Full Text of SJR0001 96th General Assembly
SJ0001 96TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
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| SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION
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| WHEREAS, Illinois State government faces an integrity | 3 |
| crisis that is as grave as the financial crisis that confronts | 4 |
| our nation; and
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| WHEREAS, The integrity crisis was precipitated by former | 6 |
| Governor Rod Blagojevich, who, in January 2009 by virtue of the | 7 |
| authority vested in the General Assembly by the Illinois | 8 |
| Constitution, was impeached by the House and removed from | 9 |
| office by the Senate following his conviction in a Senate trial | 10 |
| presided over by the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of | 11 |
| Illinois; the seriousness and public alarm regarding | 12 |
| Blagojevich's misdeeds and abuse of power were amplified | 13 |
| further by the fact that he was preceded in office by Governor | 14 |
| George Ryan, who was convicted and imprisoned for wrongdoing | 15 |
| during his time as an elected official; and
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| WHEREAS, Governor Blagojevich, throughout his tenure as | 17 |
| Governor, repeatedly stymied and obstructed bipartisan efforts | 18 |
| to pass legislation strengthening the State's ethics laws and | 19 |
| increasing government transparency; among the waylaid measures | 20 |
| were those reforming the State pension systems and Procurement | 21 |
| Code, strengthening revolving door prohibitions, and expanding | 22 |
| government whistleblower protections; and
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| WHEREAS, The legitimacy of democratic government is | 2 |
| dependent entirely upon the public's expectation that elected | 3 |
| officials will remain mindful of the sacred trust that has been | 4 |
| placed in them and act exclusively in the best interests of | 5 |
| their fellow citizens, free from any considerations of use of | 6 |
| their offices for personal advantage or gain; and
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| WHEREAS, It is imperative that lawmakers move swiftly to | 8 |
| put this dark period in our State's history behind us and take | 9 |
| all necessary steps to ensure that it is never repeated; to do | 10 |
| so will require legislators to immediately begin a review of | 11 |
| current State statutes, take public testimony, and determine | 12 |
| what additional measures should be enacted to reform Illinois | 13 |
| government and ensure that citizens receive the honest services | 14 |
| to which they are rightfully due from their public servants; | 15 |
| and
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| WHEREAS, We commend Governor Patrick Quinn's decision to | 17 |
| create the Illinois Reform Commission, the purpose of which is | 18 |
| to undertake a focused evaluation of both existing Illinois law | 19 |
| and the operational practices of the State of Illinois from the | 20 |
| perspective of ethics in government, proposing, as the | 21 |
| Commission deems appropriate, amendments to existing law; and | 22 |
| WHEREAS, Lawmakers stand ready to work with Governor Quinn, | 23 |
| reform advocates, and the citizens of Illinois to restore |
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| integrity to State government; therefore, be it
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| RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-SIXTH GENERAL | 3 |
| ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES | 4 |
| CONCURRING HEREIN, that there is created the Joint Committee on | 5 |
| Government Reform; and be it further
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| RESOLVED, That the Joint Committee shall consist of 16 | 7 |
| members, 4 of whom shall be appointed by the President of the | 8 |
| Senate, 4 of whom shall be appointed by the Speaker of the | 9 |
| House of Representatives, 2 of whom shall be appointed by the | 10 |
| Minority Leader of the Senate, and 2 of whom shall be appointed | 11 |
| by the Minority Leader of the House of Representatives; the | 12 |
| President of the Senate and Speaker of the House shall serve as | 13 |
| co-chairs of the committee; the Minority Leader of the Senate | 14 |
| and Minority Leader of the House, if they so choose, may serve | 15 |
| as co-vice chairs; and be it further
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| RESOLVED, That the Joint Committee shall meet at the call | 17 |
| of the Speaker and President; and be it further | 18 |
| RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be | 19 |
| presented to all Illinois Constitutional Officers, Illinois | 20 |
| Supreme Court Justices, and members of Governor Patrick Quinn's | 21 |
| Illinois Reform Commission.
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