Healthy Democracy Requires Faith in Government
3/6/24
This month, we issued a press release that strongly encouraged Democrats and Republicans in the state legislature to come together on a bill that would strengthen the authority of an independent Legislative Inspector General. Such a law would increase accountability of legislators to their constituents and be a deterrent to the potential for unethical behavior.
If the League is to truly empower voters, it must work to ensure that voters have faith in their government, and this includes an expectation that our representatives are working on behalf of the interests of the people rather than their own personal interests. It means that voters can have confidence that their representatives are spending tax dollars judiciously without being tempted to divert tax dollars for personal gain. Importantly, it means that voters keep voting because they know the people they elect are working for them.
The League believes that transparency, accountability, and independent oversight of our elected officials is critical to a functioning democracy. As we know too well in Illinois, a few bad apples can spoil faith in the whole system of government. We know that Illinois can do better, and we believe that the current legislative proposals are a good first step.
We support the following basic elements in a full statute addressing an independent Legislative Inspector General:
An independent reporting structure: The LIG should not report directly or solely to the legislature or other political figures that may be the subject of a potential investigation.
Protection of the budget: A funding floor protects an LIG from possible reprisals for pursuing unpopular investigations.
Protection of the LIG: The LIG can only be removed for cause.
Cooperation agreement: A stipulation that agencies or officials comply with requests, submit documents when asked and don’t interfere with investigations. The ability to issue and enforce subpoenas and publish findings are critically important.
Public Check and Balance: Placing members of the public on the Legislative Ethics Commission, which currently is composed only of legislators, would make the process more transparent and accountable to the public.