The Illinois General Assembly is without a watchdog. The former legislative inspector general quit after saying she was just a paper tiger. Now lawmakers cannot agree on her replacement.

The new Illinois ethics law brings a little change to the nation’s second-most corrupt state, but what is needed are the stronger reforms lawmakers promised after ousting scandal-plagued former House Speaker Mike Madigan.

Illinois made an important first step in its break with the corrupt practices that defined the legislative process under former Illinois House Speaker Mike Madigan. New ethics rules about lobbying, financial disclosures and the legislative watchdog were passed in the final hours of the session, but the reforms may die after the House rejected a technical change to the legislation by Gov. J.B. Pritzker.

Illinois made an important first step in its break with the corrupt practices that defined the legislative process under former Illinois House Speaker Mike Madigan. New ethics rules about lobbying, financial disclosures and the legislative watchdog were passed in the final hours of the session.

Senate Bill 4, the likely vehicle for ethics reform in Springfield, offers slight improvements over the Madigan era. But if Illinois is serious about ending its culture of corruption, key points need more muscle.

If Illinois could have reduced corruption to the national average, an estimated 79,000 fewer people would be living in poverty, according to an analysis by the Illinois Policy Institute. State lawmakers can help by passing ethics reforms.