Independent State Agency Reviewed 3400 Open Government Issues Last Year

Take my word for it, I don't obsess over Illinois open records and meetings issues, although my last two blog posts might suggest otherwise.  And now comes the third.

By coincidence, Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan just released some interesting Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and Open Meetings Act (OMA) statistics.

It was reported yesterday (Friday, 3-14-14) that the Illinois AG's Public Access Bureau (PAB) handled 3400 open government cases last year. Can anybody show me an independent government office in Michigan with a record anything like that?

PAB also conducted 35 training sessions for the public and government personnel during 2013.

These activities are examples of major reforms adopted in Illinois in 2009.  Attempts at reform in Michigan have been stalled for years.

Motives for FOIA requests

What motivates FOIA inquiries?  Some requests seek to measure efficiency or integrity in government functions without regard to policy or politics.

Others are made to embarrass political enemies or challenge political ideology.

Another motive is to harass, antagonize or provoke a government official or group based on personal hostility without regard to politics, like a child teasing a chained dog.

Or it could be the desire to formulate, assess or promote policy.

It might be no more than to test the willingness of officials to comply with the statute. 

Are there any more?

It would help to be conscious of these distinctions when crafting FOIA legislation, FOIA appeals reform for example.