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1     AN ACT concerning government.
 
2     Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
3 represented in the General Assembly:
 
4     Section 5. The Open Meetings Act is amended by changing
5 Sections 2.01 and 7 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
8 shall be held at specified times and places which are
9 convenient and open to the public. No meeting required by this
10 Act to be public shall be held on a legal holiday unless the
11 regular meeting day falls on that holiday.
12     A quorum of members of a public body must be physically
13 present at the location of an open meeting. If, however, an
14 open meeting of a public body (i) with statewide jurisdiction
15 or (ii) that is an Illinois library system with jurisdiction
16 over a specific geographic area of more than 4,500 square miles
17 (except one with jurisdiction limited to a specific geographic
18 area that is less than statewide) is held simultaneously at one
19 of its offices and one or more other locations in a public
20 building, which may include other of its offices, through an
21 interactive video conference and the public body provides
22 public notice and public access as required under this Act for
23 all locations, then members physically present in those

 

 

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1 locations all count towards determining a quorum. "Public
2 building", as used in this Section, means any building or
3 portion thereof owned or leased by any public body. The
4 requirement that a quorum be physically present at the location
5 of an open meeting shall not apply, however, to State advisory
6 boards or bodies that do not have authority to make binding
7 recommendations or determinations or to take any other
8 substantive action.
9     A quorum of members of a public body that is not (i) a
10 public body with statewide jurisdiction or (ii) a public body
11 that is an Illinois library system with jurisdiction over a
12 specific geographic area of more than 4,500 square miles must
13 be physically present at the location of a closed meeting.
14 Other members who are not physically present at a closed
15 meeting of such a public body may participate in the meeting by
16 means of a video or audio conference.
17 (Source: P.A. 94-1058, eff. 1-1-07.)
 
18     (5 ILCS 120/7)
19     Sec. 7. Attendance by a means other than physical presence.
20     (a) If a quorum of the members of the public body is
21 physically present as required by Section 2.01, a majority of
22 the public body may allow a member of that body to attend the
23 meeting by other means if the member is prevented from
24 physically attending because of: (i) personal illness or
25 disability; (ii) employment purposes or the business of the

 

 

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1 public body; or (iii) a family or other emergency. "Other
2 means" is by video or audio conference.
3     (b) If a member wishes to attend a meeting by other means,
4 the member must notify the recording secretary or clerk of the
5 public body before the meeting unless advance notice is
6 impractical.
7     (c) A majority of the public body may allow a member to
8 attend a meeting by other means only in accordance with and to
9 the extent allowed by rules adopted by the public body. The
10 rules must conform to the requirements and restrictions of this
11 Section, may further limit the extent to which attendance by
12 other means is allowed, and may provide for the giving of
13 additional notice to the public or further facilitate public
14 access to meetings.
15     (d) The limitations of this Section shall not apply to (i)
16 closed meetings of public bodies with statewide jurisdiction or
17 that are Illinois library systems with jurisdiction over a
18 specific geographic area of more than 4,500 square miles or
19 (ii) open or closed meetings of State advisory boards or bodies
20 that do not have authority to make binding recommendations or
21 determinations or to take any other substantive action. State
22 advisory boards or bodies and public bodies with statewide
23 jurisdiction or that are Illinois library systems with
24 jurisdiction over a specific geographic area of more than 4,500
25 square miles, however, may permit members to attend meetings by
26 other means only in accordance with and to the extent allowed

 

 

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1 by specific procedural rules adopted by the body.
2 (Source: P.A. 94-1058, eff. 1-1-07.)
 
3     Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon
4 becoming law.