Links to Resources
Here are links to additional information about the topic of each of the 20 Questions in the CHANGE Illinois! questionnaire.
Each number below matches the number of the question in the questionnaire.
1. This CHANGE Illinois! news release explains the contribution limits law signed by Gov. Quinn on Dec. 9, 2009: http://changeil.org/sites/default/files/CHANGEILPressDec9th.pdf
Here is a CHANGE Illinois! statement about additional reforms needed: http://changeil.org/issues/about-finance-reform/momentum
2. This news release from the Illinois Campaign for Political Reform (ICPR) is about passage of the 2008 “Pay-to-Play” legislation and describes what contributions are covered by the ban: http://www.ilcampaign.org/icpr-welcomes-rejection
3. This chart by the National Conference of State Legislatures is a state-by-state listing of limits and prohibitions on contributions by corporations and labor unions to candidates: http://www.ncsl.org/Portals/1/documents/legismgt/limits_candidates.pdf
Additional information about limits and charts about contributions to PACs and parties can be found here: http://www.ncsl.org/default.aspx?tabid=16594
4. ICPR’s primer on public campaign financing is here: http://www.ilcampaign.org/node/18 and the NCSL overview of the issue is here: http://www.ncsl.org/default.aspx?tabid=16591
The Illinois General Assembly’s Legislative Research Unit’s publication featured public campaign financing in the May 2009 issue of “First Reading,” and it is available here: http://www.ilga.gov/commission/lru/May2009FirstRdg.pdf
5. ICPR’s issue paper about lobbyist registration and regulation is here: http://www.ilcampaign.org/node/15
An ICPR study of spending on lobbying by public bodies is here: http://www.ilcampaign.org/sites/default/files/LGL2010-Final.pdf
6. A brief history of ethics reform legislation and ICPR’s recommended imposition of a "cooling-off period" on state personnel leaving government service can be found here: http://www.ilcampaign.org/ethics-reform-issue
7. An explanation of statements of economic interest and ICPR’s recommendations for improvement are here: http://www.ilcampaign.org/soei
8. This NCSL briefing paper about campaign finance regulation has information about the importance of disclosure of campaign contributors: http://www.ncsl.org/default.aspx?tabid=16603
9. Recommendations for reform of the budget approval process can be found on pages 57 and 58 of the final report of the Illinois Reform Commission: http://www.reformillinoisnow.org/press releases/IRC 100-Day Report - Final.pdf
In addition, the Illinois Democracy Project launched an unsuccessful petition drive for a state constitutional amendment requiring a 21-day period of public review of all non-emergency legislation: http://www.betterfundingforbetterschools.com/html/isns_ca_options.htm
10. Giving the state Inspectors General the ability to open investigations on their own initiative was a recommendation of the Illinois Reform Commission. See item #3 on page 45 of the report: http://www.reformillinoisnow.org/press releases/IRC 100-Day Report - Final.pdf
11. ICPR’s primer on redistricting can be found here: http://www.ilcampaign.org/redistricting
The CHANGE Illinois! website has additional information about redistricting and links to other redistricting websites: http://changeil.org/node/23
Redistricting issues are explained at length on the website of the Brennan Center for Justice at New York University School of Law: http://www.brennancenter.org/content/section/category/redistricting/
12. In addition to the transparency information in the links for question #11, two faculty members at the University of Illinois Institute of Government and Public Affairs have written a commentary about transparent redistricting: http://igpa.uillinois.edu/system/files/documents/Gaines-Kuklinski-redistricing-July2010.pdf
13. The issue of where incarcerated individuals are counted for purposes of redistricting is explained by the Brennan Center here: http://www.brennancenter.org/content/section/category/us_census_and_the_incarcerated_people
14. The Brennan Center provides a summary of Election Day voter registration issues and a link to a longer publication here: http://www.brennancenter.org/content/section/category/election_day_registration
15. The website of the American Judicature Society gives an overview of the method of judicial selection in Illinois: http://www.judicialselection.us/judicial_selection/index.cfm?state=IL Judicial reform also is featured on ICPR’s website: http://www.ilcampaign.org/judicial-reform
16. The Illinois Civil Justice League (ICJL) has proposed changing a non-partisan judicial election process in Illinois. The proposal was explained in ICJL’s 2009 testimony to the Illinois General Assembly’s Joint Committee on Government Reform: http://www.icjl.org/images/pdfs/090331JudicialCampaignReformTestimony.pdf
17. The Brennan Center explains tracking of political party affiliations of voters and state systems that do not track party affiliation: http://www.brennancenter.org/content/pages/vrm_party_affiliation
18. Candidacy petition challenges and the associated expense of defending the challenges have earned considerable news media coverage and editorials. Here are several examples: Kristen McQueary column, SouthtownStar (July 15, 2010) "Bolingbrook 'mom' deserves to remain on the ballot" http://www.southtownstar.com/news/mcqueary/2499374,071510mcqueary.article; Carol Marin column, Chicago Sun-Times (July 14, 2010) "Claypool collected 90,000 (petition signatures). Then he had to gird for the phalanx of Madigan and Berrios' election lawyers positioned to challenge his petitions, drive up his legal costs and throw him off the ballot." http://www.suntimes.com/news/marin/2495130,CST-EDT-carol14.article; Chicago Tribune editorial (July 13, 2010) "We're talking about an Illinois citizen who is making a legitimate effort to challenge the political status quo. And who, in return, is being slammed down by the status quo. Exactly the kind of thing that has people furious about politics." http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/editorials/ct-edit-crenshaw-20100713,0,3148172.story; Chicago Reader (April 29, 2010) "Would-be assessor Joe Berrios doesn't have to win over taxpayers. He just has to keep Forrest Claypool off the ballot." http://www.chicagoreader.com/gyrobase/joe-berrios-forrest-claypool-cook-county-assessor-ballot-signatures/Content?oid=1742697&showFullText=true; and Kristen McQueary column, SouthtownStar (November 15, 2009) "It's legal, of course, but dishonest. Unethical. Incumbents shouldn't need these silly training wheels. Let them face voters on their own." http://www.southtownstar.com/news/mcqueary/1882754,111509mcqueary.article.
19. NCSL reports on legislative term limits here: http://www.ncsl.org/default.aspx?tabid=14849 There are many places to look for information – pro and con – about term limits. Ballotpedia.org offers a summary of both sides: http://ballotpedia.org/wiki/index.php/Term_limits_on_the_ballot
20. This Associated Press article from May 2009 explains the power of the House Rules Committee: http://www.pantagraph.com/news/article_c5212787-8377-5e3a-82db-8cc2c526be09.html
