Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn has approved a law that allows political candidates in certain cases to ignore the campaign finance caps the Democrat championed.

Quinn signed legislation Friday that lifts funding caps on political campaigns if super PACs pour money into a race. Super PACs are activist groups independent of candidates.

A spokeswoman conceded Quinn believes it's a short-term solution to ensure fairness.

Just three years ago Quinn signed into law the state's first campaign finance limits after taking over from two predecessors who went to federal prison for political crimes.

The Illinois Campaign for Political Reform says super PACs are ill-defined in the law and could coordinate with candidates. It wants more disclosure about super PACs.