Morrison calls for comprehensive ethics package

SPRINGFIELD – Following a wave of corruption and indictments among state officials, Senator Julie Morrison (D-Deerfield) is calling on lawmakers to pass a comprehensive ethics package, including restrictions on revolving door lobbying, updates to the statement of economic interest forms and new provisions regarding conflict of interest.

“People should not be allowed to be a lawmaker one day and a lobbyist the next,” Morrison said. “Stopping lawmakers from auditioning for jobs with special interests while still in office will help end the glaring corruption taking place in Springfield.”

Since joining the Illinois Senate in 2013, Morrison has introduced bills each session to block the lawmaker-to-lobbyist revolving door. Those measures would prohibit lawmakers who resign from their post from taking jobs as Illinois lobbyists for a certain amount of time after they retire. However, they never made it through the legislature.

“I have tried to pass comprehensive revolving door policies for years, but it wasn’t seen as a high priority by all members of the General Assembly, despite the corruption happening around them,” Morrison said. “I am pleased Gov. JB Pritzker called on legislators to pass a revolving door provision during his State of the State address Wednesday.”

Morrison is a co-sponsor of Senate Bill 2463, which prohibits statewide elective officials, members of the General Assembly and administrative heads of state agencies from lobbying within two years of termination of service.

“A majority of states already have an anti-revolving door policy, and it’s time for Illinois to get with the times,” Morrison said. “There must be a fine line between who is a government official and who works for a special interest group.”

Illinois is just one of 13 states that does not have a revolving door policy. 

During the legislative session, Morrison is lead sponsor of two other ethics-related bill – Senate Bill 2506 and Senate Bill 1827.

Senate Bill 1827 would create changes to the statement of economic interest form that must be completed by a number of state employees, candidates running for office and public officials to ensure they do not have financial ties to subjects they are working on.

Additionally, SB 2506 requires members of the General Assembly to disclose if they have conflicts of interest on measures they are taking official action on – which includes voting for a bill.

Senator Morrison stands with Pritzker’s ethics plans

SPRINGFIELD – Following more than a year of ethics violations under the dome, Gov. JB Pritzker said during Wednesday’s State of the State address one of his main priorities of the upcoming legislative session is to hold lawmakers to the highest ethical standards – a priority shared by State Senator Julie Morrison.

“Gov. Pritzker’s call for action against the repellant actions committed by state lawmakers is a great step toward ending unethical behavior,” Morrison (D-Deerfield) said. “I applaud the governor’s desire to fight corruption, and I will work diligently with my colleagues to ensure we pass real, lasting ethics reform this legislative session.”

During the upcoming legislative session, Morrison is sponsoring Senate Bill 2506, which requires members of the General Assembly to disclose if they have conflicts of interest on measures they are taking official action on – which includes voting for a bill. If legislators do have conflicts of interest, they would be responsible for filing written statements declaring the conflict.

“It’s more important than ever for us to strive for more transparency, greater disclosure and a higher standard of conduct,” Morrison said. “This commonsense legislation will call for lawmakers to work in the best interest of the people of Illinois by reporting if they have a conflict of interest on a legislative matter they are voting on.”

Morrison is also sponsoring Senate Bill 2506 – which would create changes to the statement of economic interest form that must be completed by a number of state employees, candidates running for office and public officials. Those changes include clarifying the definition of “economic relationship” and tweaking the definition of “investment real estate.”

Senate Bill 180, also sponsored by Morrison, would prohibit members of the General Assembly from negotiating future employment with a lobbying entity during the member’s term of office, if the lobbying entity engages in lobbying the General Assembly during that time.

“Every person who serves in elected office should serve the people of Illinois – not themselves nor their wallets,” Morrison said. “I will continue to work with my fellow lawmakers and the governor to ensure we are all held to the highest ethical standards.”

Senator Morrison applauds cap on insulin costs

SPRINGFIELD – State Senator Julie Morrison (D-Deerfield) applauds Illinois for becoming the second state in the country to cap out-of-pocket costs for prescription insulin at $100 a day for a 30-day supply.

“No one should have to choose between getting the medication they need to survive and putting food on their family’s table,” Senator Morrison said. “I’m pleased the governor signed this life-saving measure into law.”

The new law caps co-payments for insulin at $100 per month for all patients, regardless of the supply they require. The cap, however, only applies to commercial insurance plans regulated by the state.

About 1.3 million adults in Illinois have diabetes – 12.5% of the state’s population – according to the Illinois Department of Public Health. On average, people with diabetes pay $475 a month on insulin, the Health Care Cost Institute reports. The high cost drives many patients to ration their insulin supply, which can result in blindness, kidney failure or death.

“Insulin is not an option for more than one million Illinois residents,” Morrison said. “It is time Illinois leads by example to hold pharmaceutical companies accountable for choosing to maximize profits at the expense of consumers’ health.”

The measure takes effect Jan. 1, 2021.

Senator Morrison commends Medline Industries

SPRINGFIELD – State Senator Julie Morrison (D-Deerfield) commends Medline Industries for taking steps to decrease ethylene oxide emissions from its Waukegan plant.

“Ethylene oxide causes cancer,” Morrison said. “We took action last year to ensure the emission of this harmful substance is no longer the cause of numerous deaths across the north suburbs.”

Medline Industries temporarily closed its Waukegan-based medical device sterilization operation to install nearly $10 million in upgrades to make the plant compliant with state laws regulating ethylene oxide, the company announced Tuesday.

Two measures co-sponsored by Sen. Morrison, both which passed in 2019, prohibit the renewal of any permits for facilities that violate federal or state standards for ethylene oxide emissions. The other puts emission limits on non-sterilization facilities that emit ethylene oxide and requires them to obtain a permit from the IEPA. That permit must include a site-specific cap on the business’ ethylene oxide emissions.

Medline said Tuesday that it has been working “around the clock” to finish the upgrade to install the emissions abatement equipment, but must close down for a few weeks to complete the final stages of testing. Late last year, Vantage Specialty Chemicals Facility in Gurnee also completed improvements necessary to bring the plant up to the state’s guidelines.

“Facilities that use the cancer-causing chemicals should be held to the highest standards,” Morrison said. “They cannot put money over people. Medline has done the right thing by temporarily shutting down its plant in order to better protect the people of Illinois.”

The improvements from both companies come a year after a study from the University of Illinois at Chicago found higher levels of ethylene oxide in the blood of people who live near the plants. Ethylene oxide was placed on a national list of carcinogens in 1985. In 2006, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency released an assessment linking ethylene oxide to breast and blood cancer. The EPA, World Health Organization and the National Toxicology Program all declared the gas cancer-causing.