While the Illinois General Assembly debates outlawing the use of Google Glass while driving, others are creating innovative apps to fight government waste and corruption using Google’s groundbreaking new technology. Have you ever walked down the street, stared at a government building and wondered how much it costs to operate? Imagine eyeing the elegant copper...
In a recent editorial, Better Government Association, or BGA, President Andy Shaw debates examines Illinois’ “obesity epidemic.” But bulging waistlines are not the target of Shaw’s ire. Instead, he complains about Illinois’ abundance of taxing bodies. “This is about a state that’s morbidly obese when it comes to government: Illinois has nearly 7,000 separate taxing...
More than any other state, Illinois is a case study in why term limits for elected officials are needed. In Illinois, entrenched incumbents control campaign finance laws and gerrymander electoral districts to consolidate political power with legislative leaders. They also deprive Illinois citizens of the right to participate in meaningful, contested elections. Facts 1. Illinois...
For decades, residents of Illinois have been barraged with a constant stream of public corruption stories in the media. In recent years, these tales include a governor trying to sell a Senate seat, a U.S. Congressman illegally siphoning off campaign funds for personal use, and a record breaking corruption story from the small town of...
The Illinois Policy Institute awarded the city of Evanston a Sunshine Award at the city’s Jan. 13 board meeting. By posting everything on the Illinois Policy Institute’s 10-Point Transparency Checklist, Evanston recently became the sixth local taxing body in Illinois to garner a perfect transparency score, joining Kane County, Hanover Township, Orland Park, Lombard and...
Chicago City Council passed new e-cigarette regulations on Wednesday, 45–4. E-cigarettes will now be banned from indoor public places, including bars and restaurants, as well as within 15 feet of building entrances. Last month it looked like the Chicago City Council would do the right thing for once and back off plans to regulate e-cigarettes...
Last month it looked like the Chicago City Council would do the right thing for once and back off plans to regulate e-cigarettes like tobacco products. On Monday, however, the city’s Joint Health and Finance Committee changed course, voting 14-5 to approve additions to Chicago’s Clean Indoor Air Ordinance that would severely restrict the use...
A new year brings new laws – good, bad and ugly – in Illinois. There’s a lot of them, but here are three in particular that stand out. The Good: Speed limit raised to 70 mph One piece of good news is that the state speed limit has been raised to a maximum of 70...
If passing legislation concerning specialty license plates in Illinois was high on your wish list, 2013 was a very good year. Eleven new laws will go into effect on Jan. 1 concerning specialty license plates in Illinois. House Bill 0198 provides for the issuance of Illinois Police K-9 Memorial Plates. Proceeds benefit the Illinois Police K-9...
Nice list Many local taxing bodies in Illinois took a giant leap forward in 2013 when it comes to improving online transparency. And many local officials worked with the Illinois Policy Institute to meet our online transparency standards, per the 10-Point Transparency Checklist. Our report “Obstructed views: Illinois’ 102 county online transparency audit” showed that...
You’re not using Styrofoam. Not if you’re eating takeout, drinking a soda or chugging a Dunkin’ Donuts coffee. These disposable food and beverage containers are made from polystyrene. Not Styrofoam. But the public has long confused these two products. (Disclaimer: my last post did not accurately represent Styrofoam, either.) Dow Chemical, the company that produces...
A new report looking at the state’s 25 largest municipalities shows a wide disparity in citizens’ access to basic government information online from community to community. In places such as Evanston, Skokie and Orland Park, citizens have excellent access to basic financial and participatory information online, but the same isn’t true in many other areas....
With winter nearly upon us, riding a bicycle in Chicago is probably the furthest thing from most people’s minds – except for the more than 1,000 people who’ve recently purchased a Divvy Groupon. Divvy is Chicago’s taxpayer-funded bike-share program, through which users can buy daily or annual memberships to rent one of more than 3,000 bicycles...
Two Chicago aldermen are convinced that banning Styrofoam containers would protect the children of Chicago. Accordingly, these aldermen – Ed Burke and George Cardenas – have proposed an ordinance banning the use of Styrofoam by coffee shops, restaurants, schools and other frequent users, according to the Associated Press. Burke and Cardenas are pushing this ban...