Better Government Association

This week, @ChiCouncil approved an ordinance creating a working group as the first step towards improving health and safety inspections of rental units. We played a key role in this, as a steering member of the Chicago Healthy Homes Ordinance coalition. bit.ly/4bHs4lJ

Passed in committee today: a BGA-backed ordinance to establish a Healthy Homes Working Group focused on proactive building and safety inspections in Chicago. Next step: passage by city council on Wed. 3/18!

NEW! A Close Look at City Council's 2026 Budget Changes by Sr. Policy Analyst Geoffrey Cubbage bettergov.org/2026/03/04/sma…

Did you miss the Megaproject (Bears) bill in committee yesterday? Want to watch it? You can email the clerk of the House and they will issue you a DVD! Don't have a DVD player? That's why we are working with the House and Senate to create free online archives! bettergov.org/2026/01/06/spe…

Our President & CEO @dgreising will be on @ABC7Chicago this morning to discuss his recent column on the Bears stadium. Watch live at 8:45 a.m. here: abc7chicago.com/watch/live/

Deborah Witzburg, Inspector General for Chicago, joins Women Who Hold Power to Account. Appointed in 2022, she leads oversight of city government and previously headed OIG’s public safety and police reform work. Hear from one of Chicago’s top accountability leaders: bit.ly/3MxCQ5g

Vice President of Policy @BJZarou will be on @ABC7Chicago this morning to discuss Chicago's Board of Ethics Chair vacancy. Tune in live at 8:45 a.m. here: abc7chicago.com/watch/live/

Meet Ruby Bailey, the Editor in Chief of the Illinois Answers project. She brings 30 years of award winning reporting to our Women Who Hold Power to Account panel. Hear her insights on accountability in journalism. Learn more and register here: bettergov.org/event/women-wh…

Our President @dgreising will be on @ABC7Chicago this morning to discuss his latest column in the @chicagotribune. Watch live at 8:45 a.m. here: abc7chicago.com/watch/live/ And read his column here: chicagotribune.com/2026/01/16/col…

Save the date! Join us March 10 for Women Who Hold Power to Account, an evening conversation honoring Women’s History Month and spotlighting women who exemplify accountability and integrity across Chicago’s civic landscape. Learn more and register here: bit.ly/3YVXv5U

Senior Policy Analyst Sophia Van Pelt was quoted in this article discussing the increase of body cam requests in Naperville. “The more barriers that go up, the more roadblocks there are in the requesting process, the harder it is for the public to get the records." bit.ly/4pB0gEp

Vice President of Policy @BJZarou was on ABC7 Chicago's "Weekend Watch" to discuss leadership from both the Illinois House and Senate committing to transparent archives. Watch the segment here: abc7chicago.com/post/better-go…

Vice President of Policy @BJZarou will be on @ABC7Chicago this morning to discuss Speaker Welch and President Harmon committing to transparent online archives for Illinois. Watch live at 8:45 a.m. here: abc7.ws/3wRZlr1

Illinoisans shouldn’t need paid subscriptions to see their government at work. @SpeakerWelchIL and @DonHarmonIL committed to modernizing the General Assembly’s website and creating free, searchable archives of floor & committee proceedings. Read their letters to BGA Policy here: bit.ly/44XfFrc

Under Illinois’ Freedom of Information Act, there is a presumption that government records are open to the public. Body cam footage, however, is different. Want to get the footage? This guide from BGA Policy explains how. bettergov.org/2025/12/02/how…

As we start our new year, catch up on BGA Policy's City of Chicago Policy Agenda for 2023-2027. bettergov.org/bga-policy-age…

BGA Policy conducted an analysis to help those who rely on FOIA understand how the legislature has considered changing access to public documents. Check it out here: bettergov.org/2025/12/09/202…

Just a few months after the last remaining law enforcement agencies were required to equip officers with body cameras, several legislative efforts in 2025 tried to limit access to body cam footage. bettergov.org/2025/12/17/six…

Just a few months after the last remaining law enforcement agencies were required to equip officers with body cameras, several legislative efforts in 2025 tried to limit access to body cam footage, according to an analysis by BGA Policy. bit.ly/4jo33Q5

Bryan Zarou, the Better Government Association’s vice president of policy, has been appointed to serve on the City of Chicago’s Inspector General Search Committee. Read more here: bit.ly/4pgp9Fv