093_HB1332

 
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 1        AN ACT concerning ethics.

 2        Be it enacted by the People of  the  State  of  Illinois,
 3    represented in the General Assembly:

 4        Section 5. The Election Code is amended by adding Section
 5    9-25.5 as follows:

 6        (10 ILCS 5/9-25.5 new)
 7        Sec.  9-25.5.   Constituent newsletters.  A candidate who
 8    is a member of the General  Assembly  must  comply  with  the
 9    provisions  of Section 4 of the General Assembly Compensation
10    Act concerning the printing and distribution  of  constituent
11    newsletters   and  with  Section  9-2.5  of  the  Legislative
12    Commission Reorganization Act of 1984.  A  violation  of  the
13    provisions  of Section 4 of the General Assembly Compensation
14    Act concerning the printing and distribution  of  constituent
15    newsletters or of Section 9-2.5 of the Legislative Commission
16    Reorganization Act of 1984 is a violation of this Article.

17        Section  10.   The  General  Assembly Compensation Act is
18    amended by changing Section 4 as follows:

19        (25 ILCS 115/4) (from Ch. 63, par. 15.1)
20        Sec. 4.  Office allowance.  Beginning July 1, 2001,  each
21    member  of  the  House  of  Representatives  is authorized to
22    approve the expenditure of not more than $61,000 per year and
23    each member of  the  Senate  is  authorized  to  approve  the
24    expenditure  of  not  more  than  $73,000 per year to pay for
25    "personal services", "contractual  services",  "commodities",
26    "printing",  "travel",  "operation  of automotive equipment",
27    "telecommunications  services",  as  defined  in  the   State
28    Finance  Act, and the compensation of one or more legislative
29    assistants authorized pursuant to this Section, in connection
 
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 1    with his or her legislative duties and not in connection with
 2    any political campaign. On July 1, 2002 and on July 1 of each
 3    year thereafter, the amount authorized per  year  under  this
 4    Section  for each member of the Senate and each member of the
 5    House of Representatives shall be increased by  a  percentage
 6    increase  equivalent to the lesser of (i) the increase in the
 7    designated cost of living index or (ii) 5%.   The  designated
 8    cost  of  living  index is the index known as the "Employment
 9    Cost Index, Wages and Salaries, By  Occupation  and  Industry
10    Groups:   State   and   Local   Government   Workers:  Public
11    Administration"  as  published  by  the   Bureau   of   Labor
12    Statistics  of  the U.S. Department of Labor for the calendar
13    year immediately preceding the year of  the  respective  July
14    1st  increase  date.  The increase shall be added to the then
15    current amount, and the adjusted amount so  determined  shall
16    be  the  annual  amount beginning July 1 of the increase year
17    until July 1 of  the  next  year.   No  increase  under  this
18    provision shall be less than zero.
19        A  member  may  purchase  office  equipment if the member
20    certifies to the Secretary of the Senate or the Clerk of  the
21    House,  as  applicable, that the purchase price, whether paid
22    in lump sum or installments, amounts to less  than  would  be
23    charged  for  renting  or  leasing  the  equipment  over  its
24    anticipated   useful   life.   All  such  equipment  must  be
25    purchased through the Secretary of the Senate or the Clerk of
26    the House,  as  applicable,  for  proper  identification  and
27    verification of purchase.
28        Each  member  of  the  General  Assembly is authorized to
29    employ one or  more  legislative  assistants,  who  shall  be
30    solely  under  the  direction and control of that member, for
31    the purpose of assisting the member in the performance of his
32    or her official  duties.   A  legislative  assistant  may  be
33    employed pursuant to this Section either under contract or as
34    a  State  employee,  at  the  discretion  of  the member.  If
 
