Thursday, Sep. 17, 2009

Three metro-east lawmakers call for Illinois to suspend ACORN funds

Three metro-east legislators want the suspension of all state funding and contracts for the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now, also known as ACORN.

State Rep. Ron Stephens, R-Highland, and Sens. Dave Luechtefeld, R-Okawville, and Kyle McCarter, R-Lebanon, have sent a letter to Gov. Pat Quinn, asking that the attorney general's office conduct an investigation of ACORN before the group receives any more state funding.

A spokesman for Quinn's office could not be reached for comment Thursday afternoon.

"In light of the multiple news reports exposing ACORN's questionable behavior, as well as video evidence showing ACORN employees offering tax assistance to open brothels and tips on how to launder money into a congressional campaign account, Illinois government needs to take a good, long look at the business it does with this organization," Stephens said. "We need to see what this group is really up to and whether or not any contracts and connections they have with the state are worthy of the use of public money."

Stephens said the organization has received grants from various state agencies. Stephens said he and some other legislators are still gathering information on how much money the organization has received.

On Thursday, the U.S. House voted to deny all federal funds for ACORN.

Recent hidden-camera videos from ACORN offices outside Illinois show workers giving advice on money laundering and tax evasion to a young man and young woman posing as a pimp and prostitute. ACORN leaders have said the videos were doctored, and that the incidents were isolated.

"Americans across the nation are appalled at the video footage that we have seen about ACORN's questionable lending activities," McCarter said in a news release. "Governor Quinn needs to freeze any and all funding to ACORN."