* Thursday morning press release from the Better Government Association, Change Illinois, Common Cause Illinois and Reform for Illinois…

On January 12, the Illinois legislature held a hearing and vote on an 87-page ethics bill in the middle of the night at the end of the lame duck session. This bill was introduced in the final hours of the 101st General Assembly with no notice to stakeholders and without the promised public report from the Joint Commission on Ethics and Lobbying Reform. While the clock ran out on the session before the bill could pass, the process was deeply concerning to those of us who care about open, ethical government. It flew in the face of transparency, did little to remedy Illinois’ reputation as a bastion of closed-room deals and political corruption, and further undermined public trust in state government.

They were in session for a few days after not being in session since May. I get people are all up in arms about the “process,” but I’m much more concerned about the end product on this topic, which was that nothing happened. Back to the release…

The bill touched on some subjects we brought to the Commission last year, but it also omitted key issues like conflicts of interest and oversight of legislators. Moreover, it contained provisions, such as the preemption of home rule, that would have dramatic implications for localities, businesses, advocates, and other stakeholders. Yet the bill dropped with no time for meaningful consideration of those serious concerns.

Um, the worse thing is that not even a half-measure was approved. Zero, zip, bupkis. But not a word was mentioned in the release about what was actually in the bill that could’ve done some real good.

There were some much-needed provisions in the measure, like banning Sangamon County fundraisers the day before and after session.

The bill also would’ve prevented legislators from becoming lobbyists for six months after they retired at the end of their terms, or for six months until after their scheduled term ended if they quit early.

And it would’ve prevented sitting legislators from lobbying local governments.

This wasn’t a horrible bill. It passed a House committee with just one dissenting vote. Also, nobody testified against it via Zoom. Maybe somebody should subscribe to a bill-tracking service.

Don’t get me wrong, I fully agree with the groups that a bill should’ve been advanced much earlier in the lame duck session. It was slow-walked and then allowed to die. Not acceptable. But that bill moved through committee late Tuesday night. It’s now Thursday, when it’s too late to do anything about it.

* Meanwhile, here’s the SJ-R on the House floor vote on the Black Caucus’ criminal justice reform bill…

To the chagrin of Republicans, all of whom voted against the bill, House Democrats used their control over the proceedings to keep the voting period open long enough for some lawmakers to switch their votes until the minimum 60-vote majority needed for approval was reached.

The horror.

…Adding… To be clear, there’s nothing in the rules in either chamber (and never has been) that mentions a time limit on roll calls. The rules merely require that the Speaker ask three times if all members had voted who wish to vote.