99TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2015 and 2016
HB3310

 

Introduced , by Rep. Dwight Kay

 

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
 
5 ILCS 140/2  from Ch. 116, par. 202
5 ILCS 140/3  from Ch. 116, par. 203
5 ILCS 140/9.5

    Amends the Freedom of Information Act. Expresses legislative intent. Provides that each executive, administrative, or advisory body of this State shall either comply with or deny a request of a member of the General Assembly for public records within 3 business days after its receipt of the request and makes corresponding changes. Provides that "voluminous request" does not include a request made by a member of the General Assembly, among other entities, if the principal purpose of the request is for carrying out the duties of the member of the General Assembly. Provides that if the Public Access Counselor determines that an alleged violation with respect to a requester who is a member of the General Assembly is not unfounded, the Public Access Counselor shall forward a copy of the request for review to the public body within 5 (instead of 7) business days and the public body shall furnish the records or otherwise comply with the instructions of the Public Access Counselor within 5 (instead of 7) business days. Provides that if the requester is a member of the General Assembly, the Public Access Counselor shall issue a binding opinion within 30 (instead of 60) days and can extend the time for issuance of a binding opinion by no more than 15 (instead of 30) business days.


LRB099 09596 HEP 29805 b

 

 

A BILL FOR

 

HB3310LRB099 09596 HEP 29805 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. Legislative intent. The General Assembly is
5tasked annually with drafting legislation and crafting the
6State's budget, which requires a comprehensive and timely flow
7of information from State agencies to the General Assembly.
8This amendatory Act of the 99th General Assembly is necessary
9to ensure that members of the General Assembly are able to
10access information from various State agencies so that
11legislators may competently and properly carry out their
12duties.
 
13    Section 10. The Freedom of Information Act is amended by
14changing Sections 2, 3, and 9.5 as follows:
 
15    (5 ILCS 140/2)  (from Ch. 116, par. 202)
16    Sec. 2. Definitions. As used in this Act:
17    (a) "Public body" means all legislative, executive,
18administrative, or advisory bodies of the State, state
19universities and colleges, counties, townships, cities,
20villages, incorporated towns, school districts and all other
21municipal corporations, boards, bureaus, committees, or
22commissions of this State, any subsidiary bodies of any of the

 

 

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1foregoing including but not limited to committees and
2subcommittees thereof, and a School Finance Authority created
3under Article 1E of the School Code. "Public body" does not
4include a child death review team or the Illinois Child Death
5Review Teams Executive Council established under the Child
6Death Review Team Act, or a regional youth advisory board or
7the Statewide Youth Advisory Board established under the
8Department of Children and Family Services Statewide Youth
9Advisory Board Act.
10    (b) "Person" means any individual, corporation,
11partnership, firm, organization or association, acting
12individually or as a group.
13    (c) "Public records" means all records, reports, forms,
14writings, letters, memoranda, books, papers, maps,
15photographs, microfilms, cards, tapes, recordings, electronic
16data processing records, electronic communications, recorded
17information and all other documentary materials pertaining to
18the transaction of public business, regardless of physical form
19or characteristics, having been prepared by or for, or having
20been or being used by, received by, in the possession of, or
21under the control of any public body.
22    (c-5) "Private information" means unique identifiers,
23including a person's social security number, driver's license
24number, employee identification number, biometric identifiers,
25personal financial information, passwords or other access
26codes, medical records, home or personal telephone numbers, and

 

 

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1personal email addresses. Private information also includes
2home address and personal license plates, except as otherwise
3provided by law or when compiled without possibility of
4attribution to any person.
5    (c-10) "Commercial purpose" means the use of any part of a
6public record or records, or information derived from public
7records, in any form for sale, resale, or solicitation or
8advertisement for sales or services. For purposes of this
9definition, requests made by news media and non-profit,
10scientific, or academic organizations shall not be considered
11to be made for a "commercial purpose" when the principal
12purpose of the request is (i) to access and disseminate
13information concerning news and current or passing events, (ii)
14for articles of opinion or features of interest to the public,
15or (iii) for the purpose of academic, scientific, or public
16research or education.
17    (d) "Copying" means the reproduction of any public record
18by means of any photographic, electronic, mechanical or other
19process, device or means now known or hereafter developed and
20available to the public body.
21    (e) "Head of the public body" means the president, mayor,
22chairman, presiding officer, director, superintendent,
23manager, supervisor or individual otherwise holding primary
24executive and administrative authority for the public body, or
25such person's duly authorized designee.
26    (f) "News media" means a newspaper or other periodical

 

 

