Ethics commission considers full disclosure of all lobbying in Illinois

CHICAGO — Across Illinois on a daily basis, people are likely being paid to lobby governments without ever having to register as lobbyists or disclose any information.

It’s a reality that emerged Wednesday from the Joint Commission on Ethics and Lobbying Reform. Illinois state government, the city of Chicago and Cook County are the main entities that require lobbyist registration and disclosure. But there are hundreds of units of local government throughout Illinois. By and large, those entities have no such lobbying requirements.

“I think it’s naïve for anyone to think those are the only three places where lobbying is going on,” said Senator Elgie R. Sims, a joint commission co-chair. “If the public has the right to know in these jurisdictions, why shouldn’t it know everywhere else? We need a more holistic approach to lobbying throughout Illinois, because it seems to me there’s a lot probably going on in the dark right now.”

For instance, commission members heard testimony regarding a DuPage County requirement that is largely unenforced and other counties that abandoned the issue after court challenges.

State leaders responsible for recommending ethics reform after recent scandals held their second hearing Wednesday in Chicago on the Lobbyist Registration Act. The first hearing in the series focused on rules and protocol for the committee.

In response to ongoing federal investigations, the General Assembly created the joint commission for the purpose of recommending reforms to ethics laws.

At Wednesday’s hearing, the commission heard testimony from various witnesses regarding lobbying registration, including the City of Chicago, Illinois Municipal League, Illinois State Association of County Chairs, the Secretary of State’s office, and good government groups including the Better Government Association, Center of Illinois Politics, Change Illinois, Common Cause and Reform for Illinois.

While they detailed lobbyist laws and procedures that are in place in a few jurisdictions, it was acknowledged that there are no such requirements in the vast majority of cities, counties, school boards, park districts and other government entities.

Joining Sims as co-chair of the commission was State Representative Greg Harris (D-Chicago).

“It is clear that we need more transparency in lobbying throughout Illinois,” Harris said. “It is important that we know exactly who the lobbyists are, who they work for and who they’re lobbying, so that we can ensure there are no conflicts of interest to ultimately prevent wrongdoing.”

The next joint commission hearing will focus on the Illinois Governmental Ethics Act.

The commission faces a March 31 deadline for delivering recommendations to the General Assembly.

GRANT OPPORTUNITY: Small Equipment Grant Program

The Office of the State Fire Marshal is now accepting applications for the competitive Small Equipment Grant program. The program allows fire departments, fire protection districts and township fire departments, as well as not-for-profit EMS providers to access up to $26,000 in grant funds for specific purposes as outlined in program documents. Applications must be postmarked no later than Feb. 29, 2020. A total of $3.5 million is available for this application cycle.
For further details: https://www2.illinois.gov/sites/sfm/Iam/FireDepartment/Grants-and-Loans/Pages/default.aspx.

GRANT OPPORTUNITY: After School Programs

The Fiscal Year 2020 After School Programs Non-School District grant (formerly Healthy Communities Investment Grant) is now open to applicants. View the Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO)/ Request for Proposals (RFP) for fiscal year 2020. Proposals are due to ISBE no later than 12 p.m. Jan. 27, 2020.

City Colleges of Chicago urges students to take advantage of free classes

Four City Colleges won grants to provide a cost-free education that lead to careers in high-demand fields. This one-time opportunity begins this spring semester, with programs completing by fall. If you or someone you know wants a career in fields like cybersecurity, cannabis dispensary operations, automotive technology, personal fitness trainer, community healthcare worker, advanced manufacturing, or web development, please go to www.ccc.edu/wei today.

Some classes begin as early as Jan. 13.