Quinn proposes ‘Lincoln Amendment’
Comments (...)CHICAGO — Could Abraham Lincoln help reform Illinois’ ethics?
On Sunday, on Lincoln’s Birthday, Gov. Pat Quinn called for the passage of a so-called “Lincoln Amendment” to the Illinois Constitution which would allow voters to more easily implement stronger ethics laws and recall elected officials.
“We must have a way for everyday people to gather signatures on a petition and put on the ballot a binding referendum that will improve our government in the 21st Century and centuries beyond,” Quinn said at a news conference at the James R. Thompson Center in Chicago.
Senate Joint Resolution Constitutional Amendment 52 was filed by Sen. Annazette Collins (D-Chicago) on Friday. If approved, the amendment would give voters the ability to enact ethics reforms to local governments, school districts and the legislative, executive and judicial branches of state government by gathering 8 percent of the total votes cast in the most recent gubernatorial election. It would be limited to changes that establish and enforce ethical standards, including campaign finance reform, conflict-of-interest voting, pay-to-pay abuses, patronage abuse and misuse of taxpayer funds.
“When it comes to ethics in government standards of conduct for elected officials at the local and state levels, we need to have mechanisms for the voters to set down the rules, put the voters in the driver’s seat, make sure the voters have the last word,” Quinn said.
Currently, voters can only propose by amendments that deal with structure and procedure of the General Assembly.
If the amendment is approved by May 6 by the General Assembly, voters would have the opportunity to enact through referendum a permanent change in the Illinois Constitution during the November 2012 general election. Once approved by three-fifths of those voting on the question or a majority of those voting in the election, the Lincoln Amendment would become law.
Local legislators are withholding an opinion on the amendment until they learn more details.
“I will need to see what the proposal is and what it will do,” said Rep. Frank Mautino, D-Spring Valley.
Regarding the recall of local elected officials, Mautino said there are already other proposals.
“I’m not a fan of those,” he said. “That should be part of the electoral process.”
Rep. Don Moffitt (R-Gilson) also said he needed to learn more information but was cautiously supportive.
“On the surface, the idea has merit,” he said.
Moffitt had many questions, such as if there would there be any added costs; if a similar amendment is working in some other state, so a blueprint might be available; and would there be a limit on the number of questions that could be on a ballot.
“You’d want to be sure it is a real issue, an issue the general public wants to vote on, and not just some special interest,” he said.
Moffitt said true reform could address many ethics issues in Illinois, which would be important.
“We need to do more considering the history of some Illinois politicians,” he said. “It has become an embarrassment.”
Moffitt also found the name of the proposed amendment interesting.
“It didn’t take laws to make Abraham Lincoln honest,” he said. “It was part of his character.”
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