Thousands of new bills have been introduced into the 101st Illinois General Assembly since the start of the legislative session.
47th District Senator Jil Tracy of Quincy introduced a bill on Tuesday that would amend the Lobbyist Registration Act, prohibiting lobbyists from making expenditures from a candidate political committee established in their name.
Tracy says that while she’s never heard of a lobbyist using a campaign fund for political donations, this would act as a precaution.
“We found out that there weren’t any regulations about that, so I thought it would be a good reform and a good government bill to just specify that,” Tracy said. “If someone has had access and does have access to a political campaign account that, if they become a lobbyist, they cannot contribute during their time serving as a lobbyist or for a short period after that.”
The bill, as it currently exists, would prohibit a lobbyist from using a campaign fund in their name for the duration they are registered as a lobbyist, and for an additional two years after it’s expiration.
Tracy says she has no data to support the claim that a lobbyist has used a political campaign account, but she hopes that her fellow legislators see this as a “good government” bill.
The bill now resides in the Assignments Committee.
