed the clean sweep was needed.

"I don't understand how we can impeach a governor but his top aide and budget writer can be left pulling the strings and manipulating state spending in the same manner that's been happening for years," Walker said. "The state deserves a fresh start with a new governor and new administration personnel who will put the best interest of the citizens of Illinois first so we can focus on the real challenges facing our state in an open and transparent manner."

But state Rep. Rosemary Mulligan, a Des Plaines Republican, feared a great deal of untainted institutional knowledge could be shown the door.

"There are a few people I would like to see gone, but I am concerned about people who are very knowledgeable because they have been there for a long time," she said. "I don't want the state left at a deficit and unable to function."

The House also unanimously voted to completely overhaul the process in which the state purchases goods and services. The state purchasing process will now have six levels of oversight under the Executive Ethics Commission to prevent pay-to-play action. The process includes public disclosure of contracts and evaluations.

The legislation also bans political contributions from companies with state contracts over $25,000 and imposes new requirements to receive state grants in amounts more than $25,000. The legislation allows the auditor general or the attorney general to audit the agency receiving the grant for better accountability with taxpayer dollars.

Lawmakers also approved ethics investigations being made public if a state employee is fired or suspended for three days or more. The legislation also increases the transparency of the ethics commissions overseeing the executive and legislative branches to make sure wrongdoing isn't swept under the rug.

"The work of these inspectors general has been done in the dark," said Madigan.

The Gift Ban Act was also extended to include immediate family members of those already prohibited from taking gifts over $100. The fines are increased to up to $20,000 for violations.

There are also tougher rules on the so-called "revolving door," which refers to state workers and officials who take jobs with companies that conduct business with the state. Other provisions passed Thursday include ethics training, separation of powers and protection of whistle-blowers.

Ethics training will be required within the first 30 days of employment, and a new report on the ethics training plan will need to be submitted each year.

The House plan imposes new fees and restrictions on lobbying. Lobbyist registration will cost $1,000 a year, up from $350, and they'll have to file weekly financial reports about their activities during legislative sessions and monthly reports when lawmakers aren't at the Capitol.

The plan did not include campaign finance limits, which Madigan said would be first debated by the Illinois Senate, possibly today. Madigan did say those limits would get a full debate and vote in the House.

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