Over $14 Million in Grants to Ageoptions
Using our transparency website, IllinoisOpenGov.org, I found that in fiscal year 2009, Ageoptions Incorporated received $14,208,138.31 in grants from Illinois Department of Aging. Ageoptions Inc is a not for profit organization in Oak Park Illinois that…
Over $600,000 for Released Inmates
Using information from our transparency website, IllinoisOpenGov.org, I found that in 2008 and 2009 (up until the time of our FOIA request), the Department of Corrections spent $1,207,068.26 on travel expenses. The majority of this ($604,711.55) was spent…
State Funding for Mass Transit
In 2009, the Department of Transportation gave the National Railroad Passenger Corporation $24,902,584.31 in grants. The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, also known as Amtrak, “is a for-profit corporation that operates intercity passenger rail services in 46…
Taxpayers Fund Union Raises While the CTA Cuts Service
In 2009, Illinois gave the Chicago Transit Authority $25,574,538.61, and $24,952,432 of that amount came in the form of transportation grants. The remaining $622,106.61 was given to the CTA for rendering professional services. These payments all came from…
At Least 10.2% of all State Expenditures Went to Companies in Other States
In response to our FOIA requests, the state provided locations for the companies receiving payments from the state for $3,506,769,317.49 of the $7,974,297,589.38 in state spending during 2008 and 2009. Of this three and a half billion, the state paid…
Over $15 Million on Gasoline
In 2008 and 2009, the state of Illinois spent $15,195,751.96 on gasoline, oil, and antifreeze. The Department of Transportation accounted for the majority of these purchases, spending $15,024,655.90 during this time period. Individual transactions for gas, oil, and antifreeze range…
Cook County Checks Online
After passing a transparency resolution about a year ago, Cook County has posted its check registry online and appears to be embracing spending transparency policy, describing their move as an “Open County Initiative,” which…
The Department of Commerce Spends Over $7 Million on Tourism
In 2008 and 2009, the Department of Commerce provided $7,386,192.94 in grants to twelve different tourism agencies. The largest recipient of these funds was the Chicago Convention and Tourism Bureau which received $6,130,844.97. The Chicago Convention…
Over a Million Dollars for the Illinois AFL-CIO
Using the Illinois Policy Institute’s transparency website, IllinoisOpenGov.org, I found that in 2008 and 2009 (up until the time of our FOIA requests), the state gave the Illinois chapter of the AFL-CIO $1,320,000.00 in the form of grants. …
Subscriptions in the Governor’s Office
Following up on a previous discussion covering the $532,451.28 the state spent on subscriptions, I found a number of interesting subscriptions paid for by the Governor’s Office. In 2008 and 2009, the Governor’s Office spent $13,184.90 on newspaper…
