Macon Reporter

Veteran Illinois lawmaker Rep. Dan Caulkins (R-Decatur) recently made a $750 donation to PawPrint Ministries and its comfort dog work.

“Outreach 101 is impressed by the work of Jennifer Dahn and PawPrint Ministries,” Caulkins posted on Facebook.  “We proudly support their important mission.”

For Caulkins, the donation is the latest in a growing number of them he has made to various agencies and organization in his district using his legislative salary. While still a candidate, Caulkins vowed not to take a salary if elected and later elected to simply donate the money to worthy causes. .

Caulkins has also been busy taking a stand against an ethics reform bill he argues doesn’t go far enough in bringing about the level of change in Springfield that’s needed.

“I think the problem we have is that this bill has been exposed for what it is and the five of us who voted against it are kind of vindicated,” Caulkins told the Macon Reporter.

At least part of the bill is designed to end the so-called revolving door of legislators leaving Springfield and later returning to lobby the same body they once served as members of. The push for such change comes at a time when Springfield continues to be the subject of a far-reaching federal corruption probe in which former longtime House Speaker Mike Madigan has already been implicated and ultimately stepped down.

Caulkins and a growing number of GOP colleagues are now calling on legislators from both sides of the aisle to work together toward what they deem to be real ethics reforms, such as giving the Legislative Inspector General (LIG) more independence, increasing the time between serving in the General Assembly and registering as a lobbyist, and including nonpartisan citizen representation on the Legislative Ethics Commission.

LIG Carol Pope recently tendered her resignation, citing that the most recent legislative session had little ambition for ethics reform.

Caulkins is now also pushing Gov. J.B. Pritzker to work with the General Assembly to address the issue of gun violence, the Chambana Sun reported.

As Caulkins sees it, the governor's recent executive order declaring gun violence a public health crisis and setting up the state’s Office of Firearm Violence Prevention doesn’t go nearly far enough.

“So, Gov. Pritzker, you really want to work on preventing violence,” he said in a Facebook video.  “Let’s get together in the General Assembly. Let’s do what the system is designed to do.”

Pritzker’s declaration comes as the state is in the midst of one of its deadliest years in recent memory.

In reaction, Pritzker also recently announced a $250 million allocation toward addressing neighborhood violence with the funding to be steered toward the Reimagine Public Safety plan over the next three years.

“We are united in our commitment to end gun violence in Illinois,” Pritzker said at the Breakthrough Urban Ministries FamilyPlex in Chicago. “We will do what it takes, individually and collectively, to address the immediate violence on our streets and invest in fighting the underlying causes that cause too much despair, too much addiction, too little mental health treatment and too few opportunities.”

Also earlier this month, Caulkins took the time to celebrate the birthday of the U.S. Marine Corps.

"Happy birthday Marine Corps! Thank you for 246 years of defending democracy!" Caulkins wrote on Facebook.