SPRINGFIELD – Elected officials will be forced to disclose more information about their financial interests under legislation introduced Thursday that Lt. Gov. Sheila Simon said is needed to help restore faith among Illinois residents who’ve seen their past two governors sent to prison for corruption.

Simon and state Sen. Dan Kotowski, D-Park Ridge, said their proposal would overhaul a 40-year-old financial disclosure system that critics have long scoffed at as meaningless. They say it would allow more scrutiny of whether conflicts of interest exist, in part by requiring politicians to fill out more specific forms about their assets and finances.

Simon also said the changes would show residents that most politicians are in their jobs for public service, not “to line their pockets.”