Public Act 097-0579
 
HB1716 EnrolledLRB097 08394 JDS 48521 b

    AN ACT concerning government.
 
    Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
represented in the General Assembly:
 
    Section 3. The Freedom of Information Act is amended by
changing Sections 2, 6, and 9.5 and by adding Section 3.2 as
follows:
 
    (5 ILCS 140/2)  (from Ch. 116, par. 202)
    Sec. 2. Definitions. As used in this Act:
    (a) "Public body" means all legislative, executive,
administrative, or advisory bodies of the State, state
universities and colleges, counties, townships, cities,
villages, incorporated towns, school districts and all other
municipal corporations, boards, bureaus, committees, or
commissions of this State, any subsidiary bodies of any of the
foregoing including but not limited to committees and
subcommittees thereof, and a School Finance Authority created
under Article 1E of the School Code. "Public body" does not
include a child death review team or the Illinois Child Death
Review Teams Executive Council established under the Child
Death Review Team Act.
    (b) "Person" means any individual, corporation,
partnership, firm, organization or association, acting
individually or as a group.
    (c) "Public records" means all records, reports, forms,
writings, letters, memoranda, books, papers, maps,
photographs, microfilms, cards, tapes, recordings, electronic
data processing records, electronic communications, recorded
information and all other documentary materials pertaining to
the transaction of public business, regardless of physical form
or characteristics, having been prepared by or for, or having
been or being used by, received by, in the possession of, or
under the control of any public body.
    (c-5) "Private information" means unique identifiers,
including a person's social security number, driver's license
number, employee identification number, biometric identifiers,
personal financial information, passwords or other access
codes, medical records, home or personal telephone numbers, and
personal email addresses. Private information also includes
home address and personal license plates, except as otherwise
provided by law or when compiled without possibility of
attribution to any person.
    (c-10) "Commercial purpose" means the use of any part of a
public record or records, or information derived from public
records, in any form for sale, resale, or solicitation or
advertisement for sales or services. For purposes of this
definition, requests made by news media and non-profit,
scientific, or academic organizations shall not be considered
to be made for a "commercial purpose" when the principal
purpose of the request is (i) to access and disseminate
information concerning news and current or passing events, (ii)
for articles of opinion or features of interest to the public,
or (iii) for the purpose of academic, scientific, or public
research or education.
    (d) "Copying" means the reproduction of any public record
by means of any photographic, electronic, mechanical or other
process, device or means now known or hereafter developed and
available to the public body.
    (e) "Head of the public body" means the president, mayor,
chairman, presiding officer, director, superintendent,
manager, supervisor or individual otherwise holding primary
executive and administrative authority for the public body, or
such person's duly authorized designee.
    (f) "News media" means a newspaper or other periodical
issued at regular intervals whether in print or electronic
format, a news service whether in print or electronic format, a
radio station, a television station, a television network, a
community antenna television service, or a person or
corporation engaged in making news reels or other motion
picture news for public showing.
    (g) "Recurrent requester", as used in Section 3.2 of this
Act, means a person that, in the 12 months immediately
preceding the request, has submitted to the same public body
(i) a minimum of 50 requests for records, (ii) a minimum of 15
requests for records within a 30-day period, or (iii) a minimum
of 7 requests for records within a 7-day period. For purposes
of this definition, requests made by news media and non-profit,
scientific, or academic organizations shall not be considered
in calculating the number of requests made in the time periods
in this definition when the principal purpose of the requests
is (i) to access and disseminate information concerning news
and current or passing events, (ii) for articles of opinion or
features of interest to the public, or (iii) for the purpose of
academic, scientific, or public research or education.
    For the purposes of this subsection (g), "request" means a
written document (or oral request, if the public body chooses
to honor oral requests) that is submitted to a public body via
personal delivery, mail, telefax, electronic mail, or other
means available to the public body and that identifies the
particular public record the requester seeks. One request may
identify multiple records to be inspected or copied.
(Source: P.A. 96-261, eff. 1-1-10; 96-542, eff. 1-1-10;
96-1000, eff. 7-2-10.)
 
    (5 ILCS 140/3.2 new)
    Sec. 3.2. Recurrent requesters.
    (a) Nothwithstanding any provision of this Act to the
contrary, a public body shall respond to a request from a
recurrent requester, as defined in subsection (g) of Section 2,
within 21 business days after receipt. The response shall (i)
provide to the requester an estimate of the time required by
the public body to provide the records requested and an
estimate of the fees to be charged, which the public body may
require the person to pay in full before copying the requested
documents, (ii) deny the request pursuant to one or more of the
exemptions set out in this Act, (iii) notify the requester that
the request is unduly burdensome and extend an opportunity to
the requester to attempt to reduce the request to manageable
proportions, or (iv) provide the records requested.
    (b) Within 5 business days after receiving a request from a
recurrent requester, as defined in subsection (g) of Section 2,
the public body shall notify the requester (i) that the public
body is treating the request as a request under subsection (g)
of Section 2, (ii) of the reasons why the public body is
treating the request as a request under subsection (g) of
Section 2, and (iii) that the public body will send an initial
response within 21 business days after receipt in accordance
with subsection (a) of this Section. The public body shall also
notify the requester of the proposed responses that can be
asserted pursuant to subsection (a) of this Section.
    (c) Unless the records are exempt from disclosure, a public
body shall comply with a request within a reasonable period
considering the size and complexity of the request.
 
