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The new “revolving door” provision is much weaker than much of the reporting has indicated so far

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Illinois

* Dispatch-Argus editorial on the ethics bill…

There is only a six-month bar on ex-lawmakers lobbying. Neighboring Iowa has a 2-year prohibition, and most states at least make lawmakers wait a year before they can cash in.

Illinois did the bare minimum.

* Illinois Policy Institute…

It also mandates lawmakers must wait six months before becoming lobbyists once leaving office

After checking around and reading this passage over and over, it’s clear that Illinois did much less than the bare minimum. Here’s the language…

Beginning the second Wednesday in January of 2023, no former member shall engage in activities at the State level that require registration under the Lobbyist Registration Act in a General Assembly of which he or she was a member until 6 months after leaving office.

I highlighted the controlling section.

* There are three clear implications:

before

2) Legislators who resign on or after the second Wednesday in January of 2023 must wait six months before they can begin lobbying the same General Assembly of which they were a member. So, if they resign 2 months into the new GA, they have to wait until the GA is 8 months old before they can lobby. But if they resign 22 months into the GA, they only have to wait to lobby for two months, when a new GA is sworn into office;

3) Legislators who serve out their complete terms, or Senators who complete two full years of a four-year term, don’t have to wait to lobby because they are then no longer members of the same General Assembly.

Cute.

posted by Rich Miller
Tuesday, Jun 8, 21 @ 12:53 am

Comments

See? Politicians CAN work together when they zero in on a shared goal. All smiles and high-fives in the ‘back room’.

Comment by Sayitiantso Tuesday, Jun 8, 21 @ 12:57 am
Someone tell Chris and Mary Miller if they resign now they can become lobbyists

Comment by Commisar Gritty Tuesday, Jun 8, 21 @ 8:14 am
Any legislator trumpeting this should be asked why the revolving door laws are tougher on state employees than they are on themselves.

Comment by Ron Burgundy Tuesday, Jun 8, 21 @ 8:40 am
==Any legislator trumpeting this should be asked why the revolving door laws are tougher on state employees than they are on themselves.==

Another aspect of the revolving door laws is that state employees who want to get a 2nd job outside of work, even if it was just working weekends at McDonald’s or the grocery store, have to go through and get approval by Personnel before they even apply for secondary employment. As far as I know this resulted from all the Ryan scandals.

Comment by EssentialStateEmployeeFromChatham Tuesday, Jun 8, 21 @ 8:45 am
This was brought up in the debate on the House floor.

Comment by Shield Tuesday, Jun 8, 21 @ 8:46 am
A legislator can work on January 1, 2023, get paid for the entire month of January, AND begin working as a lobbyist on the second Thursday in January. Talk about double-dipping.

Comment by SAP Tuesday, Jun 8, 21 @ 9:25 am
Illinois, where lobbyists don’t have to wait. Once again our politicians act like reformers without actually changing anything.

Comment by thisjustinagain Tuesday, Jun 8, 21 @ 9:39 am
Great when a reporter actually reads the bill.

Comment by walker Tuesday, Jun 8, 21 @ 9:56 am
SAP you are wrong.

The bill now pays legislators a prorated salary. They no longer get paid for the entire month.

Comment by JJJJJJJJJJ Tuesday, Jun 8, 21 @ 10:38 am
When the penalty for revolving door violation is an amount the new salary can cover in a month, let’s call it what it really is; an entrance fee, not a fine.

Comment by Give Us Barabbas Tuesday, Jun 8, 21 @ 11:31 am
I heard Hannah point out this MASSIVE loop-hole on State Week and I couldn’t hardly believe my ears.

https://www.nprillinois.org/post/state-week-what-lawmakers-did-and-didnt-do-spring-session

– MrJM

Comment by @misterjayem Tuesday, Jun 8, 21 @ 11:38 am
They just can’t help it can they?

(At first I typed “they just can’t help themselves” but that’s what they do too much of.)

Comment by Lefty Lefty Tuesday, Jun 8, 21 @ 12:59 pm
The new revolving door “reform” won’t stop the door nor inconvenience the vast majority of members who want to go from the floor to the rail immediately.

Comment by anon2 Tuesday, Jun 8, 21 @ 1:24 pm
==Give Us Barabbas==

That’s the thing with revolving door laws. Do you really think an industry or company isn’t going to be willing to pay a former legislator $200k to do nothing for a year in exchange for favorable treatment? What exactly do revolving doors accomplish?

Comment by JJJJJJJJJJ Tuesday, Jun 8, 21 @ 4:24 pm