BGA Statement on the end of session: This year's schedule was unlike any in recent memory. While legislative sessions are always demanding, the greatest challenge was not the number of days lawmakers worked, but rather how those days were structured. Over a five-month period, the Illinois House and Senate were in session together for just 31 days. Eighteen of those days occurred during May alone as lawmakers rushed toward adjournment. When the two chambers do not meet on the same days, it creates inefficiencies throughout the legislative process. Residents seeking to engage with their government often must make multiple trips to Springfield, taking additional time away from work and family responsibilities. Advocacy organizations, local governments, and stakeholders from across Illinois face increased costs for transportation, lodging, and staffing due to the chambers not meeting on the same day.  At the BGA, we believe government works best when it is accessible to the people it serves. We urge legislative leaders to adopt a schedule that better aligns the work of both chambers and makes participation in government more practical for Illinois residents. Despite these challenges, there were several noteworthy developments this session. For the first time, the Illinois House established a dedicated subcommittee focused on the Open Meetings Act and the Freedom of Information Act. The creation of this committee reflects the seriousness of ongoing efforts to amend Illinois' transparency laws. While modernization and improvements can be beneficial, changes to FOIA must be approached carefully. Poorly crafted amendments can weaken public access to information and diminish government transparency. The BGA was heavily involved in discussions and negotiations surrounding FOIA legislation throughout the session. Although no major FOIA legislation ultimately passed, the volume and seriousness of the conversations make it clear that transparency laws will remain a significant topic of debate moving forward.  As those discussions continue, the BGA will remain at the table advocating for reforms that strengthen, rather than weaken, the public's right to know. Pension reform, on the other hand, was largely absent from the General Assembly's agenda this year. Illinois' long-term pension challenges remain unresolved, and the BGA will continue advocating for practical, responsible solutions that protect taxpayers. As we move into the summer, our priorities remain unchanged: transparency, accountability, and equity in government. While the legislative session has concluded, our work continues. We look forward to continuing discussions with lawmakers and legislative staff regarding commitments made by both chambers to improve public access to legislative proceedings through more robust and transparent online archives. The BGA will remain engaged on these issues and others, working to ensure that Illinois residents have a government that is open, accessible, and accountable to the people it serves.

For years, the @BetterGov Court Transparency Coalition has pushed for Judicial FOIA and greater transparency within Illinois courts Now, the Illinois Supreme Court has approved a transparency policy that, according to testimony, will publish budgets, staffing data, court system information, OSPS metrics, and more. A step in the right direction.

Illinois courts should be more transparent to the public. SB1826 would allow FOIA requests for judicial branch records, including information on court spending and other public records. Click the link and tell your Senator to support SB1826. #Transparency #FOIA #ILGA

Tomorrow, the Cook County Board of Commissioner's Tech Committee is set to consider a proposal from the Sheriff’s Office to obtain Briefcam for monitoring people incarcerated in Cook County Jail. Learn more & then tell yourcommissioner to vote no: endmoneybond.org/say-no-to-a…

BGA is proud to stand with @impactforequity and others: the CPD Workforce Allocation Study does not support the need for an increase in funding. As Chicago faces daunting fiscal challenges, Chicago police, its largest department, must use its resources prudently. Read the letter: bit.ly/48RgeF9

For a second year in a row, the @CookCountyTreas Office is late sending out thousands of property tax bills and refunds – leaving taxpayers uncertain about when they’ll pay and how much they’ll owe.

📣 📣 Did you get your tickets yet? Spots are filling up fast for "Beyond the Byline" next Thursday! Here's what you can expect from our celebration of investigative journalism 🕵🏾: ✅ 22nd Richard H. Driehaus Foundation Awards for Investigative Reporting 🗞️ ✅ Meet the real people impacted by our journalism and hear their stories ✅ A conversation with ✨ @errinhaines, editor-at-large of @19thnews ✨ ✅ Happy Hour 🥂 and a closing reception Get your tickets for a $50 donation here: bit.ly/4triTgP

There are 31 mental health courts in Illinois. Their goal is to help people battling mental illness break the cycles of incarceration that they sometimes end up in. We wanted to know if, and how well, they work and why critics say it's just a band-aid that doesn't solve the underlying crisis. Reported by our @grace_hauck and Andrew Adams with @TheVoiceofJosh with @mindsitenews.

