Ethics bill sponsors say they'll override gov's rewrite
LEGISLATURE | New version targets double-dippers
The architects of a legislative ethics package that Gov. Blagojevich completely rewrote Monday promised they would move to undo the governor's changes.
"The governor's actions right now indicate either a complete lack of understanding at what's at the heart of the pay-to-play problem in Illinois or a complete unwillingness to truly do anything," said Rep. John Fritchey (D-Chicago), the legislation's chief House sponsor.
Fritchey promised a quick override in the House.
Sen. Don Harmon (D-Oak Park), the bill's chief Senate sponsor, and Senate Majority Leader Debbie Halvorson (D-Crete) pledged to do the same in the Senate, citing a deal House and Senate sponsors cut.
"My understanding among the legislative sponsors and advocates is we reached agreement on the content of the ethics bill and we'd override any veto, even if it were an improvement," Harmon said.
Whether Blagojevich's close ally, Senate President Emil Jones (D-Chicago), shares that view was not clear when the top Senate Democrat met with reporters at the Democratic National Convention. "I'm not part of any agreement on anything," Jones said.
Blagojevich rewrote the ethics bill to try to stop "double-dipping" by some legislators, who are paid as part-time lawmakers while working full-time in other government jobs, with exemptions for teachers, firefighters and township officials, among others.
His rewrite also included a requirement that legislators vote to accept pay raises instead of automatically receiving a pay bump unless raises are voted down, as well as sweeping changes to state campaign-finance rules.
Even if the rewrite is overridden, the campaign-finance rules could stay in place. That's because Blagojevich signed an executive order banning people with state-agency contracts of $50,000 or more from making campaign contributions to himself, other state constitutional officeholders, legislators, candidates for state office and state political parties.
Blagojevich said the changes are designed to "rock the system," which he thought the ethics bill passed by the Legislature didn't do.