093_HB1332
LRB093 04538 JAM 04591 b
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.