Section 701.100  Reconsideration Of Denials By The Director

a)         A requestor whose request has been denied by the FOI Officer may appeal the denial to the Director of the Department.  The notice of appeal shall be in writing and sent to:

            Director

            Illinois Department of Agriculture

            State Fairgrounds

            Springfield, Illinois  62706

            ATTN:  FOIA Appeal

b)         The notice of appeal shall state why the appeal should be granted.  A copy of the original request for a copy and/or inspection of the public records and a copy of the FOI Officer's denial letter shall accompany the notice of appeal.

c)         Upon receipt of a notice of appeal containing all the information and documentation required by Section 701.100(b), the Director shall review the appeal request and respond by certified mail to the requestor within seven (7) working days.  The Director's response shall confirm the denial or state when the public records will be available for inspection or copying. The notice of denial of an appeal by the Director shall inform the requestor of the right to judicial review under Section 11 of the FOIA (Section 9(a) of the FOIA).