Amid a recent series of lawsuits, the 2001 informal opinion by the Illinois Attorney General’s office concludes the emergency powers granted a governor during a disaster cannot be extended beyond 30 days without legislative approval.

Government corruption is nothing new for Illinoisans. Illinois is the second-most corrupt state in the nation, according to research by the University of Illinois-Chicago. And corruption costs the state economy more than $550 million per year. What is new? Powerful Illinois lawmakers, Chicago aldermen, local mayors and business interests are involved in what appears to be...