Yingling Backs Measure to Crack Down on Corruption, End Overpayment of Resigning Legislators

ROUND LAKE BEACH, Ill. – To promote stronger ethics and transparency in government, state Rep. Sam Yingling, D-Grayslake, is supporting legislation that would end the practice of paying legislators for a full month of work, regardless of when they resign.

“It’s long past the time that allowing former legislators to leave with a golden parachute out of office be curbed. We must take action to bring the state accountability and transparency that it desperately needs,” Yingling said. “There is absolutely no reason to continue to waste public tax dollars on people that are no longer representing their communities.”

The Yingling-backed House Bill 4131 aims to address instances of politicians resigning amid scandal but still collecting a full month’s pay. Currently, if a legislator resigns on the first day of the month, he or she would still be paid for the entire month. This measure would ensure that taxpayer dollars are not funding unearned paychecks and pro-rates a legislator’s pay for the time they worked.

Last year, Yingling championed Senate Bill 1236, an omnibus of government corruption reform initiatives that increased transparency for elected officials in Lake County. This bipartisan legislation drew support from both chambers of the Illinois General Assembly, as well as from Lake County officials. Yingling will continue fighting to bring reform to state and local government.

“Bad and corrupt actors will always try and game the system to their own advantage,” Yingling said. “We can no longer be complacent, and need to crack down on corruption from all angles, including this one. It is our duty to the people who elected us to work in their best interest, and wasting their tax dollars will never be in their best interest.”