Illinois 2025-2026 Regular Session

Illinois House Bill HB1855 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

Old	New	Differences
1	1	104TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY State of Illinois 2025 and 2026 HB1855 Introduced , by Rep. Curtis J. Tarver, II SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED: 5 ILCS 140/2 from Ch. 116, par. 2025 ILCS 140/75 ILCS 140/9.5 Amends the Freedom of Information Act. Provides that, for purposes of the Act, "public body" includes the judicial branch and components of the judicial branch of the State. Exempts records that pertain to the preparation of judicial opinions and orders. Excludes denials of requests of records from the judicial branch or components of the judicial branch from the jurisdiction of the Public Access Counselor. LRB104 08926 BDA 18981 b A BILL FOR 104TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY State of Illinois 2025 and 2026 HB1855 Introduced , by Rep. Curtis J. Tarver, II SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED: 5 ILCS 140/2 from Ch. 116, par. 2025 ILCS 140/75 ILCS 140/9.5 5 ILCS 140/2 from Ch. 116, par. 202 5 ILCS 140/7 5 ILCS 140/9.5 Amends the Freedom of Information Act. Provides that, for purposes of the Act, "public body" includes the judicial branch and components of the judicial branch of the State. Exempts records that pertain to the preparation of judicial opinions and orders. Excludes denials of requests of records from the judicial branch or components of the judicial branch from the jurisdiction of the Public Access Counselor. LRB104 08926 BDA 18981 b LRB104 08926 BDA 18981 b A BILL FOR
2	2	104TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY State of Illinois 2025 and 2026 HB1855 Introduced , by Rep. Curtis J. Tarver, II SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
3	3	5 ILCS 140/2 from Ch. 116, par. 2025 ILCS 140/75 ILCS 140/9.5 5 ILCS 140/2 from Ch. 116, par. 202 5 ILCS 140/7 5 ILCS 140/9.5
4	4	5 ILCS 140/2 from Ch. 116, par. 202
5	5	5 ILCS 140/7
6	6	5 ILCS 140/9.5
7	7	Amends the Freedom of Information Act. Provides that, for purposes of the Act, "public body" includes the judicial branch and components of the judicial branch of the State. Exempts records that pertain to the preparation of judicial opinions and orders. Excludes denials of requests of records from the judicial branch or components of the judicial branch from the jurisdiction of the Public Access Counselor.
8	8	LRB104 08926 BDA 18981 b LRB104 08926 BDA 18981 b
9	9	LRB104 08926 BDA 18981 b
10	10	A BILL FOR
11	11	HB1855LRB104 08926 BDA 18981 b HB1855 LRB104 08926 BDA 18981 b
12	12	HB1855 LRB104 08926 BDA 18981 b
13	13	1 AN ACT concerning government.
14	14	2 Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
15	15	3 represented in the General Assembly:
16	16	4 Section 5. The Freedom of Information Act is amended by
17	17	5 changing Sections 2, 7, and 9.5 as follows:
18	18	6 (5 ILCS 140/2) (from Ch. 116, par. 202)
19	19	7 Sec. 2. Definitions. As used in this Act:
20	20	8 (a) "Public body" means all legislative, executive,
21	21	9 judicial branch, components of the judicial branch,
22	22	10 administrative, or advisory bodies of the State, state
23	23	11 universities and colleges, counties, townships, cities,
24	24	12 villages, incorporated towns, school districts and all other
25	25	13 municipal corporations, boards, bureaus, committees, or
26	26	14 commissions of this State, any subsidiary bodies of any of the
27	27	15 foregoing including but not limited to committees and
28	28	16 subcommittees thereof, and a School Finance Authority created
29	29	17 under Article 1E of the School Code. "Public body" does not
30	30	18 include a child death review team or the Illinois Child Death
31	31	19 Review Teams Executive Council established under the Child
32	32	20 Death Review Team Act, or a regional youth advisory board or
33	33	21 the Statewide Youth Advisory Board established under the
34	34	22 Department of Children and Family Services Statewide Youth
35	35	23 Advisory Board Act.
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39	39	104TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY State of Illinois 2025 and 2026 HB1855 Introduced , by Rep. Curtis J. Tarver, II SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
40	40	5 ILCS 140/2 from Ch. 116, par. 2025 ILCS 140/75 ILCS 140/9.5 5 ILCS 140/2 from Ch. 116, par. 202 5 ILCS 140/7 5 ILCS 140/9.5
41	41	5 ILCS 140/2 from Ch. 116, par. 202
42	42	5 ILCS 140/7
43	43	5 ILCS 140/9.5
44	44	Amends the Freedom of Information Act. Provides that, for purposes of the Act, "public body" includes the judicial branch and components of the judicial branch of the State. Exempts records that pertain to the preparation of judicial opinions and orders. Excludes denials of requests of records from the judicial branch or components of the judicial branch from the jurisdiction of the Public Access Counselor.
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47	47	A BILL FOR
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53	53	5 ILCS 140/2 from Ch. 116, par. 202
54	54	5 ILCS 140/7
55	55	5 ILCS 140/9.5
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74	74	1 (b) "Person" means any individual, corporation,
75	75	2 partnership, firm, organization or association, acting
76	76	3 individually or as a group.
77	77	4 (c) "Public records" means all records, reports, forms,
78	78	5 writings, letters, memoranda, books, papers, maps,
79	79	6 photographs, microfilms, cards, tapes, recordings, electronic
80	80	7 data processing records, electronic communications, recorded
81	81	8 information and all other documentary materials pertaining to
82	82	9 the transaction of public business, regardless of physical
83	83	10 form or characteristics, having been prepared by or for, or
84	84	11 having been or being used by, received by, in the possession
85	85	12 of, or under the control of any public body.
