April 5, 2004

In This Issue
* Teachers Unions' Political Giving
* Supreme Court Media Guide Released
* Ban on Political Giving by State Contractors Proposed

Teachers Unions' Political Giving
Illinois' two largest teachers unions, the Illinois Education Association
and the Illinois Federation of Teachers, have been the top two PAC donors
for the past two election cycles. Their combined political giving has more
than tripled over the last decade. Who are they giving to, and what do they
want for their largesse? Find our here.

Supreme Court Media Guide Released
There's a Supreme Court seat on this year's ballot. The Fifth Judicial
District election, in far southern Illinois, is the first in that district
in a dozen years and may be the last in Illinois until 2010. To spur media
coverage of this important election, ICPR has issued a Media Guide to the
Fifth District Supreme Court race. This useful tool has links to
regulations and rulings affecting judicial races, a history of supreme court
campaign finance, and contact information for the candidates, parties, and
other interest groups. Get a copy by clicking here.

Ban on Political Giving by State Contractors Proposed
Should state contractors be allowed to give unlimited campaign contributions
to the elected officials who award contracts? Illinois has no limits on who
can give to whom, or how much they can give, but State Sen. Miguel DelValle
has proposed changing that. He has drafted amendments that would forbid
those with state contracts or who bid for state contracts from giving to
state officials. For the text of the amendment, click here.

For more information on contribution limits, click here.

ICPR Spotcheck is a publication of The Illinois Campaign for Political Reform, a non-partisan public interest group that educates, conducts research, and advocates reforms to promote public participation in government, address the role of money in politics, and encourage integrity, accountability, and transparency in government.

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© Copyright 2004. All material.