Ethics Spotlight
MARGARET van DIJK - Ethics Officer for the Illinois Department of Agriculture
Margaret's responsibility as Ethics Officer involves training and advising 465 employees of the Department. She monitors employee compliance with the required annual ethics trainings and filing Statements of Economic Interest.
Margaret also advises employees who seek guidance in applying the Ethics Act to their particular issue. The most frequent request for guidance she receives from employees concerns how to fill out the annual Statement of Economic Interest. She also answers questions concerning gifts that an employee can accept in the course of business and questions related to participating in political campaigns after work hours.
In addition to being the Ethics Officer, Margaret is the Department's Chief Legal Counsel. She provides advice to the Director and Bureaus on the various statutes that Illinois Department of Agriculture administers. Margaret has worked for the state for seven years. Prior to her current position, she was employed as an Administrative Law Judge for the Department of Children and Family Services.
The responsibility of the Illinois Department of Agriculture is to promote and regulate agriculture in a manner that encourages farming and agribusiness while protecting Illinois' consumers and natural resources. The Illinois Department of Agriculture administers and enforces over thirty different statutes, ranging from animal protection to weights and measures.
Margaret's top three ethics issues in State government are:
- Ensuring the efficacy of the bid/contracting process.
- Ensuring State employees are not in violation of the Gift Ban Act.
- Ensuring State employees are doing their job while on the clock.
The Commission salutes Margaret and the other agency Ethics Officers for their hard work and dedication to improving the ethical climate in the State of Illinois.