Citizen Advocacy Center
  • Home
  • FAQ
  • About Us
    • Leadership
    • Internships
    • Board of Directors
    • Advisory Council
    • Founder
    • Citizen Initiative Awards
  • Core Activities
    • Answering Questions of Public Concern
    • Education, Training, & Resources
    • Monitoring Government Activity
    • Strengthen Laws & Institutions
  • Events
    • Past Events
  • Library
    • e-Newsletters
    • Newsletter Archive
    • Citizen Guides
    • Policy Reports >
      • Good Government Research Studies
      • Survey of Government Regulations on Public Assembly in DuPage Municipalities
      • Midwest Open Government Project
      • Right to Speak Report
      • Sexual Harassment Policy Survey
    • Databases >
      • Public Access Counselor Determination Letter Index
    • CAC News
    • Annual Reports
  • Act
    • Volunteer Opportunities
    • Internship Opportunities
    • Legal Disclaimer
    • Privacy Policy
  • Blog
  • Donate
    • THANK YOU!

Follow our blog here.

Don't roll back FOIA reform LTE Published in the State-Journal Register 3/28/12

3/28/2012

 
In response to Chris Wetterich’s March 16 story, “Vast majority of FOIA requests coming from the public,” the Illinois Freedom of Information Act is an extremely important tool for the people in Illinois who participate in our democracy through monitoring the activities of their local governments, an indispensable check on our government officials.

The attorney general’s statistics reflecting the public access counselor’s caseload mirror the Citizen Advocacy Center’s experience with assisting members of the public who request records in order to inform themselves of community affairs that affect them, their families and their neighbors.  

We routinely assist people who are denied records, where the public body fails to satisfactorily explain why the exception taken applies to the requested records, and which ultimately result in a letter from the public access counselor’s office stating that the requested records should be made public.

Members of the public should be wary of legislative efforts to roll back the FOIA reform enacted in 2010. Since the bill’s passage in 2009, each legislative session has seen several backlash bills aimed at curbing the people’s access to documents that should be made public, and which are routinely made public in states that have stronger FOIA laws.  

It’s everybody’s job to stay vigilant so that our FOIA statute remains one of the strongest in the nation.

— Maryam Judar, community lawyer, Citizen Advocacy Center, Elmhurst


Comments are closed.

    RSS Feed

    2023.3.20._right_to_speak_pac_determination_let.pdf
    File Size: 218 kb
    File Type: pdf
    Download File

    Archives

    January 2021
    December 2020
    April 2020
    May 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    March 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    May 2012
    March 2012
    December 2011

    Categories

    All
    Andrea Alvarez
    CAC In The News
    Campaign Finance
    Chicago
    Citizen Advocacy Center
    Civic Education
    Civic Education
    Economic Development
    Elections
    Elmhurst
    Ethics/Corruption
    Events
    First Amendment
    First Amendment
    Freedom Of Information FOIA
    Freedom Of Information - FOIA
    Home Rule
    Illinois Legislation
    Intern Program
    Letter To The Editor
    Letter To The Editor
    Maryam Judar
    Open Meetings Act
    Redistricting
    Terry Pastika
    TIF
    Transparency & Accountability
    Voting / Election
    Whistleblower
    Zoning & Land Use

Donate Now!

Citizen Advocacy Center    
​
188 W Industrial Dr Ste 106 Elmhurst, IL 60126-1600   (630) 833-4080

 ​© 2023 All Rights Reserved.       PRIVACY POLICY        LEGAL DISCLAIMER      CONTACT A COMMUNITY LAWYER
  • Home
  • FAQ
  • About Us
    • Leadership
    • Internships
    • Board of Directors
    • Advisory Council
    • Founder
    • Citizen Initiative Awards
  • Core Activities
    • Answering Questions of Public Concern
    • Education, Training, & Resources
    • Monitoring Government Activity
    • Strengthen Laws & Institutions
  • Events
    • Past Events
  • Library
    • e-Newsletters
    • Newsletter Archive
    • Citizen Guides
    • Policy Reports >
      • Good Government Research Studies
      • Survey of Government Regulations on Public Assembly in DuPage Municipalities
      • Midwest Open Government Project
      • Right to Speak Report
      • Sexual Harassment Policy Survey
    • Databases >
      • Public Access Counselor Determination Letter Index
    • CAC News
    • Annual Reports
  • Act
    • Volunteer Opportunities
    • Internship Opportunities
    • Legal Disclaimer
    • Privacy Policy
  • Blog
  • Donate
    • THANK YOU!