Gov to target double-dipping House Dems in ethics bill rewrite
SPRINGFIELD | His changes could kill reform legislation
Gov. Blagojevich plans to announce today that he's rewriting a state-government ethics bill that has been sitting on his desk, adding changes that include sweeping new limits on campaign contributions and an effort to stop "double-dipping" by some legislators.
The governor also plans to use his power as the state's chief executive to impose a ban on "businesses, their affiliates and affiliated persons" with state contracts that total more than $50,000 from making contributions to himself, other state constitutional officeholders, legislators, candidates for state office and state political parties, effective Jan. 1, 2009.
(John H. White/Sun-Times)
Blagojevich -- who has faced criticism over campaign contributions from state contractors -- says his executive order would withstand any legal challenge and vastly change the state's campaign-finance landscape. There are now no limits on who can give and how much can be given to Illinois lawmakers.
According to an internal governor's office memo, Blagojevich will use his amendatory-veto powers to rewrite the ethics bill. The state House and Senate passed that bill unanimously earlier this year with support from government watchdog groups, so lawmakers might not be willing to accept the governor's changes.
His rewrite of the ethics legislation would ban state lawmakers from being employed by any unit of state county or municipal government, according to the memo. Blagojevich plans exceptions for township and other elected officials, meaning he's targeting the double-dipping provision at House Democrats, several of whom have city and county jobs.
He has singled out House Democrats and double-dippers for being against a controversial statewide construction program he's pushing.
Blagojevich also is revising the bill to change the system for awarding legislative pay raises and adding new disclosure rules for lawmakers who work as lobbyists.
The rewrite could be blocked by House Speaker Michael Madigan, who in the past has blocked wholesale gubernatorial rewrites of legislation on grounds they overstep Blagojevich's constitutional authority.
The House and Senate would have to vote to OK Blagojevich's changes. If the Legislature refuses to accept his changes and doesn't vote to block them, the original pay-to-play prohibitions would die entirely -- and, ironically, Blagojevich could hit legislators for blocking ethics reform that he had a hand in killing.