McHenry Times

Sen. Craig Wilcox (R-McHenry) is criticizing his Democratic colleagues for blocking 'substantive' ethics reform.

"Despite the Madigan indictment and other indictments of high-ranking Illinois politicians, the Senate Ethics Committee did not meet even once during the 2022 session," Wilcox posted on his website. "Instead, leading Democrats chose to block a comprehensive ethics package filed by Senate Republicans. The Senate Republicans' bills were never assigned to a committee. Ethics reform should have been a top priority during the 2022 session, and I will continue pushing for substantive ethics reforms to help clean up state government and restore the public's trust."

A recent report has ranked Illinois the third-most corrupt state in the country, according to WTTW. The report, co-authored by University of Illinois at Chicago professor and former 44th Ward Ald. Dick Simpson, draws on data from the U.S. Department of Justice. In the Northern District of Illinois, which covers Chicago and the northern third of the state, a total of 22 public officials were convicted on charges related to corruption in 2020. However, that is a reduction from the numbers in 2019 when 26 Illinosians were convicted on charges of public corruption. Some of the corruption cases detailed in the report are related to former House Speaker Mike Madigan and his alleged schemes with Commonwealth Edison.

Madigan was indicted on March 2 on federal racketeering and bribery charges. According to a release from the Department of Justice, "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."

During this last legislative session, Illinois Senate Republicans pushed a package of bills that would have addressed ethics reform. SB 3636 would have empowered the Attorney General to use a statewide grand jury to not only investigate but also prosecute public contractor misconduct. The legislation would have also amended Illinois' RICO law. This would have given wiretap authority to state attorneys investigating public corruption. Members of the General Assembly and their immediate families would also be prohibited from working as lobbyists while that person is a member of the legislature. SB 3030 would have given the Legislative Inspector General (LIG) the authority issue subpoenas without prior permission from the Legislative Ethics Commission.

Former Legislative Inspector General (LIG) Carol Pope resigned in July, stating her office was "essentially a paper tiger," according to the Chicago Sun Times. "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. "I thought I could be useful in improving the public's view of the legislature and help bring about true ethics reform. Unfortunately, I have not been able to do so. This last legislative session demonstrated true ethics reform is not a priority."