99TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2015 and 2016
HB6083

 

Introduced 2/11/2016, by Rep. Terri Bryant

 

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
 
5 ILCS 140/11  from Ch. 116, par. 211
740 ILCS 180/2  from Ch. 70, par. 2

    Amends the Freedom of Information Act. Provides that if the court determines that a public body willfully and intentionally failed to comply with the Act, or otherwise acted in bad faith, the court shall also impose upon the public body a civil penalty of not less than $2,500 nor more than $10,000 (instead of $5,000) for each occurrence. Provides that if the public body fails to comply with the court's order after 30 days, the court shall impose an additional $1,000 penalty for each day the violation continues. Amends the Wrongful Death Act. Provides that an action under the Act shall be commenced within 2 years after the discovery of evidence indicating that a wrongful death may have occurred (instead of "within 2 years after the death of such person"). Provides that the amendatory Act may be referred to as Molly's law.


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A BILL FOR

 

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1    AN ACT concerning the disclosure of information.
 
2    Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
3represented in the General Assembly:
 
4    Section 1. This Act may be referred to as Molly's Law.
 
5    Section 5. The Freedom of Information Act is amended by
6changing Section 11 as follows:
 
7    (5 ILCS 140/11)  (from Ch. 116, par. 211)
8    Sec. 11. (a) Any person denied access to inspect or copy
9any public record by a public body may file suit for injunctive
10or declaratory relief.
11    (b) Where the denial is from a public body of the State,
12suit may be filed in the circuit court for the county where the
13public body has its principal office or where the person denied
14access resides.
15    (c) Where the denial is from a municipality or other public
16body, except as provided in subsection (b) of this Section,
17suit may be filed in the circuit court for the county where the
18public body is located.
19    (d) The circuit court shall have the jurisdiction to enjoin
20the public body from withholding public records and to order
21the production of any public records improperly withheld from
22the person seeking access. If the public body can show that

 

 

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1exceptional circumstances exist, and that the body is
2exercising due diligence in responding to the request, the
3court may retain jurisdiction and allow the agency additional
4time to complete its review of the records.
5    (e) On motion of the plaintiff, prior to or after in camera
6inspection, the court shall order the public body to provide an
7index of the records to which access has been denied. The index
8shall include the following:
9        (i) A description of the nature or contents of each
10    document withheld, or each deletion from a released
11    document, provided, however, that the public body shall not
12    be required to disclose the information which it asserts is
13    exempt; and
14        (ii) A statement of the exemption or exemptions claimed
15    for each such deletion or withheld document.
16    (f) In any action considered by the court, the court shall
17consider the matter de novo, and shall conduct such in camera
18examination of the requested records as it finds appropriate to
19determine if such records or any part thereof may be withheld
20under any provision of this Act. The burden shall be on the
21public body to establish that its refusal to permit public
22inspection or copying is in accordance with the provisions of
23this Act. Any public body that asserts that a record is exempt
24from disclosure has the burden of proving that it is exempt by
25clear and convincing evidence.
26    (g) In the event of noncompliance with an order of the

 

 

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1court to disclose, the court may enforce its order against any
2public official or employee so ordered or primarily responsible
3for such noncompliance through the court's contempt powers.
4    (h) Except as to causes the court considers to be of
5greater importance, proceedings arising under this Section
6shall take precedence on the docket over all other causes and
7be assigned for hearing and trial at the earliest practicable
8date and expedited in every way.
9    (i) If a person seeking the right to inspect or receive a
10copy of a public record prevails in a proceeding under this
11Section, the court shall award such person reasonable
12attorney's attorneys' fees and costs. In determining what
13amount of attorney's fees is reasonable, the court shall
14consider the degree to which the relief obtained relates to the
15relief sought. The changes contained in this subsection apply
16to an action filed on or after January 1, 2010 (the effective
17date of Public Act 96-542) this amendatory Act of the 96th
18General Assembly.
19    (j) If the court determines that a public body willfully
20and intentionally failed to comply with this Act, or otherwise
21acted in bad faith, the court shall also impose upon the public
22body a civil penalty of not less than $2,500 nor more than
23$10,000 $5,000 for each occurrence. In assessing the civil
24penalty, the court shall consider in aggravation or mitigation
25the budget of the public body and whether the public body has
26previously been assessed penalties for violations of this Act.

 

 

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1If the public body fails to comply with the court's order after
230 days, the court shall impose an additional $1,000 penalty
3for each day the violation continues. The changes contained in
4this subsection that are made by Public Act 96-542 apply to an
5action filed on or after January 1, 2010 (the effective date of
6Public Act 96-542) this amendatory Act of the 96th General
7Assembly.
8(Source: P.A. 96-542, eff. 1-1-10; 97-813, eff. 7-13-12;
9revised 10-14-15.)
 
