104TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2025 and 2026
HB4704

 

Introduced , by Rep. Tracy Katz Muhl

 

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
 
5 ILCS 140/7
5 ILCS 860/15

    Amends the Student Confidential Reporting Act to provide that any report or information submitted to a similar independent school helpline to the Safe2Help Illinois program is also confidential, may not be released except as otherwise provided in the Act or in the Juvenile Court Act of 1987, and is not subject to disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act. Provides that a person who intentionally discloses information in violation of the added provision commits a Class C misdemeanor. Defines "similar independent school helpline". Amends the Freedom of Information Act to make conforming changes.


LRB104 18830 BDA 32275 b

 

 

A BILL FOR

 

HB4704LRB104 18830 BDA 32275 b

1    AN ACT concerning government.
 
2    Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
3represented in the General Assembly:
 
4    Section 5. The Freedom of Information Act is amended by
5changing Section 7 as follows:
 
6    (5 ILCS 140/7)
7    (Text of Section before amendment by P.A. 104-300)
8    Sec. 7. Exemptions.
9    (1) When a request is made to inspect or copy a public
10record that contains information that is exempt from
11disclosure under this Section, but also contains information
12that is not exempt from disclosure, the public body may elect
13to redact the information that is exempt. The public body
14shall make the remaining information available for inspection
15and copying. Subject to this requirement, the following shall
16be exempt from inspection and copying:
17        (a) Information specifically prohibited from
18    disclosure by federal or State law or rules and
19    regulations implementing federal or State law.
20        (b) Private information, unless disclosure is required
21    by another provision of this Act, a State or federal law,
22    or a court order.
23        (b-5) Files, documents, and other data or databases

 

 

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1    maintained by one or more law enforcement agencies and
2    specifically designed to provide information to one or
3    more law enforcement agencies regarding the physical or
4    mental status of one or more individual subjects.
5        (c) Personal information contained within public
6    records, the disclosure of which would constitute a
7    clearly unwarranted invasion of personal privacy, unless
8    the disclosure is consented to in writing by the
9    individual subjects of the information. "Unwarranted
10    invasion of personal privacy" means the disclosure of
11    information that is highly personal or objectionable to a
12    reasonable person and in which the subject's right to
13    privacy outweighs any legitimate public interest in
14    obtaining the information. The disclosure of information
15    that bears on the public duties of public employees and
16    officials shall not be considered an invasion of personal
17    privacy.
18        (d) Records in the possession of any public body
19    created in the course of administrative enforcement
20    proceedings, and any law enforcement or correctional
21    agency for law enforcement purposes, but only to the
22    extent that disclosure would:
23            (i) interfere with pending or actually and
24        reasonably contemplated law enforcement proceedings
25        conducted by any law enforcement or correctional
26        agency that is the recipient of the request;

 

 

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1            (ii) interfere with active administrative
2        enforcement proceedings conducted by the public body
3        that is the recipient of the request;
4            (iii) create a substantial likelihood that a
5        person will be deprived of a fair trial or an impartial
6        hearing;
7            (iv) unavoidably disclose the identity of a
8        confidential source, confidential information
9        furnished only by the confidential source, or persons
10        who file complaints with or provide information to
11        administrative, investigative, law enforcement, or
12        penal agencies; except that the identities of
13        witnesses to traffic crashes, traffic crash reports,
14        and rescue reports shall be provided by agencies of
15        local government, except when disclosure would
16        interfere with an active criminal investigation
17        conducted by the agency that is the recipient of the
18        request;
19            (v) disclose unique or specialized investigative
20        techniques other than those generally used and known
21        or disclose internal documents of correctional
22        agencies related to detection, observation, or
23        investigation of incidents of crime or misconduct, and
24        disclosure would result in demonstrable harm to the
25        agency or public body that is the recipient of the
26        request;

 

 

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1            (vi) endanger the life or physical safety of law
2        enforcement personnel or any other person; or
3            (vii) obstruct an ongoing criminal investigation
4        by the agency that is the recipient of the request.
5        (d-5) A law enforcement record created for law
6    enforcement purposes and contained in a shared electronic
7    record management system if the law enforcement agency or
8    criminal justice agency that is the recipient of the
9    request did not create the record, did not participate in
10    or have a role in any of the events which are the subject
11    of the record, and only has access to the record through
12    the shared electronic record management system. As used in
13    this subsection (d-5), "criminal justice agency" means the
14    Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority or the
15    Illinois Sentencing Policy Advisory Council.
16        (d-6) Records contained in the Officer Professional
17    Conduct Database under Section 9.2 of the Illinois Police
18    Training Act, except to the extent authorized under that
19    Section. This includes the documents supplied to the
20    Illinois Law Enforcement Training Standards Board from the
21    Illinois State Police and Illinois State Police Merit
22    Board.
23        (d-7) Information gathered or records created from the
24    use of automatic license plate readers in connection with
25    Section 2-130 of the Illinois Vehicle Code.
26        (e) Records that relate to or affect the security of

 

 

