Ethics executive order coming today
Tuesday, Jan 13, 2015 - Posted by Rich Miller
* I’m hoping to be at this event today, so check back…
On his first full day on the job, Gov. Bruce Rauner is scheduled to sign an executive order on ethics.
Rauner made reference to the move in his inaugural address on Monday, saying the order would focus on the executive branch of government.
A notice from the governor’s office on Tuesday says the order is “focused on improving ethics and accountability in the executive branch of Illinois.”
These sorts of EOs are common with new governors. For instance, click here to see Blagojevich’s first batch of ethics orders, and click here to see Quinn’s.
* Meanwhile…
Also on Tuesday, legislative leaders in both the Illinois House and Illinois Senate plan to meet for a leadership meeting in advance of the next general assembly being sworn in.
- Oswego Willy - Tuesday, Jan 13, 15 @ 1:30 pm:
===Also on Tuesday, legislative leaders in both the Illinois House and Illinois Senate plan to meet for a leadership meeting in advance of the next general assembly being sworn in.===
Cullerton: “Ok, let’s lay out some of the ‘ground rules’ now that we’re going to have a Republican governor now. Jim. 30 votes, minimum for budget and fiscal bills touted by the governor. Christine. 15 votes, same rules.
Now, if the Speaker and I keep getting vilified, it may go to 35, Jim. It may go to 17, Christine.
You remind the governor the chambers are veto-proof…when they…need to be. The $20 million should scare you two more than us.
You want to add anything Mike?”
(Speaker slowly shakes head ‘No’)
“Questions? …Ok then, we’ll start there, see how this goes for a while, then go from there…”
- Yatzi - Tuesday, Jan 13, 15 @ 1:38 pm:
Ok - what about the Ethics law and requirements already in place (was is Blago?_
- Skeptic - Tuesday, Jan 13, 15 @ 1:56 pm:
And for those who have been ethical all along, another piece of paper to sign, another “test” to pass, more “training” to attend. And for those who aren’t ethical, a new challenge to find a way around it. Call me cynical, but also call me realistic.
- Henry Moon - Tuesday, Jan 13, 15 @ 2:13 pm:
If the Executive Order prohibits lobbyists from interacting with Agency Directors, their senior staffs, or anyone in the Governor’s Office, it will actually shake up Springfield.
- dupage dan - Tuesday, Jan 13, 15 @ 2:21 pm:
It would be a blessing if the rank and file no longer have to complete the annual ethics exam, an exercise of uselessness of the highest order.
- Mokenavince - Tuesday, Jan 13, 15 @ 2:35 pm:
Ethics we don’t need no stinkin ethics.
- charles in charge - Tuesday, Jan 13, 15 @ 2:39 pm:
Anyone have a link to video of this presser?
- Norseman - Tuesday, Jan 13, 15 @ 2:40 pm:
New addition, if you make an ethics boo boo you will be placed in the new pillory being installed on the Capitol grounds. Of course there will be an exception for Gov staffers. They will have to report to Schrimpf’s office where a good cover story will be created.
- Ducky LaMoore - Tuesday, Jan 13, 15 @ 3:01 pm:
When you did it Pat, it was cronyism. When I do it, it is networking. -Governor Raunback
- RNUG - Tuesday, Jan 13, 15 @ 3:22 pm:
- dupage dan - Tuesday, Jan 13, 15 @ 2:21 pm:
Amen. At one time before I retired I had several different “ehtics” forms I had to complete for various entities … and the “test” was a joke.
- Joe M - Tuesday, Jan 13, 15 @ 3:34 pm:
A good start to better ethics in Illinois government would be for Gov. Rauner to donate to charity his recently acquired $20 million slush fund - rather than use it to try and bribe legislators to vote his way in order to some of those funds for their next campaign.
- Elo Kiddies - Tuesday, Jan 13, 15 @ 3:57 pm:
Natasha has some more details, but no copy of the order itself. http://chicago.suntimes.com/politics/7/71/288790/rauner-signs-exec-order-ethics-says-must-immerse-office-medical-pot-issue
- Streator Curmudgeon - Tuesday, Jan 13, 15 @ 4:16 pm:
As usual, it’s do as I say, not as I do. Rauner’s new Bribery Slush Fund for legislators who vote his way is already an ethics violation. You can call a bribe a campaign contribution if you want, but the result is still the same: quid pro quo.
- Norseman - Tuesday, Jan 13, 15 @ 4:16 pm:
Story state’s that Rauner’s going to expand revolving door prohibition. Unless he requires his staff or anyone else for that matter to sign a contract to abide by such prohibition, I don’t see how he can enforce this. There is an ethics law that sets the ground rules for this. An Executive Order, other than to reorganize agencies, cannot circumvent the law. As before, a move of no importance other than a PR pop.
