PLEASE Contact Your Legislators NOW

Please contact your state legislators today and urge them to co-
sponsor and pass legislation limiting contributions in the general election by legislative leaders and parties.  

For a sample letter to legislators, click here.  

 
ASK YOUR LEGISLATOR TO SUPPORT
General Election Limits on Contributions from Legislative
Leaders and Political Parties 

 
Senate Bill 1272 - Sen. Heather Steans
House Bill 232 - House Minority Leader Tom Cross
House Bill 1688 - Rep. Sidney Mathias
House Bill 1344 - Rep. Karen May 
 

The state's recently enacted campaign contribution limits law was an important first reform step.  But there was one significant omission in the law:  The new law does not limit contributions by legislative leader PACs and political parties in general election campaigns.   
 
Four bills have been introduced that would close that loophole before the 2012 general election campaign season begins. HB 232 and HB 1688 would make the current law's primary election limits on leaders and parties be effective during the general election, too.  SB 1272 and HB 1344 would set the leader/party limits slightly higher in the general election. 

Placing limits on contributions from state parties and legislative leaders would allow Illinois to have a comprehensive system of limits covering all contributors year round.  This would encourage candidates to turn to local supporter for financial support and free rank-and-file lawmakers to vote in the interest of their constituents rather than parties, leaders and contributors to those PACs. 
 
Unlimited campaign transfers between legislative leaders and legislative candidates concentrates the power held by the legislative leaders.  

• Over the last four decades, power in the Illinois General Assembly has become concentrated in the hands of the four legislative leaders.  Dependence on campaign cash from legislative leaders breeds conformity among rank-and-file state lawmakers and discourages independence, creativity and innovation. Moreover, dependence on dollars from leaders,PACs and outside interests interferes with the principles of local representation and constituent relations.  
  

Legislative leaders and political action committees dominate the campaign finance scene in the very few legislative districts that are competitive.  

• Most legislative elections involve well-known, well-funded incumbents facing no opponent or an opponent with neither the name recognition nor resources to mount a serious campaign. The few competitive legislative races are heavily funded by the legislative leaders, with combined spending often exceeding $1 million.  
  
• In 19 high spending legislative races in the 2010 general election, spending by parties and leaders in those 19 contests totaled more than $15.4 million - 63 percent of the spending in those races was done with money from parties and leaders. 

The power of the leaders causes special interests, corporations, labor unions and wealthy individuals to channel their political contributions to legislative leaders. 

• Interest groups, corporations and unions may not care about the local issues and political concerns of individual legislators.  However, they do care about access to the four powerful legislative leaders, and they respond to the leaders' requests for campaign funds. As a result, these donors tend to funnel their campaign contributions through the legislative leaders, who distribute the funds as they see fit.  

    
Limits on campaign contributions from legislative leaders and political parties to candidates are the missing ingredient in the new system.   

• Limiting contributions from legislative leader PACs and political parties would give Illinois a comprehensive system of limits that apply to all contributors in every election. Reasonable limits would allow political parties and legislative leaders to continue to play active roles in campaigns.