With $25 billion in taxpayer funds at stake in the state�s proposed capital plan, Lt. Governor Pat Quinn on Thursday sent a public letter to Governor Rod R. Blagojevich asking him to call for an immediate vote in the Illinois Senate on House Bill 1, to outlaw pay-to-play state contracts in Illinois. "The bill to end pay-to-play state contracts passed the Illinois House 116-0, and 46 out of 59 state senators have co-sponsored it as well," Quinn said. "Before our state considers spending $25 billion in taxpayer funds on construction contracts, we need a tough new ethics law in place to make sure the people of Illinois get full value for their money." Quinn called on Governor Blagojevich to urge his legislative ally, Senate President Emil Jones, to call HB1 for an immediate vote by the members of the State Senate. If Jones refuses, Quinn said, Governor Blagojevich should institute the provisions of HB1 by executive order. "Governor Blagojevich should follow Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley�s lead and voluntarily end the decades-long practice of pay-to-play in the Land of Lincoln," Quinn said. "With $25 billion in taxpayer funds at stake, we cannot risk any loss of public confidence in the integrity of our state government. It is time to join New Jersey, Connecticut, Kentucky, Hawaii, Ohio, South Carolina and West Virginia in abolishing pay-to-play campaign fundraising practices." To demonstrate the widespread support for HB1, Quinn invited Illinois taxpayers to use his website, StandingUpForIllinois.org, to send an e-mail to Governor Blagojevich urging immediate passage of the bill. Quinn also unveiled a new feature on his website, -- an animated cartoon showing vested interests being showered with billions of taxpayer dollars. House Bill 1, introduced by State Rep. John A. Fritchey (D-Chicago), would require all bidders on state contracts of more than $10,000 to disclose any campaign contributions they have made to the elected official in charge of that contract. It also would prohibit any businesses holding more than $25,000 in state contracts from making campaign contributions to the officeholder in charge of those contracts. Pay-to-play contracting has come under fire because it inflicts a "hidden tax" if campaign contributors are rewarded with unjustified contracts that yield extraordinary profits for less-than-extraordinary performance. "The proposed $25 billion capital budget is critically important to the future of Illinois," Quinn said. "Every cent of that budget should be used to build roads and schools, support mass transit, and clean up our environment � not to reward vested interests for their campaign cash." As the unanimous House vote and long list of Senate sponsors of House Bill 1 indicate, most legislators agree with Lt. Gov. Quinn. Unfortunately, despite the bill�s overwhelming legislative support, President Jones has so far refused to call the bill for a vote in his chamber. "Five years ago, Governor Blagojevich and I were elected on a promise to reform business as usual in the Land of Lincoln," Quinn said. "It�s high time that end pay-to-play campaign fundraising and assure the people of Illinois that our tax dollars will be spent fairly and efficiently." Quinn quoted from a May editorial calling for passage of HB1 in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, which noted: "Candidates for high political office attract contractors eager for state business who are willing to lay campaign contributions at their feet." "Pay-to-play contracting erodes the public�s confidence in their government," Quinn said. "Every business owner in Illinois who bids on state contracts should feel that he or she is competing on a level playing field, instead of suspecting that the fix may be in before the request for proposal goes out." Over the past three decades, both as a citizen and as an elected official, Quinn has battled special interests and political insiders to win victories for Illinois taxpayers and consumers. As founder of the all-volunteer Coalition for Political Honesty, Quinn in 1976 led the biggest petition drive in state history, collecting 635,158 signatures and ending a century-old practice allowing Illinois
legislators to collect their entire year�s pay on their first day in office. In 1982, Quinn was elected to clean up the scandal-ridden Cook County Board of (Property Tax) Appeals. As Commissioner, he instituted a tough new ethics code, professional auditing standards, and a vigorous taxpayer outreach program. During his term as Illinois State Treasurer in the 1990s, Quinn spearheaded passage of the Illinois Whistleblower Reward and Protection Act, a landmark bill empowering taxpayers to file lawsuits to root out fraud and waste in state government. The Illinois Whistleblower Reward and Protection Act � which this year was expanded to local units of government � has helped the state recover millions of dollars in fraudulent payments. In 1993, Quinn proposed the Inspector Misconduct Act, to prohibit state employees from demanding campaign contributions from the businesses and individuals they inspect and regulate. After years of heated opposition � during which the License-for-Bribes scandal unfolded � Quinn finally saw the Inspector Misconduct Act passed and signed into law in 2002. "It is time for Illinois to cut the golden cord linking political fundraising and state contracting," Quinn said. "President Jones and Governor Blagojevich need to heed the people�s demand for a cleaner, healthier state government by doing the right thing and allowing the state Senate to pass HB1." |