Illinois 2025-2026 Regular Session

Illinois Senate Bill SB2142 Compare Versions

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

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1	1	104TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY State of Illinois 2025 and 2026 SB2142 Introduced 2/7/2025, by Sen. Suzy Glowiak Hilton SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED: 5 ILCS 140/3 from Ch. 116, par. 2035 ILCS 140/3.1 Amends the Freedom of Information Act. Provides that each public body shall, promptly, either comply with or deny a request for public records within 15 business days (rather than 5 business days) after its receipt of the request, unless extended for an additional 10 business days (rather than 5 business days) for specified reasons. Provides that commercial requests must be responded to within 30 business days (rather than 21 working days). LRB104 08960 BDA 19015 b A BILL FOR 104TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY State of Illinois 2025 and 2026 SB2142 Introduced 2/7/2025, by Sen. Suzy Glowiak Hilton SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED: 5 ILCS 140/3 from Ch. 116, par. 2035 ILCS 140/3.1 5 ILCS 140/3 from Ch. 116, par. 203 5 ILCS 140/3.1 Amends the Freedom of Information Act. Provides that each public body shall, promptly, either comply with or deny a request for public records within 15 business days (rather than 5 business days) after its receipt of the request, unless extended for an additional 10 business days (rather than 5 business days) for specified reasons. Provides that commercial requests must be responded to within 30 business days (rather than 21 working days). LRB104 08960 BDA 19015 b LRB104 08960 BDA 19015 b A BILL FOR
2	2	104TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY State of Illinois 2025 and 2026 SB2142 Introduced 2/7/2025, by Sen. Suzy Glowiak Hilton SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
3	3	5 ILCS 140/3 from Ch. 116, par. 2035 ILCS 140/3.1 5 ILCS 140/3 from Ch. 116, par. 203 5 ILCS 140/3.1
4	4	5 ILCS 140/3 from Ch. 116, par. 203
5	5	5 ILCS 140/3.1
6	6	Amends the Freedom of Information Act. Provides that each public body shall, promptly, either comply with or deny a request for public records within 15 business days (rather than 5 business days) after its receipt of the request, unless extended for an additional 10 business days (rather than 5 business days) for specified reasons. Provides that commercial requests must be responded to within 30 business days (rather than 21 working days).
7	7	LRB104 08960 BDA 19015 b LRB104 08960 BDA 19015 b
8	8	LRB104 08960 BDA 19015 b
9	9	A BILL FOR
10	10	SB2142LRB104 08960 BDA 19015 b SB2142 LRB104 08960 BDA 19015 b
11	11	SB2142 LRB104 08960 BDA 19015 b
12	12	1 AN ACT concerning government.
13	13	2 Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
14	14	3 represented in the General Assembly:
15	15	4 Section 5. The Freedom of Information Act is amended by
16	16	5 changing Sections 3 and 3.1 as follows:
17	17	6 (5 ILCS 140/3) (from Ch. 116, par. 203)
18	18	7 Sec. 3. (a) Each public body shall make available to any
19	19	8 person for inspection or copying all public records, except as
20	20	9 otherwise provided in Sections 7 and 8.5 of this Act.
21	21	10 Notwithstanding any other law, a public body may not grant to
22	22	11 any person or entity, whether by contract, license, or
23	23	12 otherwise, the exclusive right to access and disseminate any
24	24	13 public record as defined in this Act.
25	25	14 (b) Subject to the fee provisions of Section 6 of this Act,
26	26	15 each public body shall promptly provide, to any person who
27	27	16 submits a request, a copy of any public record required to be
28	28	17 disclosed by subsection (a) of this Section and shall certify
29	29	18 such copy if so requested.
30	30	19 (c) Requests for inspection or copies shall be made in
31	31	20 writing and directed to the public body. Written requests may
32	32	21 be submitted to a public body via personal delivery, mail,
33	33	22 telefax, or other means available to the public body. A public
34	34	23 body may honor oral requests for inspection or copying. A
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38	38	104TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY State of Illinois 2025 and 2026 SB2142 Introduced 2/7/2025, by Sen. Suzy Glowiak Hilton SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
39	39	5 ILCS 140/3 from Ch. 116, par. 2035 ILCS 140/3.1 5 ILCS 140/3 from Ch. 116, par. 203 5 ILCS 140/3.1
40	40	5 ILCS 140/3 from Ch. 116, par. 203
41	41	5 ILCS 140/3.1
42	42	Amends the Freedom of Information Act. Provides that each public body shall, promptly, either comply with or deny a request for public records within 15 business days (rather than 5 business days) after its receipt of the request, unless extended for an additional 10 business days (rather than 5 business days) for specified reasons. Provides that commercial requests must be responded to within 30 business days (rather than 21 working days).
43	43	LRB104 08960 BDA 19015 b LRB104 08960 BDA 19015 b
44	44	LRB104 08960 BDA 19015 b
45	45	A BILL FOR
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51	51	5 ILCS 140/3 from Ch. 116, par. 203
52	52	5 ILCS 140/3.1
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71	71	1 public body may not require that a request be submitted on a
72	72	2 standard form or require the requester to specify the purpose
73	73	3 for a request, except to determine whether the records are
74	74	4 requested for a commercial purpose or whether to grant a
75	75	5 request for a fee waiver. All requests for inspection and
76	76	6 copying received by a public body shall immediately be
77	77	7 forwarded to its Freedom of Information officer or designee.
78	78	8 (d) Each public body shall, promptly, either comply with
79	79	9 or deny a request for public records within 15 5 business days
80	80	10 after its receipt of the request, unless the time for response
81	81	11 is properly extended under subsection (e) of this Section.
