The Senate Ethics Committee met for the first time April 21 — nearly four months since the start of the new General Assembly — to hear testimony on a bill that seeks to reform legislative ethics laws in Illinois.

Sen. Jil Tracy says that while Senate Bill 4 includes several good ideas, it still leaves out many others, and greater input should be coming from both sides of the aisle.

“Senate Republicans have filed several ethics bills that have not even been given a hearing. What kind of message does that send to the public, especially when a cloud of scandal continues to linger over the Dome? While I appreciate the efforts put into Senate Bill 4, this is only a start,” Sen. Tracy said. “Going forward, I hope that discussions become more inclusive of ideas so that we can present a final package that roots out corruption and begins to restore public trust.”