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1    correctional institutions and detention facilities.
2        (e-5) Records requested by persons committed to the
3    Department of Corrections, Department of Human Services
4    Division of Mental Health, or a county jail if those
5    materials are available in the library of the correctional
6    institution or facility or jail where the inmate is
7    confined.
8        (e-6) Records requested by persons committed to the
9    Department of Corrections, Department of Human Services
10    Division of Mental Health, or a county jail if those
11    materials include records from staff members' personnel
12    files, staff rosters, or other staffing assignment
13    information.
14        (e-7) Records requested by persons committed to the
15    Department of Corrections or Department of Human Services
16    Division of Mental Health if those materials are available
17    through an administrative request to the Department of
18    Corrections or Department of Human Services Division of
19    Mental Health.
20        (e-8) Records requested by a person committed to the
21    Department of Corrections, Department of Human Services
22    Division of Mental Health, or a county jail, the
23    disclosure of which would result in the risk of harm to any
24    person or the risk of an escape from a jail or correctional
25    institution or facility.
26        (e-9) Records requested by a person in a county jail

 

 

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1    or committed to the Department of Corrections or
2    Department of Human Services Division of Mental Health,
3    containing personal information pertaining to the person's
4    victim or the victim's family, including, but not limited
5    to, a victim's home address, home telephone number, work
6    or school address, work telephone number, social security
7    number, or any other identifying information, except as
8    may be relevant to a requester's current or potential case
9    or claim.
10        (e-10) Law enforcement records of other persons
11    requested by a person committed to the Department of
12    Corrections, Department of Human Services Division of
13    Mental Health, or a county jail, including, but not
14    limited to, arrest and booking records, mug shots, and
15    crime scene photographs, except as these records may be
16    relevant to the requester's current or potential case or
17    claim.
18        (f) Preliminary drafts, notes, recommendations,
19    memoranda, and other records in which opinions are
20    expressed, or policies or actions are formulated, except
21    that a specific record or relevant portion of a record
22    shall not be exempt when the record is publicly cited and
23    identified by the head of the public body. The exemption
24    provided in this paragraph (f) extends to all those
25    records of officers and agencies of the General Assembly
26    that pertain to the preparation of legislative documents.

 

 

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1        (g) Trade secrets and commercial or financial
2    information obtained from a person or business where the
3    trade secrets or commercial or financial information are
4    furnished under a claim that they are proprietary,
5    privileged, or confidential, and that disclosure of the
6    trade secrets or commercial or financial information would
7    cause competitive harm to the person or business, and only
8    insofar as the claim directly applies to the records
9    requested.
10        The information included under this exemption includes
11    all trade secrets and commercial or financial information
12    obtained by a public body, including a public pension
13    fund, from a private equity fund or a privately held
14    company within the investment portfolio of a private
15    equity fund as a result of either investing or evaluating
16    a potential investment of public funds in a private equity
17    fund. The exemption contained in this item does not apply
18    to the aggregate financial performance information of a
19    private equity fund, nor to the identity of the fund's
20    managers or general partners. The exemption contained in
21    this item does not apply to the identity of a privately
22    held company within the investment portfolio of a private
23    equity fund, unless the disclosure of the identity of a
24    privately held company may cause competitive harm.
25        Nothing contained in this paragraph (g) shall be
26    construed to prevent a person or business from consenting

 

 

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1    to disclosure.
2        (h) Proposals and bids for any contract, grant, or
3    agreement, including information which if it were
4    disclosed would frustrate procurement or give an advantage
5    to any person proposing to enter into a contractor
6    agreement with the body, until an award or final selection
7    is made. Information prepared by or for the body in
8    preparation of a bid solicitation shall be exempt until an
9    award or final selection is made.
10        (i) Valuable formulae, computer geographic systems,
11    designs, drawings, and research data obtained or produced
12    by any public body when disclosure could reasonably be
13    expected to produce private gain or public loss. The
14    exemption for "computer geographic systems" provided in
15    this paragraph (i) does not extend to requests made by
16    news media as defined in Section 2 of this Act when the
17    requested information is not otherwise exempt and the only
18    purpose of the request is to access and disseminate
19    information regarding the health, safety, welfare, or
20    legal rights of the general public.
21        (j) The following information pertaining to
22    educational matters:
23            (i) test questions, scoring keys, and other
24        examination data used to administer an academic
25        examination;
26            (ii) information received by a primary or

 

 

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1        secondary school, college, or university under its
2        procedures for the evaluation of faculty members by
3        their academic peers;
4            (iii) information concerning a school or
5        university's adjudication of student disciplinary
6        cases, but only to the extent that disclosure would
7        unavoidably reveal the identity of the student; and
8            (iv) course materials or research materials used
9        by faculty members.
10        (k) Architects' plans, engineers' technical
11    submissions, and other construction related technical
12    documents for projects not constructed or developed in
13    whole or in part with public funds and the same for
14    projects constructed or developed with public funds,
15    including, but not limited to, power generating and
16    distribution stations and other transmission and
17    distribution facilities, water treatment facilities,
18    airport facilities, sport stadiums, convention centers,
19    and all government owned, operated, or occupied buildings,
20    but only to the extent that disclosure would compromise
21    security.
22        (l) Minutes of meetings of public bodies closed to the
23    public as provided in the Open Meetings Act until the
24    public body makes the minutes available to the public
25    under Section 2.06 of the Open Meetings Act.
26        (m) Communications between a public body and an

 

 