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1issued at regular intervals whether in print or electronic
2format, a news service whether in print or electronic format, a
3radio station, a television station, a television network, a
4community antenna television service, or a person or
5corporation engaged in making news reels or other motion
6picture news for public showing.
7    (g) "Recurrent requester", as used in Section 3.2 of this
8Act, means a person that, in the 12 months immediately
9preceding the request, has submitted to the same public body
10(i) a minimum of 50 requests for records, (ii) a minimum of 15
11requests for records within a 30-day period, or (iii) a minimum
12of 7 requests for records within a 7-day period. For purposes
13of this definition, requests made by news media and non-profit,
14scientific, or academic organizations shall not be considered
15in calculating the number of requests made in the time periods
16in this definition when the principal purpose of the requests
17is (i) to access and disseminate information concerning news
18and current or passing events, (ii) for articles of opinion or
19features of interest to the public, or (iii) for the purpose of
20academic, scientific, or public research or education.
21    For the purposes of this subsection (g), "request" means a
22written document (or oral request, if the public body chooses
23to honor oral requests) that is submitted to a public body via
24personal delivery, mail, telefax, electronic mail, or other
25means available to the public body and that identifies the
26particular public record the requester seeks. One request may

 

 

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1identify multiple records to be inspected or copied.
2    (h) "Voluminous request" means a request that: (i) includes
3more than 5 individual requests for more than 5 different
4categories of records or a combination of individual requests
5that total requests for more than 5 different categories of
6records in a period of 20 business days; or (ii) requires the
7compilation of more than 500 letter or legal-sized pages of
8public records unless a single requested record exceeds 500
9pages. "Single requested record" may include, but is not
10limited to, one report, form, e-mail, letter, memorandum, book,
11map, microfilm, tape, or recording.
12    "Voluminous request" does not include a request made by
13members of the General Assembly, news media and non-profit,
14scientific, or academic organizations if the principal purpose
15of the request is: (1) to access and disseminate information
16concerning news and current or passing events; (2) for articles
17of opinion or features of interest to the public; or (3) for
18the purpose of academic, scientific, or public research or
19education; or (4) for carrying out the duties of a member of
20the General Assembly.
21    For the purposes of this subsection (h), "request" means a
22written document, or oral request, if the public body chooses
23to honor oral requests, that is submitted to a public body via
24personal delivery, mail, telefax, electronic mail, or other
25means available to the public body and that identifies the
26particular public record or records the requester seeks. One

 

 

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1request may identify multiple individual records to be
2inspected or copied.
3(Source: P.A. 97-579, eff. 8-26-11; 98-806, eff. 1-1-15;
498-1129, eff. 12-3-14; revised 12-19-14.)
 
5    (5 ILCS 140/3)  (from Ch. 116, par. 203)
6    Sec. 3. (a) Each public body shall make available to any
7person for inspection or copying all public records, except as
8otherwise provided in Sections 7 and 8.5 of this Act.
9Notwithstanding any other law, a public body may not grant to
10any person or entity, whether by contract, license, or
11otherwise, the exclusive right to access and disseminate any
12public record as defined in this Act.
13    (b) Subject to the fee provisions of Section 6 of this Act,
14each public body shall promptly provide, to any person who
15submits a request, a copy of any public record required to be
16disclosed by subsection (a) of this Section and shall certify
17such copy if so requested.
18    (c) Requests for inspection or copies shall be made in
19writing and directed to the public body. Written requests may
20be submitted to a public body via personal delivery, mail,
21telefax, or other means available to the public body. A public
22body may honor oral requests for inspection or copying. A
23public body may not require that a request be submitted on a
24standard form or require the requester to specify the purpose
25for a request, except to determine whether the records are

 

 

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1requested for a commercial purpose or whether to grant a
2request for a fee waiver. All requests for inspection and
3copying received by a public body shall immediately be
4forwarded to its Freedom of Information officer or designee.
5    (d) Each public body shall, promptly, either comply with or
6deny a request for public records within 5 business days after
7its receipt of the request, unless the time for response is
8properly extended under subsection (e) of this Section. Denial
9shall be in writing as provided in Section 9 of this Act.
10Failure to comply with a written request, extend the time for
11response, or deny a request within 5 business days after its
12receipt shall be considered a denial of the request. A public
13body that fails to respond to a request within the requisite
14periods in this Section but thereafter provides the requester
15with copies of the requested public records may not impose a
16fee for such copies. A public body that fails to respond to a
17request received may not treat the request as unduly burdensome
18under subsection (g).
19    (d-5) Each executive, administrative, or advisory body of
20this State shall either comply with or deny a request of a
21member of the General Assembly for public records within 3
22business days after its receipt of the request, unless the time
23for response is properly extended under subsection (e) of this
24Section. Denial shall be in writing as provided in Section 9 of
25this Act. Failure to comply with a written request, extend the
26time for response, or deny a request within 3 business days

 

 

