Report: Illinois gets failing grade for its lobbyist disclosure system

(The Center Square) – A new report says Illinois is one of 27 states that received a failing grade for its lobbyist disclosure system.

The organization F Minus gives Illinois a grade of “F” for its lobbyist disclosure system, citing several failures.

“It doesn't require what we call the keys to strong disclosure,” said Executive Director James Browning. “Lobbyists don’t have to disclose the numbers of the bills they’re working on or the positions they are taking, or the compensation they are receiving from each of their clients.”

The report card also notes a “dangerous disconnect” between the frequency with which Illinois lobbyists file activity reports and the lack of meaningful information that these reports contain.

In Illinois, the F Minus list identifies dozens of clients at some of the state’s most prominent lobbying firms, including the city of Chicago sharing a lobbyist with BP America, and the University of Illinois sharing Fulcrum Government Strategies with five fossil fuel companies, despite having moved to divest its endowment from fossil fuels.

“Illinois needs to require disclosure of all lobbying expenditures, particularly in the wake of the most recent string of bribery cases against and involving lawmakers,” said Elizabeth Grossman, executive director of Common Cause Illinois.

Currently there is no law requiring lobbyists to disclose how much they are paid by corporations, industry groups or other special interest organizations. That would change under a bill that is stalled in the Illinois House. House Bill 4591 would require lobbyists to disclose how much they are paid by each of their clients.

Illinois lobbyists are currently in the news tied to the corruption trial of former House Speaker Michael Madigan. On May 2, 2023, an Illinois jury convicted former state lawmaker and lobbyist Michael McClain, former ComEd CEO Anne Pramaggiore, former ComEd lobbyist John Hooker and former contract lobbyist Jay Doherty. The case involved a conspiracy to bribe Madigan with $1.3 million in no-show jobs, contracts and payments to associates in exchange for support with legislation that would benefit the utility's bottom line.