Bill Text: IL SB2263 | 2017-2018 | 100th General Assembly | Introduced
Bill Title: Amends the State Officials and Employees Ethics Act. Removes provisions allowing for the appointment of members of the General Assembly to the Legislative Ethics Commission. Provides that the appointing authorities shall appoint commissioners from the general public who have experience holding governmental office or employment. Provides that a person is not eligible to serve as a commissioner if that person (i) has been convicted of a felony or a crime of dishonesty or moral turpitude; (ii) is, or was within the preceding 10 years, engaged in activities that require registration under the Lobbyist Registration Act; (iii) is related to the appointing authority; (iv) is or has been within the preceding 10 years a State officer, a State employee, or an employee or member of the General Assembly; or (v) holds a partisan elected or political party office, or is otherwise an officer or employee of a political committee or political campaign. Provides that no commissioner or employee of the Legislative Ethics Commission may, among other restrictions, be actively involved in the affairs of any political committee or political campaign. Makes conforming changes. Effective immediately.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 4-0)
Status: (Failed) 2019-01-09 - Session Sine Die [SB2263 Detail]
Download: Illinois-2017-SB2263-Introduced.html
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1 | AN ACT concerning government.
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2 | Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
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3 | represented in the General Assembly:
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4 | Section 5. The State Officials and Employees Ethics Act is | |||||||||||||||||||
5 | amended by changing Sections 25-5 and 25-10 as follows:
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6 | (5 ILCS 430/25-5)
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7 | Sec. 25-5. Legislative Ethics Commission.
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8 | (a) The Legislative Ethics Commission is created.
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9 | (b) The Legislative Ethics Commission shall consist of 8
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10 | commissioners appointed 2 each by the
President and Minority | |||||||||||||||||||
11 | Leader of the Senate and the Speaker and Minority Leader
of the | |||||||||||||||||||
12 | House of Representatives.
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13 | The terms of the initial commissioners shall commence upon | |||||||||||||||||||
14 | qualification.
Each appointing authority shall designate one | |||||||||||||||||||
15 | appointee who
shall serve for a 2-year term running through
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16 | June 30, 2005.
Each appointing authority shall designate one | |||||||||||||||||||
17 | appointee who
shall serve for a
4-year term running through | |||||||||||||||||||
18 | June 30, 2007.
The initial appointments shall be made within 60 | |||||||||||||||||||
19 | days
after the effective date of this Act.
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20 | After the initial terms, commissioners shall serve for | |||||||||||||||||||
21 | 4-year terms
commencing on July 1 of the year of appointment | |||||||||||||||||||
22 | and running
through June 30 of the fourth following year. | |||||||||||||||||||
23 | Commissioners may be
reappointed to one or more subsequent |
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1 | terms.
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2 | Vacancies occurring other than at the end of a term shall | ||||||
3 | be filled
by the appointing authority only for the balance of | ||||||
4 | the
term of the commissioner whose office is vacant.
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5 | Terms shall run regardless of whether the position is | ||||||
6 | filled.
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7 | (c) The appointing authorities shall appoint commissioners | ||||||
8 | from the general public who have experience holding | ||||||
9 | governmental office or employment. A person is not eligible to | ||||||
10 | serve as a commissioner if that person (i) has been convicted | ||||||
11 | of a felony or a crime of dishonesty or moral turpitude; (ii) | ||||||
12 | is, or was within the preceding 10 years, engaged in activities | ||||||
13 | that require registration under the Lobbyist Registration Act; | ||||||
14 | (iii) is related to the appointing authority; (iv) is or has | ||||||
15 | been within the preceding 10 years a State officer, a State | ||||||
16 | employee, or an employee or member of the General Assembly; or | ||||||
17 | (v) holds a partisan elected or political party office, or is | ||||||
18 | otherwise an officer or employee of a political committee or | ||||||
19 | political campaign The appointing authorities shall appoint | ||||||
20 | commissioners who
have experience holding governmental office | ||||||
21 | or employment and may
appoint commissioners who are members of | ||||||
22 | the General Assembly as well as
commissioners from the general | ||||||
23 | public.
