Our President & CEO David Greising will be on ABC 7 Chicago this morning at 8:45 a.m. to discuss the COPA investigation.

Watch live here: abc7chicago.com/watch/live/

'This is not a new idea. Eighteen other states have this practice,' said our Director of Policy Bryan J. Zarou. 'From the BGA perspective, this is not about what lobbyists are making, but rather a transparency measure for the public to see who is paying lobbyists and how much.”…

Don't forget to reserve your tickets to 'Out of the Shadows: Why Court Transparency Matters,' a panel discussion to explore why it is time that Illinois Courts are subject to FOIA. This event will be held at BUILD Chicago on April 25.
eventbrite.com/e/out-of-the-s…

BGA Policy has reached out to the sponsors of this bill with our concerns.

As Chicago discusses the shooting death of Dexter Reed, the details of which are known only because COPA released video, a bill is pending in the General Assembly that could make it difficult or impossible to obtain these videos in the future under #FOIA .

BGA Director of Policy Bryan J. Zarou will be testifying in room 413 in front of the House Ethics committee to discuss lobbying and ethics reform. Tune in at 3 p.m. here: ilga.gov/houseaudvid.asp

BGA Policy sent a letter to the General Assembly of Illinois urging them to support court transparency. Read the letter here: bettergov.org/2024/03/28/mak…

Our newsroom's event at the American Writers Museum is tomorrow! Get your tickets below ⬇️⬇️

We're hosting a panel from 12- 1:30 p.m. on April 25 with Common Cause Illinois at BUILD Chicago community center to explore how Illinois Courts impact the lives of everyday people and why it is time they are subject to FOIA.

Learn more and register here: eventbrite.com/e/out-of-the-s…

Better Government Association The Civic Federation and LWV Chicago are in dialogue with the Mayor of Chicago’s office to help relieve this and other major transparency issues.

Last week, the BGA Policy team talked to concerned citizens of Harvey, Illinois and helped them work through sending and reframing FOIA requests.

You can learn how to write a FOIA request with our walkthrough here: bettergov.org/2022/12/05/how…

Hear from ⁦Chicago Board of Elections⁩ on “miscommunication” on counting process as well as ⁦David Greising⁩ from the BGA on #StatesAtty race. Watch ⬇️ nbcchicago.app.link/nS9Slo3vgIb

Save the date for this event at the American Writers Museum! ⬇️⬇️

Our President & CEO David Greising will be on ABC 7 Chicago this morning to discuss the arbitration of major police disciplinary cases.

Watch live at 8:45 a.m. here: abc7chicago.com/watch/live/

This morning, BGA's Second Century Council hosted 'Ink+Impact: Ethics in Government,' a breakfast with featured guest Alderman Matt Martin. Attendees had a captivating conversation with Alderman Martin about the current state of ethics in city government. #ethics #chicago

We're excited to announce that Ida Bae Wells will be our featured guest at the 20th Richard H. Driehaus Foundation Awards! Join us for a night of dynamic and thought-provoking conversations followed by this year's awards. Learn more and buy tickets here: bettergov.org/event/join-us-…

UPDATE: Submissions for the Driehaus Awards have been extended to March 18! Submit your stories here for the chance to win up to $12,000: bettergov.formstack.com/forms/2024_dri…

The board has been without two members since March of 2023. One of whom resigned in July 2022 and the other March 2023. Lightfoot and now Mayor Johnson never made those appointments. Groups have been urging him to make the appointments so the board is fully staffed.