97TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2011 and 2012
HB5845

 

Introduced 2/16/2012, by Rep. Jim Durkin

 

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
 
5 ILCS 430/5-57 new
10 ILCS 5/9-8.7 new

    Amends the State Officials and Employees Ethics Act and the Election Code. Provides that any member of a board or commission whose appointment requires the advice and consent of the Senate and who is (i) confirmed by the Senate, (ii) holds office by a temporary appointment made under Section 9 of Article V of the Illinois Constitution, or (iii) is appointed by the Governor as an acting member must divest or freeze the funds in any candidate political committee and political action committee maintained or controlled by the member and may not establish a candidate political committee or political action committee for the duration of his or her term on the board or commission. Provides that failure to divest or freeze those funds will result in forfeiture of those funds. Provides that an appointed member of a board or commission who establishes a candidate political committee or political action committee during his or her term on the board or commission shall be subject to a $5,000 fine. Provides that a member may maintain his or her committee for the purpose of paying any debt owed by that member's committee if the debt was incurred by the committee prior to the member's appointment. Provides that the committee may make payments on the committee's outstanding debt, pay reasonable costs of maintaining the account or preparing reports, and accept certain contributions from the member and the member's spouse, parent, sibling, or child. Effective immediately.


LRB097 20531 JDS 66093 b

 

 

A BILL FOR

 

HB5845LRB097 20531 JDS 66093 b

1    AN ACT concerning government.
 
2    Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
3represented in the General Assembly:
 
4    Section 5. The State Officials and Employees Ethics Act is
5amended by adding Section 5-57 as follows:
 
6    (5 ILCS 430/5-57 new)
7    Sec. 5-57. Divesting or freezing of election funds of State
8board and commission members.
9    (a) This Section applies to an appointed member of a board
10or commission whose appointment requires the advice and consent
11of the Senate and who is (i) confirmed by the Senate, (ii)
12holds office by a temporary appointment under Section 9 of
13Article V of the Illinois Constitution, or (iii) is appointed
14by the Governor pursuant to any statute to serve as an acting
15member of a board or commission. This Section does not apply to
16members of the General Assembly.
17    (b) A member who maintains or controls a candidate
18political committee or political action committee must divest
19or freeze the funds in his or her candidate political committee
20and political action committee as provided in Section 9-8.7 of
21the Election Code.
22    (c) A member may not establish a candidate political
23committee or political action committee for the duration of his

 

 

HB5845- 2 -LRB097 20531 JDS 66093 b

1or her term on the board or commission.
2    (d) For purposes of this Section, "salary" means
3compensation other than reimbursement for reasonable expenses
4related to travel and attendance at meetings.
 
5    Section 10. The Election Code is amended by adding Section
69-8.7 as follows:
 
7    (10 ILCS 5/9-8.7 new)
8    Sec. 9-8.7. Divesting or freezing of election funds of
9State board and commission members.
10    (a) This Section applies to an appointed member of a board
11or commission whose appointment requires the advice and consent
12of the Senate and who is (i) confirmed by the Senate, (ii)
13holds office by a temporary appointment made under Section 9 of
14Article V of the Illinois Constitution, or (iii) is appointed
15by the Governor pursuant to any statute to serve as an acting
16member of a board or commission.
17    (b) A member who maintains or controls a candidate
18political committee or political action committee must divest
19or freeze the funds in his or her candidate political committee
20and political action committee.
21    (c) A member may not establish a candidate political
22committee or political action committee for the duration of his
23or her term on the board or commission.
24    (d) A member must:

 

 

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1        (1) divest himself or herself of any funds in the
2    candidate political committee and political action
3    committee by (A) a direct return of funds to contributors
4    in amounts not to exceed his or her individual
5    contributions; (B) a transfer of funds to a charitable
6    organization or organizations; or (C) a combination of
7    items (A) and (B); or
8        (2) freeze the funds in the candidate political
9    committee and political action committee by placing the
10    funds in an account that is frozen for the duration of his
11    or her term as a member of the board or commission; for the
12    purposes of this paragraph (2), an account is deemed frozen
13    if the only activity in the account is related to covering
14    the reasonable costs of maintaining the account or
15    preparing reports required by this Code; "reasonable
16    costs" shall be defined by the Board by rule.
17    If the member's committee has outstanding debt, then the
18member may maintain his or her committee for the purpose of
19paying any debt owed by that member's committee only if the
20debt was incurred by the committee prior to the member's
21appointment. During the member's term on the board or
22commission, the committee may make payments on the committee's
23outstanding debt, may pay reasonable costs of maintaining the
24account or preparing reports required by this Code, and may
25accept contributions from the member and the member's spouse,
26parent, sibling, or child as provided by this Code. "Reasonable

 

 

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1costs" shall be defined by the Board by rule.
2    A member whose term of office begins on or after the
3effective date of this amendatory Act of the 97th General
4Assembly must divest or freeze those funds within 15 days after
5he or she is confirmed by the Senate or, if the member holds
6office by a temporary appointment or as an acting member,
7within 15 days after he or she is appointed. A member who is
8serving on a board or commission on the effective date of this
9amendatory Act of the 97th General Assembly must divest or
10freeze those funds within 60 days after the effective date of
11this amendatory Act of the 97th General Assembly.
12    (e) A member who maintains or controls a candidate
13political committee or political action committee must submit
14an affidavit to the State Board of Elections that states that
15the member maintains or controls such a committee, that the
16committee has been divested or frozen, and that the member will
17not establish such a committee for the duration of his or her
18term on the board or commission. Each other member must submit
19an affidavit to the State Board of Elections that states that
20the member does not maintain or control a candidate political
21committee or political action committee and will not establish
22such a committee for the duration of his or her term on the
23board or commission. A member whose term of office begins on or
24after the effective date of this amendatory Act of the 97th
25General Assembly must submit an affidavit under this subsection
26(e) within 15 days after he or she is confirmed by the Senate

 

 

HB5845- 5 -LRB097 20531 JDS 66093 b

1or, if the member holds office by a temporary appointment or as
2an acting member, within 15 days after he or she is appointed.
3A member who is serving on a board or commission on the
4effective date of this amendatory Act of the 97th General
5Assembly must submit an affidavit under this subsection (e)
6within 60 days after the effective date of this amendatory Act
7of the 97th General Assembly.
8    (f) Failure to divest or freeze an account in accordance
9with this Section shall result in forfeiture of all funds
10maintained in the candidate political committee and political
11action committee accounts. Forfeited funds shall be deposited
12into the General Revenue Fund. A member who establishes a
13candidate political committee or political action committee
14during his or her term on the board or commission is subject to
15a $5,000 fine.
16    (g) Nothing in this Section prevents the spouse or
17immediate family members of a member from seeking elected
18office or establishing or maintaining a candidate political
19committee or political action committee.
 
20    Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon
21becoming law.