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1    attorney or auditor representing the public body that
2    would not be subject to discovery in litigation, and
3    materials prepared or compiled by or for a public body in
4    anticipation of a criminal, civil, or administrative
5    proceeding upon the request of an attorney advising the
6    public body, and materials prepared or compiled with
7    respect to internal audits of public bodies.
8        (n) Records relating to a public body's adjudication
9    of employee grievances or disciplinary cases; however,
10    this exemption shall not extend to the final outcome of
11    cases in which discipline is imposed.
12        (o) Administrative or technical information associated
13    with automated data processing operations, including, but
14    not limited to, software, operating protocols, computer
15    program abstracts, file layouts, source listings, object
16    modules, load modules, user guides, documentation
17    pertaining to all logical and physical design of
18    computerized systems, employee manuals, and any other
19    information that, if disclosed, would jeopardize the
20    security of the system or its data or the security of
21    materials exempt under this Section.
22        (p) Records relating to collective negotiating matters
23    between public bodies and their employees or
24    representatives, except that any final contract or
25    agreement shall be subject to inspection and copying.
26        (q) Test questions, scoring keys, and other

 

 

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1    examination data used to determine the qualifications of
2    an applicant for a license or employment.
3        (r) The records, documents, and information relating
4    to real estate purchase negotiations until those
5    negotiations have been completed or otherwise terminated.
6    With regard to a parcel involved in a pending or actually
7    and reasonably contemplated eminent domain proceeding
8    under the Eminent Domain Act, records, documents, and
9    information relating to that parcel shall be exempt except
10    as may be allowed under discovery rules adopted by the
11    Illinois Supreme Court. The records, documents, and
12    information relating to a real estate sale shall be exempt
13    until a sale is consummated.
14        (s) Any and all proprietary information and records
15    related to the operation of an intergovernmental risk
16    management association or self-insurance pool or jointly
17    self-administered health and accident cooperative or pool.
18    Insurance or self-insurance (including any
19    intergovernmental risk management association or
20    self-insurance pool) claims, loss or risk management
21    information, records, data, advice, or communications.
22        (t) Information contained in or related to
23    examination, operating, or condition reports prepared by,
24    on behalf of, or for the use of a public body responsible
25    for the regulation or supervision of financial
26    institutions, insurance companies, or pharmacy benefit

 

 

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1    managers, unless disclosure is otherwise required by State
2    law.
3        (u) Information that would disclose or might lead to
4    the disclosure of secret or confidential information,
5    codes, algorithms, programs, or private keys intended to
6    be used to create electronic signatures under the Uniform
7    Electronic Transactions Act.
8        (v) Vulnerability assessments, security measures, and
9    response policies or plans that are designed to identify,
10    prevent, or respond to potential attacks upon a
11    community's population or systems, facilities, or
12    installations, but only to the extent that disclosure
13    could reasonably be expected to expose the vulnerability
14    or jeopardize the effectiveness of the measures, policies,
15    or plans, or the safety of the personnel who implement
16    them or the public. Information exempt under this item may
17    include such things as details pertaining to the
18    mobilization or deployment of personnel or equipment, to
19    the operation of communication systems or protocols, to
20    cybersecurity vulnerabilities, or to tactical operations.
21        (w) (Blank).
22        (x) Maps and other records regarding the location or
23    security of generation, transmission, distribution,
24    storage, gathering, treatment, or switching facilities
25    owned by a utility, by a power generator, or by the
26    Illinois Power Agency.

 

 

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1        (y) Information contained in or related to proposals,
2    bids, or negotiations related to electric power
3    procurement under Section 1-75 of the Illinois Power
4    Agency Act and Section 16-111.5 of the Public Utilities
5    Act that is determined to be confidential and proprietary
6    by the Illinois Power Agency or by the Illinois Commerce
7    Commission.
8        (z) Information about students exempted from
9    disclosure under Section 10-20.38 or 34-18.29 of the
10    School Code, and information about undergraduate students
11    enrolled at an institution of higher education exempted
12    from disclosure under Section 25 of the Illinois Credit
13    Card Marketing Act of 2009.
14        (aa) Information the disclosure of which is exempted
15    under the Viatical Settlements Act of 2009.
16        (bb) Records and information provided to a mortality
17    review team and records maintained by a mortality review
18    team appointed under the Department of Juvenile Justice
19    Mortality Review Team Act.
20        (cc) Information regarding interments, entombments, or
21    inurnments of human remains that are submitted to the
22    Cemetery Oversight Database under the Cemetery Care Act or
23    the Cemetery Oversight Act, whichever is applicable.
24        (dd) Correspondence and records (i) that may not be
25    disclosed under Section 11-9 of the Illinois Public Aid
26    Code or (ii) that pertain to appeals under Section 11-8 of

 

 

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1    the Illinois Public Aid Code.
2        (ee) The names, addresses, or other personal
3    information of persons who are minors and are also
4    participants and registrants in programs of park
5    districts, forest preserve districts, conservation
6    districts, recreation agencies, and special recreation
7    associations.
8        (ff) The names, addresses, or other personal
9    information of participants and registrants in programs of
10    park districts, forest preserve districts, conservation
11    districts, recreation agencies, and special recreation
12    associations where such programs are targeted primarily to
13    minors.
14        (gg) Confidential information described in Section
15    1-100 of the Illinois Independent Tax Tribunal Act of
16    2012.
17        (hh) The report submitted to the State Board of
18    Education by the School Security and Standards Task Force
19    under item (8) of subsection (d) of Section 2-3.160 of the
20    School Code and any information contained in that report.
21        (ii) Records requested by persons committed to or
22    detained by the Department of Human Services under the
23    Sexually Violent Persons Commitment Act or committed to
24    the Department of Corrections under the Sexually Dangerous
25    Persons Act if those materials: (i) are available in the
26    library of the facility where the individual is confined;

 

 

