Issue Position: Ethics and Reform

Issue Position

Mike Quigley built his career as a reformer committed to eliminating waste, fraud and abuse at every level of government. He believes that it is impossible to effectively govern without the trust of the people.

As a Cook County Commissioner, Mike produced real change that has endured. In 2007, he sponsored and passed a package of ethics reforms mandating greater transparency in the property tax appeal process. Mike also authored and passed amendments to the Inspector General Ordinance granting the County's Inspector General wider authority, greater independence, and increased resources to root out corruption. Mike also sponsored many of the accountability measures contained in the County's current Vehicle Policy Ordinance, which regulates County departments purchase and operation of vehicles.

As a Congressman, Mike continued the fight for accountability and good government. In one of his first actions, Mike introduced legislation banning corporate earmarks, a policy which would subsequently become a rule in the House of Representatives. 16 months after taking office he achieved House passage of the State Ethics Law Protection Act, legislation to allow state governments to ban pay-to-play corruption in highway contracting. He has also introduced the Public Officials Accountability Act, legislation to address recent Supreme Court rulings that currently block prosecutors from using "honest services" standards in prosecuting public corruption.

Mike also pressed the Department of Justice to investigate Project Shield, a Cook County homeland security program. Mike's actions helped expose waste, fraud and abuse in Project Shield and contributed to the cancellation of the program.

As the Ranking Democrat on the House Oversight and Government Reform subcommittee on TARP, Financial Services and Bailouts, Mike works to provide effective oversight of government operations and public funds. He was a proud supporter of the Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, which changed many of the egregious abuses which lead to the 2008 financial crisis. He is committed to ensuring effective implementation of this and other reforms, while also ensuring that community banks and other institutions have the resources and capability to continue creating jobs and adding value to the neighborhoods of the Fifth District.

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