99TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2015 and 2016
HB6147

 

Introduced 2/11/2016, by Rep. Dwight Kay

 

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
 
5 ILCS 120/2.01  from Ch. 102, par. 42.01
5 ILCS 120/3  from Ch. 102, par. 43
5 ILCS 120/3.5

    Amends the Open Meetings Act. Provides that no public body may refuse to allow any of its members to attend any open or closed meeting of the public body. Provides that a court shall (rather than may) assess against any party, except a State's Attorney, reasonable attorney's fees and other litigation costs reasonably incurred by any other party who substantially prevails in any action for non-compliance with the Open Meetings Act. Provides that the attorney's fees and other litigation costs assessed by the court shall be awarded directly to the Office of the Attorney General. Provides that upon a request to review whether a public body committed a violation under the Open Meetings Act, the Attorney General shall issue to the requester and the public body an opinion within 20 days (rather than 60 days) after initiating review.


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A BILL FOR

 

HB6147LRB099 20498 RJF 45021 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 Open Meetings Act is amended by changing
5Sections 2.01, 3, and 3.5 as follows:
 
6    (5 ILCS 120/2.01)  (from Ch. 102, par. 42.01)
7    Sec. 2.01. All meetings required by this Act to be public
8shall be held at specified times and places which are
9convenient and open to the public. No meeting required by this
10Act to be public shall be held on a legal holiday unless the
11regular meeting day falls on that holiday.
12    A quorum of members of a public body must be physically
13present at the location of an open meeting. If, however, an
14open meeting of a public body (i) with statewide jurisdiction,
15(ii) that is an Illinois library system with jurisdiction over
16a specific geographic area of more than 4,500 square miles,
17(iii) that is a municipal transit district with jurisdiction
18over a specific geographic area of more than 4,500 square
19miles, or (iv) that is a local workforce investment area with
20jurisdiction over a specific geographic area of more than 4,500
21square miles is held simultaneously at one of its offices and
22one or more other locations in a public building, which may
23include other of its offices, through an interactive video

 

 

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1conference and the public body provides public notice and
2public access as required under this Act for all locations,
3then members physically present in those locations all count
4towards determining a quorum. "Public building", as used in
5this Section, means any building or portion thereof owned or
6leased by any public body. The requirement that a quorum be
7physically present at the location of an open meeting shall not
8apply, however, to State advisory boards or bodies that do not
9have authority to make binding recommendations or
10determinations or to take any other substantive action.
11    A quorum of members of a public body that is not (i) a
12public body with statewide jurisdiction, (ii) an Illinois
13library system with jurisdiction over a specific geographic
14area of more than 4,500 square miles, (iii) a municipal transit
15district with jurisdiction over a specific geographic area of
16more than 4,500 square miles, or (iv) a local workforce
17investment area with jurisdiction over a specific geographic
18area of more than 4,500 square miles must be physically present
19at the location of a closed meeting. Other members who are not
20physically present at a closed meeting of such a public body
21may participate in the meeting by means of a video or audio
22conference. For the purposes of this Section, "local workforce
23investment area" means any local workforce investment area or
24areas designated by the Governor pursuant to the federal
25Workforce Investment Act of 1998 or its reauthorizing
26legislation.

 

 

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1    No public body may refuse to allow any of its members to
2attend any open or closed meeting of the public body.
3(Source: P.A. 98-992, eff. 8-18-14.)
 
4    (5 ILCS 120/3)  (from Ch. 102, par. 43)
5    Sec. 3. (a) Where the provisions of this Act are not
6complied with, or where there is probable cause to believe that
7the provisions of this Act will not be complied with, any
8person, including the State's Attorney of the county in which
9such noncompliance may occur, may bring a civil action in the
10circuit court for the judicial circuit in which the alleged
11noncompliance has occurred or is about to occur, or in which
12the affected public body has its principal office, prior to or
13within 60 days of the meeting alleged to be in violation of
14this Act or, if facts concerning the meeting are not discovered
15within the 60-day period, within 60 days of the discovery of a
16violation by the State's Attorney.
17    Records that are obtained by a State's Attorney from a
18public body for purposes of reviewing whether the public body
19has complied with this Act may not be disclosed to the public.
20Those records, while in the possession of the State's Attorney,
21are exempt from disclosure under the Freedom of Information
22Act.
23    (b) In deciding such a case the court may examine in camera
24any portion of the minutes of a meeting at which a violation of
25the Act is alleged to have occurred, and may take such

 

 

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1additional evidence as it deems necessary.
2    (c) The court, having due regard for orderly administration
3and the public interest, as well as for the interests of the
4parties, may grant such relief as it deems appropriate,
5including granting a relief by mandamus requiring that a
6meeting be open to the public, granting an injunction against
7future violations of this Act, ordering the public body to make
8available to the public such portion of the minutes of a
9meeting as is not authorized to be kept confidential under this
10Act, or declaring null and void any final action taken at a
11closed meeting in violation of this Act.
12    (d) The court shall may assess against any party, except a
13State's Attorney, reasonable attorney's fees and other
14litigation costs reasonably incurred by any other party who
15substantially prevails in any action brought in accordance with
16this Section, provided that costs may be assessed against any
17private party or parties bringing an action pursuant to this
18Section only upon the court's determination that the action is
19malicious or frivolous in nature. The attorney's fees and other
20litigation costs assessed by the court under this subsection
21(d) shall be awarded directly to the Office of the Attorney
22General.
23(Source: P.A. 96-542, eff. 1-1-10.)
 
