State Senator Sara Feigenholtz (D-Chicago) released the following statement after signing onto a comprehensive ethics reform package with Senators and Representatives stating that:
“This ethics package is common sense, and long overdue. Our constituents are demanding
ethics reform to create a stronger and better Illinois.
The Illinois legislature has the power and duty to impact the lives of all of our residents in a
myriad of ways.
The most basic expectation of our body politic is that we prevent even the slightest impression that our work is influenced by anything other than our constituents’ best interests.
The recent past does not need to be rehashed for all of us to agree that reasonable people can
question the fundamental ethics of our institutions.
The very act of scrutiny in public life is a gift to all those who serve and want to serve the public interest. As a matter of fact, it is that very scrutiny that comes with higher expectations and therefore higher regard for all who serve.
Our ethics package today increases lobbying requirements, limits lobbying by legislators,
provides objective oversight for complying with these requirements, and creates term limits forleadership positions.
As the Joint Commission on Ethics Reform continues to meet, I hope that these
recommendations will be seriously considered as they move forward with their work.”