- low level - Tuesday, Jan 13, 15 @ 4:27 pm:
and when all the longtime workers get the heck out, taking all the institutional knowledge with them, what new EO then?
Directors must know what their people do? I’d like to see that as many times these people don’t have a clue HOW to actually do something. If they had to work on the fromtlines they’d be lost.
- walker - Tuesday, Jan 13, 15 @ 4:29 pm:
These EOs actually do nothing and are harmful because they’re window dressing. On paper Illinois already has one of the best ethics program known to man. More paper will be a distraction. Changing processes and authorities are key as Rauner’s business guys surely know.
Changing the impact of private money on government won’t be Rauner’s strongpoint.
- Arthur Andersen - Tuesday, Jan 13, 15 @ 4:54 pm:
RNUG, the Blago-era online ethics test was the worst of all.
The “scenarios” were insultingly modeled after previous governors’ failings.
- Norseman - Tuesday, Jan 13, 15 @ 5:08 pm:
Transparency required for ethics statement? Yes, that would have been enlightening for the folks. Mine was replete with N/A’s, etc.
- Milootis - Tuesday, Jan 13, 15 @ 5:31 pm:
At least this useless gesture is targeted at the Executive Branch where it belongs. Nothing was quite as infuriatingly ironic as taking an ethics exam mandated by Rod Blogojevich.
- Arthur Andersen - Tuesday, Jan 13, 15 @ 6:46 pm:
Norseman, that’s true as well. Most state workers had no conflicts, weren’t State vendors, weren’t taking capital gains, blah, blah, blah.
- Pacman - Tuesday, Jan 13, 15 @ 7:09 pm:
I read some places the ethics order prevents state employees from leaving state employment and taking a lobbying job for 1 year after leaving state employment. If I’m not mistaken the ethics act has a revolving door provision that prevents this type of scenario.
- DuPage Dave - Tuesday, Jan 13, 15 @ 7:14 pm:
My favorite memory of the Blagojevich years was when we were required to display in our office a poster reading “I’m ethical- are you?”. So we put it right next to his picture which were were also required to display.
- Norseman - Tuesday, Jan 13, 15 @ 7:42 pm:
Rich, did they distribute the EO with the news release? I would have expected to see it in the website with the release and in the EO section. If they didn’t provide it, do we attribute that to newby lack of experience (tempted to use the word “incompetence,” but I’ll be nice)? Or do we suggest a more sinister motivation of wanting to force reporters to solely use information from the release or sound bites better controlling the message?
- Norseman - Tuesday, Jan 13, 15 @ 8:33 pm:
=== If I’m not mistaken the ethics act has a revolving door provision that prevents this type of scenario. ===
Not having the benefit of seeing the EO, I don’t know the differences for sure. The EO is billed as covering more employees. The law only covers certain classes of employees, i.e. Senior level staff, staff in charge of regulating, and staff who give out contracts.
- DuPage Dave - Tuesday, Jan 13, 15 @ 9:14 pm:
Pretty much everything in this order is already required by one law or another. The revolving door law is already there. The economic disclosure form has been around a long time. The provision about lawsuits against the state seems new.
But for what purpose? Just as with Blagojevich’s ethics policies, Rauner’s presume that state workers are unethical. Completely disappointing.
As the lady said, there’s no there there.
- Arthur Andersen - Tuesday, Jan 13, 15 @ 10:06 pm:
Dave, that poster hung over the crapper in my office.
- Trust A Marine - Tuesday, Jan 13, 15 @ 10:54 pm:
Got an idea. Have your legislative director of your lobbying firm named scheduling director? Darn, idea already taken.
- RNUG - Tuesday, Jan 13, 15 @ 11:26 pm:
- Arthur Andersen - Tuesday, Jan 13, 15 @ 4:54 pm:
I had to take the Blago era test a couple of times; that’s why I referred to it as a joke.
- Norseman - Tuesday, Jan 13, 15 @ 11:42 pm:
=== Twitter
Amanda Vinicky
@AmandaVinicky
Rauner: it has been challenging to recruit because of executive order banning gov employees from lobbying a year after leaving state===
Just promise them a severance with your $20 million slush fund.
- Diego - Wednesday, Jan 14, 15 @ 6:58 am:
There has to be exceptions to revolving door prohibition. Otherwise the goofballs that they want to leave would never go! “Conflict of interest? Who cares?! Thank God they finally found another job!”
- Gary Hutton - Wednesday, Jan 14, 15 @ 10:55 am:
Just make sure the Ethics law and requirements extend to hiring practices at the Illinois Tollway. Rutan interviewing and hiring practices are a farce.
- google earth import - Thursday, Jan 15, 15 @ 5:32 am:
What’s up, always i used to check web site posts here in the
early hours in the dawn, because i enjoy to find out more and more.