24    (5 ILCS 120/3.5)
25    Sec. 3.5. Public Access Counselor; opinions.

 

 

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1    (a) A person who believes that a violation of this Act by a
2public body has occurred may file a request for review with the
3Public Access Counselor established in the Office of the
4Attorney General not later than 60 days after the alleged
5violation. If facts concerning the violation are not discovered
6within the 60-day period, but are discovered at a later date,
7not exceeding 2 years after the alleged violation, by a person
8utilizing reasonable diligence, the request for review may be
9made within 60 days of the discovery of the alleged violation.
10The request for review must be in writing, must be signed by
11the requester, and must include a summary of the facts
12supporting the allegation. The changes made by this amendatory
13Act of the 99th General Assembly apply to violations alleged to
14have occurred at meetings held on or after the effective date
15of this amendatory Act of the 99th General Assembly.
16    (b) Upon receipt of a request for review, the Public Access
17Counselor shall determine whether further action is warranted.
18If the Public Access Counselor determines from the request for
19review that the alleged violation is unfounded, he or she shall
20so advise the requester and the public body and no further
21action shall be undertaken. In all other cases, the Public
22Access Counselor shall forward a copy of the request for review
23to the public body within 7 working days. The Public Access
24Counselor shall specify the records or other documents that the
25public body shall furnish to facilitate the review. Within 7
26working days after receipt of the request for review, the

 

 

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1public body shall provide copies of the records requested and
2shall otherwise fully cooperate with the Public Access
3Counselor. If a public body fails to furnish specified records
4pursuant to this Section, or if otherwise necessary, the
5Attorney General may issue a subpoena to any person or public
6body having knowledge of or records pertaining to an alleged
7violation of this Act. For purposes of conducting a thorough
8review, the Public Access Counselor has the same right to
9examine a verbatim recording of a meeting closed to the public
10or the minutes of a closed meeting as does a court in a civil
11action brought to enforce this Act.
12    (c) Within 7 working days after it receives a copy of a
13request for review and request for production of records from
14the Public Access Counselor, the public body may, but is not
15required to, answer the allegations of the request for review.
16The answer may take the form of a letter, brief, or memorandum.
17Upon request, the public body may also furnish the Public
18Access Counselor with a redacted copy of the answer excluding
19specific references to any matters at issue. The Public Access
20Counselor shall forward a copy of the answer or redacted
21answer, if furnished, to the person submitting the request for
22review. The requester may, but is not required to, respond in
23writing to the answer within 7 working days and shall provide a
24copy of the response to the public body.
25    (d) In addition to the request for review, and the answer
26and the response thereto, if any, a requester or a public body

 

 

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1may furnish affidavits and records concerning any matter
2germane to the review.
3    (e) Unless the Public Access Counselor extends the time by
4no more than 21 business days by sending written notice to the
5requester and public body that includes a statement of the
6reasons for the extension in the notice, or decides to address
7the matter without the issuance of a binding opinion, the
8Attorney General shall examine the issues and the records,
9shall make findings of fact and conclusions of law, and shall
10issue to the requester and the public body an opinion within 20
1160 days after initiating review. The opinion shall be binding
12upon both the requester and the public body, subject to
13administrative review under Section 7.5 of this Act.
14    In responding to any written request under this Section
153.5, the Attorney General may exercise his or her discretion
16and choose to resolve a request for review by mediation or by a
17means other than the issuance of a binding opinion. The
18decision not to issue a binding opinion shall not be
19reviewable.
20    Upon receipt of a binding opinion concluding that a
21violation of this Act has occurred, the public body shall
22either take necessary action as soon as practical to comply
23with the directive of the opinion or shall initiate
24administrative review under Section 7.5. If the opinion
25concludes that no violation of the Act has occurred, the
26requester may initiate administrative review under Section

 

 

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17.5.
2    (f) If the requester files suit under Section 3 with
3respect to the same alleged violation that is the subject of a
4pending request for review, the requester shall notify the
5Public Access Counselor, and the Public Access Counselor shall
6take no further action with respect to the request for review
7and shall so notify the public body.
8    (g) Records that are obtained by the Public Access
9Counselor from a public body for purposes of addressing a
10request for review under this Section 3.5 may not be disclosed
11to the public, including the requester, by the Public Access
12Counselor. Those records, while in the possession of the Public
13Access Counselor, shall be exempt from disclosure by the Public
14Access Counselor under the Freedom of Information Act.
15    (h) The Attorney General may also issue advisory opinions
16to public bodies regarding compliance with this Act. A review
17may be initiated upon receipt of a written request from the
18head of the public body or its attorney. The request must
19contain sufficient accurate facts from which a determination
20can be made. The Public Access Counselor may request additional
21information from the public body in order to facilitate the
22review. A public body that relies in good faith on an advisory
23opinion of the Attorney General in complying with the
24requirements of this Act is not liable for penalties under this
25Act, so long as the facts upon which the opinion is based have
26been fully and fairly disclosed to the Public Access Counselor.

 

 

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1(Source: P.A. 99-402, eff. 8-19-15.)