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1    (ii) include records from staff members' personnel files,
2    staff rosters, or other staffing assignment information;
3    or (iii) are available through an administrative request
4    to the Department of Human Services or the Department of
5    Corrections.
6        (jj) Confidential information described in Section
7    5-535 of the Civil Administrative Code of Illinois.
8        (kk) The public body's credit card numbers, debit card
9    numbers, bank account numbers, Federal Employer
10    Identification Number, security code numbers, passwords,
11    and similar account information, the disclosure of which
12    could result in identity theft or impression or defrauding
13    of a governmental entity or a person.
14        (ll) Records concerning the work of the threat
15    assessment team of a school district, including, but not
16    limited to, any threat assessment procedure under the
17    School Safety Drill Act and any information contained in
18    the procedure.
19        (mm) Information prohibited from being disclosed under
20    subsections (a) and (b) of Section 15 of the Student
21    Confidential Reporting Act, including information
22    submitted to any similar independent school helpline as
23    defined under Section 15 of the Student Confidential
24    Reporting Act.
25        (nn) Proprietary information submitted to the
26    Environmental Protection Agency under the Drug Take-Back

 

 

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1    Act.
2        (oo) Records described in subsection (f) of Section
3    3-5-1 of the Unified Code of Corrections.
4        (pp) Any and all information regarding burials,
5    interments, or entombments of human remains as required to
6    be reported to the Department of Natural Resources
7    pursuant either to the Archaeological and Paleontological
8    Resources Protection Act or the Human Remains Protection
9    Act.
10        (qq) Reports described in subsection (e) of Section
11    16-15 of the Abortion Care Clinical Training Program Act.
12        (rr) Information obtained by a certified local health
13    department under the Access to Public Health Data Act.
14        (ss) For a request directed to a public body that is
15    also a HIPAA-covered entity, all information that is
16    protected health information, including demographic
17    information, that may be contained within or extracted
18    from any record held by the public body in compliance with
19    State and federal medical privacy laws and regulations,
20    including, but not limited to, the Health Insurance
21    Portability and Accountability Act and its regulations, 45
22    CFR Parts 160 and 164. As used in this paragraph,
23    "HIPAA-covered entity" has the meaning given to the term
24    "covered entity" in 45 CFR 160.103 and "protected health
25    information" has the meaning given to that term in 45 CFR
26    160.103.

 

 

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1        (tt) Proposals or bids submitted by engineering
2    consultants in response to requests for proposal or other
3    competitive bidding requests by the Department of
4    Transportation or the Illinois Toll Highway Authority.
5        (uu) Documents that, pursuant to the State of
6    Illinois' 1987 Agreement with the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory
7    Commission and the corresponding requirement to maintain
8    compatibility with the National Materials Program, have
9    been determined to be security sensitive. These documents
10    include information classified as safeguards,
11    safeguards-modified, and sensitive unclassified
12    nonsafeguards information, as identified in U.S. Nuclear
13    Regulatory Commission regulatory information summaries,
14    security advisories, and other applicable communications
15    or regulations related to the control and distribution of
16    security sensitive information.
17    (1.5) Any information exempt from disclosure under the
18Judicial Privacy Act shall be redacted from public records
19prior to disclosure under this Act.
20    (1.6) Any information exempt from disclosure under the
21Public Official Safety and Privacy Act shall be redacted from
22public records prior to disclosure under this Act.
23    (1.7) Any information exempt from disclosure under
24paragraph (3.5) of Section 9-15 of the Election Code shall be
25redacted from public records prior to disclosure under this
26Act.

 

 

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1    (2) A public record that is not in the possession of a
2public body but is in the possession of a party with whom the
3agency has contracted to perform a governmental function on
4behalf of the public body, and that directly relates to the
5governmental function and is not otherwise exempt under this
6Act, shall be considered a public record of the public body,
7for purposes of this Act.
8    (3) This Section does not authorize withholding of
9information or limit the availability of records to the
10public, except as stated in this Section or otherwise provided
11in this Act.
12(Source: P.A. 103-154, eff. 6-30-23; 103-423, eff. 1-1-24;
13103-446, eff. 8-4-23; 103-462, eff. 8-4-23; 103-540, eff.
141-1-24; 103-554, eff. 1-1-24; 103-605, eff. 7-1-24; 103-865,
15eff. 1-1-25; 104-438, eff. 1-1-26; 104-443, eff. 1-1-26;
16revised 1-7-26.)
 
17    (Text of Section after amendment by P.A. 104-300)
18    Sec. 7. Exemptions.
19    (1) When a request is made to inspect or copy a public
20record that contains information that is exempt from
21disclosure under this Section, but also contains information
22that is not exempt from disclosure, the public body may elect
23to redact the information that is exempt. The public body
24shall make the remaining information available for inspection
25and copying. Subject to this requirement, the following shall

 

 

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1be exempt from inspection and copying:
2        (a) Records created or compiled by a State public
3    defender agency or commission subject to the State Public
4    Defender Act that contain: individual client identity;
5    individual case file information; individual investigation
6    records and other records that are otherwise subject to
7    attorney-client privilege; records that would not be
8    discoverable in litigation; records under Section 2.15;
9    training materials; records related to attorney
10    consultation and representation strategy; or any of the
11    above concerning clients of county public defenders or
12    other defender agencies and firms. This exclusion does not
13    apply to deidentified, aggregated, administrative records,
14    such as general case processing and workload information.
15        (a-5) Information specifically prohibited from
16    disclosure by federal or State law or rules and
17    regulations implementing federal or State law.
18        (b) Private information, unless disclosure is required
19    by another provision of this Act, a State or federal law,
20    or a court order.
21        (b-5) Files, documents, and other data or databases
22    maintained by one or more law enforcement agencies and
23    specifically designed to provide information to one or
24    more law enforcement agencies regarding the physical or
25    mental status of one or more individual subjects.
26        (c) Personal information contained within public

