Peoria Standard

Illinois state Rep. Ryan Spain (R-Peoria) is alerting residents about the low score a nonpartisan watchdog report gave the state in financial transparency.

“Illinois scored a 56 out of 100 for financial transparency according to Truth in Accounting's Financial Transparency Score Report, placing us in the bottom 5 among all 50 states,” Spain posted on Facebook.

The government finance watchdog organization recently released its 2021 Financial Transparency Score report for all 50 states, with Illinois being one of the states now facing audit issues due to challenges with the CARES Act and unemployment insurance. The report zeroes in on annual financial reports on file in local statehouses across the country and measures their data against widely accepted best practices from the private sector.

With this year’s report based on fiscal year (FY) 2020, which includes the start of the COVID-19 crisis, TIA considers a score of 80 or above as noteworthy. Overall, the 50 states' transparency scores worsened compared to previous years.

Now in his fourth year of representing the 73rd District, Spain recently cast a ballot against legislation that removed legal protections to opponents of COVID-19 vaccine mandates through Illinois’ Health Care Right of Conscience Act, the Peoria Standard reported.

With Gov. J.B. Pritzker's signature, the amendment eliminated language that provides protections for those who object to medical procedures on religious or philosophical grounds. The measure passed despite tens of thousands of residents signing witness slips in opposition.

The Right of Conscience Act has sparked a flood of recent lawsuits challenging vaccine mandates issued by employers and government agencies in Illinois.