30 Aug 2014 | Brian Costin
Rita Crundwell (Source: Washington Times)
It’s not all bad news in Illinois. Sometimes our politicians get it right.
Illinois lawmakers have made it a Class 4 felony to intentionally hide public records from the public.
House Bill 4216, introduced by state Rep. Anthony DeLuca, D-Chicago Heights, was passed unanimously by both the Illinois House and Senate. It was signed into law by Gov. Pat Quinn on Aug. 26.
The bill provides that, “Any person who knowingly, without lawful authority and with the intent to defraud any party, public officer, or entity, alters, destroys, defaces, removes, or conceals any public record commits a Class 4 felony.”
The penalties for a Class 4 felony in Illinois can include between one and three years in prison with the possibility of additional fines.
This law should be of special concern to public officials who are in charge of producing and maintaining public records. Clerks, recorders, finance workers, comptrollers and Freedom of Information Act, or FOIA officers are some of the primary caretakers of public records and public records requests.
While most of these workers do their job to the best of their ability, Illinois’ long history of corruption includes those who have abused their public office in this manner. For example, the comptroller of the city of Dixon, Rita Crundwell, was found guilty of stealing more than $53 million from local taxpayers