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1after its receipt shall be considered a denial of the request.
2An executive, administrative, or advisory body of this State
3that fails to respond to a request within the requisite periods
4in this Section but thereafter provides the requester with
5copies of the requested public records may not impose a fee for
6such copies. A public body that fails to respond to a request
7received may not treat the request as unduly burdensome under
8subsection (g).
9    (e) The time for response under this Section may be
10extended by the public body for not more than 5 business days,
11or 3 business days if the request is by a member of the General
12Assembly and from an executive, administrative, or advisory
13body of the State, from the original due date for any of the
14following reasons:
15        (i) the requested records are stored in whole or in
16    part at other locations than the office having charge of
17    the requested records;
18        (ii) the request requires the collection of a
19    substantial number of specified records;
20        (iii) the request is couched in categorical terms and
21    requires an extensive search for the records responsive to
22    it;
23        (iv) the requested records have not been located in the
24    course of routine search and additional efforts are being
25    made to locate them;
26        (v) the requested records require examination and

 

 

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1    evaluation by personnel having the necessary competence
2    and discretion to determine if they are exempt from
3    disclosure under Section 7 of this Act or should be
4    revealed only with appropriate deletions;
5        (vi) the request for records cannot be complied with by
6    the public body within the time limits prescribed by
7    paragraph (c) of this Section without unduly burdening or
8    interfering with the operations of the public body;
9        (vii) there is a need for consultation, which shall be
10    conducted with all practicable speed, with another public
11    body or among two or more components of a public body
12    having a substantial interest in the determination or in
13    the subject matter of the request.
14    The person making a request and the public body may agree
15in writing to extend the time for compliance for a period to be
16determined by the parties. If the requester and the public body
17agree to extend the period for compliance, a failure by the
18public body to comply with any previous deadlines shall not be
19treated as a denial of the request for the records.
20    (f) When additional time is required for any of the above
21reasons, the public body shall, within 5 business days after
22receipt of the request or within 3 business days if the request
23is by a member of the General Assembly and from an executive,
24administrative, or advisory body of the State, notify the
25person making the request of the reasons for the extension and
26the date by which the response will be forthcoming. Failure to

 

 

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1respond within the time permitted for extension shall be
2considered a denial of the request. A public body that fails to
3respond to a request within the time permitted for extension
4but thereafter provides the requester with copies of the
5requested public records may not impose a fee for those copies.
6A public body that requests an extension and subsequently fails
7to respond to the request may not treat the request as unduly
8burdensome under subsection (g).
9    (g) Requests calling for all records falling within a
10category shall be complied with unless compliance with the
11request would be unduly burdensome for the complying public
12body and there is no way to narrow the request and the burden
13on the public body outweighs the public interest in the
14information. Before invoking this exemption, the public body
15shall extend to the person making the request an opportunity to
16confer with it in an attempt to reduce the request to
17manageable proportions. If any public body responds to a
18categorical request by stating that compliance would unduly
19burden its operation and the conditions described above are
20met, it shall do so in writing, specifying the reasons why it
21would be unduly burdensome and the extent to which compliance
22will so burden the operations of the public body. Such a
23response shall be treated as a denial of the request for
24information.
25    Repeated requests from the same person for the same records
26that are unchanged or identical to records previously provided

 

 

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1or properly denied under this Act shall be deemed unduly
2burdensome under this provision.
3    (h) Each public body may promulgate rules and regulations
4in conformity with the provisions of this Section pertaining to
5the availability of records and procedures to be followed,
6including:
7        (i) the times and places where such records will be
8    made available, and
9        (ii) the persons from whom such records may be
10    obtained.
11    (i) The time periods for compliance or denial of a request
12to inspect or copy records set out in this Section shall not
13apply to requests for records made for a commercial purpose,
14requests by a recurrent requester, or voluminous requests. Such
15requests shall be subject to the provisions of Sections 3.1,
163.2, and 3.6 of this Act, as applicable.
17(Source: P.A. 98-1129, eff. 12-3-14.)
 
18    (5 ILCS 140/9.5)
19    Sec. 9.5. Public Access Counselor; opinions.
20    (a) A person whose request to inspect or copy a public
21record is denied by a public body, except the General Assembly
22and committees, commissions, and agencies thereof, may file a
23request for review with the Public Access Counselor established
24in the Office of the Attorney General not later than 60 days
25after the date of the final denial. The request for review must

 

 

