About Campaign Finance Reform

 It's time to CHANGE Illinois!

In October 2009, after months of advocacy by members of the Change Illinois Coalition, SB 1466 was approved by both the House and Senate, and later signed by Governor Quinn. This time last year, the state was one of only five in the nation without any limits on campaign spending. This legislation provides a strong starting point for political reform in Illinois. Starting in 2012, the new law:

• Restricts individual contributions to no more than $5,000 to any candidate in an election cycle; businesses, labor unions and associations to $10,000 in contributions to candidates; and political action committees to no more than $50,000 per candidate.
• Obligates political committees to file quarterly contribution and expenditure reports.
• Mandates prompt disclosure of all contributions of $1,000 or more.
• Requires the reporting of "bundlers" -- people who gather five or more contributions on behalf of the candidate or campaign committee.
• Creates a searchable database of campaign violations and penalties.
• Financial audits of political committees chosen at random by the State Board of Elections to check compliance with state laws.
• Creates a Task Force on Campaign Finance Reform to hold public hearings and report on impact and effectiveness of the legislation as well as to recommend additional reforms.