A commissioner who is a member of the General Assembly | ||||||
24 | must recuse himself or
herself from participating in any matter | ||||||
25 | relating to any investigation or
proceeding in which he or she | ||||||
26 | is the subject.
A person is not eligible to
serve as a |
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1 | commissioner if that person (i) has been convicted of a
felony | ||||||
2 | or a crime of dishonesty or moral turpitude, (ii) is, or was
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3 | within the preceding 12 months, engaged in activities that
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4 | require registration under the Lobbyist Registration Act, | ||||||
5 | (iii) is a
relative of the appointing authority, or (iv) is a | ||||||
6 | State officer or employee
other than a member of the General | ||||||
7 | Assembly .
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8 | (d) The Legislative Ethics Commission shall have
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9 | jurisdiction over members of the General Assembly and
all State
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10 | employees whose ultimate jurisdictional authority is
(i) a | ||||||
11 | legislative leader, (ii) the Senate Operations Commission, or | ||||||
12 | (iii) the
Joint Committee on Legislative Support Services.
The | ||||||
13 | jurisdiction of the
Commission is limited to matters arising | ||||||
14 | under this Act.
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15 | An officer or executive branch State employee serving on a | ||||||
16 | legislative branch board or commission remains subject to the | ||||||
17 | jurisdiction of the Executive Ethics Commission and is not | ||||||
18 | subject to the jurisdiction of the Legislative Ethics | ||||||
19 | Commission. | ||||||
20 | (e) The Legislative Ethics Commission must meet, either
in | ||||||
21 | person or by other technological means, monthly or as
often as | ||||||
22 | necessary. At the first meeting of the Legislative
Ethics | ||||||
23 | Commission, the commissioners shall choose from their
number a | ||||||
24 | chairperson and other officers that they deem appropriate.
The | ||||||
25 | terms of officers shall be for 2 years commencing July 1 and
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26 | running through June 30 of the second following year. Meetings |
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1 | shall be held at
the call
of the chairperson or any 3 | ||||||
2 | commissioners. Official action by the
Commission shall require | ||||||
3 | the affirmative vote of 5 commissioners, and
a quorum shall | ||||||
4 | consist of 5 commissioners. Commissioners shall receive
no | ||||||
5 | compensation but
may be
reimbursed for their reasonable | ||||||
6 | expenses actually incurred in the
performance of their duties.
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7 | (f) No commissioner , other than a commissioner who is a | ||||||
8 | member of the
General
Assembly, or employee of the Legislative
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9 | Ethics Commission may during his or her term of appointment or | ||||||
10 | employment:
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11 | (1) become a candidate for any elective office;
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12 | (2) hold any other elected or appointed public office
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13 | except for appointments on governmental advisory boards
or | ||||||
14 | study commissions or as otherwise expressly authorized by | ||||||
15 | law;
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16 | (3) be actively involved in the affairs of any | ||||||
17 | political party , or political
organization , political | ||||||
18 | committee, or political campaign ; or
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19 | (4) advocate for the appointment of another person to | ||||||
20 | an appointed or elected office or position or actively | ||||||
21 | participate in any campaign for any
elective office.
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22 | (g) An appointing authority may remove a
commissioner only | ||||||
23 | for cause.
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24 | (h) The Legislative Ethics Commission shall appoint an
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25 | Executive Director subject to the approval of at least 3 of the | ||||||
26 | 4 legislative leaders. The compensation of the Executive |
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1 | Director shall
be as determined by the Commission. The | ||||||
2 | Executive Director of the Legislative
Ethics Commission may | ||||||
3 | employ, subject to the approval of at least 3 of the 4 | ||||||
4 | legislative leaders, and determine the
compensation of staff, | ||||||
5 | as appropriations permit.
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6 | (Source: P.A. 96-555, eff. 8-18-09.)
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7 | Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon | ||||||
8 | becoming law.
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