86	86	13 (c-5) "Private information" means unique identifiers,
87	87	14 including a person's social security number, driver's license
88	88	15 number, employee identification number, biometric identifiers,
89	89	16 personal financial information, passwords or other access
90	90	17 codes, medical records, home or personal telephone numbers,
91	91	18 and personal email addresses. Private information also
92	92	19 includes home address and personal license plates, except as
93	93	20 otherwise provided by law or when compiled without possibility
94	94	21 of attribution to any person. For a public body that is a
95	95	22 HIPAA-covered entity, "private information" includes
96	96	23 electronic medical records and all information, including
97	97	24 demographic information, contained within or extracted from an
98	98	25 electronic medical records system operated or maintained by
99	99	26 the public body in compliance with State and federal medical
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110	110	1 privacy laws and regulations, including, but not limited to,
111	111	2 the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act and
112	112	3 its regulations, 45 CFR Parts 160 and 164. As used in this
113	113	4 subsection, "HIPAA-covered entity" has the meaning given to
114	114	5 the term "covered entity" in 45 CFR 160.103.
115	115	6 (c-10) "Commercial purpose" means the use of any part of a
116	116	7 public record or records, or information derived from public
117	117	8 records, in any form for sale, resale, or solicitation or
118	118	9 advertisement for sales or services. For purposes of this
119	119	10 definition, requests made by news media and non-profit,
120	120	11 scientific, or academic organizations shall not be considered
121	121	12 to be made for a "commercial purpose" when the principal
122	122	13 purpose of the request is (i) to access and disseminate
123	123	14 information concerning news and current or passing events,
124	124	15 (ii) for articles of opinion or features of interest to the
125	125	16 public, or (iii) for the purpose of academic, scientific, or
126	126	17 public research or education.
127	127	18 (d) "Copying" means the reproduction of any public record
128	128	19 by means of any photographic, electronic, mechanical or other
129	129	20 process, device or means now known or hereafter developed and
130	130	21 available to the public body.
131	131	22 (e) "Head of the public body" means the president, mayor,
132	132	23 chairman, presiding officer, director, superintendent,
133	133	24 manager, supervisor or individual otherwise holding primary
134	134	25 executive and administrative authority for the public body, or
135	135	26 such person's duly authorized designee.
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146	146	1 (f) "News media" means a newspaper or other periodical
147	147	2 issued at regular intervals whether in print or electronic
148	148	3 format, a news service whether in print or electronic format,
149	149	4 a radio station, a television station, a television network, a
150	150	5 community antenna television service, or a person or
151	151	6 corporation engaged in making news reels or other motion
152	152	7 picture news for public showing.
153	153	8 (g) "Recurrent requester", as used in Section 3.2 of this
154	154	9 Act, means a person that, in the 12 months immediately
155	155	10 preceding the request, has submitted to the same public body
156	156	11 (i) a minimum of 50 requests for records, (ii) a minimum of 15
157	157	12 requests for records within a 30-day period, or (iii) a
158	158	13 minimum of 7 requests for records within a 7-day period. For
159	159	14 purposes of this definition, requests made by news media and
160	160	15 non-profit, scientific, or academic organizations shall not be
161	161	16 considered in calculating the number of requests made in the
162	162	17 time periods in this definition when the principal purpose of
163	163	18 the requests is (i) to access and disseminate information
164	164	19 concerning news and current or passing events, (ii) for
165	165	20 articles of opinion or features of interest to the public, or
166	166	21 (iii) for the purpose of academic, scientific, or public
167	167	22 research or education.
168	168	23 For the purposes of this subsection (g), "request" means a
169	169	24 written document (or oral request, if the public body chooses
170	170	25 to honor oral requests) that is submitted to a public body via
171	171	26 personal delivery, mail, telefax, electronic mail, or other
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182	182	1 means available to the public body and that identifies the
183	183	2 particular public record the requester seeks. One request may
184	184	3 identify multiple records to be inspected or copied.
185	185	4 (h) "Voluminous request" means a request that: (i)
186	186	5 includes more than 5 individual requests for more than 5
187	187	6 different categories of records or a combination of individual
188	188	7 requests that total requests for more than 5 different
189	189	8 categories of records in a period of 20 business days; or (ii)
190	190	9 requires the compilation of more than 500 letter or
191	191	10 legal-sized pages of public records unless a single requested
192	192	11 record exceeds 500 pages. "Single requested record" may
193	193	12 include, but is not limited to, one report, form, e-mail,
194	194	13 letter, memorandum, book, map, microfilm, tape, or recording.
195	195	14 "Voluminous request" does not include a request made by
196	196	15 news media and non-profit, scientific, or academic
197	197	16 organizations if the principal purpose of the request is: (1)
198	198	17 to access and disseminate information concerning news and
199	199	18 current or passing events; (2) for articles of opinion or
200	200	19 features of interest to the public; or (3) for the purpose of
201	201	20 academic, scientific, or public research or education.
202	202	21 For the purposes of this subsection (h), "request" means a
203	203	22 written document, or oral request, if the public body chooses
204	204	23 to honor oral requests, that is submitted to a public body via
205	205	24 personal delivery, mail, telefax, electronic mail, or other
206	206	25 means available to the public body and that identifies the
207	207	26 particular public record or records the requester seeks. One
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218	218	1 request may identify multiple individual records to be
219	219	2 inspected or copied.
220	220	3 (i) "Severance agreement" means a mutual agreement between
221	221	4 any public body and its employee for the employee's
222	222	5 resignation in exchange for payment by the public body.
223	223	6 (Source: P.A. 103-554, eff. 1-1-24.)
224	224	7 (5 ILCS 140/7)
225	225	8 Sec. 7. Exemptions.
