(The Center Square) – Gov. J.B. Pritzker says unethical public officials should self select themselves out of office if they choose to break the law.
When a reporter asked Pritzker about ethics reform during an event in Elmwood Park on Tuesday, the governor said no one should be serving in public office if they are not following the rules and acting in an ethical fashion.
“In fact, they ought to self select themselves out if they’re going to choose to break the rules or break the law,” Pritzker said.
Several current and recent state lawmakers have faced ethics investigations this year.
In addition, state Rep. Carol Ammons, D-Urbana, and her husband, Champaign County Clerk Aaron Ammons, were federally indicted in July for wire fraud and witness tampering related to a kickback scheme the lawmaker is alleged to have conducted by directing state funds to nonprofits employing her daughter.
When asked why ethics reform didn’t rise to the same priority level as Chicago Bears stadium legislation or the POWER Act to regulate data centers, Pritzker said ethics reform ideas have been floating around for some time.
“Not enough hearings have been done on them, but I’d love to take them up. I think it’s more likely that we would take them up in the general session beginning next year,” Pritzker said.
State Rep. Patrick Windhorst, R-Metropolis, said the current system allows lawmakers who would be investigated to shut down the probe so they can stay out of trouble.
“The issue of public corruption is too serious and too pervasive for legislative action to wait any longer,” Windhorst said during a virtual press conference last month.
State Rep. Ryan Spain, R-Peoria, proposed allowing the legislative inspector general to issue subpoenas during investigations without Legislative Ethics Commission approval, but House Bill 1382 remains in the rules committee.
“Where it will likely languish and die until House Republicans introduce the same measure again when the General Assembly is seated in January,” Windhorst said.
State Rep. Travis Weaver, R-Peoria, said the culture of corruption was supposed to end when Emanuel “Chris” Welch, D-Hillside, replaced Michael Madigan, D-Chicago, as House speaker.
“Speaker Welch promised us a new day, but instead, corruption and scandals continue to run rampant, perhaps even more rampant,” Weaver said.
According to data from the University of Illinois Chicago, more than 2,300 Illinois officials have gone to prison for corruption since 1976.
Sean Reed contributed to this story
