IL legislators often don’t know cost of laws they pass

IL legislators often don’t know cost of laws they pass

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A recent report by the Illinois Policy Institute found that 98% of the laws passed in Illinois last year contained no ‘fiscal notes,’ i.e. basic information about cost.

According to Michael Leachman with the Center for Budget and Policy Priorities, the Illinois legislature ranks pretty low on fiscal accountability, but some, like Hawaii, are even worse.

And former IL state representative Kevin Joyce says that fiscal notes were generally used to slow down legislation, not to foster financial transparency or save money.