A reform committee assembled to keep Illinois government intact announced their schedule and the areas of controversy it will examine.
The Joint Committee on Government Reform will meet seven times between February 18 and March 31 and hold hearings on four different subjects: open government, outside influences, campaign reform, and procurement issues. The committee is headed by Senate President James Cullerton and House Speaker Mike Madigan.
“We hope that the release of this schedule will help everyone to better understand the scope of the work that the Joint Committee plans to undertake,” Madigan said.
The committee will not only discuss the controversies surrounding the impeachment, but other things that have been proposed through legislation as well.
“We will be reaching out to experts and observers from across the nation who can offer their insights to the Joint Committee,” Cullerton said.
The committee was proposed by Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn and was approved by the House and Senate through a resolution. The resolution suggests that the committee bring forth legislation that will carry ethics back into Illinois government.
The committee was formed because of Rod Blagojevich’s recent impeachment and Illinois’ history of corrupt government. Its members will meet weekly and hope to have legislation proposals ready for consideration by April.
The committee will hold its first meetings on February 18 and 24. The subject for these meetings will be open government. These meetings’ topics will include public reporting of governmental waste, accessing information online, and public disclosure of reports. There will also be reforms to the Compensation Review Act and the Illinois Freedom of Information Act.
One issue that was noted in the resolution was whistleblowing, which is alleging misconduct within government. Such allegations are made to government officials, as well as outside parties, and have been a hot topic surrounding the Blagojevich scandal.
The next two meetings will take place on March 3 and 10 and will review the issue of outside influences on government. Various practices will be examined, including the concept of revolving door, which is interchanging jobs between government and industry, thus creating conflicts of interest.
The committee also looks to tackle such issues as lobbyist registration, gift bans, and the roles of special government agents.
Campaign reform will be discussed on March 17. These meetings will include such topics as judicial races, contribution limits, and public finance. Contributions from state contractors and appointees will also be examined.
A good portion of the subjects will be discussed on March 24 and 31, where legislation will be suggested about procurement issues. These issues reflect much of the recent corruption in Illinois. There is currently a Procurement Policy Board in place, and the committee would like to increase its oversight.
Another goal is to eliminate loopholes to competitive bidding within government, which was a controversial topic surrounding the impeachment of Blagojevich. The committee also plans to tighten conflict-of-interest provisions and eliminate gift bans for pension trustees.
These meetings will take place in the State Capitol Room and be available for public viewing with live streaming video on the General Assembly’s website. The link for these videos is www.ilga.gov/house/audvid.asp.
Both Madigan and Cullerton will appoint four members, while Sen. Minority Leader Christine Radogno and House Minority Leader Tom Cross will have two appointees each; 16 politicians will make up the committee.
Madigan has named his four appointees: House Majority Leader Barbara Flynn Currie, Deputy Majority Leaders Art Turner and Gary Hannig, and Assistant House Majority Leader Edward Acevedo. Cullerton’s four appointees are Sen. Majority Leader James Clayborne, Majority Caucus Whip Susan Garrett, and Sens. Maggie Crotty, and William Delgado.
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