North Egypt News

State Sen. Terri Bryant (R-Murphysboro) has joined other Senate Republicans to push for legislation that creates tougher ethics reforms that aims to hold elected officials accountable for their actions.

During a recent press conference, Republicans introduced a bill that they believe would be a useful tool in fighting corruption in Illinois.

"Our constituents expect us to be held to high ethical standards. They must know that we are adhering to the spirit of the law so that they can be confident that their representatives are representing them, not special interests," Bryant wrote in a Jan. 27 Facebook post. "To regain the trust of the people of our state, we must close the loopholes that lawmakers have used and abused over the years."

The lawmakers said the legislation, Senate Bill 3636, would not only make sure politicians put their constituents above special interest groups, but would also give the attorney general and prosecutors the ability to better investigate and prosecute corruption.

“Our legislation will finally implement a change in culture here in Illinois and allow us to have a government that is instilled with trust and integrity,” Sen. Sally Turner (R-Beason) said in a press release. “Our constituents are tired of waiting. We must act now. It is time for legislators who have promised to combat corruption to keep their word.”

The bill's sponsors believe the changes are necessary in order to restore the voters' faith in state government. 

“Year after year, study after study, Illinois continues to rank as one of the most corrupt states in the country by outlets such as Forbes, FiveThirtyEight, and the Washington Post. According to Forbes, Illinois has experienced the second highest number of federal public corruption convictions per capita,” Sen. Jil Tracy (R-Quincy), chair of the Legislative Ethics Committee, said in the release. “We must open the blinds in the smoke-filled back rooms, shine more light on politically-motivated activities, and make it easier for prosecutors to go after the bad actors who are out there.”

According to the press release, Senate Bill 3636 would ban a member of the General Assembly and any immediate family member from lobbying while serving in the state legislature, prohibits lawmakers from negotiating future employment with a lobbying firm during their term, and places a ban on past lawmakers from lobbying for 12 months after leaving office.

The legislation would also make it illegal for a lobbyist to be an officer on a candidate's political committee or become a candidate supported by a political action committee. Under the bill, a statewide grand jury would be able to investigate and indict a public official for corruption charges including theft, fraud, extortion, or violations of the misconduct and public contracts articles of the criminal code that were established a decade ago.

A fact sheet provided by the Senate Republican Caucus included information on another ethics reform bill, SB 3030, which would require legislative ethics commission meetings to be open to the public.