Governor sends ethics bill back to lawmakers
By PETER HANCOCK
Capitol News Illinois
phancock@capitolnewsillinois.com
SPRINGFIELD – An ethics bill that was hotly debated during the spring legislative session is headed back to the General Assembly with a request for a technical change, but not the technical change that many Republicans had hoped for.
Gov. JB Pritzker on Friday issued an “amendatory veto” of Senate Bill 539, saying he supports the legislation but would like to see a minor change in language dealing with the office of executive inspector general.
“I am pleased by progress made by my partners in the General Assembly in their efforts to pass meaningful ethics reform, and I support the steps taken in this bill,” Pritzker said in his veto message.
An amendatory veto sends the bill back to the chamber where it originated – in this case, the Senate – to consider the governor’s recommended changes. Lawmakers then can consider whether to adopt the changes and send the bill back to the governor, who then has a choice of whether to sign or veto the final draft.
The bill came in the wake of a number of scandals over the previous two years involving current and former lawmakers as well as the lobbying activities of utility giant Commonwealth Edison.
One of those involved was former Rep. Luis Arroyo, a Chicago Democrat who also had a lobbying firm that lobbied the city of Chicago on behalf of a company involved in the sweepstakes gaming industry. He and the owner of that company were charged with attempting to bribe a state senator to support legislation that would have benefitted the company.
Among other things, the bill prohibits legislators and executive branch constitutional officers from engaging in “compensated lobbying” of a municipality, county or township. The same applies to elected and appointed executive or legislative officials of county, municipal or township governments.
It also gives the legislative inspector general independent authority to launch investigations, but only after a formal complaint is filed. It also restricts those investigations to matters that arise out of government service or employment, not to outside employment.
The bill also makes a number of changes to financial disclosure requirements and limits the ability of lawmakers to leave office and immediately go to work as lobbyists.
The bill passed the General Assembly on the final day of the spring session, June 1, by overwhelming majorities – 56-0 in the Senate; 113-5 in the House – even though many Republicans complained that they didn’t think the bill went far enough.
Soon after it passed, Legislative Inspector General Carol Pope announced that she would resign, effective Dec. 15, calling the job a “paper tiger” and it showed that “true ethics reform is not a priority” for the General Assembly.
Following that announcement, some legislative Republicans called on Pritzker to use his amendatory veto power to send the bill back for revisions.
“There are very tiny aspects of this bill that are necessary, but it barely scratches the surface of what truly needs to be accomplished to clean up our state government and produce real ethics reform,” Rep. Avery Bourne, R-Morrisonville, said in a statement at the time. “The biggest fault of this bill is that it limits the legislative inspector general, who is supposed to be an independent watchdog over the legislature. At a time when we have seen countless elected officials indicted and ongoing federal investigations, we need stronger anti-corruption reforms to restore the public’s trust.”
In his message, however, Pritzker did not mention the office of legislative inspector general, but rather its counterpart in the executive branch, the executive inspector general.
Specifically, he pointed to a change made in the bill that says the executive inspector general may receive and investigate complaints of wrongful behavior “without advance approval of the executive ethics commission.”
“However, advance approval of the Executive Ethics Commission has never been required,” Pritzker said in his veto message. “The addition of this language inadvertently confuses the clear authority that the EIGs have under current law.”
Pritzker asked lawmakers to delete that language and return the statute to its original form.
Capitol News Illinois is a nonprofit, nonpartisan news service covering state government and distributed to more than 400 newspapers statewide. It is funded primarily by the Illinois Press Foundation and the Robert R. McCormick Foundation.
Local News
Bridgeview, Burbank police ready for Polar Plunge
Spread the loveBy Steve Metsch Bridgeview Police Officer Josh Brander and some of his colleagues can’t wait to go swimming Saturday. No, it’s not in the warm comfort of a YMCA swimming pool or a local hotel. This will happen outside. On March 5. In Northern Illinois. It’s not exactly swimming weather, which is why…
Denys steps down as finance director in Lyons
Spread the loveBy Steve Metsch Lyons is looking for a new finance director. Citing more demands with other municipalities he works for, Dan Denys has stepped down from the job in Lyons, Mayor Christopher Getty said. Denys, of Naperville, was not in a full-time position in Lyons, but has been the finance director since May…
Willow Springs police release year in review report
Spread the loveBy Carol McGowan Willow Springs Police Chief Jim Ritz recently released the department’s 2021 Year in Review Report. The report, which was presented to Mayor Melissa Neddermeyer and the Willow Springs Village Board, is an overview of the programs, activities, accomplishments, and statistics that highlight their achievements last year. In the report, Ritz stated…
Forest View swears in new police chief
Spread the loveBy Carol McGowan The Village of Forest View has a new police chief. Steven Stelter was sworn in by Clerk Laura McGuffey at the February 22 village board meeting. Stelter comes with an extensive career in law enforcement. After being honorably discharged from the Army in 1979, where he was in the military…
International soccer tournament coming to Bridgeview
