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Campaign finance
PI Original
by Angela Caputo
5:47pm
Mon Oct 19, 2009
1 comment

Poll: The State Of Illinois Govt. Is "No Laughing Matter"

Campaign finance

Last week, House Speaker Michael Madigan (D-Chicago) made the latest move in the back-and-forth over campaign finance reform when he attempted to ram through a rewrite of campaign contribution caps legislation (SB 1466),
blindsiding the government watchdogs who had been ...

PI Original
by Adam Doster
1:03pm
Thu Oct 15, 2009

First Day Of Veto Session: What Happened?

Education

Back in Springfield for the fall veto session, state lawmakers made
measured progress yesterday on some legislative priorities we've been
tracking for months. Here's a brief rundown of what transpired:

Campaign Finance Reform

The big news was that a House ...

PI Original
by Angela Caputo
2:59pm
Fri Oct 9, 2009

A Showdown For Campaign Finance Reform

State Legislature

Back in August, Gov. Pat Quinn came to terms with the fact that the campaign finance legislation lawmakers crafted in May was less "historic" than he'd initially touted. Instead of signing off on the half-hearted attempt, which reformers panned for failing ...

PI Original
by Adam Doster
4:40pm
Thu Aug 27, 2009

Campaign Finance Reform: Part Two

Ethics

As expected, Gov. Pat Quinn vetoed HB 7
this afternoon, the campaign finance bill the General Assembly passed
this May. While Quinn testified in favor of the bill earlier in the
year, even calling it "historic," he emphasized today that he always considered the ...

PI Original
by Angela Caputo
7:11pm
Mon Jun 15, 2009

Insulating Judges From Influence

Campaign finance

Earlier this month the Supreme Court ruled
that elected judges must recuse themselves from the bench when their
own big donors' interests are at stake. With Illinois' judicial races
raising record-setting amounts of campaign cash -- becoming a national
example of a system ...

PI Original
by Adam Doster
5:15pm
Mon Jun 8, 2009
1 comment

The Supreme Court And Judicial Elections

Judiciary

The Supreme Court understands that judicial campaign contributions
can create conflicts of interest in the nation's legal system. Why
can't Illinois lawmakers?

In a 5-4 ruling today,
the high court ruled that elected judges must recuse themselves from
cases ...

PI Original
by Adam Doster
12:14pm
Fri May 29, 2009

Quinn Describes Loophole-Ridden Campaign Finance Bill As "Historic"

State Legislature

After one gubernatorial impeachment and months of negotiation, the Illinois Senate voted yesterday
to limit some contributions to political candidates as part of a
campaign-finance overhaul. Clearing the Senate by a 36-22 margin,
largely along party lines, HB 7 is the ...

PI Original
by Angela Caputo
12:15pm
Fri May 22, 2009

Spilling Ink: Watered Down Reforms Won't Cut It

State Legislature

Word out of Springfield this morning is that Senate President John Cullerton (D-Chicago) has pulled a series of ethics measures from today's docket.  The apparent reason, according to the Tribune: Republican lawmakers "offered to pick up recommendations from Quinn's ...

PI Original
by Progress Illinois
4:46pm
Wed May 20, 2009
1 comment

Hamos: Legislative Leaders Want To Preserve "The Politics Of The Past"

Campaign finance

State Rep. Julie Hamos (D-Evanston) appeared on WFLD's Good Day Chicago this morning to talk about the ongoing efforts to pass various ethics reforms in Springfield.  Watch it: HAMOS: What I'm worried about is that the leaders will block the ...