Ethics E-Newsletter

Dear Friend,

As session quickly draws to a close, I am happy to report that the General Assembly made some great strides this past week. In the wake of the Illinois Reform Committee’s release of 46 governmental reform proposals, the Senate and House last week passed four bills aimed at creating transparency. I personally co-sponsored three out of the four reforms: Compensation Review Board, procurement and ethics and lobbyist reforms. These bills are a good start at creating a more transparent government, however, there is still more work that needs to be done.   Continue reading …

Compensation Review Board – Senate Bill 2090

• Eliminates the Compensation Review Board that annually decides on cost of living increases for legislators and state officials
• Freezes salaries for legislators and other top state officials
• Every member of the General Assembly is mandated to take four furlough days

Termination of Ryan and Blagojevich Appointees – Senate Bill 1333

• Creates the Officials and Employees Termination Act of 2009 that calls for the termination of directors, assistant and deputy directors of agencies, members of boards and commissions and “double exempt” employees hired by former governors Ryan and Blagojevich.
• Employees will be terminated in 90 days, unless the governor retains the individual.
• Creates the Illinois Task Force on Personnel and Patronage Reform Law to review hiring practices and patronage abuse.
• Members of the Executive Ethics Commission and the State Board of Election will have their terms terminated in 90 days. They must be re-nominated and go through the confirmation process to be re-seated.
• Separates Lottery, Racing Board, Gaming Board and Liquor Control Commission from the Department of Revenue.

Ethics and Lobbyist Reforms – Senate Bill 54

• Ethics Commission: grants expanded authority to the Executive Ethics Commission to scrutinize the investigative work of the various inspector generals.
• Attorney General Powers: expands the authority of the Attorney General to investigate violations of the Ethics Act.
• Inspectors General: Allows inspector generals to self-initiate investigations, expands their executive branch authority to review agency compliance with state hiring laws and ensures public availability of their investigative work.
• Revolving Door: Implements revised revolving door prohibitions and eliminates the current waiver procedure.
• Lobbyist Act: Increases the annual registration fee to $1,000, expands the authority of the Secretary of State Inspector General to investigate violations of the act and requires weekly expenditure disclosure reports.

Procurement – Senate Bill 51

• The state ethics commission will appoint chief purchasing officers to handle state purchases who will serve 5-year terms.
• State agencies will have internal auditors.
• Strengthens purchasing codes to alleviate pay-to-play

I will continue to keep you updated on important developments from Springfield as we enter the final stretch of this spring session.  

If you wish to sign up for the new electronic newsletter, please e-mail my district office at repbassi@aol.com or call (847) 776-1880.

Sincerely,

Suzanne “Suzie” Bassi