226	226	9 (1) When a request is made to inspect or copy a public
227	227	10 record that contains information that is exempt from
228	228	11 disclosure under this Section, but also contains information
229	229	12 that is not exempt from disclosure, the public body may elect
230	230	13 to redact the information that is exempt. The public body
231	231	14 shall make the remaining information available for inspection
232	232	15 and copying. Subject to this requirement, the following shall
233	233	16 be exempt from inspection and copying:
234	234	17 (a) Information specifically prohibited from
235	235	18 disclosure by federal or State law or rules and
236	236	19 regulations implementing federal or State law.
237	237	20 (b) Private information, unless disclosure is required
238	238	21 by another provision of this Act, a State or federal law,
239	239	22 or a court order.
240	240	23 (b-5) Files, documents, and other data or databases
241	241	24 maintained by one or more law enforcement agencies and
242	242	25 specifically designed to provide information to one or
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253	253	1 more law enforcement agencies regarding the physical or
254	254	2 mental status of one or more individual subjects.
255	255	3 (c) Personal information contained within public
256	256	4 records, the disclosure of which would constitute a
257	257	5 clearly unwarranted invasion of personal privacy, unless
258	258	6 the disclosure is consented to in writing by the
259	259	7 individual subjects of the information. "Unwarranted
260	260	8 invasion of personal privacy" means the disclosure of
261	261	9 information that is highly personal or objectionable to a
262	262	10 reasonable person and in which the subject's right to
263	263	11 privacy outweighs any legitimate public interest in
264	264	12 obtaining the information. The disclosure of information
265	265	13 that bears on the public duties of public employees and
266	266	14 officials shall not be considered an invasion of personal
267	267	15 privacy.
268	268	16 (d) Records in the possession of any public body
269	269	17 created in the course of administrative enforcement
270	270	18 proceedings, and any law enforcement or correctional
271	271	19 agency for law enforcement purposes, but only to the
272	272	20 extent that disclosure would:
273	273	21 (i) interfere with pending or actually and
274	274	22 reasonably contemplated law enforcement proceedings
275	275	23 conducted by any law enforcement or correctional
276	276	24 agency that is the recipient of the request;
277	277	25 (ii) interfere with active administrative
278	278	26 enforcement proceedings conducted by the public body
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289	289	1 that is the recipient of the request;
290	290	2 (iii) create a substantial likelihood that a
291	291	3 person will be deprived of a fair trial or an impartial
292	292	4 hearing;
293	293	5 (iv) unavoidably disclose the identity of a
294	294	6 confidential source, confidential information
295	295	7 furnished only by the confidential source, or persons
296	296	8 who file complaints with or provide information to
297	297	9 administrative, investigative, law enforcement, or
298	298	10 penal agencies; except that the identities of
299	299	11 witnesses to traffic crashes, traffic crash reports,
300	300	12 and rescue reports shall be provided by agencies of
301	301	13 local government, except when disclosure would
302	302	14 interfere with an active criminal investigation
303	303	15 conducted by the agency that is the recipient of the
304	304	16 request;
305	305	17 (v) disclose unique or specialized investigative
306	306	18 techniques other than those generally used and known
307	307	19 or disclose internal documents of correctional
308	308	20 agencies related to detection, observation, or
309	309	21 investigation of incidents of crime or misconduct, and
310	310	22 disclosure would result in demonstrable harm to the
311	311	23 agency or public body that is the recipient of the
312	312	24 request;
313	313	25 (vi) endanger the life or physical safety of law
314	314	26 enforcement personnel or any other person; or
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325	325	1 (vii) obstruct an ongoing criminal investigation
326	326	2 by the agency that is the recipient of the request.
327	327	3 (d-5) A law enforcement record created for law
328	328	4 enforcement purposes and contained in a shared electronic
329	329	5 record management system if the law enforcement agency
330	330	6 that is the recipient of the request did not create the
331	331	7 record, did not participate in or have a role in any of the
332	332	8 events which are the subject of the record, and only has
333	333	9 access to the record through the shared electronic record
334	334	10 management system.
335	335	11 (d-6) Records contained in the Officer Professional
336	336	12 Conduct Database under Section 9.2 of the Illinois Police
337	337	13 Training Act, except to the extent authorized under that
338	338	14 Section. This includes the documents supplied to the
339	339	15 Illinois Law Enforcement Training Standards Board from the
340	340	16 Illinois State Police and Illinois State Police Merit
341	341	17 Board.
342	342	18 (d-7) Information gathered or records created from the
343	343	19 use of automatic license plate readers in connection with
344	344	20 Section 2-130 of the Illinois Vehicle Code.
345	345	21 (e) Records that relate to or affect the security of
346	346	22 correctional institutions and detention facilities.
347	347	23 (e-5) Records requested by persons committed to the
348	348	24 Department of Corrections, Department of Human Services
349	349	25 Division of Mental Health, or a county jail if those
350	350	26 materials are available in the library of the correctional
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361	361	1 institution or facility or jail where the inmate is
362	362	2 confined.
363	363	3 (e-6) Records requested by persons committed to the
364	364	4 Department of Corrections, Department of Human Services
365	365	5 Division of Mental Health, or a county jail if those
366	366	6 materials include records from staff members' personnel
367	367	7 files, staff rosters, or other staffing assignment
368	368	8 information.
369	369	9 (e-7) Records requested by persons committed to the
370	370	10 Department of Corrections or Department of Human Services
371	371	11 Division of Mental Health if those materials are available
372	372	12 through an administrative request to the Department of
373	373	13 Corrections or Department of Human Services Division of
374	374	14 Mental Health.
375	375	15 (e-8) Records requested by a person committed to the
376	376	16 Department of Corrections, Department of Human Services
377	377	17 Division of Mental Health, or a county jail, the
378	378	18 disclosure of which would result in the risk of harm to any
379	379	19 person or the risk of an escape from a jail or correctional
380	380	20 institution or facility.