    (5 ILCS 140/6)  (from Ch. 116, par. 206)
    Sec. 6. Authority to charge fees.
    (a) When a person requests a copy of a record maintained in
an electronic format, the public body shall furnish it in the
electronic format specified by the requester, if feasible. If
it is not feasible to furnish the public records in the
specified electronic format, then the public body shall furnish
it in the format in which it is maintained by the public body,
or in paper format at the option of the requester. A public
body may charge the requester for the actual cost of purchasing
the recording medium, whether disc, diskette, tape, or other
medium. A public body may not charge the requester for the
costs of any search for and review of the records or other
personnel costs associated with reproducing the records,
except for commercial requests as provided in subsection (f) of
this Section. Except to the extent that the General Assembly
expressly provides, statutory fees applicable to copies of
public records when furnished in a paper format shall not be
applicable to those records when furnished in an electronic
format.
    (b) Except when a fee is otherwise fixed by statute, each
public body may charge fees reasonably calculated to reimburse
its actual cost for reproducing and certifying public records
and for the use, by any person, of the equipment of the public
body to copy records. No fees shall be charged for the first 50
pages of black and white, letter or legal sized copies
requested by a requester. The fee for black and white, letter
or legal sized copies shall not exceed 15 cents per page. If a
public body provides copies in color or in a size other than
letter or legal, the public body may not charge more than its
actual cost for reproducing the records. In calculating its
actual cost for reproducing records or for the use of the
equipment of the public body to reproduce records, a public
body shall not include the costs of any search for and review
of the records or other personnel costs associated with
reproducing the records, except for commercial requests as
provided in subsection (f) of this Section. Such fees shall be
imposed according to a standard scale of fees, established and
made public by the body imposing them. The cost for certifying
a record shall not exceed $1.
    (c) Documents shall be furnished without charge or at a
reduced charge, as determined by the public body, if the person
requesting the documents states the specific purpose for the
request and indicates that a waiver or reduction of the fee is
in the public interest. Waiver or reduction of the fee is in
the public interest if the principal purpose of the request is
to access and disseminate information regarding the health,
safety and welfare or the legal rights of the general public
and is not for the principal purpose of personal or commercial
benefit. For purposes of this subsection, "commercial benefit"
shall not apply to requests made by news media when the
principal purpose of the request is to access and disseminate
information regarding the health, safety, and welfare or the
legal rights of the general public. In setting the amount of
the waiver or reduction, the public body may take into
consideration the amount of materials requested and the cost of
copying them.
    (d) The imposition of a fee not consistent with subsections
(6)(a) and (b) of this Act constitutes a denial of access to
public records for the purposes of judicial review.
    (e) The fee for each abstract of a driver's record shall be
as provided in Section 6-118 of "The Illinois Vehicle Code",
approved September 29, 1969, as amended, whether furnished as a
paper copy or as an electronic copy.
    (f) A public body may charge up to $10 for each hour spent
by personnel in searching for and retrieving a requested
record. No fees shall be charged for the first 8 hours spent by
personnel in searching for or retrieving a requested record. A
public body may charge the actual cost of retrieving and
transporting public records from an off-site storage facility
when the public records are maintained by a third-party storage
company under contract with the public body. If a public body
imposes a fee pursuant to this subsection (f), it must provide
the requester with an accounting of all fees, costs, and
personnel hours in connection with the request for public
records. The provisions of this subsection (f) apply only to
commercial requests.
(Source: P.A. 96-542, eff. 1-1-10; 96-1000, eff. 7-2-10.)
 
