Dupage Policy Journal

Rep. Deanne Mazzochi (R-Westmont) recently called out Democrats’ inability to pass ethics reform legislation in the wake of the indictment of former Speaker of the House Michael Madigan.

“It is baffling to me how, even after the indictment of their long-time leader for bribery and corruption, as well as the recent bribery cases of lower level Democrat state senators and representatives, that Democrats in the majority can justify denying a vote on commonsense ethical reforms for state legislators,” Mazzochi wrote on Facebook on Wednesday.

Madigan was indicted on March 2 on federal racketeering and bribery charges. A release from the Department of Justice said, “The 22-count indictment accuses Madigan of leading for nearly a decade a criminal enterprise whose purpose was to enhance Madigan’s political power and financial well-being while also generating income for his political allies and associates.”

Madigan is facing charges of racketeering and conspiracy, as well as individual counts of using interstate facilities to carry out bribery, wire fraud, and attempted extortion. The release notes that in addition to his role as speaker of the House, Madigan has also held the positions of representative of Illinois’s 22nd District, committeeman for Chicago’s 13th Ward, chairman of both the Illinois Democratic Party and the 13th Ward Democratic Organization, and partner at the Chicago law firm of Madigan & Getzendanner.

Emmerson Buie, Jr., special agent-in-charge of the Chicago Field Office of the FBI said the agency is ready to “stamp out corruption.”

“Our elected officials swear an oath to carry out the duties of their office,” Buie said on the U.S. Attorney’s Office’s website. “When they dishonor that oath, it erodes the trust we have in our officials to do the right thing for our communities, and the FBI and its partners stand ready to stamp out corruption at any level of government.”

Madigan pleaded not guilty on March 9, the Chicago Sun-Times reported. He will appear in front of a U.S. district judge for a hearing on April 1.

The last effort at ethics reform was Senate Bill 0539, signed into law last year by Gov. J.B. Pritzker.

“Passing real, lasting ethics reform was a top priority of mine going into the 2020 legislative session, and I’m pleased to move forward with an ethics package that includes a number of meaningful changes,” Pritzker said in a statement. “We must restore the public’s trust in our government and this legislation is a necessary first step to achieve that goal. I remain committed to making further advancements so the well-connected and well-protected cannot work the system to the detriment of working families across Illinois.”

The ethics reform bill passed last year took effect on Jan. 1. SB539 prohibits lawmakers from becoming lobbyists for six months after leaving office, bans political fundraising during legislative sessions, and allows the Legislative Inspector General (LIG) to investigate complaints independently. However, Republican lawmakers at the time said the bill does not go far enough in enacting ethics reform. 

LIG Carol Pope resigned over the legislation.

The Chicago Sun Times reported Pope resigned in July, stating her office was “essentially a paper tiger.” Pope wrote in her resignation letter that when she accepted the position as LIG, she had hoped to be “able to make a difference working from the inside.”

Pope called out lawmakers for failing to pass effective ethics reform legislation and stated, “This last legislative session demonstrated true ethics reform is not a priority.” The office of LIG had been vacant for more than 4 years when Pope took the job in 2018.

With less than three weeks left in the spring legislative session, WBEZ reported that the odds of Democrats passing ethics reform legislation are “bleak.” Senate President Don Harmon (D-Oak Park) said that last year’s ethics reform bill went far enough. “Less than a year ago we approved sweeping, bipartisan reforms in an attempt to address many of the problems we’ve all seen," he said. "I’m proud of the work we’ve done, and I hope that it will truly make a difference both in practice and perception.”