381	381	21 (e-9) Records requested by a person in a county jail
382	382	22 or committed to the Department of Corrections or
383	383	23 Department of Human Services Division of Mental Health,
384	384	24 containing personal information pertaining to the person's
385	385	25 victim or the victim's family, including, but not limited
386	386	26 to, a victim's home address, home telephone number, work
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397	397	1 or school address, work telephone number, social security
398	398	2 number, or any other identifying information, except as
399	399	3 may be relevant to a requester's current or potential case
400	400	4 or claim.
401	401	5 (e-10) Law enforcement records of other persons
402	402	6 requested by a person committed to the Department of
403	403	7 Corrections, Department of Human Services Division of
404	404	8 Mental Health, or a county jail, including, but not
405	405	9 limited to, arrest and booking records, mug shots, and
406	406	10 crime scene photographs, except as these records may be
407	407	11 relevant to the requester's current or potential case or
408	408	12 claim.
409	409	13 (f) Preliminary drafts, notes, recommendations,
410	410	14 memoranda, and other records in which opinions are
411	411	15 expressed, or policies or actions are formulated, except
412	412	16 that a specific record or relevant portion of a record
413	413	17 shall not be exempt when the record is publicly cited and
414	414	18 identified by the head of the public body. The exemption
415	415	19 provided in this paragraph (f) extends to all those
416	416	20 records of officers and agencies of the General Assembly
417	417	21 that pertain to the preparation of legislative documents
418	418	22 and to all those records that pertain to the preparation
419	419	23 of judicial opinions and orders.
420	420	24 (g) Trade secrets and commercial or financial
421	421	25 information obtained from a person or business where the
422	422	26 trade secrets or commercial or financial information are
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433	433	1 furnished under a claim that they are proprietary,
434	434	2 privileged, or confidential, and that disclosure of the
435	435	3 trade secrets or commercial or financial information would
436	436	4 cause competitive harm to the person or business, and only
437	437	5 insofar as the claim directly applies to the records
438	438	6 requested.
439	439	7 The information included under this exemption includes
440	440	8 all trade secrets and commercial or financial information
441	441	9 obtained by a public body, including a public pension
442	442	10 fund, from a private equity fund or a privately held
443	443	11 company within the investment portfolio of a private
444	444	12 equity fund as a result of either investing or evaluating
445	445	13 a potential investment of public funds in a private equity
446	446	14 fund. The exemption contained in this item does not apply
447	447	15 to the aggregate financial performance information of a
448	448	16 private equity fund, nor to the identity of the fund's
449	449	17 managers or general partners. The exemption contained in
450	450	18 this item does not apply to the identity of a privately
451	451	19 held company within the investment portfolio of a private
452	452	20 equity fund, unless the disclosure of the identity of a
453	453	21 privately held company may cause competitive harm.
454	454	22 Nothing contained in this paragraph (g) shall be
455	455	23 construed to prevent a person or business from consenting
456	456	24 to disclosure.
457	457	25 (h) Proposals and bids for any contract, grant, or
458	458	26 agreement, including information which if it were
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469	469	1 disclosed would frustrate procurement or give an advantage
470	470	2 to any person proposing to enter into a contractor
471	471	3 agreement with the body, until an award or final selection
472	472	4 is made. Information prepared by or for the body in
473	473	5 preparation of a bid solicitation shall be exempt until an
474	474	6 award or final selection is made.
475	475	7 (i) Valuable formulae, computer geographic systems,
476	476	8 designs, drawings, and research data obtained or produced
477	477	9 by any public body when disclosure could reasonably be
478	478	10 expected to produce private gain or public loss. The
479	479	11 exemption for "computer geographic systems" provided in
480	480	12 this paragraph (i) does not extend to requests made by
481	481	13 news media as defined in Section 2 of this Act when the
482	482	14 requested information is not otherwise exempt and the only
483	483	15 purpose of the request is to access and disseminate
484	484	16 information regarding the health, safety, welfare, or
485	485	17 legal rights of the general public.
486	486	18 (j) The following information pertaining to
487	487	19 educational matters:
488	488	20 (i) test questions, scoring keys, and other
489	489	21 examination data used to administer an academic
490	490	22 examination;
491	491	23 (ii) information received by a primary or
492	492	24 secondary school, college, or university under its
493	493	25 procedures for the evaluation of faculty members by
494	494	26 their academic peers;
495	495
496	496
497	497
498	498
499	499
500	500	HB1855 - 13 - LRB104 08926 BDA 18981 b
501	501
502	502
503	503	HB1855- 14 -LRB104 08926 BDA 18981 b HB1855 - 14 - LRB104 08926 BDA 18981 b
504	504	HB1855 - 14 - LRB104 08926 BDA 18981 b
505	505	1 (iii) information concerning a school or
506	506	2 university's adjudication of student disciplinary
507	507	3 cases, but only to the extent that disclosure would
508	508	4 unavoidably reveal the identity of the student; and
509	509	5 (iv) course materials or research materials used
510	510	6 by faculty members.
511	511	7 (k) Architects' plans, engineers' technical
512	512	8 submissions, and other construction related technical
513	513	9 documents for projects not constructed or developed in
514	514	10 whole or in part with public funds and the same for
515	515	11 projects constructed or developed with public funds,
516	516	12 including, but not limited to, power generating and
517	517	13 distribution stations and other transmission and
518	518	14 distribution facilities, water treatment facilities,
519	519	15 airport facilities, sport stadiums, convention centers,
520	520	16 and all government owned, operated, or occupied buildings,
521	521	17 but only to the extent that disclosure would compromise
522	522	18 security.
