Ethics legislation in political limbo?
SPRINGFIELD -- There's nothing illegal about taking campaign cash from donors who rely on business with the state -- and it seems it may stay that way, for now.
With more than 90 lawmakers on board, the prospects of eliminating pay-to-play contracts in Illinois shouldn't seem so bleak. But the proposed legislation has been stuck in an Illinois Senate committee for nearly a year, with no recent indication of any future change.
Jay Stewart, director of the Better Government Association, said Gov. Rod Blagojevich once supported the measure, but then stopped pushing it publicly.
"The governor has been suspiciously silent on this issue," Stewart said.
Senate President Emil Jones Jr., a Chicago Democrat, runs the Senate. Critics, such as the Illinois Campaign for Political reform, say he's "holding House Bill 1 hostage." The organization's Web site has a doomsdaylike counter ticking off the days since the measure passed the House 116-0 last April.
Jones, Blagojevich's closest ally, is the only General Assembly party leader who has not voiced support for the plan.
Illinois is one of two states with no limits on campaign contributions. Other than a requirement to disclose where money comes from, Illinois' campaign finance system has virtually no rules.
Many advocates for ending pay-to-play say this legislation would help clean up state government.
The proposal, laid out in House Bill 1, would:
• Ban contractors with state business of more than $25,000 annually from making political contributions to the statewide elected officials who oversee the contracts. There would be penalties for violations.
• Require that a political committee receiving such prohibited contributions pay the state the same amount back within 30 days of the violation's notice. That money would go to the state's general revenue fund.
• Require contract bids of more than $10,000 annually include disclosure of political contributions to the person awarding the contract. The state comptroller could then refuse contract payments if those disclosures aren't present.
• Prohibit state employees and their spouses from profiting off state contract deals. They couldn't receive legal, banking, consulting or other fees related to bond issuances.
Instead of waiting for the legislation to become law, both Comptroller Dan Hynes and Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias issued executive orders to restrict or ban some contributions to their own campaign coffers. Also picking up the momentum of the debate, Chicago Mayor Richard Daley issued a similar order for his political committee, though the proposed state measure would only apply to state contracting and campaigns.
Hynes recently created a searchable database called Open Book, which links state contracts and campaign contributions in an easily available format. It is located at www.OpenBook.ioc.state.il.us.