Source: Bigstock
A bill pending in the state’s General Assembly aims to increase transparency in a state that sometimes isn’t all that transparent.
House Bill 5522, which passed the House on Monday, would require any unit of government with an operating budget of $1 million or more to maintain a a website listing officers, ordinances, budgets audits, bids and contracts over $25,000 and other relevant financial information.
The bill was initially filed by Rep. Jeanne M. Ives, R-Naperville, and would allow public bodies which get FOIA requests for information that is already posted on the website to just refer the petitioner to the website for the information. This would save time and perhaps even money for taxpayers.
HB 5522 has had a first reading in the Senate (of three readings mandated by law before a vote), and the chief Senate sponsor is Sen. Martin Sandoval, D-Cicero.
