Hard times for Illinois, but not for governor's staff

from The Associated Press:

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn has handed out raises... to his staff while proclaiming a message of "shared sacrifice" and planning spending cuts of $1.4 billion because the state is awash in debt.
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The overall payroll for the governor's staff and his budget office was slightly lower in May than last July — $123,000 less, or just under 2 percent, according to state payroll records. But other records obtained under the Freedom of Information Act show that dozens of employees reporting to the governor's office are paid by other agencies under Quinn's control.

Read the rest here

Urbana, Illinois School District Spent More Than $2.6 Million in Lawsuit Settlements

The Bloomington Pantagraph used the Freedom of Information Act to get details about settlements entered into by the Urbana, Illinois school district, finding the school district has spent more than $2.6 million settling claims of students who were taught by now-convicted child molester Jon White.

White is serving 60 years in prison for molesting nine girls at an Urbana school and two more in Normal.

For more, click here.

Illinois Launches One-Stop Shop for Online Public Records Access

Illinois unveiled its Illinois Sunshine Portal, a website where the public can review many public records and documents in one online location. The site allows access to detailed information on state expenditures, grant awards, and public facility inspection reports for schools, hospitals, and nursing homes.

Get more information here.

University of Illinois Spent Six-Figures Before Suspending Search for a New Provost

Using records obtained by the Illinois Freedom of Information Act, the Daily Illini reports the University of Illinois spent $147,500 before suspending its search for a provost. The university paid search firm Greenwood/Asher & Associates Inc. $43,083.34 for professional services finding and conducting background research on potential candidates, and the university spent $104,416.66 on airfare and accommodations for 15 first-round candidate interviews.

For more information, click here.

Southwestern Illinois Flood Prevention District Council May Suing FEMA

The Belleville News-Democrat reports that the Southwestern Illinois Flood Prevention District Council met to discuss a possible lawsuit against the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to explain why the agency termed local levees useless, a move which FEMA has used to justify its plan to raise flood insurance rates.

FEMA has not yet responded to the group's November 4, 2009 FOIA requests for information regarding levees in Madison, Monroe, and St. Clair counties.

For more information, click here.

Illinois Lawmakers Seek to Undo Last Year's FOI Progress

Last year, Illinois lawmakers strengthened the state's freedom of information laws. This year, there are already more than six proposals to undo some of last year's progress.

The State Journal-Register reports the amendments include increasing the amount of money agencies can charge for public records to making attorneys' fees awards optional in cases where the requester prevails.

Two bills already passed limit public access, including one to create an online database to locate buried bodies, which is exempt from public disclosure, and one that bars disclosure of the evaluations of teachers, administrators, and superintendents.

Read more about it here.

FBI Investigated Late Rep. Henry Hyde

FBI files obtained by Gawker using the FOIA show that the late Rep. Henry Hyde (R-Ill.) was investigated for four years by the FBI. Hyde represented a west suburban Chicago district and chaired the House panel that impeached President Clinton.

Read more here.

University of Illinois Sued Over Admissions Clout Lists

The Chicago Tribune has sued the University of Illinois for information explaining why applicants were placed on admission clout lists, specifically the names of applicants' parents and identities of the patrons who advocated on behalf of the applicants.

The university has refused to provide the information to the newspaper, saying the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act prevents its disclosure.

Read more about the lawsuit here.

Testing Illinois Localities on FOIA Compliance

The Herald-News did an interesting test of state and local government response times to new Illinois FOIA laws, which took effect January 1. The news organization sent FOIA requests to more than 100 local towns, school districts and counties, seeking information on where taxpayer money is being spent.

Check out the results here and an interactive feature here.

Illinois Police Officer Fell Asleep, Crashing Car Into Home's Foyer

Records released pursuant to a FOIA request reveal that a Wheaton, Illinois police officer fell asleep at the wheel of her squad car in September, causing her to crash the car through the front door of a house at 4 a.m.

Although no one was injured in the accident, the records show the officer said she fell asleep, but woke upon impact and believed she hit the gas pedal, accelerating through the front door.

The unnamed officer faces a possible suspension and disciplinary hearing after the city determines how much it will cost to repair the home. The officer's identity was redacted from records because of a clause in the contract between the union and the department.

Read more here.

Illinois Legislators Move to Exempt Teacher Performance Records from Public Disclosure

Illinois legislators passed a bill exempting performance evaluations of teachers and school administrators from public disclosures. Lobbyists for the teachers' unions had urged the change to the sweeping overhaul to the state's FOIA enacted five months ago, contending that performance evaluations are private and their disclosure would interfere with the evaluation process. Open records advocates disagree, saying it's in the public interest to know whether teachers or school administrators are substandard in their performance.

Get more information here.

Illinois Attorney General Names New Public Access Counselor in Advance of Revised FOIA Effective Date

Cara Smith, deputy chief of staff for Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan, will be the agency's new public access counselor to enforce the state Freedom of Information Act, revisions to which will take effect on January 1, 2010.