523	523	19 (l) Minutes of meetings of public bodies closed to the
524	524	20 public as provided in the Open Meetings Act until the
525	525	21 public body makes the minutes available to the public
526	526	22 under Section 2.06 of the Open Meetings Act.
527	527	23 (m) Communications between a public body and an
528	528	24 attorney or auditor representing the public body that
529	529	25 would not be subject to discovery in litigation, and
530	530	26 materials prepared or compiled by or for a public body in
531	531
532	532
533	533
534	534
535	535
536	536	HB1855 - 14 - LRB104 08926 BDA 18981 b
537	537
538	538
539	539	HB1855- 15 -LRB104 08926 BDA 18981 b HB1855 - 15 - LRB104 08926 BDA 18981 b
540	540	HB1855 - 15 - LRB104 08926 BDA 18981 b
541	541	1 anticipation of a criminal, civil, or administrative
542	542	2 proceeding upon the request of an attorney advising the
543	543	3 public body, and materials prepared or compiled with
544	544	4 respect to internal audits of public bodies.
545	545	5 (n) Records relating to a public body's adjudication
546	546	6 of employee grievances or disciplinary cases; however,
547	547	7 this exemption shall not extend to the final outcome of
548	548	8 cases in which discipline is imposed.
549	549	9 (o) Administrative or technical information associated
550	550	10 with automated data processing operations, including, but
551	551	11 not limited to, software, operating protocols, computer
552	552	12 program abstracts, file layouts, source listings, object
553	553	13 modules, load modules, user guides, documentation
554	554	14 pertaining to all logical and physical design of
555	555	15 computerized systems, employee manuals, and any other
556	556	16 information that, if disclosed, would jeopardize the
557	557	17 security of the system or its data or the security of
558	558	18 materials exempt under this Section.
559	559	19 (p) Records relating to collective negotiating matters
560	560	20 between public bodies and their employees or
561	561	21 representatives, except that any final contract or
562	562	22 agreement shall be subject to inspection and copying.
563	563	23 (q) Test questions, scoring keys, and other
564	564	24 examination data used to determine the qualifications of
565	565	25 an applicant for a license or employment.
566	566	26 (r) The records, documents, and information relating
567	567
568	568
569	569
570	570
571	571
572	572	HB1855 - 15 - LRB104 08926 BDA 18981 b
573	573
574	574
575	575	HB1855- 16 -LRB104 08926 BDA 18981 b HB1855 - 16 - LRB104 08926 BDA 18981 b
576	576	HB1855 - 16 - LRB104 08926 BDA 18981 b
577	577	1 to real estate purchase negotiations until those
578	578	2 negotiations have been completed or otherwise terminated.
579	579	3 With regard to a parcel involved in a pending or actually
580	580	4 and reasonably contemplated eminent domain proceeding
581	581	5 under the Eminent Domain Act, records, documents, and
582	582	6 information relating to that parcel shall be exempt except
583	583	7 as may be allowed under discovery rules adopted by the
584	584	8 Illinois Supreme Court. The records, documents, and
585	585	9 information relating to a real estate sale shall be exempt
586	586	10 until a sale is consummated.
587	587	11 (s) Any and all proprietary information and records
588	588	12 related to the operation of an intergovernmental risk
589	589	13 management association or self-insurance pool or jointly
590	590	14 self-administered health and accident cooperative or pool.
591	591	15 Insurance or self-insurance (including any
592	592	16 intergovernmental risk management association or
593	593	17 self-insurance pool) claims, loss or risk management
594	594	18 information, records, data, advice, or communications.
595	595	19 (t) Information contained in or related to
596	596	20 examination, operating, or condition reports prepared by,
597	597	21 on behalf of, or for the use of a public body responsible
598	598	22 for the regulation or supervision of financial
599	599	23 institutions, insurance companies, or pharmacy benefit
600	600	24 managers, unless disclosure is otherwise required by State
601	601	25 law.
602	602	26 (u) Information that would disclose or might lead to
603	603
604	604
605	605
606	606
607	607
608	608	HB1855 - 16 - LRB104 08926 BDA 18981 b
609	609
610	610
611	611	HB1855- 17 -LRB104 08926 BDA 18981 b HB1855 - 17 - LRB104 08926 BDA 18981 b
612	612	HB1855 - 17 - LRB104 08926 BDA 18981 b
613	613	1 the disclosure of secret or confidential information,
614	614	2 codes, algorithms, programs, or private keys intended to
615	615	3 be used to create electronic signatures under the Uniform
616	616	4 Electronic Transactions Act.
617	617	5 (v) Vulnerability assessments, security measures, and
618	618	6 response policies or plans that are designed to identify,
619	619	7 prevent, or respond to potential attacks upon a
620	620	8 community's population or systems, facilities, or
621	621	9 installations, but only to the extent that disclosure
622	622	10 could reasonably be expected to expose the vulnerability
623	623	11 or jeopardize the effectiveness of the measures, policies,
624	624	12 or plans, or the safety of the personnel who implement
625	625	13 them or the public. Information exempt under this item may
626	626	14 include such things as details pertaining to the
627	627	15 mobilization or deployment of personnel or equipment, to
628	628	16 the operation of communication systems or protocols, to
629	629	17 cybersecurity vulnerabilities, or to tactical operations.
630	630	18 (w) (Blank).
631	631	19 (x) Maps and other records regarding the location or
632	632	20 security of generation, transmission, distribution,
633	633	21 storage, gathering, treatment, or switching facilities
634	634	22 owned by a utility, by a power generator, or by the
635	635	23 Illinois Power Agency.