 

 

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1    records, the disclosure of which would constitute a
2    clearly unwarranted invasion of personal privacy, unless
3    the disclosure is consented to in writing by the
4    individual subjects of the information. "Unwarranted
5    invasion of personal privacy" means the disclosure of
6    information that is highly personal or objectionable to a
7    reasonable person and in which the subject's right to
8    privacy outweighs any legitimate public interest in
9    obtaining the information. The disclosure of information
10    that bears on the public duties of public employees and
11    officials shall not be considered an invasion of personal
12    privacy.
13        (d) Records in the possession of any public body
14    created in the course of administrative enforcement
15    proceedings, and any law enforcement or correctional
16    agency for law enforcement purposes, but only to the
17    extent that disclosure would:
18            (i) interfere with pending or actually and
19        reasonably contemplated law enforcement proceedings
20        conducted by any law enforcement or correctional
21        agency that is the recipient of the request;
22            (ii) interfere with active administrative
23        enforcement proceedings conducted by the public body
24        that is the recipient of the request;
25            (iii) create a substantial likelihood that a
26        person will be deprived of a fair trial or an impartial

 

 

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1        hearing;
2            (iv) unavoidably disclose the identity of a
3        confidential source, confidential information
4        furnished only by the confidential source, or persons
5        who file complaints with or provide information to
6        administrative, investigative, law enforcement, or
7        penal agencies; except that the identities of
8        witnesses to traffic crashes, traffic crash reports,
9        and rescue reports shall be provided by agencies of
10        local government, except when disclosure would
11        interfere with an active criminal investigation
12        conducted by the agency that is the recipient of the
13        request;
14            (v) disclose unique or specialized investigative
15        techniques other than those generally used and known
16        or disclose internal documents of correctional
17        agencies related to detection, observation, or
18        investigation of incidents of crime or misconduct, and
19        disclosure would result in demonstrable harm to the
20        agency or public body that is the recipient of the
21        request;
22            (vi) endanger the life or physical safety of law
23        enforcement personnel or any other person; or
24            (vii) obstruct an ongoing criminal investigation
25        by the agency that is the recipient of the request.
26        (d-5) A law enforcement record created for law

 

 

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1    enforcement purposes and contained in a shared electronic
2    record management system if the law enforcement agency or
3    criminal justice agency that is the recipient of the
4    request did not create the record, did not participate in
5    or have a role in any of the events which are the subject
6    of the record, and only has access to the record through
7    the shared electronic record management system. As used in
8    this subsection (d-5), "criminal justice agency" means the
9    Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority or the
10    Illinois Sentencing Policy Advisory Council.
11        (d-6) Records contained in the Officer Professional
12    Conduct Database under Section 9.2 of the Illinois Police
13    Training Act, except to the extent authorized under that
14    Section. This includes the documents supplied to the
15    Illinois Law Enforcement Training Standards Board from the
16    Illinois State Police and Illinois State Police Merit
17    Board.
18        (d-7) Information gathered or records created from the
19    use of automatic license plate readers in connection with
20    Section 2-130 of the Illinois Vehicle Code.
21        (e) Records that relate to or affect the security of
22    correctional institutions and detention facilities.
23        (e-5) Records requested by persons committed to the
24    Department of Corrections, Department of Human Services
25    Division of Mental Health, or a county jail if those
26    materials are available in the library of the correctional

 

 

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1    institution or facility or jail where the inmate is
2    confined.
3        (e-6) Records requested by persons committed to the
4    Department of Corrections, Department of Human Services
5    Division of Mental Health, or a county jail if those
6    materials include records from staff members' personnel
7    files, staff rosters, or other staffing assignment
8    information.
9        (e-7) Records requested by persons committed to the
10    Department of Corrections or Department of Human Services
11    Division of Mental Health if those materials are available
12    through an administrative request to the Department of
13    Corrections or Department of Human Services Division of
14    Mental Health.
15        (e-8) Records requested by a person committed to the
16    Department of Corrections, Department of Human Services
17    Division of Mental Health, or a county jail, the
18    disclosure of which would result in the risk of harm to any
19    person or the risk of an escape from a jail or correctional
20    institution or facility.
21        (e-9) Records requested by a person in a county jail
22    or committed to the Department of Corrections or
23    Department of Human Services Division of Mental Health,
24    containing personal information pertaining to the person's
25    victim or the victim's family, including, but not limited
26    to, a victim's home address, home telephone number, work

 

 

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1    or school address, work telephone number, social security
2    number, or any other identifying information, except as
3    may be relevant to a requester's current or potential case
4    or claim.
5        (e-10) Law enforcement records of other persons
6    requested by a person committed to the Department of
7    Corrections, Department of Human Services Division of
8    Mental Health, or a county jail, including, but not
9    limited to, arrest and booking records, mug shots, and
10    crime scene photographs, except as these records may be
11    relevant to the requester's current or potential case or
12    claim.
13        (f) Preliminary drafts, notes, recommendations,
14    memoranda, and other records in which opinions are
15    expressed, or policies or actions are formulated, except
16    that a specific record or relevant portion of a record
17    shall not be exempt when the record is publicly cited and
18    identified by the head of the public body. The exemption
19    provided in this paragraph (f) extends to all those
20    records of officers and agencies of the General Assembly
21    that pertain to the preparation of legislative documents.
22        (g) Trade secrets and commercial or financial
23    information obtained from a person or business where the
24    trade secrets or commercial or financial information are
25    furnished under a claim that they are proprietary,
26    privileged, or confidential, and that disclosure of the

