We need more public accountability in Illinois government, not less.

Illinois' elected officials claim to favor open government, and they do — until they start getting requests for information under the state's Freedom of Information Act.

Then they head to Springfield in search of legislation to repeal whatever provision of the FOIA that's left them vulnerable to public inquiry. Generally, they've been well received.

Just last week, Gov. Pat Quinn — who favored public accountability before he became the state's chief executive — signed another bill cutting back the freedom of information law state legislators passed a mere two years ago.

This time, Quinn signed a law targeting what have been labeled "recurrent requesters," individuals who file multiple requests for information from a public body within a specific period of time. The law targets those who file more than seven information requests within a week or more than 15 within a month.

Whitney Woodward, a spokeswoman for the Illinois Campaign for Political Reform, complained there has been no documented problem posed by "recurrent requesters."

But legislators passed the law at the request of local officials who apparently resent receiving multiple requests from the same individual.

Even assuming that recurrent requesters can pose a problem, the General Assembly's solution is wholly out of proportion. The law decrees that public bodies now have an unlimited period of time, rather than five days, to respond to a request by a recurrent requester.

That means, effectively, that public officials don't have to respond. The public can be certain that certain petty public officials will use this new law as an excuse either not to respond at all or delay many weeks or months before doing so.

Most people may not realize it, but the state's FOIA is used as much or more by private citizens as it is by members of news media. Now these volunteer watchdogs have been targeted in a way that could limit their ability to learn what's going on in their towns, school districts and county governments.

Since when did government in Illinois operate in such an above-the-board manner that it is either safe or wise to discourage the public from taking a second look? Quinn's decision to sign this bill is a step backward.