636	636	24 (y) Information contained in or related to proposals,
637	637	25 bids, or negotiations related to electric power
638	638	26 procurement under Section 1-75 of the Illinois Power
639	639
640	640
641	641
642	642
643	643
644	644	HB1855 - 17 - LRB104 08926 BDA 18981 b
645	645
646	646
647	647	HB1855- 18 -LRB104 08926 BDA 18981 b HB1855 - 18 - LRB104 08926 BDA 18981 b
648	648	HB1855 - 18 - LRB104 08926 BDA 18981 b
649	649	1 Agency Act and Section 16-111.5 of the Public Utilities
650	650	2 Act that is determined to be confidential and proprietary
651	651	3 by the Illinois Power Agency or by the Illinois Commerce
652	652	4 Commission.
653	653	5 (z) Information about students exempted from
654	654	6 disclosure under Section 10-20.38 or 34-18.29 of the
655	655	7 School Code, and information about undergraduate students
656	656	8 enrolled at an institution of higher education exempted
657	657	9 from disclosure under Section 25 of the Illinois Credit
658	658	10 Card Marketing Act of 2009.
659	659	11 (aa) Information the disclosure of which is exempted
660	660	12 under the Viatical Settlements Act of 2009.
661	661	13 (bb) Records and information provided to a mortality
662	662	14 review team and records maintained by a mortality review
663	663	15 team appointed under the Department of Juvenile Justice
664	664	16 Mortality Review Team Act.
665	665	17 (cc) Information regarding interments, entombments, or
666	666	18 inurnments of human remains that are submitted to the
667	667	19 Cemetery Oversight Database under the Cemetery Care Act or
668	668	20 the Cemetery Oversight Act, whichever is applicable.
669	669	21 (dd) Correspondence and records (i) that may not be
670	670	22 disclosed under Section 11-9 of the Illinois Public Aid
671	671	23 Code or (ii) that pertain to appeals under Section 11-8 of
672	672	24 the Illinois Public Aid Code.
673	673	25 (ee) The names, addresses, or other personal
674	674	26 information of persons who are minors and are also
675	675
676	676
677	677
678	678
679	679
680	680	HB1855 - 18 - LRB104 08926 BDA 18981 b
681	681
682	682
683	683	HB1855- 19 -LRB104 08926 BDA 18981 b HB1855 - 19 - LRB104 08926 BDA 18981 b
684	684	HB1855 - 19 - LRB104 08926 BDA 18981 b
685	685	1 participants and registrants in programs of park
686	686	2 districts, forest preserve districts, conservation
687	687	3 districts, recreation agencies, and special recreation
688	688	4 associations.
689	689	5 (ff) The names, addresses, or other personal
690	690	6 information of participants and registrants in programs of
691	691	7 park districts, forest preserve districts, conservation
692	692	8 districts, recreation agencies, and special recreation
693	693	9 associations where such programs are targeted primarily to
694	694	10 minors.
695	695	11 (gg) Confidential information described in Section
696	696	12 1-100 of the Illinois Independent Tax Tribunal Act of
697	697	13 2012.
698	698	14 (hh) The report submitted to the State Board of
699	699	15 Education by the School Security and Standards Task Force
700	700	16 under item (8) of subsection (d) of Section 2-3.160 of the
701	701	17 School Code and any information contained in that report.
702	702	18 (ii) Records requested by persons committed to or
703	703	19 detained by the Department of Human Services under the
704	704	20 Sexually Violent Persons Commitment Act or committed to
705	705	21 the Department of Corrections under the Sexually Dangerous
706	706	22 Persons Act if those materials: (i) are available in the
707	707	23 library of the facility where the individual is confined;
708	708	24 (ii) include records from staff members' personnel files,
709	709	25 staff rosters, or other staffing assignment information;
710	710	26 or (iii) are available through an administrative request
711	711
712	712
713	713
714	714
715	715
716	716	HB1855 - 19 - LRB104 08926 BDA 18981 b
717	717
718	718
719	719	HB1855- 20 -LRB104 08926 BDA 18981 b HB1855 - 20 - LRB104 08926 BDA 18981 b
720	720	HB1855 - 20 - LRB104 08926 BDA 18981 b
721	721	1 to the Department of Human Services or the Department of
722	722	2 Corrections.
723	723	3 (jj) Confidential information described in Section
724	724	4 5-535 of the Civil Administrative Code of Illinois.
725	725	5 (kk) The public body's credit card numbers, debit card
726	726	6 numbers, bank account numbers, Federal Employer
727	727	7 Identification Number, security code numbers, passwords,
728	728	8 and similar account information, the disclosure of which
729	729	9 could result in identity theft or impression or defrauding
730	730	10 of a governmental entity or a person.
731	731	11 (ll) Records concerning the work of the threat
732	732	12 assessment team of a school district, including, but not
733	733	13 limited to, any threat assessment procedure under the
734	734	14 School Safety Drill Act and any information contained in
735	735	15 the procedure.
736	736	16 (mm) Information prohibited from being disclosed under
737	737	17 subsections (a) and (b) of Section 15 of the Student
738	738	18 Confidential Reporting Act.
739	739	19 (nn) Proprietary information submitted to the
740	740	20 Environmental Protection Agency under the Drug Take-Back
741	741	21 Act.
742	742	22 (oo) Records described in subsection (f) of Section
743	743	23 3-5-1 of the Unified Code of Corrections.
744	744	24 (pp) Any and all information regarding burials,
745	745	25 interments, or entombments of human remains as required to
746	746	26 be reported to the Department of Natural Resources
747	747
748	748
749	749
750	750
751	751
752	752	HB1855 - 20 - LRB104 08926 BDA 18981 b
753	753
754	754
755	755	HB1855- 21 -LRB104 08926 BDA 18981 b HB1855 - 21 - LRB104 08926 BDA 18981 b
756	756	HB1855 - 21 - LRB104 08926 BDA 18981 b
757	757	1 pursuant either to the Archaeological and Paleontological
758	758	2 Resources Protection Act or the Human Remains Protection
759	759	3 Act.
