ICPR Gives Illinois House The Stats On Blagojevich Fundraising Prowess

January 3, 2009

January 3, 2009 In This Issue:

  • ICPR Gives Illinois House The Stats On Blagojevich Fundraising Prowess
  • Law To Combat Pay-To-Play Takes Effect On January 1st
  • We Need Your Help

ICPR GIVES ILLINOIS HOUSE THE STATS ON BLAGOJEVICH FUNDRAISING PROWESS
At the invitation of the Illinois House, ICPR Director Cindi Canary is appearing today before the House committee considering impeachment of Gov. Rod Blagojevich.
Cindi�s testimony centers on newspaper and ICPR research of state contracts and other benefits awarded to Blagojevich campaign contributors.
She also is comparing the number of contributions of $25,000 and more to Blagojevich with similar contributions to former governors Jim Edgar and George Ryan. �In recent years � the Blagojevich years � the size of such contributions has exploded,� Cindi said.
The full text of Cindi�s testimony can be found on our homepage.

LAW TO COMBAT PAY-TO-PLAY TAKES EFFECT ON JANUARY 1st
We�re just days away from the Jan. 1 effective date of a new law banning large state contractors from making campaign contributions to the officeholder awarding the contract. The legislation � House Bill 824 enacted over the governor�s veto � already is having an impact.
�Strangely and sadly, the enactment of that law is alleged to have caused the governor to go into overdrive to squeeze more campaign funds from state contractors,� Cindi Canary said Monday in an appearance before the House committee investigating Gov. Blagojevich. �The complaint from the federal government explains that the governor recently attempted to raise as much money as possible from state contractors in advance of the ban.
�Because the ban did not take effect immediately, it was a little like handing an arsonist the keys to a gas station and a box of matches and telling him you would be back to check on him in three months,� she continued. �The people of Illinois and, indeed, the world are now viewing the five-alarm fire that has unfortunately resulted.�

WE NEED YOUR HELP
Please consider making a donation � of any amount, large or small � to the Illinois Campaign for Political Reform. The eruption of the scandal revolving around the governor and the beginning of impeachment proceedings in the House have required us to stretch our resources. Your tax deductible contribution will help our efforts to bring major reforms to state government.
The charges against the governor have disgusted most Illinoisans and caused them to look anew at what can be done to curb the corruption that has made Illinois the target of comedians and pundits. We want to seize this opportunity and educate voters on ways to reform the campaign finance system and our government.



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