Senator Chapin Rose introduced Senate Bill 0211, a measure to expand financial disclosure requirements for public officials on Jan. 22, 2025.

The proposed legislation seeks to broaden the scope of information that must be included in the statement of economic interests filed by public officials. The key addition to the disclosure requirements is as follows:

• Public officials would be required to disclose the names of their spouse, siblings, children, or parents who are employees, contractors, or office holders in the same unit of local government as the filer.

This new provision would apply to all individuals required to file a statement of economic interests under the Illinois Governmental Ethics Act. The bill aims to shed light on potential conflicts of interest and familial connections within local government structures.

Other notable aspects of the proposed amendment include:

1. Maintaining existing disclosure requirements for assets, income sources, debts, and gifts.
2. Continuing to require disclosure of relationships with registered lobbyists.
3. Preserving the requirement to report family members employed by public utilities in Illinois.

The bill is currently in the early stages of the legislative process, having been introduced in the 104th General Assembly of the State of Illinois for the 2025-2026 session. If passed, it would take effect and require public officials to comply with these expanded disclosure requirements in future filings.

Illinois State Senator Laura M. Murphy also introduced Senate Bill 0127 on January 17, 2025. The bill, currently under consideration in the 104th General Assembly, aims to amend the Illinois Governmental Ethics Act by prohibiting legislators from engaging in compensated lobbying activities outside their legislative roles.

The current Illinois Governmental Ethics Act already prohibits legislators from engaging in compensated lobbying of the General Assembly on matters affecting specific interests. However, Senator Murphy’s proposed amendment significantly expands the scope of this prohibition to include other levels of government and the executive branch.

The current law does not contain the specific restrictions on other government officials (such as county, municipal, and township officials) that are proposed in this bill.

Key points of the proposed legislation include:

• Ban on Compensated Lobbying: The bill would prohibit legislators from engaging in paid lobbying of municipal, county, or township governing bodies, as well as the executive branch of the State of Illinois.
• Expanded Restrictions: The proposed amendment extends similar restrictions to other government officials, including:
  • Executive branch constitutional officers
  • Elected or appointed county executives and legislative officials
  • Municipal and township executives and legislative officials
• Penalty for Violations: The bill stipulates that any violation of these new provisions would constitute a Class A misdemeanor.

Current Law Context

Under the existing Illinois Governmental Ethics Act, public officials are already required to file Statements of Economic Interests. These statements currently include disclosures about assets, income sources, capital gains, debts, government employment, lobbyist relationships, gifts, and family members employed by public utilities.

Currently, existing disclosure requirements include:

• Asset Disclosure: Officials must still report assets valued over $10,000.
• Income Sources: The requirement to disclose sources of income exceeding $7,500 annually remains unchanged.
• Debt Reporting: Creditors of debts exceeding $10,000 must still be disclosed.
• Gift Disclosure: The current requirement to report gifts or honoraria valued over $500 is preserved.
• Lobbyist Relationships: Filers must continue to disclose relationships with registered lobbyists.
• Public Utility Employees: The requirement to report family members employed by public utilities in Illinois remains in place.