From the St. Louis Post Dispatch (Editorial):

Ending pay to play

05/01/2007

Responding to voters sick of scandal, the Illinois House last week voted unanimously to ban state contractors from making campaign contributions to the politicians who issue the contracts. If the measure makes it to the Senate floor — which is doubtful — it could put a crimp in the game of pay to play.

Its fate now rests mainly with Senate President Emil Jones, D-Chicago. If the bill reaches the Senate floor, it probably will pass. After the license-for-bribes scandal involving former Gov. George Ryan, and with federal prosecutors sniffing around the Blagojevich administration, few senators would dare vote against it.

But Mr. Jones decides whether to call the bill to a vote, and at the moment he's being coy. Mr. Jones has the chance to take a major step toward cleaning up Illinois politics and seeing to it that voters get the best value for their money from state contractors. We urge him to take it.

Illinois government is notorious for corruption. Candidates for high political office attract contractors eager for state business who are willing to lay campaign contributions at their feet. Gov. Rod Blagojevich collected $234,000 from state contractors in the week before last November's election. (Campaign finance reports can be found at http://www.elections.state.il.us)
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Technically, the system isn't bribery. There's no explicit deal to give a specific contract in trade for a contribution. But it's amazing what happens when powerful palms are greased. As the Chicago Sun-Times reported last year, a distribution company called "Igor the Watchdog" saw its state toll road contract jump from $150,000 to $7 million after the firm's owners gave $75,000 to Mr. Blagojevich's campaign, mainly in 2003 and 2004. Other examples abound. The construction management firm Knight E/A Inc. saw its Illinois state business triple to $8 million after Mr. Blagojevich took office, as the firm's contributions to the governor's campaign grew to more than $120,000. The Chicago public relations firm Jasculca Terman & Associates donated $90,000 in services to the campaign and saw its state business climb from about $120,000 in 2001 to more than $600,000 in 2005.

Former Gov. Ryan's downfall came when he accepted personal vacations, gifts and payoffs in exchange for state contracts, while underlings sold drivers licenses for bribes when he was secretary of state.

The new bill would forbid businesses and executives with state contracts worth $25,000 or more from making any contributions to the state elected officials who administer the contracts. To their credit, State Treasurer Alex Giannoulias and Comptroller Dan Hynes already refuse such donations.

The bill is far from perfect. Contractors probably would find ways around it, such as routing money through political action committees or straw donors. But enacting this legislation is a step in the right direction.

Illinois and Missouri are among a minority of states that place no limits at all on political contributions. They extend an open invitation to wealthy special interests that want to buy influence in state government. The system encourages and enables corruption and squelches the voice of ordinary voters.

Strict, low contribution limits would go a long way toward giving Illinois government back to its rightful owners: the people.