97TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2011 and 2012
HB3131

 

Introduced 2/23/2011, by Rep. Sandra M. Pihos

 

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
 
5 ILCS 120/2.02  from Ch. 102, par. 42.02

    Amends the Open Meetings Act. Provides that any required agenda must be sufficiently descriptive to give the public reasonable notice of the items that will be considered or will be the subject of final action at the meeting. Requires the public body conducting a public meeting to ensure that at least one copy of any requested notice and agenda for the meeting is continuously available for public review during the entire 48-hour period preceding the meeting.


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FISCAL NOTE ACT MAY APPLY

 

 

A BILL FOR

 

HB3131LRB097 10837 JDS 51320 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
5Section 2.02 as follows:
 
6    (5 ILCS 120/2.02)  (from Ch. 102, par. 42.02)
7    Sec. 2.02. Public notice of all meetings, whether open or
8closed to the public, shall be given as follows:
9    (a) Every public body shall give public notice of the
10schedule of regular meetings at the beginning of each calendar
11or fiscal year and shall state the regular dates, times, and
12places of such meetings. An agenda for each regular meeting
13shall be posted at the principal office of the public body and
14at the location where the meeting is to be held at least 48
15hours in advance of the holding of the meeting. A public body
16that has a website that the full-time staff of the public body
17maintains shall also post on its website the agenda of any
18regular meetings of the governing body of that public body. Any
19agenda of a regular meeting that is posted on a public body's
20website shall remain posted on the website until the regular
21meeting is concluded. The requirement of a regular meeting
22agenda shall not preclude the consideration of items not
23specifically set forth in the agenda. Public notice of any

 

 

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1special meeting except a meeting held in the event of a bona
2fide emergency, or of any rescheduled regular meeting, or of
3any reconvened meeting, shall be given at least 48 hours before
4such meeting, which notice shall also include the agenda for
5the special, rescheduled, or reconvened meeting, but the
6validity of any action taken by the public body which is
7germane to a subject on the agenda shall not be affected by
8other errors or omissions in the agenda. The requirement of
9public notice of reconvened meetings does not apply to any case
10where the meeting was open to the public and (1) it is to be
11reconvened within 24 hours, or (2) an announcement of the time
12and place of the reconvened meeting was made at the original
13meeting and there is no change in the agenda. Notice of an
14emergency meeting shall be given as soon as practicable, but in
15any event prior to the holding of such meeting, to any news
16medium which has filed an annual request for notice under
17subsection (b) of this Section.
18    (b) Public notice shall be given by posting a copy of the
19notice at the principal office of the body holding the meeting
20or, if no such office exists, at the building in which the
21meeting is to be held. In addition, a public body that has a
22website that the full-time staff of the public body maintains
23shall post notice on its website of all meetings of the
24governing body of the public body. Any notice of an annual
25schedule of meetings shall remain on the website until a new
26public notice of the schedule of regular meetings is approved.

 

 

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1Any notice of a regular meeting that is posted on a public
2body's website shall remain posted on the website until the
3regular meeting is concluded. The body shall supply copies of
4the notice of its regular meetings, and of the notice of any
5special, emergency, rescheduled or reconvened meeting, to any
6news medium that has filed an annual request for such notice.
7Any such news medium shall also be given the same notice of all
8special, emergency, rescheduled or reconvened meetings in the
9same manner as is given to members of the body provided such
10news medium has given the public body an address or telephone
11number within the territorial jurisdiction of the public body
12at which such notice may be given. The failure of a public body
13to post on its website notice of any meeting or the agenda of
14any meeting shall not invalidate any meeting or any actions
15taken at a meeting.
16    (c) Any agenda required under this Section shall be
17sufficiently descriptive to give the public reasonable notice
18of the items that will be considered or will be the subject of
19final action at the meeting. The body conducting a public
20meeting shall ensure that at least one copy of any requested
21notice and agenda for the meeting is continuously available for
22public review during the entire 48-hour period preceding the
23meeting.
24(Source: P.A. 94-28, eff. 1-1-06.)