Lombard Trustee Peter Breen Delivers Testimony in Springfield for House Bill 3312 Government Transparency

Breen was invited to testify in Springfield by the Illinois Policy Institute, which is spearheading the effort to pass House Bill 3312. This bill is similar to the Village of Lombard's Transparency Policy authored by Breen in 2011. HB 3312 would require local governments to post salaries, spending, budgets, contracts, contact information for officials and other documents on their websites. The committee advanced the measure to the full House by a 5-0 vote.

“Transparency is a good policy for every unit of government. Folks want to know how the government is spending their tax dollars and this bill will ensure that every dollar is accounted for in full view of the public,” said Breen. “I'm proud that Lombard is leading the way in reforming government. After the committee's positive action today, I hope that the General Assembly will pass this bill and export this needed reform to the rest of the state,” added Breen.

“HB 3312 would save local governments money by providing an exemption from the Illinois Freedom of Information Act for the documents that they post online in connection with the bill,” said Breen.

To view a copy of Breen's tesitmonial, go to the Village of Lombard's website at www.villageoflombard.org