Galesburg Reporter

State Sen. Jil Tracy (R-Mount Sterling) said Democratic-sponsored ethics legislation does not go far enough.

Unsatisfied with the progress of ethics reform in the state government, the Illinois Senate Republicans held a news conference Monday to discuss needed measures. Tracy kicked off the news conference with a comprehensive introductory speech. 

“We're here to discuss how we can best improve our processes to protect the people of Illinois against corruption and to hold our politicians accountable when they break the public trust,” Tracy said. “As a veteran of the state House and chair of the Legislative Ethics Committee, I'm uniquely aware of the toll that public corruption can have on Illinois resources and working systems. There is no doubt that the accusations, probes, and indictments that have riddled the majority Democrat caucuses organization have many people, including us, concerned about the ethical standards and procedures of our state government.”

The Illinois GOP has been frustrated with the lack of ethics reform in the wake of former House Speaker Mike Madigan's $150 million bribery scandal. The House, in fact, has offered an "End the Silence on Illinois Corruption" petition calling for a special session on ethics reform.

“We are committed to reforming the rules and procedures currently in place to allow for more transparency in our government and to give our judicial branch the tools to effectively prosecute the public officials who break the law,” Tracy continued. “For too many years, the corruption of a few bad actors has cast a shadow over the good work done by so many other lawmakers in our capital. We must not allow their efforts to be diminished any longer. More than anything, we are here to restore the people of Illinois' faith in our government. They have to be tired of Illinois politicians and the political reputation preceding itself.”

With a few days left in the legislative session, the Ethics Committee chair questioned the lack of teamwork, discussion, and solutions.

“So, why are lawmakers not joining together bipartisanly and linking arms to get this done and do the heavy lifting that is needed?” she asked. “We need to muck out the dark corners, throw open the windows, and let some fresh air in to clear out the smoke-filled back rooms and blow the dust off the status quo. It is unfortunate that we seem to be meeting opposition every step of the way in our effort to reform the process.”

Upset with how ethics reform has been handled, Senate Republicans have recently introduced SB1350, which sponsor Sen. John Curran (R-Downers Grove) said bolsters the measures found in the Democrats' SB4 which is still awaiting a vote on the Senate floor.