Ethics and Public Integrity

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 consists of nine commissioners appointed by the State Constitutional Officers. The Commission receives complaints, conducts administrative hearings, prepares and publishes guides regarding the 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. Along with Francis “Neil” MacDonald, the Ethics Officer for the Office of the Illinois Attorney General, Diane Saltoun, the Executive Inspector General for the Office of the Attorney General, serves as our point person 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 also oversees yearly ethics training for all Office of the Illinois Attorney General employees and sets the frequency and number of hours for that training.

Executive Ethics Commission

Executive Inspector General