Read our full investigation and check out what's happening in your county here: illinoisanswers.org/2026/04/…

MEET THE FINALISTS: @SouthSideWeekly's Alma Campos and Max Blaisdell are finalists for the 22nd Richard H. Driehaus Foundation Awards for their work "Fraudsters Target Immigrants Seeking Legal Help." Winners will be announced on May 7, 2026, at our Beyond The Byline event. #Chicago #Illinois #Investigativejournalism #Awards

MEET THE FINALISTS: @injusticewatch's Dan Hinkel is a finalist for the 22nd Richard H. Driehaus Foundation Awards for his work "Denying Innocence." Winners will be announced on May 7, 2026, at our Beyond The Byline event. #Chicago #Illinois #Investigativejournalism #Awards

MEET THE FINALISTS: @injusticewatch's Maya Dukmasova is a finalist for the 22nd Richard H. Driehaus Foundation Awards for her work "Forensic Failures: How a Rogue Chicago Forensics Lab Got People Convicted for Driving High." Winners will be announced on May 7, 2026, at our Beyond The Byline event. #Chicago #Illinois #Investigativejournalism #Awards

MEET THE FINALISTS: @chicagotribune's @_andrewcarter, Caroline Kubzansky, @royalpratt and @LAURA_N_ROD are finalists for the 22nd Richard H. Driehaus Foundation Awards for their work "64 Days in Chicago: The Story of Midway Blitz." Winners will be announced on May 7, 2026, at our Beyond The Byline event. Tickets to Beyond The Byline: bit.ly/4triTgPbit.ly/4triTgP #Chicago #Illinois #ICE #Investigativejournalism #Awards

MEET THE FINALISTS: @BlockClubCHI's @francialgh and @madisonsavedra talk about what it was like to cover the Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids in Chicago in late 2025. Their work, "Chicago Under Siege: Block Club's Operation Midway Blitz," is one of the large newsroom finalists of the 22nd Richard H. Driehaus Foundation Awards for Investigative Reporting. Winners will be announced on May 7, 2026, at our Beyond The Byline event. Tickets for Beyond the Byline: bit.ly/4triTgPbit.ly/4triTgP #Chicago #Illinois #ICE #Investigativejournalism #Awards

GRAPHIC WARNING: Here's a side-by-side view of the newly released body camera footage of the moments leading up to and after Chicago police officer Krystal Rivera was shot by her partner, Officer Carlos Baker. The footage released Friday shows that Baker ran up a stairwell after his gun went off when they encountered an armed man, leaving Rivera bleeding for nearly 90 seconds from a gunshot he initially said had been fired by someone else. He later told an investigator he would have risked his life to help Rivera, saying, “I will die for her.” Illinois Answers Project, in partnership with @Suntimes, has covered this case extensively. Our coverage has raised questions about how Baker was assigned to the tactical team with Rivera, given his troubled work record, which includes accidentally firing his Taser during another pursuit. Read our reporting: bit.ly/4tTljEI #KrystalRivera #CarlosBaker @Chicago_Police #CPD #Shooting

Chicago police officer Carlos Baker shot and killed his partner Officer Krystal Rivera in 2025 — the first officer-on-officer shooting in nearly 40 years. We, in partnership with @Suntimes, have covered this case extensively. Our coverage has raised questions about how Baker was assigned to the tactical team with his partner, Krystal Rivera, given his troubled work record, which includes accidentally firing his Taser during another pursuit. We partnered again with the Sun-Times to fight CPD in court and get the body camera footage of both officers released. The videos and audio recordings of Chicago Police Officer Carlos Baker’s later interview with investigators examining the shooting provide the clearest view yet of what happened. bit.ly/4tTljEI

A gun turned over to @Chicago_Police to be destroyed was instead stolen from inside a police station in 2023 and then used in three shootings in Auburn Gresham and South Shore. @SunTimes joined us in a lawsuit against CPD and fought for more than a year to obtain the records detailing CPD's internal investigation into the stolen gun. We won the case and the records were released. As a result, we learned the department closed its internal investigation without charging anyone, disciplining any officers, and without interviewing several officers who were present when the gun was taken. Read about our findings: bit.ly/4cGAxqP #Chicago #CPD #ChicagoPolice #Gun #Stolen #Crime

BEYOND THE BYLINE: We hope you can join us on May 7 for a celebration of impactful journalism. Our featured speaker is award-winning journalist @errinhaines, editor-at-large for @19thnews, president of @NABJ and contributor at @MSNOWNews. Haines has built a career reporting on and shaping the national conversation around #race, #gender and #politics. Her storied career includes breaking the story of #BreonnaTaylor's 2020 killing and being the first journalist to interview former Vice President @KamalaHarris when her VP nomination was announced. Get your tickets to attend our conversation with Haines and the rest of the Beyond the Byline lineup here: bit.ly/4triTgP @NABJCC