Opinion A6 • Sauk Valley Media
www.saukvalley.com
Tuesday, May 12, 2015
SPRINGFIELD SPOTLIGHT
THE CARTOONIST’S VOICE
Super secrecy surrounds state working groups They’re dealing with huge issues that will impact all Illinoisans
Jim Morin, MorinToons Syndicate
GUEST COLUMN | ILLINOIS PRESS ASSOCIATION
Beware of ‘smoke and mirrors’ Local government units try to become less accountable, less transparent to taxpayers referred to, are a fundamental s state government scurries to component in the fill a projected founda$8 billion deficit in the tion of our 2016 fiscal year budget, Dennis democracy it would seem to make DeRossett and of our sense to move beyond successful compromises legal system. For more than 200 years, and proven solutions newspapers have been already in place and paid to print public noticinstead focus on issues es and to serve as the critthat truly have a sigically important indepennificant impact on the dent third party between state’s finances. units of local government At least you would and taxpayers, and have think so, given the serifunctioned as the official ousness of the fiscal notification system of our crisis. court system. But that’s not the case Notice of publication with some elected offiin newspapers provides cials and local governthe proven and necesment lobbyists who represent the more than sary verification, certification, and archiving 7,000 taxpayer-funded solution to ensure that units of government in individuals’ and taxpayIllinois. ers’ rights are protected Behind-the-scenes and preserved. efforts are currently takFrankly, it’s a process ing place that would reduce their obligation of that has worked so well accountability and trans- and for so long that those who want to eliminate parency to taxpayers, all it or change to another under the guise of the process rarely consider state’s financial crisis. the chaos and disruption It’s a “smoke-andmirrors” attempt by local to government bodies governments at a time of and to the court system fiscal crisis where Illinois that would take place without this proper taxpayers would end up verification, certification, on the losing end. and archiving of public ONE SUCCESSFUL notices and notices of compromise and proven the courts. solution that is now in its PNI was created by fifth year of operation is state law in 2011 and was the Public Notice Illinois approved unanimously (PNI) website, or www. by both chambers of the publicnoticeillinois.com. Illinois General AssemPNI is a centralized, bly. Yes, unanimously. aggregated website for Key components of all public notices from the law called for the the state of Illinois, units creation of a centralof local government, and ized website for public the Illinois court system. notices that would be It’s a free-access webmanaged by Illinois site that is updated newspapers. It requires daily. It’s an example newspapers to upload all of a proven, successful notices to PNI after the public-private partnernotices appear in print. ship that is already savALL OF THIS IS DONE ing taxpayers money and at no additional cost to should be supported by elected officials at all lev- government. No taxpayer money goes toward supels of government. porting or managing the Public notices, or legal public notice website. notices as they are often DENNIS DeROSSETT Springfield
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EDITORIAL BOARD Jennifer Baratta Jim Dunn Sam R Fisher Sheryl Gulbranson Larry Lough Jeff Rogers
A screen shot of a search for “Whiteside County” on the Public Notice Illinois website, publicnoticeillinois.com, shows the first of 397 matches during a 2-month period from March 11 to May 11, 2015. Illinois’ newspapers post all the public notices they print on the Public Notice Illinois website as a service to the public. With each new session of the Illinois General Assembly, local government lobbyists – whose paychecks are funded largely by your tax dollars – repeatedly push bills to eliminate public notices or remove them from newspapers and PNI in favor of their own individual websites. These bills rarely make it out of committee because, frankly, state lawmakers understand that forcing citizens to hunt for notices across 7,000 websites doesn’t make sense. (Actually, it would be about 4,000 websites, as many units of local government still do not have websites.)
about reducing transparency and accountability to taxpayers. Every year, Illinois citizens dutifully fulfill their obligation of paying many types and amounts of taxes to support these thousands of local government units throughout the state. Each of these units has an annual operating budget that ranges from tens of thousands of dollars to hundreds of millions and even billions of dollars. Taxpayer dollars, that is.
IT’S NOT AT ALL about “saving the taxpayers money” because that has already been done successfully through the 2011 legislation and PNI. SUCH LEGISLATION Local governments will was introduced and still try to sell it that way, failed again earlier this however. session. However, local Local government offigovernment groups are cials should focus on the now using behind-thebig-impact issues, allow scenes tactics to remove the proven public notice public notices from solution in our state to print and from PNI and, keep on working, and not instead, have the notices spend so much time and placed on their individu- taxpayer dollars on how al websites. to be less accountable But, this time they and less transparent. have a new twist: They Note to readers: Denare claiming that having nis DeRossett is executive to be accountable and director of the Illinois transparent through the Press Association. The IPA, current public notice which is based in Springprocess is an “unfunded field, represents more than mandate,” and they want 500 newspapers throughto do away with it. The out Illinois. He can be simple fact is this issue reached at dderossett@ is not about money; it’s illinoispress.org.