10    Section 10. The Wrongful Death Act is amended by changing
11Section 2 as follows:
 
12    (740 ILCS 180/2)  (from Ch. 70, par. 2)
13    Sec. 2. Every such action shall be brought by and in the
14names of the personal representatives of such deceased person,
15and, except as otherwise hereinafter provided, the amount
16recovered in every such action shall be for the exclusive
17benefit of the surviving spouse and next of kin of such
18deceased person. In every such action the jury may give such
19damages as they shall deem a fair and just compensation with
20reference to the pecuniary injuries resulting from such death,
21including damages for grief, sorrow, and mental suffering, to
22the surviving spouse and next of kin of such deceased person.
23    The amount recovered in any such action shall be
24distributed by the court in which the cause is heard or, in the

 

 

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1case of an agreed settlement, by the circuit court, to each of
2the surviving spouse and next of kin of such deceased person in
3the proportion, as determined by the court, that the percentage
4of dependency of each such person upon the deceased person
5bears to the sum of the percentages of dependency of all such
6persons upon the deceased person.
7    Where the deceased person left no surviving spouse or next
8of kin entitled to recovery, the damages shall, subject to the
9following limitations inure, to the exclusive benefit of the
10following persons, or any one or more of them:
11    (a) to the person or persons furnishing hospitalization or
12hospital services in connection with the last illness or injury
13of the deceased person, not exceeding $450;
14    (b) to the person or persons furnishing medical or surgical
15services in connection with such last illness or injury, not
16exceeding $450;
17    (c) to the personal representatives, as such, for the costs
18and expenses of administering the estate and prosecuting or
19compromising the action, including a reasonable attorney's
20fee. In any such case the measure of damages to be recovered
21shall be the total of the reasonable value of such
22hospitalization or hospital service, medical and surgical
23services, funeral expenses, and such costs and expenses of
24administration, including attorney fees, not exceeding the
25foregoing limitations for each class of such expenses and not
26exceeding $900 plus a reasonable attorney's fee.

 

 

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1    Every such action shall be commenced within 2 years after
2the discovery of evidence indicating that a wrongful death may
3have occurred, death of such person but an action against a
4defendant arising from a crime committed by the defendant in
5whose name an escrow account was established under the
6"Criminal Victims' Escrow Account Act" shall be commenced
7within 2 years after the establishment of such account. For the
8purposes of this Section 2, next of kin includes an adopting
9parent and an adopted child, and they shall be treated as a
10natural parent and a natural child, respectively. However, if a
11person entitled to recover benefits under this Act, is, at the
12time the cause of action accrued, within the age of 18 years,
13he or she may cause such action to be brought within 2 years
14after attainment of the age of 18.
15    In any such action to recover damages, it shall not be a
16defense that the death was caused in whole or in part by the
17contributory negligence of one or more of the beneficiaries on
18behalf of whom the action is brought, but the amount of damages
19given shall be reduced in the following manner.
20    The trier of fact shall first determine the decedent's
21contributory fault in accordance with Sections 2-1116 and
222-1107.1 of the Code of Civil Procedure. Recovery of damages
23shall be barred or diminished accordingly. The trier of fact
24shall then determine the contributory fault, if any, of each
25beneficiary on behalf of whom the action was brought:
26        (1) Where the trier of fact finds that the contributory

 

 

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1    fault of a beneficiary on whose behalf the action is
2    brought is not more than 50% of the proximate cause of the
3    wrongful death of the decedent, then the damages allowed to
4    that beneficiary shall be diminished in proportion to the
5    contributory fault attributed to that beneficiary. The
6    amount of the reduction shall not be payable by any
7    defendant.
8        (2) Where the trier of fact finds that the contributory
9    fault of a beneficiary on whose behalf the action is
10    brought is more than 50% of the proximate cause of the
11    wrongful death of the decedent, then the beneficiary shall
12    be barred from recovering damages and the amount of damages
13    which would have been payable to that beneficiary, but for
14    the beneficiary's contributory fault, shall not inure to
15    the benefit of the remaining beneficiaries and shall not be
16    payable by any defendant.
17    The trial judge shall conduct a hearing to determine the
18degree of dependency of each beneficiary upon the decedent. The
19trial judge shall calculate the amount of damages to be awarded
20each beneficiary, taking into account any reduction arising
21from either the decedent's or the beneficiary's contributory
22fault.
23    This amendatory Act of the 91st General Assembly applies to
24all actions pending on or filed after the effective date of
25this amendatory Act.
26    This amendatory Act of the 95th General Assembly applies to

 

 

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1causes of actions accruing on or after its effective date.
2(Source: P.A. 95-3, eff. 5-31-07.)