* WGN…

A do-over in Springfield is set to take place Thursday, as Democratic leaders say they will try again to approve ethics legislation that people on both sides of the aisle call ‘watered down.’

The Illinois House is back in Springfield to consider urgent energy legislation. But what about ethics reform?

“We will be voting on that AV tomorrow, we will have all of our members there and I’m sure it will be approved,” said Democratic Majority Leader Greg Harris.

Last week, the House rejected Governor Pritzker’s amendatory veto (AV) of an ethics bill that passed in May, throwing its fate into question.

Harris says although Democrats can pass it with their supermajority, he hopes Republicans go along with it.

It came up short because a bunch of House Democrats left town. It wasn’t a policy thing.

* And Leader Harris may have expressed hope, but it’s not the plan…

On Wednesday, anticipating Democrats will try to call the bill again, state Rep. Mike Marron, R-Fithian, said Republicans will oppose the motion. He said passing weak reforms gives cover to kicking the can down the road on real reforms.

“Given the circumstances of where we’re at right now, I don’t think that we can do that,” Marron said. “We have to be honest with people. We have to take meaningful reform.”

Republicans say they have strong reform bills ready to vote on if Democrats would cooperate.

To the governor’s changes to the ethics bill, state Rep. Avery Bourne, R-Morrisonville, said he should have given the legislative watchdog more independence to investigate wrongdoing of legislators and staff. Legislative Inspector General Carol Pope announced she’s resigning the position because of the lack of strong ethics reforms. Instead, Bourne said the governor’s change impacts the inspectors for executive agencies.

“So he’s actually trying to bring less oversight of his own agencies with his amendatory veto,” Bourne said in a news conference Wednesday.

* More…

“We say that we’ve fixed the problem and it really does nothing to change anything,” said Rep. Mike Marron (R-Fithian). “That would cause such a lack of faith in confidence in us that it would just be unforgivable.” […]

Rep. Patrick Windhorst (R-Metropolis) served on the Joint Commission on Ethics and Lobbying throughout 2020. That group spent months listening to testimony about necessary changes. Still, they missed the deadline to give a final report to lawmakers. Windhorst is one of several lawmakers upset that the group never submitted the information. He feels ethics fell in importance.

That’s why Windhorst filed an ethics omnibus bill last spring, including many proposals previously introduced by Republicans. His proposal would create a one-year revolving door ban for lawmakers hoping to become lobbyists. The plan also gives more power to the Legislative Inspector General. But, most importantly, the LIG would have subpoena power without prior approval from the Legislative Ethics Commission.

“The Democrats’ ethics package so impaired the LIG’s ability to do her job that our current Legislative Inspector General submitted her resignation after the legislation passed,” said Windhorst. “She pointed out specific deficiencies in the bill in her letter of resignation.

Nobody says they’ve fixed the problem and the bill does change some things. C’mon, Mike.

* Videos…

* WTTW’s Chicago Tonight

* WSIL TV

* WBBM Radio

*** UPDATE *** As expected, the House has accepted the governor’s AV. Republican Reps. Amy Elik and Jeff Keicher joined the Democrats on the motion…

…Adding… Comptroller Mendoza…

Illinois State Comptroller Susana Mendoza’s “no exit bonus/no signing bonus” reform will be enacted as part of a larger ethics package after lawmakers today voted 74-41 to accept the governor’s amendatory veto of the legislation.

The measure ends the shady practice of legislators leaving the General Assembly in disgrace but dating their exit on the first day of the following month to claim an extra month’s pay for a day’s work.

“This is a matter of common sense and accountability,” Mendoza said. “Waitresses and factory workers don’t collect a month’s pay for a day’s work, and legislators don’t deserve that luxury either – especially on the backs of Illinois taxpayers.”