Pay to Play Legislation

Cynthia Canary, Director of the Illinois Campaign for Political Reform, on Wednesday, April 30, released the following statement in reaction to the announcement of an apparent agreement on legislative language to curb pay-to-play opportunities in Illinois state contracting:

“The reform community is encouraged by this agreement to combat the pay-to-play practices that have plagued Illinois for too many years. We commend all those who have worked toward consensus, and we urge swift passage by the General Assembly. State government contracts should be awarded on the basis of low prices and high quality performance, and contract decisions should not be based on big bucks contributions to a political campaign. By prohibiting campaign contributions by large contractors, Illinois can take a significant step toward reassuring the public that tax dollars are being spent fairly and the public’s business is being put first.“

The legislation is HB 824

Press reports on the proposal include:

Chicago Tribune
Chicago Sun-Times
State Journal-Register State Journal-Register
St. Louis Post Dispatch

Recent Editorials on the need for reform:

Belleville News Democrat (5/5)
Rock Island Argus & Moline Dispatch (5/4)
Decatur Herald & Review (4/30)
State Journal-Register (4./29)
Bloomington Pantagraph (4/29)
Rockford Register Star (4/29) St. Louis Post Dispatch (4/28)

• Businesses with contracts totaling more than $50,000 would be prohibited from contributing to the political campaign of the statewide officeholder awarding the contract and to declared candidates for the office awarding the contract.
• In addition to the contracting company, the contribution ban would apply to anyone owning more than 7.5 percent of the company; to the president, the chairman, the CEO, and any employee whose compensation is determined by the award of the contract; to the spouse and minor children of those officers and employees; and to any subsidiary of the business.
• The ban would be in place for the duration of the officeholder’s term in office or for two years following the expiration of the contract, whichever is longer.
• From the time an RFP is issued until a contract is awarded, large bidders would be prohibited from making contributions to the officeholder responsible for awarding the contract.
• If a contractor violates the ban, the contract could be declared void. If a business violates the ban at least three times within 36 months, all state contracts with that business would be voided.
• Any political campaign committee accepting a contribution in violation of the ban would be required to send an equal amount to the State Treasury.
• Businesses with more than $50,000 in state contracts, as well as those submitting bids in excess of $50,000, would be required to register with the State Board of Elections. The registration information would include the name of the business, executive officers and owners potentially subject to the contribution ban.
• The State Board of Elections would place that business registration on a searchable computer database available to the public. The database would include links to all campaign contributions by the business and others covered by the ban on contributions to the campaign committee of the officeholder awarding the contract.