Spread the loveBy Steve Metsch Thirty-two soccer teams from North, Central and South America will be at SeatGeek Stadium in Bridgeview this summer, vying for their share of a $100,000 prize. Copa Mariachi Chicago will be played at the stadium June 4 and 5. The winning team will get $80,000, and the second-place team pockets…
Grappling girls get their day at inaugural state finals
Spread the loveBy Jason Maholy Sports Editor The last weekend of February 2022 was an historic one for Illinois high school athletics, as female grapplers from across the Prairie State converged on Bloomington for the inaugural IHSA girls wrestling state finals. The state finals were held Feb. 25 and 26 at Grossinger Motors Arena in…
Boys Basketball: R-B, Lyons and De La Salle among seven area regional champs
Spread the loveBy Jeff Vorva Staff writer St. Rita, Mt. Carmel, De La Salle, Curie, Lyons, Riverside-Brookfield and Nazareth survived the boys basketball regional wars last week and advanced to this week’s sectional action. Marist and St. Laurence were both a shot away from possibly joining them. Marist, the 10th seed in the Class 4A…
Area Roundup: R-B’s Harrison Nolan dives into record books
Spread the loveBy Jeff Vorva Staff Writer Team USA diver Harrison Nolan capped off his high school career in a huge way. The Riverside-Brookfield senior smashed the record books en route to winning the IHSA state diving championship. The boys state swimming and diving finals were held Feb. 25 and 26 at the FMC Natatorium…
Richards’ Obadi advances to state speech finals
Spread the loveBy Kelly White The varsity speech team from Richards High School continues to impress. For the 15th season in a row, the school, 10601 Central Ave., Oak Lawn, had at least one speech team member advance to state. “One of my most important responsibilities as coach of this program is to continue the…
Oak Lawn Community High School speech team goes to state
Spread the loveBy Kelly White Oak Lawn Community High School’s Speech Team has been showcasing its talent. The team at the school, 9400 Southwest Highway, Oak Lawn, competed at the Illinois High School Association state competition the weekend of February 19 in Peoria. IHSA is a state high school association in the United States that…
Neighbors
Niego Real Estate salutes America again
Spread the love. Popular flag program underway . By Tim Hadac Clearing and Garfield Ridge residents who want to decorate their blocks in red, white and blue this Independence Day are encouraged to contact Niego Real Estate and reserve a supply of U.S. flags at no charge. The popular program to promote patriotism and community…
Lyons Mental Health Commission pulls LeaderShop funding
Spread the loveExecutive director accused of harassment From staff reports The local nonprofit service community was jolted when nearly $300,000 in mental health funds was withdrawn by a Lyons Township agency from the Western Springs LeaderShop, a social service agency that has provided youth programs for nearly 40 years. The Lyons Township Mental Health Commission…
Mount Carmel, Marist and Oak Lawn among 84 teams at Riverside-Brookfield shootout
Spread the loveBy Xavier Sanchez Correspondent High school boys basketball does not stop in March and pick back up in late autumn. For many players, playing hoops is a year-round commitment. AAU ball is a big reason for, that there are summer camps, shootouts or other events at most schools during the summer. The…
Dog lovers to celebrate ‘Fur of July’
Spread the love. By Peggy Zabicki Your correspondent in West Lawn 3633 W. 60th Place • (773) 504-9327 . I’m starting out with some fun news. The West Lawn Dog Park Advisory Council will be hosting a Fur of July Pet Parade on Saturday, June 29 from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at West Lawn…
Fourth of July not happy for everyone
Spread the love. By Mary Stanek Your correspondent in Archer Heights and West Elsdon 3808 W. 57th Place • (773) 517-7796 . Happy Fourth of July. Cannot believe I am already saying that, time sure goes. Hope it is safe and quiet for everyone and especially all of our house pets. For us its shutting…
St. Rita’s transformation is worth a look
Spread the love. Kathy Headley Your correspondent in Chicago Lawn and Marquette Manor 6610 S. Francisco • (773) 776-7778 . St. Rita of Cascia Church, 63rd and Fairfield, continues to undergo its transformation from the sunflowery/harvest golds and browns of the 1960s and 1970s to the calming pastels of the 2000s. Since the basilica-style church…
Loss to Courage brings Red Stars’ winless streak to five games
Spread the loveBy Jeff Vorva Correspondent The Chicago Red Stars historic start to the season is all but forgotten. In the last five matches, the Red Stars have failed to win, with the latest setback being a 3-1 loss on the road to North Carolina on June 23 in an NWSL battle. The Red Stars…
Summer League Basketball | Illinois powers compete at Riverside-Brookfield Shootout
Spread the loveBy Xavier Sanchez Correspondent School’s out for the summer, but high school athletes across Illinois are remaining active during the summer sports season. This includes basketball players, who can be found at camps, open gyms, camps and even weekend tournaments. Among the more high profile hoops action in the area was the Riverside-Brookfield…
Dana Rettke and Ryan Murphy heading to Paris Summer Games
Spread the loveBy Jeff Vorva Correspondent Area fans of the Summer Olympics will have extra reasons to cheer athletes from the United States in the upcoming Paris Games. Dana Rettke of Riverside is a member of the U.S. women’s volleyball team and Palos Heights native Ryan Murphy will represent the country in swimming. Rettke, a…
Hope Church feeds the hungry at Marquette Park
Spread the love. Kathy Headley Your correspondent in Chicago Lawn and Marquette Manor 6610 S. Francisco • (773) 776-7778 . Last week on the way to our CAPS meeting at the Marquette Park Fieldhouse, I stopped in at the Tuesday Community Dinner hosted by Hope Church every week in the auditorium. Pastors Ben and Jordyn…