Money.
Almost all of the recommendations made Tuesday by the group looking into ways to end political corruption in Illinois centered on money.
Whether it was limits on how much candidates can receive or where it comes from, whether it was how state contracts are awarded or even whether it was how legislative and congressional districts are drawn, the Illinois Reform Commission says money is at the heart of almost every instance of governmental malfeasance.
“Every public corruption case I was involved with,” said the man who put George Ryan in jail, “had a campaign contribution problem.”
That man, former federal prosecutor Patrick Collins, led an eight-year investigation into illegal activities by Ryan and dozens of aides and employees and, over the past 100 days, led the reform panel that pointed to money as the problem.
Not new, you say?
Gov. Pat Quinn, who asked for the report, and Collins agreed, but added that what is new is the day, and a taste for reform among the electorate.
“People in Illinois are sick and tired of reading about their government subjected to corruption,” Quinn said.
Collins said a perfect storm of events has occurred – the Blagojevich allegations ranging from extortion to selling Barack Obama’s U.S. Senate seat, Blagojevich’s impeachment, Quinn’s ascension to the governor’s chair and even a changeover in leadership in the state Senate – that has made the time right for real reform to follow.
“The nation is watching,” Collins said, adding that the state can’t afford to miss the opportunity to force meaningful reforms into law.
“We’re a laughingstock,” he said.
He took pains to say that items being proposed – such as limits on the amount of time lawmakers can serve in leadership positions – are not intended as personal assaults on powerful House Speaker Mike Madigan, who has held leadership positions for three decades.
“You can personalize this,” he chastised reporters. “Maybe that makes a better story.” But, he added, the commission did not have Madigan in mind when drawing up its proposals. “Pick your name. Anyone who stays too long consolidates too much power.”
However, when pressed about Madigan’s reaction to the proposals, Collins said, “I think the speaker should state [his views on the reforms] at the appropriate time. I think it’s getting close to that time.”
Much of what is in the report, which breaks into six areas, requires legislative action and, in some cases, changes to the state constitution. Quinn said he was confident legislators would act – if they hear from voters.
“I think each of the six areas need serious deliberation by our elected members of the General Assembly,” Quinn said. “The ball is in their court.”
“We have to really roll up our sleeves and take this report to heart and come up with outcomes and reforms that will last long beyond our time,” he said. “We want to make sure the government listens to the people and the will of the people is the law of the land.”
New in the report Tuesday are calls to change the way the state draws its legislative and congressional districts.
The commission proposes the task be taken from political operatives who pore over residents’ voting histories in deciding where to draw the lines and be given to a private, independent, non-partisan, professional organization that conducts public hearings into how the districts are drawn.
Also unveiled Tuesday are proposals to change the state budgeting process, forcing legislators to first vote on a binding spending cap, break the budget into five separate measures focusing on specific areas such as education and human services, and conduct a series of public hearings on each.
Another proposal designed to wrest control from legislative leaders would require votes on bills that have more than 16 sponsors in the House and eight sponsors in the Senate. The complaint is that bills not favored by leaders never get a hearing by rank and file members.
Other features of the report, many of which were released several weeks ago, include:
Campaign Finance
limits on the amount of money that can be given to candidates
year-round, real-time reporting of campaign contributions
mandatory disclosure of bundlers who funnel money to campaigns without necessarily contributing themselves
disclosure of independent efforts on behalf of candidates
a ban on contributions by lobbyists and trusts
extending the pay to play ban that became law Jan. 1 to apply to legislators
exploring public finance of elections, beginning with judicial elections next year
giving the Illinois State Board of Elections subpoena power to investigate election irregularities
move the primary closer to the general election to shorten the campaign season
Procurement
insulate procurement officials from political pressure by making them independent instead of beholden to elected officials
cutting back loopholes and exemptions to existing regulations
extending procurement regulations to legislative, judicial and state boards and agencies not currently covered
tightening no-bid and emergency contract rules
disclosure of subcontractors
documenting contact between companies and procurement staff
disclosing all procurement information online
Transparency
extending the Open Meetings Act to the legislature, which would end most closed-door meetings
strengthening compliance rules with requests for public information
create an office that monitors and trains state employees on transparency
improving disclosure and reporting efforts online
Enforcement
mandating jail time for corruption crime convictions
giving state and county prosecutors the ability to investigate allegations of crimes similar to those available at the federal level, such as wiretaps
expanding the Illinois attorney general’s investigative powers
creating an independent public corruption division in the Illinois State Police
allowing inspector general offices to launch investigations independently
Better Government
reform the state’s hiring process
establish a code of conduct
increase training and education efforts
ensure and expand whistleblower protections for employees
make it harder for people to violate ethics regulations once they leave government to work for firms that do business with the state
protect non-political employees from political pressures
A copy of the commission’s report is available at http://www.reformillinoisnow.org.
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