 "In
a democracy, the people must have a voice in
their government, and their government must
be held accountable," Quinn said. "U.S.
PIRG's report shows that we have made great
strides in improving transparency, but our
work is not done and we will continue to
expand on our efforts."
On Tuesday, PIRG released "Following the
Money: How the 50 States Rate in Providing
Online Access to Government Spending Data."
The
report examined all 50 states and found
that 32 provide detailed online databases of
government expenditures. Seven states,
including Illinois, were seen as national
leaders for having easy-to-use, searchable
websites that contain a wide range of
spending information.
Illinois was recognized for its Corporate
Accountability site,
ILCorpacct.com, which is maintained by
the Illinois Department of Commerce and
Economic Opportunity. The site tracks grants
given to companies for job creation and
provides yearly progress on the numbers of
jobs actually created. The site will have
received approximately 1 million hits since
its creation.
"It is our responsibility to ensure that
the public's money is being used in the best
possible manner, to further the state's job
creation and economic development goals,"
said DCEO Director Warren Ribley. "We are
pleased that our Corporate Accountability
and Grant Tracker sites are helping bring
state government into the light."
Additional efforts by the state to
further enhance the transparency and
accessibility of state government include:
- Illinois Sunshine Portal (sunshine.illinois.gov)
-- A new one-stop shop where the public
can review many public records and
documents online. Through the site,
citizens can access detailed information
on state employee pay and state
expenditures via the Illinois
Transparency and Accountability site;
review public facilities' inspection
reports, including those for schools and
nursing homes; and much more.
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top of second column] |
-
Grant Tracker (granttracker.ildceo.net)
-- This new site gives citizens greater
access to information about DCEO grant
recipients, where the money was spent
and for what purpose. Visitors can
search by numerous grant categories,
funding streams, regions and by
organization name.
-
Illinois
Hospital Report Card and Consumer Guide
to Health Care (www.healthcarereportcard.illinois.gov)
-- This site helps people make better
health care choices by becoming better
informed consumers. The site offers
information on the volume and cost of
services in hospitals and treatment
centers statewide, quality and safety
data, and patient satisfaction surveys.
[Text from
Illinois Government News Network]
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