 

 

HB4704- 25 -LRB104 18830 BDA 32275 b

1    trade secrets or commercial or financial information would
2    cause competitive harm to the person or business, and only
3    insofar as the claim directly applies to the records
4    requested.
5        The information included under this exemption includes
6    all trade secrets and commercial or financial information
7    obtained by a public body, including a public pension
8    fund, from a private equity fund or a privately held
9    company within the investment portfolio of a private
10    equity fund as a result of either investing or evaluating
11    a potential investment of public funds in a private equity
12    fund. The exemption contained in this item does not apply
13    to the aggregate financial performance information of a
14    private equity fund, nor to the identity of the fund's
15    managers or general partners. The exemption contained in
16    this item does not apply to the identity of a privately
17    held company within the investment portfolio of a private
18    equity fund, unless the disclosure of the identity of a
19    privately held company may cause competitive harm.
20        Nothing contained in this paragraph (g) shall be
21    construed to prevent a person or business from consenting
22    to disclosure.
23        (h) Proposals and bids for any contract, grant, or
24    agreement, including information which if it were
25    disclosed would frustrate procurement or give an advantage
26    to any person proposing to enter into a contractor

 

 

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1    agreement with the body, until an award or final selection
2    is made. Information prepared by or for the body in
3    preparation of a bid solicitation shall be exempt until an
4    award or final selection is made.
5        (i) Valuable formulae, computer geographic systems,
6    designs, drawings, and research data obtained or produced
7    by any public body when disclosure could reasonably be
8    expected to produce private gain or public loss. The
9    exemption for "computer geographic systems" provided in
10    this paragraph (i) does not extend to requests made by
11    news media as defined in Section 2 of this Act when the
12    requested information is not otherwise exempt and the only
13    purpose of the request is to access and disseminate
14    information regarding the health, safety, welfare, or
15    legal rights of the general public.
16        (j) The following information pertaining to
17    educational matters:
18            (i) test questions, scoring keys, and other
19        examination data used to administer an academic
20        examination;
21            (ii) information received by a primary or
22        secondary school, college, or university under its
23        procedures for the evaluation of faculty members by
24        their academic peers;
25            (iii) information concerning a school or
26        university's adjudication of student disciplinary

 

 

HB4704- 27 -LRB104 18830 BDA 32275 b

1        cases, but only to the extent that disclosure would
2        unavoidably reveal the identity of the student; and
3            (iv) course materials or research materials used
4        by faculty members.
5        (k) Architects' plans, engineers' technical
6    submissions, and other construction related technical
7    documents for projects not constructed or developed in
8    whole or in part with public funds and the same for
9    projects constructed or developed with public funds,
10    including, but not limited to, power generating and
11    distribution stations and other transmission and
12    distribution facilities, water treatment facilities,
13    airport facilities, sport stadiums, convention centers,
14    and all government owned, operated, or occupied buildings,
15    but only to the extent that disclosure would compromise
16    security.
17        (l) Minutes of meetings of public bodies closed to the
18    public as provided in the Open Meetings Act until the
19    public body makes the minutes available to the public
20    under Section 2.06 of the Open Meetings Act.
21        (m) Communications between a public body and an
22    attorney or auditor representing the public body that
23    would not be subject to discovery in litigation, and
24    materials prepared or compiled by or for a public body in
25    anticipation of a criminal, civil, or administrative
26    proceeding upon the request of an attorney advising the

 

 

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1    public body, and materials prepared or compiled with
2    respect to internal audits of public bodies.
3        (n) Records relating to a public body's adjudication
4    of employee grievances or disciplinary cases; however,
5    this exemption shall not extend to the final outcome of
6    cases in which discipline is imposed.
7        (o) Administrative or technical information associated
8    with automated data processing operations, including, but
9    not limited to, software, operating protocols, computer
10    program abstracts, file layouts, source listings, object
11    modules, load modules, user guides, documentation
12    pertaining to all logical and physical design of
13    computerized systems, employee manuals, and any other
14    information that, if disclosed, would jeopardize the
15    security of the system or its data or the security of
16    materials exempt under this Section.
17        (p) Records relating to collective negotiating matters
18    between public bodies and their employees or
19    representatives, except that any final contract or
20    agreement shall be subject to inspection and copying.
21        (q) Test questions, scoring keys, and other
22    examination data used to determine the qualifications of
23    an applicant for a license or employment.
24        (r) The records, documents, and information relating
25    to real estate purchase negotiations until those
26    negotiations have been completed or otherwise terminated.

