Government watchdog groups want lawmakers to support the Local Government Transparency Act.

The Illinois Policy Institute is just one group calling on local governments with budgets of at least $1 million to post financial reports on their government websites.

They want the local government transparency standards to be set by state government. The groups want financial records, including pension and retirement funding, to be easier for the general public to see.

“The state of Illinois sends about $20 billion a year to local governments across the state, and that’s the reason why we think that the state has a compelling interest to require transparency of these local government entities,” said Brian Costan, Director of Government Reform at the Illinois Policy Institute.

If the bill passes, citizens will help enforce the new law. Any citizen who feels that a local government entity is not following the standards of transparency can file an injunction against that government body.