With just three weeks left until our
scheduled adjournment date of May 31,
the legislature is working tirelessly to close a
$12 billion hole in the State budget.
We are also working to pass meaningful reform
legislation. Both the House and the Senate
are reviewing proposals to close existing
loopholes in the law, increase transparency
and curb the pay-to-play tactics that have
polluted our politics in Illinois.
Most recently, the Illinois
Reform Commission
headed by former Assistant U.S. Attorney
Patrick
M. Collins released its 100-Day
Report and presented its recommendations to
Governor Pat Quinn. In Springfield,
legislators are rapidly considering these
recommendations in an attempt to move them
forward before the General
Assembly adjourns on May 31.
It should be clear that the Illinois
Reform Coalition did not submit actual
legislation,
but rather a detailed report on reform and a
list of proposals and recommendations.
The Report
has
a become a template for us in drafting the
related legislation.
The Report
discusses campaign finance,
procurement, enforcement and investigation of
corruption, the State's redistricting
process, public access to information through
the Internet and other online databases, and
combating patronage.
The House-Senate
Joint Committee on Government Reform is
also expected to issue
its own reform recommendations very soon,
which legislators will evaluate when they
become available.
I'd like to take a moment to point out that
Illinois residents, including me, have grown
weary of State
government in recent months, and with good
reason. But as my colleagues and I work in
Springfield to pass meaningful reform
legislation, I see a genuine opportunity
right now for the State to regain the
public's trust and change the face of
Illinois politics and government altogether.
The Illinois
Reform Commission said it
best:
"[Illinoisans] recognize the need to do more
than reform the laws - we must also reform
our attitudes about government."
That is precisely what is motivating my
thought process as we review these reform
proposals.