    (5 ILCS 140/9.5)
    Sec. 9.5. Public Access Counselor; opinions.
    (a) A person whose request to inspect or copy a public
record is denied by a public body, except the General Assembly
and committees, commissions, and agencies thereof, may file a
request for review with the Public Access Counselor established
in the Office of the Attorney General not later than 60 days
after the date of the final denial. The request for review must
be in writing, signed by the requester, and include (i) a copy
of the request for access to records and (ii) any responses
from the public body.
    (b) A person whose request to inspect or copy a public
record is made for a commercial purpose as defined in
subsection (c-10) of Section 2 of this Act may not file a
request for review with the Public Access Counselor. A person
whose request to inspect or copy a public record was treated by
the public body as a request for a commercial purpose under
Section 3.1 of this Act may file a request for review with the
Public Access Counselor for the limited purpose of reviewing
whether the public body properly determined that the request
was made for a commercial purpose. A public body that receives
a request for records, and asserts that the records are exempt
under subsection (1)(c) or (1)(f) of Section 7 of this Act,
shall, within the time periods provided for responding to a
request, provide written notice to the requester and the Public
Access Counselor of its intent to deny the request in whole or
in part. The notice shall include: (i) a copy of the request
for access to records; (ii) the proposed response from the
public body; and (iii) a detailed summary of the public body's
basis for asserting the exemption. Upon receipt of a notice of
intent to deny from a public body, the Public Access Counselor
shall determine whether further inquiry is warranted. Within 5
working days after receipt of the notice of intent to deny, the
Public Access Counselor shall notify the public body and the
requester whether further inquiry is warranted. If the Public
Access Counselor determines that further inquiry is warranted,
the procedures set out in this Section regarding the review of
denials, including the production of documents, shall also be
applicable to the inquiry and resolution of a notice of intent
to deny from a public body. Times for response or compliance by
the public body under Section 3 of this Act shall be tolled
until the Public Access Counselor concludes his or her inquiry.
    (c) Upon receipt of a request for review, the Public Access
Counselor shall determine whether further action is warranted.
If the Public Access Counselor determines that the alleged
violation is unfounded, he or she shall so advise the requester
and the public body and no further action shall be undertaken.
In all other cases, the Public Access Counselor shall forward a
copy of the request for review to the public body within 7
business working days after receipt and shall specify the
records or other documents that the public body shall furnish
to facilitate the review. Within 7 business working days after
receipt of the request for review, the public body shall
provide copies of records requested and shall otherwise fully
cooperate with the Public Access Counselor. If a public body
fails to furnish specified records pursuant to this Section, or
if otherwise necessary, the Attorney General may issue a
subpoena to any person or public body having knowledge of or
records pertaining to a request for review of a denial of
access to records under the Act. To the extent that records or
documents produced by a public body contain information that is
claimed to be exempt from disclosure under Section 7 of this
Act, the Public Access Counselor shall not further disclose
that information.
    (d) Within 7 business working days after it receives a copy
of a request for review and request for production of records
from the Public Access Counselor, the public body may, but is
not required to, answer the allegations of the request for
review. The answer may take the form of a letter, brief, or
memorandum. The Public Access Counselor shall forward a copy of
the answer to the person submitting the request for review,
with any alleged confidential information to which the request
pertains redacted from the copy. The requester may, but is not
required to, respond in writing to the answer within 7 business
working days and shall provide a copy of the response to the
public body.
    (e) In addition to the request for review, and the answer
and the response thereto, if any, a requester or a public body
may furnish affidavits or records concerning any matter germane
to the review.
    (f) Unless the Public Access Counselor extends the time by
no more than 30 21 business days by sending written notice to
the requester and the public body that includes a statement of
the reasons for the extension in the notice, or decides to
address the matter without the issuance of a binding opinion,
the Attorney General shall examine the issues and the records,
shall make findings of fact and conclusions of law, and shall
issue to the requester and the public body an opinion in
response to the request for review within 60 days after its
receipt. The opinion shall be binding upon both the requester
and the public body, subject to administrative review under
Section 11.5.
    In responding to any request under this Section 9.5, the
Attorney General may exercise his or her discretion and choose
to resolve a request for review by mediation or by a means
other than the issuance of a binding opinion. The decision not
to issue a binding opinion shall not be reviewable.
    Upon receipt of a binding opinion concluding that a
violation of this Act has occurred, the public body shall
either take necessary action immediately to comply with the
directive of the opinion or shall initiate administrative
review under Section 11.5. If the opinion concludes that no
violation of the Act has occurred, the requester may initiate
administrative review under Section 11.5.
    A public body that discloses records in accordance with an
opinion of the Attorney General is immune from all liabilities
by reason thereof and shall not be liable for penalties under
this Act.
    (g) If the requester files suit under Section 11 with
respect to the same denial that is the subject of a pending
request for review, the requester shall notify the Public
Access Counselor, and the Public Access Counselor shall take no
further action with respect to the request for review and shall
so notify the public body.
    (h) The Attorney General may also issue advisory opinions
to public bodies regarding compliance with this Act. A review
may be initiated upon receipt of a written request from the
head of the public body or its attorney, which shall contain
sufficient accurate facts from which a determination can be
made. The Public Access Counselor may request additional
information from the public body in order to assist in the
review. A public body that relies in good faith on an advisory
opinion of the Attorney General in responding to a request is
not liable for penalties under this Act, so long as the facts
upon which the opinion is based have been fully and fairly
disclosed to the Public Access Counselor.
(Source: P.A. 96-542, eff. 1-1-10.)
 
    Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon
becoming law.