Litigation

Governor Signs Ethics Bill in Illinois

By Peter Hardin

A year after then-Gov. Rod Blagojevich (photo below) was handcuffed and charged with corruption, his successor signed into law a bill setting the first campaign contribution limits in Illinois history.

“I think that last year at this very day was an alarm bell, as I said at the time, to the people of Illinois that there were serious, serious problems in our state government,” Gov. Pat Quinn (photo at left) said in signing the bill, according to an article in the Chicago Tribune.

The compromise measure will cap donations to candidates at $5,000 each for the primary and general elections from individuals, $10,000 from corporations and unions and $50,000 from political action committees.

Donations by party leaders will be limited  in the primary but not in the general elections. For example, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported, House Speaker Michael Madigan’s campaign funding committees will face donation limits between $50,000 and $200,000 to candidates in a primary, depending upon the office, but will face no limits in the general election.

“Imposing contribution limits will not cure all the ills in Illinois, no single law can ensure honesty and fairness,” said Cindi Canary, director of The Illinois Campaign for Political Reform, a partner of Justice at Stake. “However, enactment of this limits bill…is a reason for real optimism about the prospects for good government in Illinois.”

Quinn vetoed an earlier measure passed by the legislature, after Republicans and reform groups strongly criticized it. You can learn more about the Illinois debate from Gavel Grab.

Full post as published by The Gavel on December 10, 2009 (boomark / email).