Illinois Legislators Approve Ethics Bill

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (CN) - In what some call a face-saving measure, Gov. Rod Blagojevich's allies in the state Senate passed a new ethics bill that would prohibit lawmakers from holding second jobs and would require a public vote to raise their pay.

The move came a day after the state Senate unanimously overrode Blagojevich's veto of an ethics bill prohibiting campaign contributions from state contractors to politicians who controlled their contracts. Blagojevich had raised millions of dollars from such contributions. The new ethics bill will go to the House, where it is unlikely to pass.

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