 

 

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1    With regard to a parcel involved in a pending or actually
2    and reasonably contemplated eminent domain proceeding
3    under the Eminent Domain Act, records, documents, and
4    information relating to that parcel shall be exempt except
5    as may be allowed under discovery rules adopted by the
6    Illinois Supreme Court. The records, documents, and
7    information relating to a real estate sale shall be exempt
8    until a sale is consummated.
9        (s) Any and all proprietary information and records
10    related to the operation of an intergovernmental risk
11    management association or self-insurance pool or jointly
12    self-administered health and accident cooperative or pool.
13    Insurance or self-insurance (including any
14    intergovernmental risk management association or
15    self-insurance pool) claims, loss or risk management
16    information, records, data, advice, or communications.
17        (t) Information contained in or related to
18    examination, operating, or condition reports prepared by,
19    on behalf of, or for the use of a public body responsible
20    for the regulation or supervision of financial
21    institutions, insurance companies, or pharmacy benefit
22    managers, unless disclosure is otherwise required by State
23    law.
24        (u) Information that would disclose or might lead to
25    the disclosure of secret or confidential information,
26    codes, algorithms, programs, or private keys intended to

 

 

HB4704- 30 -LRB104 18830 BDA 32275 b

1    be used to create electronic signatures under the Uniform
2    Electronic Transactions Act.
3        (v) Vulnerability assessments, security measures, and
4    response policies or plans that are designed to identify,
5    prevent, or respond to potential attacks upon a
6    community's population or systems, facilities, or
7    installations, but only to the extent that disclosure
8    could reasonably be expected to expose the vulnerability
9    or jeopardize the effectiveness of the measures, policies,
10    or plans, or the safety of the personnel who implement
11    them or the public. Information exempt under this item may
12    include such things as details pertaining to the
13    mobilization or deployment of personnel or equipment, to
14    the operation of communication systems or protocols, to
15    cybersecurity vulnerabilities, or to tactical operations.
16        (w) (Blank).
17        (x) Maps and other records regarding the location or
18    security of generation, transmission, distribution,
19    storage, gathering, treatment, or switching facilities
20    owned by a utility, by a power generator, or by the
21    Illinois Power Agency.
22        (y) Information contained in or related to proposals,
23    bids, or negotiations related to electric power
24    procurement under Section 1-75 of the Illinois Power
25    Agency Act and Section 16-111.5 of the Public Utilities
26    Act that is determined to be confidential and proprietary

 

 

HB4704- 31 -LRB104 18830 BDA 32275 b

1    by the Illinois Power Agency or by the Illinois Commerce
2    Commission.
3        (z) Information about students exempted from
4    disclosure under Section 10-20.38 or 34-18.29 of the
5    School Code, and information about undergraduate students
6    enrolled at an institution of higher education exempted
7    from disclosure under Section 25 of the Illinois Credit
8    Card Marketing Act of 2009.
9        (aa) Information the disclosure of which is exempted
10    under the Viatical Settlements Act of 2009.
11        (bb) Records and information provided to a mortality
12    review team and records maintained by a mortality review
13    team appointed under the Department of Juvenile Justice
14    Mortality Review Team Act.
15        (cc) Information regarding interments, entombments, or
16    inurnments of human remains that are submitted to the
17    Cemetery Oversight Database under the Cemetery Care Act or
18    the Cemetery Oversight Act, whichever is applicable.
19        (dd) Correspondence and records (i) that may not be
20    disclosed under Section 11-9 of the Illinois Public Aid
21    Code or (ii) that pertain to appeals under Section 11-8 of
22    the Illinois Public Aid Code.
23        (ee) The names, addresses, or other personal
24    information of persons who are minors and are also
25    participants and registrants in programs of park
26    districts, forest preserve districts, conservation

 

 

HB4704- 32 -LRB104 18830 BDA 32275 b

1    districts, recreation agencies, and special recreation
2    associations.
3        (ff) The names, addresses, or other personal
4    information of participants and registrants in programs of
5    park districts, forest preserve districts, conservation
6    districts, recreation agencies, and special recreation
7    associations where such programs are targeted primarily to
8    minors.
9        (gg) Confidential information described in Section
10    1-100 of the Illinois Independent Tax Tribunal Act of
11    2012.
12        (hh) The report submitted to the State Board of
13    Education by the School Security and Standards Task Force
14    under item (8) of subsection (d) of Section 2-3.160 of the
15    School Code and any information contained in that report.
16        (ii) Records requested by persons committed to or
17    detained by the Department of Human Services under the
18    Sexually Violent Persons Commitment Act or committed to
19    the Department of Corrections under the Sexually Dangerous
20    Persons Act if those materials: (i) are available in the
21    library of the facility where the individual is confined;
22    (ii) include records from staff members' personnel files,
23    staff rosters, or other staffing assignment information;
24    or (iii) are available through an administrative request
25    to the Department of Human Services or the Department of
26    Corrections.

 

 

HB4704- 33 -LRB104 18830 BDA 32275 b

1        (jj) Confidential information described in Section
2    5-535 of the Civil Administrative Code of Illinois.
3        (kk) The public body's credit card numbers, debit card
4    numbers, bank account numbers, Federal Employer
5    Identification Number, security code numbers, passwords,
6    and similar account information, the disclosure of which
7    could result in identity theft or impression or defrauding
8    of a governmental entity or a person.
9        (ll) Records concerning the work of the threat
10    assessment team of a school district, including, but not
11    limited to, any threat assessment procedure under the
12    School Safety Drill Act and any information contained in
13    the procedure.
14        (mm) Information prohibited from being disclosed under
15    subsections (a) and (b) of Section 15 of the Student
16    Confidential Reporting Act, including information
17    submitted to any similar independent school helpline as
18    defined under Section 15 of the Student Confidential
19    Reporting Act.
20        (nn) Proprietary information submitted to the
21    Environmental Protection Agency under the Drug Take-Back
22    Act.
23        (oo) Records described in subsection (f) of Section
24    3-5-1 of the Unified Code of Corrections.
25        (pp) Any and all information regarding burials,
26    interments, or entombments of human remains as required to

 

 

