Ethics in the Office of the Attorney General
The Office of the Attorney General is committed to ethical government. It is the responsibility of all public servants to maintain a high ethical standard in order to effectively and honestly serve the citizens of Illinois. In 2003, the Illinois General Assembly passed a comprehensive ethics measure to ensure a more open and honest government. Included in this law are several provisions that enhance the ethics structure in Illinois, including the creation of an Executive Ethics Commission to which the Attorney General serves as an advisor.
The Executive Ethics Commission
The State Officials and Employees Ethics Act created five offices of the Executive Inspector General - one for each constitutional office.The Executive Ethics Commission consists of nine commissioners appointed by the State Constitutional Officers. The Commission receives complaints, conducts administrative hearings, prepares and publishes guides regarding ethics laws, issues subpoenas, and makes rulings and recommendations in disciplinary cases. The Commission has jurisdiction over the employees and officers of the Executive Branch of government.
The State Officials and Employees Ethics Act created five offices of the Executive Inspector General - one for each constitutional office.
Ethics at the Office of the Attorney General
Francis “Neil” MacDonald, the Ethics Officer for the Office of the Illinois Attorney General, and Diane Saltoun, the Executive Inspector General for the Office of the Attorney General, serve as our point persons on ethics, advising employees of their ethical duties, answering questions on ethics, investigating allegations of ethics violations, and filing pleadings with the Executive Ethics Commission when appropriate. Diane Saltoun oversees yearly ethics training for all Office of the Illinois Attorney General employees and sets the frequency and number of hours for that training. The Inspector General investigates allegations of fraud, waste, abuse, mismanagement, misconduct, and related violations of the law involving individuals employed by or doing business with the Attorney General's Office.
Additional Information and Documents:
Monthly Inspector General Reports
To ensure as much transparency as possible, the OEIG submits numerous reports to the public, the Attorney General, and the EEC. A public report is published on the OAG website under the Inspector General tab every month, which shows the number of investigations opened and closed.
Illinois Statutes on Ethics
Model Ethics Ordinance
The Office of Attorney General prepared the Model Ethics Ordinance and the Guide to the Implementation of the Model Ethics Ordinance in order to help local governmental bodies comply with the requirements of the Act.