Illinois state Sen. Jil Tracy (R-Quincy) | http://senatorjiltracy.com
Illinois state Sen. Jil Tracy (R-Quincy) | http://senatorjiltracy.com
Illinois state Sen. Jil Tracy (R-Quincy) has thrown her support behind a measure she hopes will ultimately help restore trust in Springfield.
Senate Bill 2297 would grant the Legislative Inspector General (LIG) the authority to conduct independent investigations of members of the General Assembly. The proposal comes in the wake of a series of ongoing federal corruption probes into sitting members of the legislature.
Other than in cases where alleging sexual harassment, the LIG is presently only allowed to launch investigations or issue subpoenas after getting approval from the Legislative Ethics Commission (LEC).
Illinois state Senator Jason Barickman (R-Bloomington)
“What we have currently is a system where politicians are being trusted to police politicians,” Tracy recently said in a press release. “Our proposal takes politicians out of the equation and allows the Legislative Inspector General the independence necessary to do their job.”
Filed by Illinois state Senator Jason Barickman (R-Bloomington), SB 2297 seeks to change that by taking legislators out of the decision-making process.
“There is no reason this legislation shouldn’t be taken up,” Barickman said in the release. “I hope that we can work together, in a bipartisan way, to pass this important legislation to ensure the independence of the Legislative Inspector General.”
Over the last month, longtime state lawmakers Rep. Luis Arroyo (D-Chicago) and Sen. Martin Sandoval (D-Chicago) were both forced to step down from office after being implicated in shakedown schemes that included allegations of bribery and kickbacks. Arroyo has already officially left office while Sandoval has tendered his resignation effective Jan. 1.
Tracy has served in Springfield since 2017 and is a member of the Senate’s Criminal Law, Judiciary, Subcommittee on Tort Reform and Executive Appointments committees. Her 47th District includes all of Adams, Brown, Cass, Hancock, Henderson, Mason, McDonough, Schuyler and Warren counties and portions of Fulton and Knox counties.
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