Quinn's Ethics Proposal Raises Questions

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Gov. Pat Quinn's ethics proposal outlined in his State of the State speech is raising eyebrows. His idea is to ban Illinois lawmakers from voting on anything that might help them personally. But there are questions about the proposal’s targets and if it's necessary when Illinois has to deal with major financial problems. Others question if Quinn is laying groundwork for re-election. He dismissed those questions Thursday, saying it's long been his priority. But some lawmakers say they were confused by the timing. Especially because Quinn didn't focus heavily on his goal of overhauling pensions and Illinois traditionally enacts reforms after scandal.

Experts say Quinn might be trying to paint himself as a reformer before 2014. The Legislature's inspector general applauds the effort.