Tryon Succeeds in Passing Internet Data Base Bill

Here’s a newsletter to constituents from Crystal Lake’s State Rep. Mike Tryon:

Dear Friend,

As many of you know, I have been working aggressively for the past two years to pass transparency legislation that will show taxpayers how their money is being spent by state government. I am thrilled to announce that today the Senate approved my legislation to create the Illinois Transparency and Accountability Portal – the strongest transparency reform in our state’s history. House Bill 35 now heads to the Governor’s desk to be signed into law.

The legislation was suggested to me by Americans for Prosperity, a grassroots activist organization leading the charge for transparency in Illinois and throughout the nation. The legislation requires the Department of Central Management Services to create a transparent website detailing nearly every financial transaction of state government including:

  • state expenditures,
  • state contracts,
  • tax credits and
  • salaries of state employees.
  • I am extremely confident that this website will help reduce the culture of political handouts and wasteful government spending that has destroyed the public’s trust in state government. The Illinois Transparency and Accountability Portal will hold elected officials accountable to the taxpayer. Opening the checkbook of state government up for public scrutiny will help reduce the state’s $12 billion budget deficit that continues to grow under the secrecy and back-room deals of our state’s leaders.

    I also believe the Illinois Accountability Portal will ultimately reduce the number of Freedom of Information Requests that the state must process and be a deterrent for employee discrimination and ghost pay rolling.

    Specifically, the Illinois Accountability Portal would provide the public with direct access to:

    • State Employees & Consultants: a database of all current state employees and individual consultants, sorted separately by name, agency, position title, current pay rate and year-to-date pay
    • State Expenditures: a database of all current state expenditures, sorted separately by agency, category, customer and representative district
    • Tax Credits: a database of all current state tax credits, sorted by tax credit category, customer and representative district
    • Sales Tax Breaks: a database of all revocations and suspensions of state occupation and use tax certificates of registration and all revocations and suspensions of state professional licenses sorted by name, geographic location and certificate of registration number or license number, as applicable. Professional licenses revocations and suspensions shall be posted only if resulting from a failure to pay taxes, license fees, or child support.
    • State Contracts: a database of all current state contracts, sorted separately by contractor name, awarding officer or agency, contract value, and goods or services provided.

    If you believe like I do that we must create a transparent government that is open and honest with the public about how their money is being spent – then contact Governor Quinn and ask him to sign House Bill 35 into law today. Call Governor Quinn at 312-814-2121 or 217-782-0244.

    As always, do not hesitate to contact me with questions or concerns at (815) 459-6453.

    Sincerely,

    Michael W. Tryon
    Illinois State Representative

    What I see that is missing is contributions by those listed and their officers, if a corporation.


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