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 1    employed as a State employee, a legislative  assistant  shall
 2    receive  employment benefits on the same terms and conditions
 3    that apply to other employees of the General Assembly.
 4        As used in this  Section  the  term  "personal  services"
 5    shall  include  contributions  of the State under the Federal
 6    Insurance Contribution  Act  and  under  Article  14  of  the
 7    Illinois  Pension  Code.   As  used  in this Section the term
 8    "contractual services" shall not include improvements to real
 9    property unless those improvements are the obligation of  the
10    lessee under the lease agreement.  Beginning July 1, 1989, as
11    used  in  the  Section, the term "travel" shall be limited to
12    travel in connection with a member's legislative  duties  and
13    not  in  connection  with  any political campaign.  Beginning
14    July 1, 1989, as used in this Section,  the  term  "printing"
15    includes  congratulatory  mailings, including but not limited
16    to greeting or  welcome  messages,  anniversary  or  birthday
17    cards,  and  congratulations for prominent achievement cards.
18    As used in this Section, the term  "printing"  includes  fees
19    for  non-substantive  resolutions charged by the Clerk of the
20    House of Representatives under subsection (c-5) of Section  1
21    of  the  Legislative Materials Act. No constituent newsletter
22    that is paid for, in whole or in part,  with  funds  provided
23    under this Section may be printed or distributed beginning on
24    September  1  in any year in which a general election will be
25    held and until the day after the date on  which  the  general
26    election  is held. Nothing in this Section shall be construed
27    to authorize expenditures  for  lodging  and  meals  while  a
28    member is in attendance at sessions of the General Assembly.
29        Any  utility  bill  for  service  provided  to a member's
30    district  office  for  a  period  including  portions  of   2
31    consecutive  fiscal years may be paid from funds appropriated
32    for such expenditure in either fiscal year.
33        If  a  vacancy  occurs  in  the  office  of  Senator   or
34    Representative  in the General Assembly, any office equipment
 
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 1    in the possession of the vacating member  shall  transfer  to
 2    the  member's  successor; if the successor does not want such
 3    equipment, it shall be transferred to the  Secretary  of  the
 4    Senate  or Clerk of the House of Representatives, as the case
 5    may be, and if not wanted by other  members  of  the  General
 6    Assembly   then  to  the  Department  of  Central  Management
 7    Services for treatment as surplus property  under  the  State
 8    Property Control Act.  Each member, on or before June 30th of
 9    each  year,  shall  conduct  an  inventory  of  all equipment
10    purchased pursuant to this  Act.   Such  inventory  shall  be
11    filed  with  the  Secretary of the Senate or the Clerk of the
12    House, as the case may be.  Whenever a  vacancy  occurs,  the
13    Secretary  of  the  Senate  or the Clerk of the House, as the
14    case  may  be,  shall  conduct  an  inventory  of   equipment
15    purchased.
16        In  the  event  that a member leaves office during his or
17    her term,  any  unexpended  or  unobligated  portion  of  the
18    allowance  granted  under  this  Section  shall  lapse.   The
19    vacating  member's successor shall be granted an allowance in
20    an  amount,  rounded  to  the  nearest  dollar,  computed  by
21    dividing the annual allowance  by  365  and  multiplying  the
22    quotient by the number of days remaining in the fiscal year.
23        From  any  appropriation for the purposes of this Section
24    for a fiscal year which overlaps  2  General  Assemblies,  no
25    more than 1/2 of the annual allowance per member may be spent
26    or  encumbered  by  any  member  of  either  the  outgoing or
27    incoming General Assembly, except  that  any  member  of  the
28    incoming  General  Assembly  who was a member of the outgoing
29    General Assembly may encumber or spend  any  portion  of  his
30    annual allowance within the fiscal year.
31        The  appropriation for the annual allowances permitted by
32    this Section shall be included in  an  appropriation  to  the
33    President  of  the  Senate and to the Speaker of the House of
34    Representatives for their respective members.  The  President
 
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 1    of  the Senate and the Speaker of the House shall voucher for
 2    payment individual members' expenditures  from  their  annual
 3    office  allowances  to  the State Comptroller, subject to the
 4    authority of the Comptroller under Section  9  of  the  State
 5    Comptroller Act.
 6    (Source: P.A. 90-569, eff. 1-28-98; 91-952, eff. 7-1-01.)

 7        Section  15.   The  Legislative Commission Reorganization
 8    Act of 1984 is amended by adding Section 9-2.5 as follows:

 9        (25 ILCS 130/9-2.5 new)
10        Sec. 9-2.5.  Constituent  newsletters.   The  Legislative
11    Printing  Unit  may  not  print for any member of the General
12    Assembly any constituent newsletter beginning on September  1
13    in  any  year  in  which  a general election will be held and
14    until the day after the date on which the general election is
15    held.  A member of the General Assembly  may  not  distribute
16    beginning  on  September  1  in  any  year in which a general
17    election will be held and until the day  after  the  date  on
18    which the general election is held any constituent newsletter
19    that  was  printed,  at any time, by the Legislative Printing
20    Unit.