Illinois Democrats introduce ethics reform package, but Madigan questions arise

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WICS/WRSP) — Disclosure of outside income, term limits, and removing General Assembly leaders during a criminal investigation: All are policies included in a broader ethics reform package introduced by a Democratic coalition of Springfield legislators on Thursday, Aug. 13.

"We believe the time has come for the General Assembly to take action on ethics reform,” Sen. Andy Manar, D-Bunker Hill, said. “And we believe this set of reasonable proposals will show the taxpayers of Illinois that we are serious about reforming our state government."

Despite many of the proposals being directly applicable to Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan, the Speaker’s name was never mentioned in the virtual announcement until members of the media asked directly.

"You wouldn't have done this if it wasn't for the troubles with Speaker Madigan, and now you're trying to have it both ways and say it's not about him. Please address that," NBC5 Chicago Political Reporter Mary Ann Ahern said.

The long-time House Speaker and Illinois Democratic Party Chairman was implicated last month in a federal bribery investigation involving Chicago utility company Commonwealth Edison.

One of the listed ethics policies proposes the temporary removal of “a legislator as a leader and/or committee chair during a criminal investigation or in the event of an actual charge/indictment.”

Sixteen Democrats came out in support of the ethics reform package, but the list of Democratic legislators calling for the Speaker’s immediate resignation is much smaller, and currently sits at three senators and seven representatives.

No legislator the morning conference called for a special session to pass the reforms immediately, instead waiting until the General Assembly reconvenes in November.

The full measures are as follows:

Lobbying Reform

1. Prohibit legislators from lobbying elected officials from other units of government.

2. Stop the legislator-lobbyist revolving door by establishing at least a one-year prohibition on legislators leaving their offices and going to work as lobbyists.

3. Better define who is a lobbyist to ensure consultants and lawyers are not able to use loopholes to perform lobbying and skirt registration as a lobbyist.

Legislative Reform

4. Expand disclosure of legislators' outside income.

5. Initiate an official censure process similar to that which is practiced in the U.S. Congress.

6. Strengthen the Legislative Inspector General, enabling the IG to self-initiate investigations and making it an independent agency for the purposes of budgets and hiring.

7. End exemption of legislators' direct employees from the state's Human Rights Act.

Leadership Reform

8. Establish term limits for the period that legislators can serve as the Speaker and Minority Leader of the House and the President and Minority Leader of the Senate.

9. Enact a policy to temporarily remove a legislator as a leader and/or committee chair during a criminal investigation or in the event of an actual charge/indictment.

This is a developing story. We'll update this story as more information becomes available.