Lake County Gazette

In the wake of Legislative Inspection General (LIG) Carol Pope’s tendering resignation on the grounds she doesn’t find ethics reforms to be a priority in Springfield, state Rep. Tom Weber (R-Fox Lake) is one of several Republican lawmakers demanding change from Gov. J.B. Pritzker.

“My colleagues and I sent a letter to the Governor asking him to veto provisions of the ethics 'reform' bill that weaken the authority of the LIG,” Weber said in a post to Facebook. “Illinois needs real ethics reform that will help clean up Illinois politics. We can't settle for window dressing. Yesterday, the Legislative Inspector General resigned saying: 'this last legislative session has demonstrated true ethics reform is not a priority.'"

Pope, who said she plans to formally walk away in December, said some of the recent things she’s seen in Springfield makes her certain now is the time to go.  

“The LIG has no real power to effect change or shine a light on ethics violations; the position is essentially a paper tiger.” she said in her resignation letter. 

A former prosecutor and judge, Pope came to Springfield in 2019 amid much fanfare, with installation coming at a time when the Capital was being rocked by the contents of an open letter circulated through the legislature demanding an end to a culture of disrespectful treatment of women.

Pope said she finds an ethics reform bill that now sits on Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s desk to actually be counterproductive to what needs to happen “by requiring the filing of a complaint before the LIG can undertake an investigation.”

Senate Bill 539 would also prohibit the LIG from launching an investigation based solely on public allegations raised in the news media.

For the LIG post to have any teeth, Pope said the position needs more independence, including bylaws that allow the LIG to have the power to issue subpoenas and reports without first being required to get the approval of the Legislative Ethics Commission.

While Pope told The State Journal-Register she holds out hope the General Assembly will be able to find a quality replacement for her, she adds, “but I think it will be difficult to find someone of high integrity to take the job because of the limitations in the statute.”

Weber also recently voiced support for a bill that would limit the number of years ranking majority and minority leaders can hold in the Illinois Legislature.

"Illinois is in desperate need of ethics reform," Weber (R-Lake Villa) wrote in a recent post to Facebook. "We have a lot to do, but putting term limits on legislative leadership positions to prevent the rise of another Mike Madigan is a start."

House Bill 642 would put a 10-year term limit on majority and minority leadership positions in both the House and Senate