Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn (D) signed a pair of laws over the weekend that he championed as “significant ethics reform” — but might be more accurately described as “significant Blago reform.”
“The people of Illinois have demanded reform and greater responsibility from their elected officials,” Quinn said in a statement. “These new laws will help root out corruption in Illinois and stop elected officials from benefiting from violating the public trust.”
The first law, House Bill 5109, prohibits state funds from being used to pay for a portrait of a governor who’s been impeached and removed from office (In the past, departing governors arranged to have their portraits made, with some costing up to $10,000, according to the Chicago Sun-Times. The fate of Blagojevich’s portrait had been debated by state lawmakers for months.). The second law creates the Public Corruption Profit Forfeiture Act. Under the act, elected officials convicted of public corruption will have to turn over to the state any profits they derived from their activities, as well as campaign funds.
Eric Lach
Eric Lach is a reporter for TPM. From 2010 to 2011, he was a news writer in charge of the website’s front page. He has previously written for The Daily, NewYorker.com, GlobalPost and other publications. He can be reached at ericl(at)talkingpoitnsmemo.com
Facebook Conversations
Questions about commenting with non-Facebook accounts like Yahoo, or other concerns? Click here to read the TPM Commenting FAQ.