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RSSEthics support may be just another ploy
Is Gov. Rod Blagojevich going to "love the ethics bill to death?"
Are Senate Democrats, particularly Senate President Emil Jones, going to show some backbone and stand up to the governor to enact real ethics reform?
Illinois voters should find out soon in the long-playing soap opera that is politics in the state Capitol. This isn't really a tear-jerker, however, unless you mourn for good, honest government.
Under increasing pressure, the Senate and House are close to an agreement on an ethics bill. The bill, which could be announced later this week, would prohibit state contractors from donating to the political campaigns of state officials. The bill is an attempt to end "pay-to-play" in Illinois politics.
Blagojevich's campaign has received millions of dollars from state contractors, and that activity has attracted the attention of federal investigators. The practice currently is legal in Illinois, and Blagojevich contends that donations to his campaign coffers have no effect on state contracts.
The Illinois House passed legislation last year that would prohibit the practice. Earlier this session, the Senate passed a slightly different bill, and House and Senate members have been negotiating on a proposal that could pass both chambers.
Both House and Senate members say any compromise also would include an agreement on how to override a veto by Blagojevich. Overriding a veto in the House would probably be easy. But Jones, D-Chicago, is a Blagojevich ally, and he could stall any override attempts.
At the same time, the governor's office has stated that it may change the bill by filing an "amendatory" veto.
When a bill passes both chambers, the governor can either sign it, veto it outright or file an amendatory veto by inserting new provisions. If he does the latter, the bill would have to go back to the House and Senate to either accept the changes or let it die.
The governor's office said Monday that the current ethics bill doesn't go far enough. Blagojevich spokeswoman Rebecca Rausch said of the ethics bill, which is sponsored by Rep. John Fritchey, D-Chicago: "Rep. Fritchey's bill does not go far enough. If he was really interested in comprehensive ethics reform, he would work with senators to strengthen the bill instead of making deals to avoid efforts to make it stronger."
Of course, the governor's office didn't say what changes it would like made to the bill, which seems to indicate that Cynthia Canary, director of the Illinois Campaign for Political Reform, may have the right analysis.
"For the governor, to suggest it will be better with more 'stuff' in it is disingenuous," she said. "Putting more stuff in it will kill it."
In Springfield, that's known as "loving a bill to death." Instead of opposing the bill, the governor's office will add so many provisions that create new opponents to it that it eventually will fail.
Stay tuned, Illinois voters. We may find out in the next few days whether Blagojevich and the Senate Democrats want real ethics reform or if they just want to pay it lip service.
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