THE FIRST AMENDMENT
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.
I recently obtained a document distributed by the governor’s office detailing the membership list and meeting times and locations of the secret state legislative “working groups.” The governor’s office has insisted that not only should legislators dummy up about what goes on at the groups’ meetings – which are designed to forge compromises on the governor’s “Turnaround Agenda” – but also that outsiders should not even know the membership of the groups or when and where they’re getting together. That’s pretty ridiculous, if you ask me. Many moons ago, I began writing about private legislative caucus meetings. That didn’t endear me to the powers that be, but I thought the meetings were too important to the Statehouse process to ignore. I still think that, although caucus meetings are somewhat less important these days. So, I exerted a bit of effort and eventually scored the governor’s document. The working group tasked with hammering out a potential tax hike is so secret that its very existence would not be confirmed by members I contacted. Legislators were reportedly warned by the governor’s office that if any word leaked about the group, then Gov. Bruce Rauner would refuse to increase taxes. Yep, he’s a control freak. THE GROUP WAS nicknamed “Vegas” by some of its members because what happens in the group is supposed to stay in the group. Its official name is listed as “HOLD” on the governor’s document. It’s apparently not an acronym. “They were that afraid to put things in writing,” explained one source. “So just ‘hold’ this slot open.” I kid you not. Republican state Reps. Patricia Bellock and David Leitch are in the HOLD group, as well as Democratic Rep. John Bradley. Senate Democrats Heather Steans and Toi Hutchinson are also in the super-secret group, as are Republican Sens. Pam Althoff and Karen McConnaughay. The governor’s top staff abruptly shut down a HOLD meeting last week, calling House Speaker Michael Madigan’s unilateral advancement of a budget bill a “hostile action.” The “Economic Growth” working group will tackle issues like workers’ compensation insurance, the governor’s local “right-towork-zones” proposal, tort
“At a time when our basic institutions are under threat, and we most need accurate, independent information, journalists are told to stop asking questions, stop challenging authority.” Bill Kovach, chairman, Committee of Concerned Journalists, 2002
Editorials represent the opinions of the Sauk Valley Media Editorial Board.
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richMILLER Rich Miller publishes Capitol Fax, a daily political newsletter. He may be reached at http://thecapitolfax.blog. com online.
reform, and the minimum wage. Democratic Reps. Jay Hoffman and Art Turner, Republican Reps. Mike Tryon, David Leitch and Dwight Kay, Democratic Sens. Kimberly Lightford and Kwame Raoul, and Republican Sens. Matt Murphy and Jim Oberweis are in the group. Some initial progress is being made on workers’ comp reform, I’m told. The “Taxpayer Protection” working group discusses issues like the governor’s proposed property tax freeze. Members were told that the governor’s initial bargaining position is a permanent freeze. Democratic Sens. Gary Forby and Andy Manar are on the working group, as well as Republican Sens. Dan Duffy and Chris Nybo. Democratic Reps. John Bradley and Barbara Flynn Currie and GOP Reps. David Harris and Ed Sullivan are also on the working group. I WROTE RECENTLY about the “Transforming Government” group: Democratic Reps. Lou Lang and Elgie Sims, Republican Reps. Norine Hammond and Chad Hays, Democratic Sen. Don Harmon, and Republican Sens. Darin LaHood and Chapin Rose are all on the committee. The governor’s “Pension Reform” working group is composed of Democratic Rep. Elaine Nekritz, Senate Democrat Daniel Biss, and House Republicans Tom Morrison and Ron Sandack, along with Senate Republicans Bill Brady and Pam Althoff. The “Capital Plan” working group comprises Senate Democrats John Sullivan and Marty Sandoval, Senate Republicans Dave Syverson and Karen McConnaughay, House Democrats Bob Rita and Christian Mitchell and House Republicans Norine Hammond and Ed Sullivan. The “Budget Implementation” working group is huge. The last meeting was attended by 38 people. The “Unemployment Insurance” working group will use an “agreed bill” process to find a way to bring down employer costs. Republican Sens. Sue Rezin and Kyle McCarter are serving on the group, as is Democratic Sen. Terry Link and Democratic Rep. Jay Hoffman, along with House Republicans John Anthony and Dwight Kay. OK, can we stop with all the crazy secrecy now, please?
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