Illinois legislative watchdog resigns over inability to keep lawmakers in check illinoispolicy.org - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from illinoispolicy.org Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Peter Hancock/Capitol News Illinois file photo
The latest watchdog for the Illinois state Legislature offered her resignation on Wednesday, telling lawmakers their failure to pass meaningful ethics reform shows “true ethics reform is not a priority.”
Complaining her job is “essentially a paper tiger,” Legislative Inspector General Carol Pope sent her letter of resignation to members of the Legislative Ethics Commission, offering to step down immediately, stay on while they find a replacement or remain until her term ends in December.
“When I took this job as the Legislative Inspector General, I thought I might be able to make a difference working from the inside,” Pope wrote in her resignation letter.
Let’s start with a proponent…
On May 31, the Senate and House approved a package of reforms that address some of Illinois’ most glaring ethical problems. State Senator John Curran (R-Downers Grove), a former Cook County Prosecutor, was the lead Senate Republican negotiator of the bill.
“With every new indictment or arrest of an elected official, the people of Illinois lose more faith in their government,” said Sen. Curran. “Through give-and-take bipartisan negotiations, today we took a large step forward in delivering real ethics reform. Through SB 539, we will hold elected officials to a higher ethical standard and we will empower our Legislative Inspector General (LIG) to independently investigate allegations of political corruption without first having to obtain permission to investigate from a panel of sitting lawmakers. This new level of autonomy is a crucial element of the reforms we passed today.”
By BGA Policy Team
Springfield Capitol and sky in Springfield, Illinois (GoodFreePhotos.com)
The Better Government Association stands with Reform for Illinois, Common Cause Illinois and CHANGE Illinois in voicing deep disappointment with the feeble ethics bill passed May 31 by the General Assembly.
The bill, which cleared both houses and soon will be on its way to Gov. J.B. Pritzker, contains some incremental improvements that are long overdue. But this legislation has been 18 months in the making. It’s fair to ask: Is that all?
The work of the Joint Commission on Ethics and Lobbying Reform highlighted many deficiencies in the state’s ethics laws. This legislation barely scratches the surface.
The BGA muckrakers are at it again. So pitiful.
=== has yet to utter a quotable phrase on or off script.===
Huh?
You mean, let me understand this cause, ya know maybe it’s me, but unquotable how, I mean unquotable, not a clown, Harmon isn’t amusing them, making them laugh, Is Harmon there to amuse them with quotes? What do they mean unquotable, unquotable how?
How do I know what’s unquotable? They said he’s unquotable.
- not for nothing - Tuesday, Mar 9, 21 @ 9:50 am:
A great ethics proposal no one’s talking about:
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