Governor, lawmakers drawing closer on ethics

SPRINGFIELD - Gov. Pat Quinn said Wednesday he's willing to negotiate to get ethics reform approved and the president of the Illinois Senate said he expects sweeping changes to Illinois' political system to pass in the coming weeks.

"There's always room in a democracy for negotiation," Quinn told reporters after a speech to the Illinois Retail Merchants. "The idea is there is an excellent blueprint for reform and we want to use it to guide our steps forward. I'm optimistic about that. I think that in the next several weeks we'll be able to make some substantial progress."

Quinn's comments came as the reform plan put together by a Quinn-picked commission has become somewhat of an object of scorn in some corners of the Capitol, dropped in lawmakers' laps late in their session along with an ultimatum and growing media pressure that it all be done now.

But in addition to Quinn being open to deal on ethics, Senate President John Cullerton told reporters everything raised by the commission will be addressed.

"Absolutely. Every area that the commission raised we'll have a response and more so," Cullerton said, noting that lawmakers have taken several important actions, some even before Quinn's panel took up the cause.

Last year, lawmakers moved to ban contributions from companies with state contracts - a major political funding source for former Gov. Rod Blagojevich - and Blagojevich was racing to beat the Jan. 1 effective date for that fundraising prohibition, according to federal wiretaps used to authorize the arrest of Blagojevich in December.

Already this year, lawmakers passed and Quinn signed into law a proposal that dumped members of state pension boards because those boards were involved in corruption related to who won contracts to invest billions worth of state pension dollars.

"We've already done two major ones plus a little impeachment trial, those were steps toward reform," Cullerton said. "Then we're going to take every area they've (the commission) raised and we will pass reforms in those areas."

Former federal prosecutor Patrick Collins chaired the reform commission efforts. He's scheduled to meet today with Cullerton at the Capitol.

The nearly 90-page report calls for limits on campaign giving by individuals, lobbyists, businesses, unions and others, restricts how long legislative leaders can serve, overhauls the process of drawing political districts and creates a contracting czar independent of the political process.

Quinn said he also wants action on giving voters the ability to recall statewide elected officials, something the House approved last year but the Senate blocked under previous leadership.

Lawmakers, however, are running out of time to act not only on ethics, but a solution to the state's $12 billion budget hole. The General Assembly's session is scheduled to conclude at the end of the month.