New Auditor General Kept Campaign Fund Active

  ICPR Board Chair Susan Garrett is quoted in this article via Illinois Times “Illinois auditor general Frank Mautino continued collecting campaign contributions and spending money after the General Assembly voted to put him in charge of auditing state agencies to…

Illinois Sunshine Weekly Update 1.7.2016

Chase Blue Code of Silence Wherever it May Go

via Chicago Sun-Times “As the U.S. Justice Department embarks on a civil rights investigation of the Chicago Police, we urge the feds to emphasize the word ‘Chicago’ as fully as the word ‘police.’ If the Chicago Police Department is, indeed,…

U.S. Jobless Claims Fall; Planned Layoffs Smallest in 15-1/2 Years

via Reuters “The number of Americans filing for jobless benefits fell last week and layoffs in December were the smallest in 15-1/2 years, pointing to a firmer labor market even as economic growth appears to have slowed sharply in the…

Business Celebrates These New Illinois Laws for 2016

via REBOOT Illinois “In recent years, Illinois has come under fire for a legal and regulatory environment that critics say is hostile to business. But the state’s top business group is lauding the arrival of a handful of new Illinois…

Nearly 2 Dozen Chicago Cops Disciplined for Faulty Dashboard Cameras

via Chicago Tribune “Nearly two dozen Chicago police officers have been disciplined in recent weeks for having faulty dashboard cameras or not using them properly as fallout continues since the release of the video of the fatal police shooting of…

How Taxpayers can Shrink the Massive Industry of Government in Illinois

via Chicago Tribune “‘Obliging the government to control itself is what we are called upon to do today.’ —Illinois Supreme Court, striking down an attempt to curtail public employee pension benefits, May 8, 2015. The official moniker of Lt. Gov….

Emanuel Says “Not Possible” Law Department Part of Cover-Up Culture

via Chicago Tribune “Mayor Rahm Emanuel said Tuesday it’s “not possible” that City Hall’s Law Department is part of the cover-up culture he’s acknowledged exists at the Chicago Police Department — a day after a federal judge ruled that a…

California Lawmakers Propose Anti-Corruption Law for State Tax Board

via Los Angeles Times “Current and former state senators are joining forces in an attempt to prevent conflicts of interest on California’s elected tax board. State Sen. Jerry Hill (D-San Mateo) said Tuesday that he had introduced a bill that would…

Background Checks for Guns are the Norm in Illinois

via Chicago Tribune “When it comes to background checks — the centerpiece of President Barack Obama’s executive actions to keep people who should not have guns from legally purchasing them — Illinois already is far ahead of the rest of…