Business is Good in Illinois

Requests to Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan's office for assistance with the state's Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and the Open Meetings Act (OMA) increased by 38 percent in 2007, according to a release from Madigan's office..

The statistics, released today as part of Madigan's third Public Access Counselor Annual Report, show that in 2007, the Attorney General's office received 1,366 requests from the public, government officials and members of the media for assistance in matters dealing with the Illinois FOIA and OMA. In 2006, the office received 988 requests.

Members of the public seeking access to government information continue to lead requests for assistance. Of the total number of written and telephone requests relating to the Freedom of Information Act and the Open Meetings Act, 939, or nearly 69 percent came from members of the public.

Madigan's Public Access team also saw a large increase in the number of requests for FOIA and OMA assistance from government officials. In 2007, the Public Access Counselor received 111 requests for FOIA assistance from government officials, up 178 percent from the 40 requests from government officials in 2006. Additionally, in 2007, the Public Access Counselor received 174 requests from government officials for assistance in addressing Open Meetings Act questions, up 262 percent from the 48 requests received in the previous year.