Lawmakers start reform hearings

SPRINGFIELD – Illinois lawmakers hope to repair the state’s image after spending months as the punch line of late-night TV, spurred by jaw-dropping headlines involving a governor who allegedly tried to sell a U.S. Senate seat and his senate choice who has changed his account of how he got the appointment.

Democrats and Republicans both say they’re serious about ethics reforms that could repair the public trust damaged by former Gov. Rod Blagojevich and now in question regarding Sen. Roland Burris.

Lawmakers from both chambers met Wednesday to kick off seven weeks of hearings with experts and the public who have ideas on improving the state’s ethics laws.

“Right now everything is fair game,” said Rep. Arthur Turner, a Chicago Democrat who sits on the special ethics committee.

Attorney General Lisa Madigan, who might run for governor in 2010, told the committee Wednesday that she wanted to slap governments with up to a $1,000 fine for denying citizens the right to view public documents under the Freedom of Information Act. The fine would help enforce current laws that go unpunished, she said.

“The current Freedom of Information Act is a toothless tiger,” David Bennett, executive director of the Illinois Press Association, told the committee. “People ignore it routinely and will continue to ignore it unless there are proper penalties built into the law.”

Blagojevich repeatedly refused to release public records, such as federal subpoenas and hiring eligibility lists.

Madigan said she also planned to propose whistleblower protections along with making public the findings of internal government misconduct investigations.