760	760	4 (qq) Reports described in subsection (e) of Section
761	761	5 16-15 of the Abortion Care Clinical Training Program Act.
762	762	6 (rr) Information obtained by a certified local health
763	763	7 department under the Access to Public Health Data Act.
764	764	8 (ss) For a request directed to a public body that is
765	765	9 also a HIPAA-covered entity, all information that is
766	766	10 protected health information, including demographic
767	767	11 information, that may be contained within or extracted
768	768	12 from any record held by the public body in compliance with
769	769	13 State and federal medical privacy laws and regulations,
770	770	14 including, but not limited to, the Health Insurance
771	771	15 Portability and Accountability Act and its regulations, 45
772	772	16 CFR Parts 160 and 164. As used in this paragraph,
773	773	17 "HIPAA-covered entity" has the meaning given to the term
774	774	18 "covered entity" in 45 CFR 160.103 and "protected health
775	775	19 information" has the meaning given to that term in 45 CFR
776	776	20 160.103.
777	777	21 (tt) Proposals or bids submitted by engineering
778	778	22 consultants in response to requests for proposal or other
779	779	23 competitive bidding requests by the Department of
780	780	24 Transportation or the Illinois Toll Highway Authority.
781	781	25 (1.5) Any information exempt from disclosure under the
782	782	26 Judicial Privacy Act shall be redacted from public records
783	783
784	784
785	785
786	786
787	787
788	788	HB1855 - 21 - LRB104 08926 BDA 18981 b
789	789
790	790
791	791	HB1855- 22 -LRB104 08926 BDA 18981 b HB1855 - 22 - LRB104 08926 BDA 18981 b
792	792	HB1855 - 22 - LRB104 08926 BDA 18981 b
793	793	1 prior to disclosure under this Act.
794	794	2 (2) A public record that is not in the possession of a
795	795	3 public body but is in the possession of a party with whom the
796	796	4 agency has contracted to perform a governmental function on
797	797	5 behalf of the public body, and that directly relates to the
798	798	6 governmental function and is not otherwise exempt under this
799	799	7 Act, shall be considered a public record of the public body,
800	800	8 for purposes of this Act.
801	801	9 (3) This Section does not authorize withholding of
802	802	10 information or limit the availability of records to the
803	803	11 public, except as stated in this Section or otherwise provided
804	804	12 in this Act.
805	805	13 (Source: P.A. 102-38, eff. 6-25-21; 102-558, eff. 8-20-21;
806	806	14 102-694, eff. 1-7-22; 102-752, eff. 5-6-22; 102-753, eff.
807	807	15 1-1-23; 102-776, eff. 1-1-23; 102-791, eff. 5-13-22; 102-982,
808	808	16 eff. 7-1-23; 102-1055, eff. 6-10-22; 103-154, eff. 6-30-23;
809	809	17 103-423, eff. 1-1-24; 103-446, eff. 8-4-23; 103-462, eff.
810	810	18 8-4-23; 103-540, eff. 1-1-24; 103-554, eff. 1-1-24; 103-605,
811	811	19 eff. 7-1-24; 103-865, eff. 1-1-25.)
812	812	20 (5 ILCS 140/9.5)
813	813	21 Sec. 9.5. Public Access Counselor; opinions.
814	814	22 (a) A person whose request to inspect or copy a public
815	815	23 record is denied by a public body, except the General Assembly
816	816	24 and committees, commissions, and agencies thereof and the
817	817	25 judicial branch and the components of the judicial branch, may
818	818
819	819
820	820
821	821
822	822
823	823	HB1855 - 22 - LRB104 08926 BDA 18981 b
824	824
825	825
826	826	HB1855- 23 -LRB104 08926 BDA 18981 b HB1855 - 23 - LRB104 08926 BDA 18981 b
827	827	HB1855 - 23 - LRB104 08926 BDA 18981 b
828	828	1 file a request for review with the Public Access Counselor
829	829	2 established in the Office of the Attorney General not later
830	830	3 than 60 days after the date of the final denial. The request
831	831	4 for review must be in writing, signed by the requester, and
832	832	5 include (i) a copy of the request for access to records and
833	833	6 (ii) any responses from the public body.
834	834	7 (b) A person whose request to inspect or copy a public
835	835	8 record is made for a commercial purpose as defined in
836	836	9 subsection (c-10) of Section 2 of this Act may not file a
837	837	10 request for review with the Public Access Counselor. A person
838	838	11 whose request to inspect or copy a public record was treated by
839	839	12 the public body as a request for a commercial purpose under
840	840	13 Section 3.1 of this Act may file a request for review with the
841	841	14 Public Access Counselor for the limited purpose of reviewing
842	842	15 whether the public body properly determined that the request
843	843	16 was made for a commercial purpose.
844	844	17 (b-5) A person whose request to inspect or copy a public
845	845	18 record was treated by a public body, except the General
846	846	19 Assembly and committees, commissions, and agencies thereof and
847	847	20 the judicial branch and the components of the judicial branch,
848	848	21 as a voluminous request under Section 3.6 of this Act may file
849	849	22 a request for review with the Public Access Counselor for the
850	850	23 purpose of reviewing whether the public body properly
851	851	24 determined that the request was a voluminous request.
