A press rele3ase from State Rep. Mike Tryon:

Rep. Mike Tryon Renews Push for Stringent Ethics Reforms
Challenges Gov. Quinn to keep his promise to reform

CRYSTAL LAKE…State Representative Mike Tryon (R-Crystal Lake) reaffirmed on Thursday his ongoing commitment to ethics reform in Illinois and is calling on Governor Pat Quinn to keep his promise to reform state government.

“Shortly after the Blagojevich verdict was read, Governor Quinn went on TV and said the conviction underlined the importance of reforming state government on a daily basis,” said Tryon. “I would like him to keep true to those words by supporting legislative efforts to pass comprehensive reforms that apply to all legislators in all elections.”
According to Tryon, two years ago campaign contribution limits were put in

• place for individuals,
• corporations,
• unions and
• political action committees

for all elections, but those limitations were put in place for legislative party leaders only for primary elections.

Mike Tryon

“The General Election is where major money is spent by legislative and party leaders – not the primary elections,” said Tryon.

“Extending the caps to the general election is needed to dilute the concentration of power in Springfield so that candidates do not end up feeling beholden to the legislative or party leader who funded their campaign.”

House Bill 232, sponsored by House Republican Leader Tom Cross and the entire House GOP caucus, would extend caps to legislative leaders and political parties in all election cycles. The bill was filed in January and was promptly moved to the Rules Committee. The bill was blocked from being brought to the floor for discussion or debate.

Similarly, House Joint Resolution Constitutional Amendment 28 would put into place a more comprehensive and straightforward recall provision than is currently law in Illinois.

HJRCA28 would allow the voters to recall any Executive branch official or member of the General Assembly. It also would lower the threshold of petition signatures needed to place a recall vote on the ballot and eliminates the requirement for members of both parties in the legislature to ‘sign-off’ on a recall initiative. That piece of legislation was also buried in the Rules Committee and prohibited from consideration on the House Floor.

Other proposals filed by Republicans that were blocked from being discussed include (see attached document for more details):

House Bill 3607 requires statewide elections to fill vacancies in the office of U.S. Senator to ensure voters have a voice in filing future vacancies

• House Bill 1048 prohibits gubernatorial appointees from soliciting campaign contributions
• House Bill 3604 would increase transparency by requiring elected and appointed government officials to disclose additional information on their economic interest statements
• House Bill 3605 prohibits public officials from discussing fundraising activities with prospective vendors, job applicants, and other individuals/entities with a personal or financial interest in government outcomes

According to Tryon, many of the bills were the direct result of information provided by the Governor’s Illinois Reform Commission.

“It appears the Governor has snubbed his nose at much of the work that his own Reform Commission put forward and proposed,” said Tryon. “He needs to dust off that document and help us push many of the reforms that were suggested. We must do everything we can to hold our public officials to the highest standards in the law.”