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91_HB0840gms
OFFICE OF THE GOVERNOR
207, STATE CAPITOL, SPRINGFIELD, ILLINOIS 62706
July 6, 2000
GEORGE H. RYAN
GOVERNOR
To the Honorable Members of the
Illinois House of Representatives
91st General Assembly
I have signed House Bill 840, a portion of which allows
local governments to reproduce public records in a microfilm
or digitized electronic format. Under current law, local
governments may dispose of records after receiving written
approval from the Local Records Commission and meeting
certain criteria. This new law stipulates that, if the local
government keeps a public record in an electronic format,
then the method must be in a "trustworthy manner so that the
records, and the information contained in the records, are
accessible and usable for subsequent reference at all times
while the information must be retained." This change in the
law will make records more accessible and enhance the ability
to search records in a much more efficient and effective way
through the use of new technologies. It also will allow
local governments to use less cumbersome and more
cost-effective storage methods.
I support the intent of House Bill 840, which seeks to
recognize the digital capabilities in our new economy and
provide more effective access to public records. However,
currently there is no universally accepted national standard
governing the digital storage of documents, so I urge local
governments to be cautious in the way in which they maintain
public records and protect the public interest. Since the
effective date of this law is January 1, 2001, I urge local
governments that choose to take advantage of this storage
option to use wisely the next several months to develop a
strategy to implement this new storage capability. This
January 1, 2001 effective date also gives local authorities
time to review their current process of disposing of records
prior to implementation of any new process under this law.
With this clarification, I have signed House Bill 840.
Sincerely,
s/GEORGE H. RYAN
Governor