852	852	25 (c) Upon receipt of a request for review, the Public
853	853	26 Access Counselor shall determine whether further action is
854	854
855	855
856	856
857	857
858	858
859	859	HB1855 - 23 - LRB104 08926 BDA 18981 b
860	860
861	861
862	862	HB1855- 24 -LRB104 08926 BDA 18981 b HB1855 - 24 - LRB104 08926 BDA 18981 b
863	863	HB1855 - 24 - LRB104 08926 BDA 18981 b
864	864	1 warranted. If the Public Access Counselor determines that the
865	865	2 alleged violation is unfounded, he or she shall so advise the
866	866	3 requester and the public body and no further action shall be
867	867	4 undertaken. In all other cases, the Public Access Counselor
868	868	5 shall forward a copy of the request for review to the public
869	869	6 body within 7 business days after receipt and shall specify
870	870	7 the records or other documents that the public body shall
871	871	8 furnish to facilitate the review. Within 7 business days after
872	872	9 receipt of the request for review, the public body shall
873	873	10 provide copies of records requested and shall otherwise fully
874	874	11 cooperate with the Public Access Counselor. If a public body
875	875	12 fails to furnish specified records pursuant to this Section,
876	876	13 or if otherwise necessary, the Attorney General may issue a
877	877	14 subpoena to any person or public body having knowledge of or
878	878	15 records pertaining to a request for review of a denial of
879	879	16 access to records under the Act. Records or documents obtained
880	880	17 by the Public Access Counselor from a public body for the
881	881	18 purpose of addressing a request for review under this Section
882	882	19 may not be disclosed to the public, including the requester,
883	883	20 by the Public Access Counselor. These records, while in the
884	884	21 possession of the Public Access Counselor, are exempt under
885	885	22 this Act from disclosure by the Public Access Counselor.
886	886	23 (d) Within 7 business days after it receives a copy of a
887	887	24 request for review and request for production of records from
888	888	25 the Public Access Counselor, the public body may, but is not
889	889	26 required to, answer the allegations of the request for review.
890	890
891	891
892	892
893	893
894	894
895	895	HB1855 - 24 - LRB104 08926 BDA 18981 b
896	896
897	897
898	898	HB1855- 25 -LRB104 08926 BDA 18981 b HB1855 - 25 - LRB104 08926 BDA 18981 b
899	899	HB1855 - 25 - LRB104 08926 BDA 18981 b
900	900	1 The answer may take the form of a letter, brief, or memorandum.
901	901	2 The Public Access Counselor shall forward a copy of the answer
902	902	3 to the person submitting the request for review, with any
903	903	4 alleged confidential information to which the request pertains
904	904	5 redacted from the copy. The requester may, but is not required
905	905	6 to, respond in writing to the answer within 7 business days and
906	906	7 shall provide a copy of the response to the public body.
907	907	8 (e) In addition to the request for review, and the answer
908	908	9 and the response thereto, if any, a requester or a public body
909	909	10 may furnish affidavits or records concerning any matter
910	910	11 germane to the review.
911	911	12 (f) Unless the Public Access Counselor extends the time by
912	912	13 no more than 30 business days by sending written notice to the
913	913	14 requester and the public body that includes a statement of the
914	914	15 reasons for the extension in the notice, or decides to address
915	915	16 the matter without the issuance of a binding opinion, the
916	916	17 Attorney General shall examine the issues and the records,
917	917	18 shall make findings of fact and conclusions of law, and shall
918	918	19 issue to the requester and the public body an opinion in
919	919	20 response to the request for review within 60 days after its
920	920	21 receipt. The opinion shall be binding upon both the requester
921	921	22 and the public body, subject to administrative review under
922	922	23 Section 11.5.
923	923	24 In responding to any request under this Section 9.5, the
924	924	25 Attorney General may exercise his or her discretion and choose
925	925	26 to resolve a request for review by mediation or by a means
926	926
927	927
928	928
929	929
930	930
931	931	HB1855 - 25 - LRB104 08926 BDA 18981 b
932	932
933	933
934	934	HB1855- 26 -LRB104 08926 BDA 18981 b HB1855 - 26 - LRB104 08926 BDA 18981 b
935	935	HB1855 - 26 - LRB104 08926 BDA 18981 b
936	936	1 other than the issuance of a binding opinion. The decision not
937	937	2 to issue a binding opinion shall not be reviewable.
938	938	3 Upon receipt of a binding opinion concluding that a
939	939	4 violation of this Act has occurred, the public body shall
940	940	5 either take necessary action immediately to comply with the
941	941	6 directive of the opinion or shall initiate administrative
942	942	7 review under Section 11.5. If the opinion concludes that no
943	943	8 violation of the Act has occurred, the requester may initiate
944	944	9 administrative review under Section 11.5.
945	945	10 A public body that discloses records in accordance with an
946	946	11 opinion of the Attorney General is immune from all liabilities
947	947	12 by reason thereof and shall not be liable for penalties under
948	948	13 this Act.
949	949	14 (g) If the requester files suit under Section 11 with
950	950	15 respect to the same denial that is the subject of a pending
951	951	16 request for review, the requester shall notify the Public
952	952	17 Access Counselor, and the Public Access Counselor shall take
953	953	18 no further action with respect to the request for review and
954	954	19 shall so notify the public body.
955	955	20 (h) The Attorney General may also issue advisory opinions
956	956	21 to public bodies regarding compliance with this Act. A review
957	957	22 may be initiated upon receipt of a written request from the
958	958	23 head of the public body or its attorney, which shall contain
959	959	24 sufficient accurate facts from which a determination can be
960	960	25 made. The Public Access Counselor may request additional
961	961	26 information from the public body in order to assist in the
962	962
963	963
964	964
965	965
966	966
967	967	HB1855 - 26 - LRB104 08926 BDA 18981 b
968	968
969	969
970	970	HB1855- 27 -LRB104 08926 BDA 18981 b HB1855 - 27 - LRB104 08926 BDA 18981 b
971	971	HB1855 - 27 - LRB104 08926 BDA 18981 b
972	972
973	973
974	974
975	975
976	976
977	977	HB1855 - 27 - LRB104 08926 BDA 18981 b