Editorial: Lawmakers, stop chipping away at open government

Some Illinois lawmakers are using the dark days of December to take a hit at the state's sunshine laws in a quest to keep more things secret from all of us.

The latest effort to chip away at public access laws would affect citizens' rights to information at every level of government, from suburban council chambers to the Capitol in Springfield.

It also would limit the ability to win legal fees from a government agency that illegally withholds information from public view, reducing accountability for those who flout the law.

The bill imposing new limits on the Freedom of Information Act was not called for a vote before the House Executive Committee Monday, but could still come up in the future.

Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan opposes its passage. "At a time when we should all be working to increase transparency and accountability in government, this bill takes us backwards," she said Monday in a statement.

This latest push to weaken access comes from Chicago Democratic state Rep. Barbara Flynn Currie. It was tacked on as an amendment to unrelated health care legislation, Senate Bill 2799.

Just days ago, the Illinois House voted to override Gov. Pat Quinn's veto of another measure, House Bill 3796. Among other things, it would let government charge as much as $100 for giving public information to some people who make "voluminous requests" and allow charging other fees for data, even when it's transmitted electronically. The state Senate hasn't scheduled an override vote but could do so this week.

It's almost as if some lawmakers hope to wear down the public with a parade of attempts to curtail one of the ideals of democracy - a government that refrains from hiding its dealings behind a veil of secrecy.

We urge citizens not to let that happen and to contact their representatives in the General Assembly to ask for a "no" vote on these two bills restricting public access.

The Freedom of Information Act should be of great concern to us all, not just the press, for guaranteeing the right to know how the money and power of government are being used at every level.

Currie's amendment would give governments the ability to withhold more records under the so-called "deliberative process" exemption. Government employees or elected representatives no longer would have to make public the full text of a report or study on which they base decisions, meaning critical or contradictory information could simply be left out.

Taxpayers would be kept even more in the dark than they often are now. That's a big loss for our state, and we hope residents and lawmakers alike will join forces to ensure openness, rather than keep trying to find ways to restrict it.