The revised FOIA includes fines for failure to comply with the law and tighter deadlines for government to respond to FOIA requests.

Click here for more on the new revisions to the Illinois Freedom of Information Act.

Chicago's Mayor Daley Sued for Olympic Bid Information

Non-profit Judicial Watch is suing Chicago's Mayor Daley and his office for failing to respond to a FOIA request for access to public records regarding Chicago's bid to host the 2016 Summer Olympics.

The request seeks all correspondence between the Mayor's Office and President Obama, Michelle Obama, and White House staff regarding the bid.

More here.

Most Complained-About Chicago Cops List Remains Closed

A list naming the 662 Chicago Police officers with 10 or more complaints filed against them will remain closed.

A journalist and 28 Chicago alderman sought access to the list compiled in connection with a 2004 suit against the Chicago Police Department.  Because that case has been settled, the federal appeals court ruled sua sponte that the journalist and alderman lacked standing to sue. 

The Fraternal Order of Police fought the release of names on the grounds that most complaints filed against police officers are eventually ruled unfounded.   The journalist and alderman counter that the court overlooked the public's interest in evaluating questionable police performance.

Get more here. 

Not Forgetting the Elephants

The Brookfield Zoo in Illinois has denied Suburban Life's  FOIA request for the necropsy report for Affie, one of the zoo's African elephants.  In Defense of Animals, a California-based animal advocacy group, also sought the report regarding Affie's sudden death last May from heart failure at age 40.

The Chicago Zoological Society responded to the records request, denying the information on the grounds that it is a private sector, not-for-profit corporation that manages Brookfield Zoo for the Cook County Forest Preserve District.  Accordingly, the Chicago Zoological Society says it is not subject to FOIA.  

Suburban Life says it will send its FOIA request to the Cook County Forest Preserve District instead. 

Get more here. 

Got a Parking Ticket in Chicago? So Did Everyone Else.

Chicago privatized its parking meter enforcement in February, and records obtained by a FOIA request by The Chicago Tribune show a 26% increase in parking meter violations as compared to last year.  

In the first eight months of 2009, 327,650 tickets were issued for expired meters or overstaying a park-and-display spot.  That's up from fewer than 260,000 tickets in the same time period in 2008.

The tickets have brought the city $7 million more in revenue.  

More here. 

Search Warrants Withheld Despite Legal Authority to the Contrary

Officials in Logan County, Illinois are refusing to produce search warrant applications and supporting affidavits in connection with a murder investigation on the grounds that the investigation is on-going.  However, Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan ruled two years ago that search warrant applications and accompanying affidavits are public records - without respect to a pending investigation -- after the warrants are served unless a judge orders the documents sealed.  

Get more information here.

Illini Fighting Release of Admissions Clout List

The Chicago Tribune's "Clout Goes to College" investigation into a scandal at the University of Illinois involving admissions of "subpar but politically connected applicants" over more qualified applicants. The newspaper is challenging the university's refusal to release hundreds of names of applicants and any law enforcement subpoenas received by the school as well as the results of a July poll of alumni and other respondents.  

So far the fallout from the scandal includes U. of I. President B. Joseph White, who announced his resignation last month, and the replacement of six university trustees.  

The legal battle playing out in a Sangamon County court pits student privacy against public disclosure. 

Get more details here. 

Ill. governor finally signs FOI bill

After a bill to overhaul the state's FOI law sat on his desk for months, Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn signed it into law, the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press reported. The law gives the public access counselor the power to issue binding opinions as well as allows fines of up to $5,000 for FOI violations.

Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn signed a bill today overhauling the state’s freedom of information law.

The legislation has been sitting on Quinn’s desk for several months since squeaking out of the last legislative session at its very end.

The Chicago Sun Times reported that the new law plugs several loop holes in the current law, including giving the state's public access counselor the power to issue binding opinions in disputes over public records. Fines of up to $5,000 for violations of the law are also now possible, the newspaper said.

More here.

Most states fail to use Web to inform about stimulus spending

Good Jobs First, a non-profit research center based in Washington, D.C., studied state Web sites to determine the quality and quantity of disclosure related to how stimulus funding is being divided up among communities, organizations and individuals. Each state was graded twice on a scale of 0 to 100. Only six states scored 50 or better for their main American Recovery and Reinvestment Act site. Thirteen scored 50 or better for their highway reporting. Illinois scored a zero in both categories because it only provides national figures.

While some states have created impressive websites to disseminate information about their share of the $787 billion American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), most are failing to make effective use of online technology to educate taxpayers about the impact of economic stimulus spending. This is the finding of Show Us the Stimulus, a report released today by Good Jobs First, a non-profit research center based in Washington, DC.

“Many states are failing to support President Obama’s vow that the Recovery Act will be carried out with an unprecedented level of transparency and accountability,” said Good Jobs First executive director Greg LeRoy. “By failing to use broadly available web tools, they are making it more difficult to measure the success of ARRA in mitigating the effects of the recession.”

Read the full report here.