A Little Sunshine After the Rain for Illinois

“Transparent government is good government, and good government has nothing to hide from the taxpayers who fund it.”

So said Joe Calomino, Illinois State Director for Americans for Prosperity, in response to the Illinois legislature passing House Bill 35 last week, also known as the Illinois Transparency and Accountability Portal (ITAP).

In a state plagued by endemic corruption, this little bit of sunshine is long overdue. ITAP, which is now on its way to Gov. Pat Quinn for signature, will require state agencies to maintain a central database that provides easy access to information regarding state spending, state contracts, employee salaries and tax credits.

Lawmakers hope that this measure will put a stop to wasteful spending and corrupt pay-to-play scandals.

Illinois currently faces an $11.5 billion deficit. And the cost of living in Illinois is only increasing. Individual and corporate tax rates are on the rise, and Chicago residents pay the highest sales tax in the country at 10.25%.

Illinois is widely known for its corrupt politicians and its one-party rule. Its progressive policies have created a high tax, anti-business environment. It is no surprise that a recent study by the Illinois Chamber of Commerce found that “too many state and local taxes, an anti-business image and lack of available incentives are driving businesses out of Illinois”.

With this new transparency, come new responsibilities for the citizens of Illinois. Former Gov. Rod Blagojevich’s antics recently put Illinois in the national spotlight for its inept and double-dealing leaders. If signed by Gov. Quinn, the new system is expected to be in place in less than a year. Some of the information that will be aggregated into one centralized database was already available to citizens via Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests prior to ITAP being passed. However, the creation and maintenance of an electronic database will provide citizens with greater ability to sift through information and, hopefully, to hold politicians in Illinois accountable.

ITAP alone cannot make up for 10 straight years of governors accused or convicted of corruption or for the anti-growth and anti-business policies that have been put in place in Illinois. But with knowledge comes power, and the implementation of ITAP will arm concerned citizens with the facts so that they can fight out of control spending and duplicitous Illinois bureaucrats who put their interest ahead of their constituents’.

*Originally published May 19, 2009 on the American Issues Project Blog, here.

Tags: Government Transparency, Illinois Transparency and Accountability Portal