82	82	12 Denial shall be in writing as provided in Section 9 of this
83	83	13 Act. Failure to comply with a written request, extend the time
84	84	14 for response, or deny a request within 5 business days after
85	85	15 its receipt shall be considered a denial of the request. A
86	86	16 public body that fails to respond to a request within the
87	87	17 requisite periods in this Section but thereafter provides the
88	88	18 requester with copies of the requested public records may not
89	89	19 impose a fee for such copies. A public body that fails to
90	90	20 respond to a request received may not treat the request as
91	91	21 unduly burdensome under subsection (g).
92	92	22 (e) The time for response under this Section may be
93	93	23 extended by the public body for not more than 10 5 business
94	94	24 days from the original due date for any of the following
95	95	25 reasons:
96	96	26 (i) the requested records are stored in whole or in
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107	107	1 part at other locations than the office having charge of
108	108	2 the requested records;
109	109	3 (ii) the request requires the collection of a
110	110	4 substantial number of specified records;
111	111	5 (iii) the request is couched in categorical terms and
112	112	6 requires an extensive search for the records responsive to
113	113	7 it;
114	114	8 (iv) the requested records have not been located in
115	115	9 the course of routine search and additional efforts are
116	116	10 being made to locate them;
117	117	11 (v) the requested records require examination and
118	118	12 evaluation by personnel having the necessary competence
119	119	13 and discretion to determine if they are exempt from
120	120	14 disclosure under Section 7 of this Act or should be
121	121	15 revealed only with appropriate deletions;
122	122	16 (vi) the request for records cannot be complied with
123	123	17 by the public body within the time limits prescribed by
124	124	18 subsection (d) of this Section without unduly burdening or
125	125	19 interfering with the operations of the public body;
126	126	20 (vii) there is a need for consultation, which shall be
127	127	21 conducted with all practicable speed, with another public
128	128	22 body or among 2 or more components of a public body having
129	129	23 a substantial interest in the determination or in the
130	130	24 subject matter of the request.
131	131	25 The person making a request and the public body may agree
132	132	26 in writing to extend the time for compliance for a period to be
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143	143	1 determined by the parties. If the requester and the public
144	144	2 body agree to extend the period for compliance, a failure by
145	145	3 the public body to comply with any previous deadlines shall
146	146	4 not be treated as a denial of the request for the records.
147	147	5 (f) When additional time is required for any of the above
148	148	6 reasons, the public body shall, within 15 5 business days
149	149	7 after receipt of the request, notify the person making the
150	150	8 request of the reasons for the extension and the date by which
151	151	9 the response will be forthcoming. Failure to respond within
152	152	10 the time permitted for extension shall be considered a denial
153	153	11 of the request. A public body that fails to respond to a
154	154	12 request within the time permitted for extension but thereafter
155	155	13 provides the requester with copies of the requested public
156	156	14 records may not impose a fee for those copies. A public body
157	157	15 that requests an extension and subsequently fails to respond
158	158	16 to the request may not treat the request as unduly burdensome
159	159	17 under subsection (g).
160	160	18 (g) Requests calling for all records falling within a
161	161	19 category shall be complied with unless compliance with the
162	162	20 request would be unduly burdensome for the complying public
163	163	21 body and there is no way to narrow the request and the burden
164	164	22 on the public body outweighs the public interest in the
165	165	23 information. Before invoking this exemption, the public body
166	166	24 shall extend to the person making the request an opportunity
167	167	25 to confer with it in an attempt to reduce the request to
168	168	26 manageable proportions. If any public body responds to a
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179	179	1 categorical request by stating that compliance would unduly
180	180	2 burden its operation and the conditions described above are
181	181	3 met, it shall do so in writing, specifying the reasons why it
182	182	4 would be unduly burdensome and the extent to which compliance
183	183	5 will so burden the operations of the public body. Such a
184	184	6 response shall be treated as a denial of the request for
185	185	7 information.
186	186	8 Repeated requests from the same person for the same
187	187	9 records that are unchanged or identical to records previously
188	188	10 provided or properly denied under this Act shall be deemed
189	189	11 unduly burdensome under this provision.
190	190	12 (h) Each public body may promulgate rules and regulations
191	191	13 in conformity with the provisions of this Section pertaining
192	192	14 to the availability of records and procedures to be followed,
193	193	15 including:
194	194	16 (i) the times and places where such records will be
195	195	17 made available, and
196	196	18 (ii) the persons from whom such records may be
197	197	19 obtained.
198	198	20 (i) The time periods for compliance or denial of a request
199	199	21 to inspect or copy records set out in this Section shall not
200	200	22 apply to requests for records made for a commercial purpose,
201	201	23 requests by a recurrent requester, or voluminous requests.
202	202	24 Such requests shall be subject to the provisions of Sections
203	203	25 3.1, 3.2, and 3.6 of this Act, as applicable.
204	204	26 (Source: P.A. 101-81, eff. 7-12-19.)
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