Former House Speaker Michael Madigan was sentenced a little more than a year ago on corruption charges, and Illinois is already facing new allegations involving two Democratic lawmakers.
Rep. Carol Ammons of Urbana was federally indicted on multiple felony charges including wire fraud, false statements, and obstruction of justice. Meanwhile, Rep. Harry Benton of Plainfield resigned following an ethics investigation into allegations of inappropriate sexual conduct.
If there was ever a time to pass stronger ethics laws, it was years ago. Despite vocal demands for reform, though, no serious changes have been made. My fellow Senate Republicans and I continue to call for meaningful ethics reforms to help end Illinois’ long-running cycle of public corruption and repeated violations of the public’s trust.
Below is a list of ethics reform bills Senate Republicans have introduced during the current General Assembly. Not a single one has been considered by the Democratic majority:
- Senate Bill 3617 – Creates the Local Government Fraud Prevention Task Force: Establishes the Local Government Fraud Prevention Task Force to develop recommendations for improving fraud prevention, detection, and investigation in local government, including strengthening financial oversight, auditing practices, transparency laws, investigative tools, and training for local officials.
- Senate Bill 3840 – Shine a Light on Public Corruption: Ends the culture of secrecy that has flourished under one-party Democratic control throughout the state by creating a searchable public database of misconduct cases, including those involving politicians like Michael Madigan.
- Senate Bill 3369 – Close the Snyder Loophole: Expands Illinois’ bribery and legislative misconduct laws to cover public officials who receive gifts or personal benefits after taking official action, closing a loophole created by the U.S. Supreme Court’s Snyder decision. Lawful campaign contributions would remain protected.
- Senate Bill 3371 – Ban Pay-to-Play Promises: Prohibits lobbyists from offering anything of value—including campaign contributions or endorsements—in exchange for support or action on legislation or executive decisions, while preserving lawful voluntary political contributions.
- Senate Bill 3983 – No Private Pay for Public Work: Prevents state employees from accepting money or compensation from private individuals or organizations for work performed as part of their official government duties.
- Senate Bill 3862 – Expand Anti-Corruption Enforcement: Strengthens Illinois’ RICO law by adding bribery, official misconduct, solicitation of misconduct, and legislative misconduct as racketeering offenses, while allowing prosecutors to use court-approved wiretaps when investigating those crimes
Until Illinois enacts meaningful ethics reforms, we will continue to see the same cycle repeat itself. Without real accountability, it will be difficult to restore public trust, improve transparency, or address broader issues like fair legislative maps and responsible stewardship of taxpayer dollars.