Illinois was just ranked last in the nation for financial transparency. The state’s chronic delays, audit failures and last-minute budgeting have put taxpayers in the dark and long-term stability at risk.

Politicians use a loophole to bypass the Illinois Constitution’s requirement that bills be read on three separate days before they are passed. Instead, they often gut minor bills and put significant legislation in the bills within a day of the vote.

Most Illinois government meetings are open to the public, with a few exceptions. Here’s what to know about Illinoisans’ rights to see what government is doing by using the Illinois Open Meetings Act.

Democratic state lawmakers were given a private look at new Illinois House district maps. Partisan legislative maps and gerrymandering seem to be surviving ‘transparency.’

The Illinois General Assembly busies itself with limiting balloon releases and regulating pitchfork fishing along highways when ethics reform is the need in a state with a rich history of corruption.

Putting the public’s business on public display can help Illinois reform its culture of corruption and control government waste. An Illinois House bill will put more local government records online.

Illinois’ Legislative Inspector General currently is subjected to political influence or even silencing by members of the General Assembly.

Illinois’ legislative inspector general investigates complaints against state lawmakers, but a commission of their peers can – and did – bury those findings, the former inspector said. A new bill would change that.

The former chair of the influential Senate Transportation Committee is the fourth Illinois politician indicted on federal charges amid a sweeping FBI probe.