[I’m taking the subscriber protection off because other outlets are now covering the issue.]
* 3:13 pm - Senate President Emil Jones has agreed - for now - to not call a hostile amendment to the supposedly agreed ethics bill.
Jones introduced an amendment late this morning that would have barred all contributions from most contractors to all constitutional officers and candidates.
In other words, if someone had a $50,000+ contract with the comptroller’s office, they couldn’t contribute to Treasurer Giannoulias’ campaign committee.
It also would also appear to mean that legislators, including Speaker Madigan, the chairman of the Democratic Party of Illinois, would be prohibited from raising money from state contractors. UPDATE: Misread of the amendment on my part in conjunction with Jones’ explanation below. According to Jones’ spokesperson, the amendment would only apply to other statewide officials, not legislators. Sorry for the confusion. But it would prevent Giannoulias, Lisa Madigan, Dan Hynes, etc. from raising money from contractors under Blagojevich’s control in anticipation of a far-off and still undeclared bid for governor.
Jones just said that he would hold the amendment today, but a few hours ago there was some concern that the ethics package might be dead - a week after it was apparently made an agreed bill.
The Senate won’t vote on the bill today, partly because there’s a bit more work to be done on other issues. More on that and other stuff in tomorrow’s Capitol Fax.
* 3:27 pm - Senate President Jones explains a loophole that he’d like to see closed [but isn’t introduced yet]…
Senate President Emil Jones — a Chicago Democrat — says the money ban has a “gaping loophole.” He says it simply means people will give money to political parties to distribute to candidates.
*** 4:24 pm *** I had these stories posted below but I’ve moved them up to this post for easier viewing…
* The Daily Herald…
Lawmakers and other state officials are likely to get pay raises because the Democratic leadership in the Illinois Senate does not plan to let members vote on whether to block the increases, lawmakers confirmed Thursday. […]
State Sen. Rickey Hendon, a Chicago Democrat, said he thinks the rejection effort is flawed and claims state House members are using the Illinois Senate as a political fall guy on the issue. Hendon said the Illinois House votes to reject the raises all the while expecting the Senate will block rejection and everyone ends up with more money. […]
As chairman of the Senate Rules Committee, Hendon controls whether the plan to reject the raises ever sees the light of day. […]
“People should not miss out on the fact that [Sen. Susan Garrett, a pay raise opponent, is a] millionaire. She don’t need it. Have you seen her house? Mind-boggling,” Hendon said. “So it just blows my mind how the filthy rich are always the ones saying, we don’t need the raise. No she don’t.”
* The AP…
Hendon’s comments came after Garrett told reporters he would not let the House-passed resolution advance in the Senate. Hendon said he never told Garrett he was blocking the House resolution. But he made it clear he intended to improve it, pointing to his role in changing a House-approved measure calling for a constitutional amendment on recalling officials. The Senate killed that version last week.
Hendon said lawmakers should consider applying his pay raise approach to other issues, such as a statewide construction program lawmakers are negotiating.
“If people aren’t man and woman enough to take the tough votes, then they shouldn’t get it anyway,” Hendon said. “But every time, they’re the first one in the line.”