Illinois for the first time has imposed limits on the amounts that individuals and other entities can donate to political candidates.

In addition to the contribution limits, the new law creates more stringent rules for defining political committees and for the reporting of donations. And yet these new rules, while a considerable improvement, fail to deliver real reform.

Specifically, the new rules do fail to impose meaningful limits on the amounts Illinois legislative leaders and political parties can funnel to individual candidates. The rules impose minimal limits for primary elections, there are no limits in general elections.

The new rules effectively concentrate the amount of financial control legislative leaders and other party officials have over political campaigns.

The result is legislators that are beholden to their legislative leaders. The ultimate losers are the constituents the legislator is elected to serve.

True campaign finance reform needs to include limits from all sources, including political parties and legislative leaders. The limits can be balanced and still allow for competing political parties to support their own candidates.

The new rules are a good start, now it's time to finish the job.