“Direct Introduction” Items Continue to Be Hidden from the Public

LWV Chicago, along with the Better Government Association (BGA) and the Civic Federation, have been urging that the text of all pieces of legislation be made available to the public 48 hours or more prior to a meeting of the City Council or one of its Committees when there is to be a vote on those items. This often fails to happen when the mayor or a city department utilizes the Council’s Rule 41 to bypass the normal process and instead directly submits items for consideration by a Committee.

The League’s City Government Committee noted that at the July meeting of the Council’s Budget and Government Operations Committee, three of the five items on the agenda were such “Direct Introduction” items, whose texts were not available to the public until after the Committee and then the Council voted on them. 

The BGA recently issued a report on the progress Mayor Brandon Johnson has made in adhering to his campaign commitment to make all direct introductions of legislation publicly available. As noted in the BGA’s analysis, the Johnson administration has thus far submitted a number of “Direct Introduction” items to Committees without publishing the text ahead of the meeting.

The League’s City Government Committee will continue to work to rectify this situation. Watch this space!

Join the League's City Government Committee to learn about and help bring more transparency to city government.