Illinois has earned a reputation as one of the most corrupt states in the country, and public confidence in our elected officials and state government has eroded.
As state representative, I will work to enact the following reforms, designed to restore public confidence in our elected officials and state government by increasing transparency and accountability:
- 72-Hour Budget Window. As state
representative, I will support the creation of a 72-hour budget “window”
to allow the public, media, and lawmakers to review and scrutinize the
budget before a vote is taken.
- Campaign Finance Reform. Enact campaign contribution caps on legislative leaders and party
committees to reduce the influence of party leaders on the election
process.
- Transparency Initiative. Illinois taxpayers deserve to know how state government spends their money. I will support the creation of an online, easily searchable database that provides an itemized description of state government expenditures. A transparency initiative will require some spending to implement but will save taxpayers millions in the long run by exposing wasteful government spending, fostering efficiency and accountability in spending decisions, and reducing corruption.
- Recall Amendment. When citizens lose confidence in an elected official, they should have the right to petition to recall that elected official in a recall election before the end of that official's term in office. As state representative, I will support amending the Illinois Constitution to give Illinois citizens that right.
- Special Elections for Senate Vacancies. Going forward, vacant U.S. Senate seats should be filled by the voters in a special election -- not by gubernatorial appointment. Such legislation would have prevented the controversy surrounding the appointment of Senator Roland Burris by then-impeached Governor Rod Blagojevich.
- Reduce the Number of Legislative Committees. The number of legislative committees in the General Assembly has doubled over the last decade. Virtually every lawmaker has a committee title and, as a result, receives thousands of dollars in additional compensation annually, regardless of how much or how little work the committee actually does. This is a prime example of bureaucracy run amok. I will support measures to reduce the number of legislative committees to previous levels.
- Curtail the Use of Shell Bills. The Illinois Constitution requires that bills be read by title in each chamber of the General Assembly on three separate days. Shell bills -- essentially blank bills -- allow legislators to circumvent that constitutional requirement. Legislators "read" the blank shell bills as required by the Constitution, and then at a late stage in the legislative process add language through amendments, often voting on the bills in the same day without due consideration. Shell bills allow legislators to sneak through important pieces of legislation without adequate review or public scrutiny. At worst, this practice is unconstitutional. At best, it is just bad governance. All bills should be read by title in each chamber on three separate days, in accordance with the Illinois Constitution, and posted online for three days.