Illinois House votes for more transparent state government

The Illinois state House of Representatives voted unanimously on Wednesday in favor of the latest draft of amendments to its open government law. According to The Southtown Star, the new bill calls for increased fines for state Freedom of Information Act violations, tightened restrictions on what information can be withheld as private and a shift in responsibility for resolving FOIA disputes from the courts to the state’s public access counselor.

In order to become law, the bill must still pass the state senate and receive the governor’s signature; the legislative session is due to end Sunday, The Star reports.