Every single day Illinoisans pay the price for corruption in state government. We pay that price through inefficiencies in government agencies, through contracts awarded due to clout rather than competence, through wasteful spending tied to politically-connected lobbyists, and so much more.
Corruption drives up property taxes and income taxes. It drives down funds available for important priorities like education, veterans and senior services. It also drives down citizens’ confidence in their state government, and job creators’ willingness to invest in our state.
Every year it seems to get a little worse. Every year it seems we see another disgraced public official trying to avoid the cameras in the lobby of the federal courthouse. And every year it exacts a greater toll on the people of Illinois – taxes go up, opportunity goes down.
It has to stop.
Our plan is to end the culture of corruption that has seized Illinois. We want to eliminate the conflicts of interest, get rid of the partisan politics that let the same people hold on to power for decades by drawing legislative districts to their advantage, and give the citizens of Illinois more control over their government.
“We need to make legislators make a decision: are they working for the taxpayers, or are they working for their own interest?” summarized Rep. Blaine Wilhour, who is sponsoring bills to increase transparency, restrict lobbying practices and give the Legislative Inspector General more latitude to begin corruption investigations. “We’ve got to put processes in place that make sure that politicians are prioritizing the interests of the people and not the interests of the special interests.”
The plan for ending Illinois’ culture of corruption rests upon four key points: expose and eliminate conflicts of interest, ban General Assembly members from lobbying, re-balance the power structure to prevent a single person from exercising total control over the legislative agenda, and empower citizens to act by easing the process to put Constitutional amendments on the ballot.
Read more about the House Republican plan to fight corruption at reimagineillinois.com.
If you like our plan and think it's time to Reimagine Illinois, please sign our petition to show your support.