FOIA law push stalls

Negotiations over a new law to broaden the public's access to government records appear to have derailed, with the Illinois Press Association balking at the latest deal to be floated.

"It is an insult is what it is," said Beth Bennett, director of government relations for the IPA, an organization representing newspapers across the state, including the Daily Herald.

Originally, the IPA and other good-government groups were working to reform the Illinois Freedom of Information Act, which dictates how the public can gain access to government documents like contracts, salaries, studies and police records.

The IPA and others wanted to eliminate exemptions governmental bodies can use to deny access and other roadblocks set up to deter the public and media or delay the release of documents. Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan signed on to the effort.

But negotiations broke down Tuesday apparently when a draft of the new legislation came back to the IPA from legislative leaders with what Bennett considered substantial changes.

For example, the new law would make postal addresses of public employees or anyone arrested exempt from disclosure and it also creates an undefined, broad category for exemptions of personnel material. It continues to allow lawsuit settlements involving taxpayer dollars to be secret.

The revision also limits the authority of the attorney general's office in pressuring government agencies for disclosure and it removes earlier provisions for criminal penalties for noncompliance.

Bennett and IPA attorney Don Craven said the latest revision is worse than the state's current law. The IPA board is expected to approve a statement regarding the negotiations Thursday as it remains unclear if negotiations will pick back up before lawmakers are scheduled to adjourn for the summer next week.