by Kate Piercy Back in July, Gov. Quinn made an amendatory veto to HB5154, which called for the exemption of all public employee performance evaluations under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). The Illinois Policy Institute argued against this bill, saying it would threaten transparency in government by prohibiting the release of public employee performance reviews...
by Kate Piercy All interested in government transparency, check out this new website,sunshinestandard.org, created by Sunshine Review. The website aims to provide citizens and elected officials with model legislation and tools to launch reforms and expand the amount of information available about government. As Michael Barnhart of Sunshine Review explains, “State and local governments, and school districts,...
by Wesley Fox The Institute has previously put the spotlight on excessive salaries for Illinois state employees, but now it appears federal employees are also being paid quite generously. According to USAToday the number of federal employees earning $150,000 or more has grown tenfold since 2005. In 2010, approximately 82,034 federal workers earned $150,000 or more, compared to only 7,420...
by Amanda Griffin-Johnson Between September 2008 and August 2010, the Northfield Township High School District 225 received a $107,126 grant “to install a solar thermal energy system at Glenbrook High School at the new diving pool and athletic facility.” The grant (#09-022004) was part of the state’s Solar and Wind Energy Rebate Program, which is meant “to encourage utilization...
The Problem The World Shooting and Recreation Complex (WSRC) in Sparta, Illinois was completed in 2006 at a construction cost of $31.5 million (as well as another $18 million for road, water, and sewer improvement). The 1,600-acre facility includes 746 RV campsites, 120 trap shooting fields, and a 34,000 square foot events center. The state-funded...
by Amanda Griffin-Johnson The latest corruption scandal in Chicago, “Operation Crooked Code,” has resulted in the convictions of 21 people. Of the individuals convicted, 15 were city building and zoning inspectors. If you’ve never heard of the Crooked Code scandal, you are not alone. The Chicago Sun-Times explains: Despite those successful cases, Crooked Code hasn’t been as high-profile...
by Amanda Griffin-Johnson The state budget crisis has created mounting problems for the state government, from state credit ratings plummeting to vendors refusing state orders because of late payments. But this hasn’t stopped the spending. Earlier this month, Governor Quinn granted $50 million of new spending for job training projects, even though hospitals, schools, and non-profits are still waiting for...
by Amanda Griffin-Johnson Earlier this year, SB 3012 was signed into law and created a pilot project mandating that election authorities provide early voting sites on public university campuses in their jurisdiction. The project is only for the 2010 general election, but some county clerks have voiced their opposition to the mandate citing the high costs for small...
by Lee Williams Download a formatted version of this report, complete with a table of the Pittman-Robertson Act contracts awarded by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, here. SPRINGFIELD, IL.—The Illinois Department of Natural Resources is misappropriating millions of dollars that should have been earmarked for the state’s sportsmen. The Pittman-Robertson Act, an 11-percent federal tax on...
by Wesley Fox In 2009, the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity awarded a $79,000 to the Looking for Lincoln Heritage Coalition (search “Looking for Lincoln” – Grant #09337008). The Grant was awarded to “cover costs associated with hosting a Living History Program” that would include “costumed interpreters” to lead daily tours of historical locations around Springfield. According...
by Wesley Fox The Illinois Policy Institute has proposed greater transparency in taxpayer-funded lobbying, including reports on state and local government expenditures on lobbyists. The Daily Herald has found another good reason for transparency. According to the Daily Herald, the Regional Transit Authority (RTA), Chicago Transit Authority (CTA), Pace and Metra spent more than $12.8 million on...
Today’s Wall Street Journal carried a special report on how Medicare claims data can be used to root out suspected waste, fraud and abuse (like the NYC family-medicine physician who was flagged for pocketing more than $2 million in 2008 from Medicare thanks in part to administering an odd battery of tests). Earlier this year, we testified in favor of creating...
With Cook County being known nationwide for its levels of corruption you know it’s bad when Cook County State’s Attorney Anita Alvarez says that a case of corruption by Hanover Township’s former welfare services director, Aurea Picasso, “may be a new low in Cook County corruption.” “Assistant State’s Attorney Bill Conway said that as welfare...
by Wesley Fox In 2009 the Chicago Horticultural Society received a $250,000 grant from the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity “to assist in the development of the visitor interpretive features in the Daniel F. and Ada L. Rice Plant Conservation Science Center.” The Center is located at the Chicago Botanical Gardens. According to the DCEO Grant Tracker website (search Chicago...