Macon Reporter

Illinois state Rep. Brad Halbrook (R-Shelbyville) is among a growing number of Republican lawmakers pushing to enact legislation that would make Illinois home to some of the most stringent ethics laws in the country.

House Resolution 87 “would create a nine-member task force to identify areas of concern, review current ethics laws and propose additional legislative solutions to ensure Illinois is holding public officials accountable for their actions.” The measure is in direct response to the growing number of federal corruption probes of Democratic state lawmakers.

“The list of state legislators under indictment and investigation continues to grow,” Halbrook said in a press release. “It’s absolutely shameful. We must take action now to put an end to Illinois’ culture of corruption.”

Former Illinois state Rep. Luis Arroyo (D-Chicago) | http://reparroyo.com/

The final straw for Halbrook came courtesy of state Rep. Luis Arroyo (D-Chicago) recently being arrested on bribery charges after allegedly being caught on tape brokering a payoff of $2,500 a month to an unknown state senator in exchange for support on a gambling bill. In addition to Arroyo, over the last several months state Sen. Tom Cullerton (D-Lake Villa) was indicted on 45 counts of embezzlement, and state Sen. Martin Sandoval (D-Chicago) was forced to relinquish his post of chairman of the Senate Transportation committee after being indicted on federal corruption charges.

On top of House Resolution 87, Halbrook said he plans to spend the upcoming veto session sponsoring bills such as House Bill 361, which increases fines for legislators who “engage in restricted activities and for violating legislator rules of conduct.”

Still in his first term in Springfield, Halbrook sits on the Elections & Campaign Finance, Government Consolidation, and Government Transparency committees. His 102nd District includes all or parts of Champaign, Douglas, Edgar, Macon, Moultrie, Shelby and Vermilion counties.