HB4704- 34 -LRB104 18830 BDA 32275 b

1    be reported to the Department of Natural Resources
2    pursuant either to the Archaeological and Paleontological
3    Resources Protection Act or the Human Remains Protection
4    Act.
5        (qq) Reports described in subsection (e) of Section
6    16-15 of the Abortion Care Clinical Training Program Act.
7        (rr) Information obtained by a certified local health
8    department under the Access to Public Health Data Act.
9        (ss) For a request directed to a public body that is
10    also a HIPAA-covered entity, all information that is
11    protected health information, including demographic
12    information, that may be contained within or extracted
13    from any record held by the public body in compliance with
14    State and federal medical privacy laws and regulations,
15    including, but not limited to, the Health Insurance
16    Portability and Accountability Act and its regulations, 45
17    CFR Parts 160 and 164. As used in this paragraph,
18    "HIPAA-covered entity" has the meaning given to the term
19    "covered entity" in 45 CFR 160.103 and "protected health
20    information" has the meaning given to that term in 45 CFR
21    160.103.
22        (tt) Proposals or bids submitted by engineering
23    consultants in response to requests for proposal or other
24    competitive bidding requests by the Department of
25    Transportation or the Illinois Toll Highway Authority.
26        (uu) Documents that, pursuant to the State of

 

 

HB4704- 35 -LRB104 18830 BDA 32275 b

1    Illinois' 1987 Agreement with the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory
2    Commission and the corresponding requirement to maintain
3    compatibility with the National Materials Program, have
4    been determined to be security sensitive. These documents
5    include information classified as safeguards,
6    safeguards-modified, and sensitive unclassified
7    nonsafeguards information, as identified in U.S. Nuclear
8    Regulatory Commission regulatory information summaries,
9    security advisories, and other applicable communications
10    or regulations related to the control and distribution of
11    security sensitive information.
12    (1.5) Any information exempt from disclosure under the
13Judicial Privacy Act shall be redacted from public records
14prior to disclosure under this Act.
15    (1.6) Any information exempt from disclosure under the
16Public Official Safety and Privacy Act shall be redacted from
17public records prior to disclosure under this Act.
18    (1.7) Any information exempt from disclosure under
19paragraph (3.5) of Section 9-15 of the Election Code shall be
20redacted from public records prior to disclosure under this
21Act.
22    (2) A public record that is not in the possession of a
23public body but is in the possession of a party with whom the
24agency has contracted to perform a governmental function on
25behalf of the public body, and that directly relates to the
26governmental function and is not otherwise exempt under this

 

 

HB4704- 36 -LRB104 18830 BDA 32275 b

1Act, shall be considered a public record of the public body,
2for purposes of this Act.
3    (3) This Section does not authorize withholding of
4information or limit the availability of records to the
5public, except as stated in this Section or otherwise provided
6in this Act.
7(Source: P.A. 103-154, eff. 6-30-23; 103-423, eff. 1-1-24;
8103-446, eff. 8-4-23; 103-462, eff. 8-4-23; 103-540, eff.
91-1-24; 103-554, eff. 1-1-24; 103-605, eff. 7-1-24; 103-865,
10eff. 1-1-25; 104-300, eff. 1-1-27; 104-438, eff. 1-1-26;
11104-443, eff. 1-1-26; revised 1-7-26.)
 
12    Section 10. The Student Confidential Reporting Act is
13amended by changing Section 15 as follows:
 
14    (5 ILCS 860/15)
15    Sec. 15. Management of confidential information.
16    (a) Any report or information submitted to the program
17under Section 10 or to a similar independent school helpline
18is confidential, may not be released except as otherwise
19provided in this Act or in the Juvenile Court Act of 1987, and
20is not subject to disclosure under the Freedom of Information
21Act.
22    (b) Any report or information submitted to the program and
23forwarded by the vendor described in subsection (d) of Section
2410 to a law enforcement official or to a school official is

 

 

HB4704- 37 -LRB104 18830 BDA 32275 b

1confidential, may not be released except as otherwise provided
2in this Act, and is not subject to disclosure under the Freedom
3of Information Act.
4    (c) A person who intentionally discloses information to
5another person in violation of subsection (a) or (b) commits a
6Class C misdemeanor.
7    (d) In this Section, "similar independent school helpline"
8means a school helpline that:
9        (1) involves a toll-free telephone number, social
10    media, a website, or other means of communication, or a
11    combination of a toll-free telephone number and another
12    means of communication, that transmits voice, text,
13    photographic, or other messages and information to
14    operators;
15        (2) employs operators trained in crisis intervention,
16    mental health and other human services, and the handling
17    of criminal intelligence information;
18        (3) offers students a safe, confidential way in which
19    to share information that might help prevent suicides,
20    bullying, school violence, or other threats to school
21    safety;
22        (4) is not intended to suspend, expel, or punish
23    students;
24        (5) encourages students to seek help before harm; and
25        (6) shares vetted information with local district and
26    school officials and, if necessary, the local public

 

 

HB4704- 38 -LRB104 18830 BDA 32275 b

1    safety answering point or 9-1-1 call center.
2(Source: P.A. 102-752, eff. 1-1-23.)
 
3    Section 95. No acceleration or delay. Where this Act makes
4changes in a statute that is represented in this Act by text
5that is not yet or no longer in effect (for example, a Section
6represented by multiple versions), the use of that text does
7not accelerate or delay the taking effect of (i) the changes
8made by this Act or (ii) provisions derived from any other
9Public Act.