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1be in writing, signed by the requester, and include (i) a copy
2of the request for access to records and (ii) any responses
3from the public body.
4    (b) A person whose request to inspect or copy a public
5record is made for a commercial purpose as defined in
6subsection (c-10) of Section 2 of this Act may not file a
7request for review with the Public Access Counselor. A person
8whose request to inspect or copy a public record was treated by
9the public body as a request for a commercial purpose under
10Section 3.1 of this Act may file a request for review with the
11Public Access Counselor for the limited purpose of reviewing
12whether the public body properly determined that the request
13was made for a commercial purpose.
14    (b-5) A person whose request to inspect or copy a public
15record was treated by a public body, except the General
16Assembly and committees, commissions, and agencies thereof, as
17a voluminous request under Section 3.6 of this Act may file a
18request for review with the Public Access Counselor for the
19purpose of reviewing whether the public body properly
20determined that the request was a voluminous request.
21    (c) Upon receipt of a request for review, the Public Access
22Counselor shall determine whether further action is warranted.
23If the Public Access Counselor determines that the alleged
24violation is unfounded, he or she shall so advise the requester
25and the public body and no further action shall be undertaken.
26In all other cases, the Public Access Counselor shall forward a

 

 

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1copy of the request for review to the public body within 7
2business days after receipt, or within 5 business days after
3receipt if the request for review was made by a member of the
4General Assembly, and shall specify the records or other
5documents that the public body shall furnish to facilitate the
6review. Within 7 business days after receipt of the request for
7review, or within 5 business days after receipt of the request
8for review if the request for review was made by a member of
9the General Assembly, the public body shall provide copies of
10records requested and shall otherwise fully cooperate with the
11Public Access Counselor. If a public body fails to furnish
12specified records pursuant to this Section, or if otherwise
13necessary, the Attorney General may issue a subpoena to any
14person or public body having knowledge of or records pertaining
15to a request for review of a denial of access to records under
16the Act. To the extent that records or documents produced by a
17public body contain information that is claimed to be exempt
18from disclosure under Section 7 of this Act, the Public Access
19Counselor shall not further disclose that information.
20    (d) Within 7 business days after it receives a copy of a
21request for review and request for production of records from
22the Public Access Counselor, or within 5 business days if the
23request for review was made by a member of the General
24Assembly,, the public body may, but is not required to, answer
25the allegations of the request for review. The answer may take
26the form of a letter, brief, or memorandum. The Public Access

 

 

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1Counselor shall forward a copy of the answer to the person
2submitting the request for review, with any alleged
3confidential information to which the request pertains
4redacted from the copy. The requester may, but is not required
5to, respond in writing to the answer within 7 business days and
6shall provide a copy of the response to the public body.
7    (e) In addition to the request for review, and the answer
8and the response thereto, if any, a requester or a public body
9may furnish affidavits or records concerning any matter germane
10to the review.
11    (f) Unless the Public Access Counselor extends the time by
12no more than 30 business days, or 15 business days if the
13requester is a member of the General Assembly, by sending
14written notice to the requester and the public body that
15includes a statement of the reasons for the extension in the
16notice, or decides to address the matter without the issuance
17of a binding opinion, the Attorney General shall examine the
18issues and the records, shall make findings of fact and
19conclusions of law, and shall issue to the requester and the
20public body an opinion in response to the request for review
21within 60 days after its receipt, or within 30 days if the
22requester is a member of the General Assembly. The opinion
23shall be binding upon both the requester and the public body,
24subject to administrative review under Section 11.5.
25    In responding to any request under this Section 9.5, the
26Attorney General may exercise his or her discretion and choose

 

 

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1to resolve a request for review by mediation or by a means
2other than the issuance of a binding opinion. The decision not
3to issue a binding opinion shall not be reviewable.
4    Upon receipt of a binding opinion concluding that a
5violation of this Act has occurred, the public body shall
6either take necessary action immediately to comply with the
7directive of the opinion or shall initiate administrative
8review under Section 11.5. If the opinion concludes that no
9violation of the Act has occurred, the requester may initiate
10administrative review under Section 11.5.
11    A public body that discloses records in accordance with an
12opinion of the Attorney General is immune from all liabilities
13by reason thereof and shall not be liable for penalties under
14this Act.
15    (g) If the requester files suit under Section 11 with
16respect to the same denial that is the subject of a pending
17request for review, the requester shall notify the Public
18Access Counselor, and the Public Access Counselor shall take no
19further action with respect to the request for review and shall
20so notify the public body.
21    (h) The Attorney General may also issue advisory opinions
22to public bodies regarding compliance with this Act. A review
23may be initiated upon receipt of a written request from the
24head of the public body or its attorney, which shall contain
25sufficient accurate facts from which a determination can be
26made. The Public Access Counselor may request additional

 

 

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1information from the public body in order to assist in the
2review. A public body that relies in good faith on an advisory
3opinion of the Attorney General in responding to a request is
4not liable for penalties under this Act, so long as the facts
5upon which the opinion is based have been fully and fairly
6disclosed to the Public Access Counselor.
7(Source: P.A. 97-579, eff. 8-26-11; 98-1129, eff. 12-3-14.)