Gov. Quinn's Farce of Reform

During election season, politicians have a habit of toting ethical reforms and dangling yarns of action before voters. Gov. Quinn this week used an amendatory veto on House Bill 5206 to introduce provisions that put government reforms directly into the voters’ hands. The Ethics Initiative allows voters to present legislation related to ethical conduct and campaign finance reform to the General Assembly for a vote.

If citizens collect 100,000 signatures their proposal would be drafted into a bill and the legislature would be required to vote on it. If the legislation failed to become a law it would go onto the ballot as an advisory referendum, which does not have any binding legal power, and the legislature is not obligated to act upon it. A political science professor told the Illinois Statehouse News that the veto will most likely be overridden by the legislature but not until after November’s election.