The first quarter of 2022 got off to an explosive start on the campaign finance front, with Governor JB Pritzker dropping $90 million into his own campaign account. While the quarter was slow for some, fundraising reports signal we can…
Read MoreRFI Executive Director Alisa Kaplan spoke to the Chicago Tribune about Willie Wilson’s latest gas giveaway and the sometimes blurry ethical line between charity and campaigning. Read the full article here.
Read MoreRFI Executive Director Alisa Kaplan spoke with Greg Bishop of The Center Square about the lack of meaningful ethics reform in Springfield after former Illinois House Speaker Mike Madigan’s indictment. “If the indictment of Speaker Madigan wasn’t going to do…
Read MoreRFI Executive Director Alisa Kaplan spoke with The State Journal-Register about HB 716, which includes provisions to study the public financing of judicial campaigns and implements restrictions on campaign contributions in judicial elections. The bill now awaits further action by…
Read MoreWhat happens at the Cook County Assessor’s office affects the bank accounts of millions of Illinoisans. It also affects our communities, as inequitable property tax burdens can lower homeownership rates in vulnerable neighborhoods, depress the creation of generational wealth, and…
Read More“This is the problem with weak campaign finance laws, and with a system where many elected officials depend on big donations to run their campaigns,” said RFI ED Alisa Kaplan. “Constituents can end up wondering if these decisions were made…
Read MoreRFI ED Alisa Kaplan spoke with Greg Hinz of Crain’s Chicago Business about U.S. Rep. Newman’s recent stock trades and proposed legislation in Congress to ban sitting members of Congress from trading stocks. Read the article here.
Read More“I think we need to resist the temptation to say, ‘This was just Madigan, one bad apple. Now that Madigan’s gone, the problem is solved,’ ” said RFI ED Alisa Kaplan. “We know in Illinois that’s not true. This is…
Read MoreRFI ED Alisa Kaplan spoke with Center for Illinois Politics’ Eric Krol about ballot access in Illinois and how incumbents routinely benefit from this cumbersome system. “It really ends up being an additional barrier for people, especially for more independent…
Read More“You can’t have accountability for your elected officials without political competitiveness,” said RFI ED Alisa Kaplan, in an interview with The State Journal-Register. 1 in 5 Illinoisans might not get a say in who represents them in the state legislature…
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