CHICAGO — To respond to recent allegations involving Springfield lawmakers and prevent future wrongdoing, State Senator Elgie R. Sims, Jr. has been named as the co-chair of a new joint legislative commission that will recommend changes to state ethics laws. Senator Cristina Castro has also been appointed to the commission.

“The last several months have seen very troubling developments and the people of Illinois expect us to be and do better,” Sims said. “For the people to have faith in their government we must hold ourselves to the highest of standards, and when public officials do wrong, they should face the consequences. Those are the beliefs that will guide me as I serve on this commission.”

The Joint Commission on Ethics and Lobbying Reform was formed after the General Assembly passed legislation to create the commission to review the State Officials and Employees Ethics Act, the Illinois Governmental Ethics Act, the Lobbyist Registration Act, the Public Officers Prohibited Activities Act and the Ethics and Disclosure Article of the Procurement Code. The Commission will hold public hearings and issue a final report by March 31, 2020, giving the General Assembly enough time to act to implement reforms before the end of the upcoming spring session.

“We have a lot of work to do,” Castro said. “It’s time to get started.”

“It needs to be clear: our government must be held accountable and I look forward to this commission finding ways to prevent the situations which gave rise to recent developments,” Sims said. “I look forward to the opportunity to work with my colleagues in both chambers to come up with solutions which are in the best interest of our state and will make a measurable difference in improving the quality of our government.”