Word of Caution About FOIA

by Kate Piercy The News-Gazette sounded a warning today with regards to the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), reacting to the efforts to weaken FOIA some have already attempted: The new Freedom of Information law was barely two weeks old when legislators amended it the first time in January, repealing a provision that made evaluations of public school...

by Kate Piercy

The News-Gazette sounded a warning today with regards to the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), reacting to the efforts to weaken FOIA some have already attempted:

The new Freedom of Information law was barely two weeks old when legislators amended it the first time in January, repealing a provision that made evaluations of public school employees available. Several other measures were introduced aimed at various FOIA provisions. The Legislature then passed House Bill 5154 in the spring session, which amended the state’s Personnel Records Review Act to exempt all performance evaluations of public employees from disclosure under FOIA.

Quinn responded with an amedatory veto, saying the amendments were “a departure from the groundbreaking legislation that I approved just last year, making our State’s open information laws among the most robust in the entire country.”

Although this attempt to weaken failed (for the most part, Quinn could have vetoed the entire bill and instead exempted only public safety officials), The News-Gazzette cautions legislators will be under a considerable amount of pressure from public employee unions and the Illinois Municipal League when the bill goes back for a vote during the November veto session:

Regardless of the outcome on H.B. 5154, there are powerful forces lined up in opposition to the tone of government transparency the FOIA tries to establish. At a time when government in Illinois desperately needs transparency, death by a thousand cuts of FOIA can be expected to continue.

Like most good policy, government transparency will constantly be under fire.  Unless leaders and the public take a strong, active role in supporting it, it will fall to the pressure of various groups keeping the heat on legislators every day.

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