Better Government Association

Senate President Emil Jones Holds 'Pay-to-Play' Legislation Hostage ... ICPR Asks Why?

Posted : Mon, 23 Jul 2007 15:24:18 GMT
Author : Illinois Campaign for Political Reform

CHICAGO, July 23 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- For nearly three months, Senate President Emil Jones has blocked the progress of legislation aimed at limiting the influence of big campaign contributors, and reform groups are asking him to explain his obstinacy.

"Why would a bill passed without any opposition in the House and sponsored by 45 of the 59 state senators be denied a hearing in the Senate for nearly three months," asked Cynthia Canary, Director of the Illinois Campaign for Political Reform (ICPR). "Only Senate President Emil Jones knows the answer to that question. He has said very little about the pay-to-play controversies that dog Illinois government and instead has quietly blocked the most important pending legislation to reform state contracting."

House Bill 1, which would prohibit business owners with more than $25,000 in state contracts from making campaign contributions to officeholders awarding the contracts, passed the House by a vote of 116 to 0 on May 25th. Instead of allowing the Senate to consider HB 1, Jones has kept it locked in the Senate Rules Committee.

"President Jones has suggested he wants to change House Bill 1, but he has not advanced an alternative," Canary said.

"When it comes to winning big state contracts, the public clearly believes that large campaign contributors have an advantage," she said. "Before Illinoisans lose even more faith in the fairness of state government, President Jones should free House Bill 1."

The coalition of grassroots and reform organizations supporting this bill include the Illinois Campaign for Political Reform, Citizen Action Illinois, the Better Government Association, the Citizen Advocacy Center, Common Cause Illinois, Illinois PIRG, the League of Women Voters, and Protestants for the Common Good.