Illinois Pay to Play
Last Updated: April 30, 2009
Illinois Pay-to-Play: In late September 2008, Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich signed an Executive Order establishing pay-to-play rules for state contractors. The Executive Order was issued after Gov. Blagojevich vetoed House Bill 824, passed by the Illinois General Assembly in May 2008. Following the Governor’s veto of HB 824, the Illinois General Assembly overrode the governor’s veto and passed a new pay-to-play statute (Public Act 95-971), which like the Executive Order took effective on January 1, 2009. While the Executive Order and PA 95-971 differ, for businesses with state contracts, the law and the order require registration with the State Board of Elections and impose restrictions on certain political contributions. SIFMA is actively working with a broad business coalition to seek amendments to the rules.
The Illinois State Board of Elections website now includes a link to their online registration system, pursuant to the PA 95-971 emergency rules. Here is the link to the Business Registration portion of the Board's website, from which the law, the emergency rules, and registration information may be accessed: http://www.elections.il.gov/BusinessRegistration/Welcome.aspx