103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2023 and 2024
SB1619

 

Introduced 2/8/2023, by Sen. Julie A. Morrison

 

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
 
5 ILCS 120/7

    Amends the Open Meetings Act. Provides that an open or closed meeting may be conducted by audio or video conference, without the physical presence of a quorum of the members, so long as the following additional requirements are met: (1) the public body makes available a dedicated meeting space where those individuals who do not have access to the Internet may participate in the meeting; (2) the public body ensures that a means of remote participation other than audio-only communication is made available to those individuals who are interested in participating in the meeting; (3) the public body ensures that all cameras used for remote participation are operating properly; and (4) the public body maintains a written record of those individuals who participated in the meeting and a description of whether those individuals participated in person or by remote means. Makes technical and other changes.


LRB103 30611 JDS 57054 b

 

 

A BILL FOR

 

SB1619LRB103 30611 JDS 57054 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 7 as follows:
 
6    (5 ILCS 120/7)
7    Sec. 7. Attendance by a means other than physical
8presence.
9    (a) If a quorum of the members of the public body is
10physically present as required by Section 2.01, a majority of
11the public body may allow a member of that body to attend the
12meeting by other means if the member is prevented from
13physically attending because of: (i) personal illness or
14disability; (ii) employment purposes or the business of the
15public body; or (iii) a family or other emergency. "Other
16means" is by video or audio conference.
17    (b) If a member wishes to attend a meeting by other means,
18the member must notify the recording secretary or clerk of the
19public body before the meeting unless advance notice is
20impractical.
21    (c) A majority of the public body may allow a member to
22attend a meeting by other means only in accordance with and to
23the extent allowed by rules adopted by the public body. The

 

 

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1rules must conform to the requirements and restrictions of
2this Section, may further limit the extent to which attendance
3by other means is allowed, and may provide for the giving of
4additional notice to the public or further facilitate public
5access to meetings.
6    (d) The limitations of this Section shall not apply to (i)
7closed meetings of (A) public bodies with statewide
8jurisdiction, (B) Illinois library systems with jurisdiction
9over a specific geographic area of more than 4,500 square
10miles, (C) municipal transit districts with jurisdiction over
11a specific geographic area of more than 4,500 square miles, or
12(D) local workforce innovation areas with jurisdiction over a
13specific geographic area of more than 4,500 square miles or
14(ii) open or closed meetings of State advisory boards or
15bodies that do not have authority to make binding
16recommendations or determinations or to take any other
17substantive action. State advisory boards or bodies, public
18bodies with statewide jurisdiction, Illinois library systems
19with jurisdiction over a specific geographic area of more than
204,500 square miles, municipal transit districts with
21jurisdiction over a specific geographic area of more than
224,500 square miles, and local workforce investment areas with
23jurisdiction over a specific geographic area of more than
244,500 square miles, however, may permit members to attend
25meetings by other means only in accordance with and to the
26extent allowed by specific procedural rules adopted by the

 

 

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1body. For the purposes of this Section, "local workforce
2innovation area" means any local workforce innovation area or
3areas designated by the Governor pursuant to the federal
4Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act or its reauthorizing
5legislation.
6    (e) Subject to the requirements of Section 2.06 but
7notwithstanding any other provision of law, an open or closed
8meeting subject to this Act may be conducted by audio or video
9conference, without the physical presence of a quorum of the
10members, so long as the following conditions are met:
11        (1) the Governor or the Director of the Illinois
12    Department of Public Health has issued a disaster
13    declaration related to public health concerns because of a
14    disaster as defined in Section 4 of the Illinois Emergency
15    Management Agency Act, and all or part of the jurisdiction
16    of the public body is covered by the disaster area;
17        (2) the head of the public body as defined in
18    subsection (e) of Section 2 of the Freedom of Information
19    Act determines that an in-person meeting or a meeting
20    conducted under this Act is not practical or prudent
21    because of a disaster;
22        (3) all members of the body participating in the
23    meeting, wherever their physical location, shall be
24    verified and can hear one another and can hear all
25    discussion and testimony;
26        (4) for open meetings, members of the public present

 

 

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1    at the regular meeting location of the body can hear all
2    discussion and testimony and all votes of the members of
3    the body, unless attendance at the regular meeting
4    location is not feasible due to the disaster, including
5    the issued disaster declaration, in which case the public
6    body must make alternative arrangements and provide notice
7    pursuant to this Section of such alternative arrangements
8    in a manner to allow any interested member of the public
9    access to contemporaneously hear all discussion,
10    testimony, and roll call votes, such as by offering a
11    telephone number or a web-based link;
12        (5) there shall be physically present at the regular
13    meeting location at least one member of the body or, if a
14    greater number of members is required under the rules of
15    the public body to be physically present at the regular
16    meeting location, that greater number of members of the
17    public body, unless infeasible due to the disaster or the
18    issued disaster declaration; , chief legal counsel, or
19    chief administrative officer is physically present at the
20    regular meeting location, unless unfeasible due to the
21    disaster, including the issued disaster declaration; and
22        (5.5) there shall be physically present at the regular
23    meeting location the chief legal counsel of the public
24    body or the chief administrative officer of the public
25    body, unless infeasible due to the disaster or the issued
26    disaster declaration;

 

 

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1        (6) all votes shall be are conducted by roll call, and
2    , so each member's vote on each issue shall can be
3    identified and recorded; .
4        (7) the public body, except in the case in which it
5    declares a bona fide emergency, shall give Except in the
6    event of a bona fide emergency, 48 hours' notice shall be
7    given of a meeting to be held pursuant to this Section, and
8    that notice . Notice shall be given to all members of the
9    public body, shall be posted on the website of the public
10    body, and shall also be provided to any news medium that
11    media who has requested notice of meetings pursuant to
12    subsection (a) of Section 2.02 of this Act; . If the public
13    body declares a bona fide emergency:
14            (A) Notice shall be given pursuant to subsection
15        (a) of Section 2.02 of this Act, and the presiding
16        officer shall state the nature of the emergency at the
17        beginning of the meeting.
18            (B) The public body must comply with the verbatim
19        recording requirements set forth in Section 2.06 of
20        this Act.
21        (7.5) the public body, in the case in which it
22    declares a bona fide emergency, shall give notice pursuant
23    to subsection (a) of Section 2.02 of this Act, shall have
24    the presiding officer state the nature of the emergency at
25    the beginning of the meeting, and shall comply with the
26    verbatim recording requirements set forth in Section 2.06

 

 

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1    of this Act;
2        (8) each Each member of the body participating in a
3    meeting by audio or video conference for a meeting held
4    pursuant to this Section shall be is considered present at
5    the meeting for purposes of determining a quorum and
6    participating in all proceedings; .
7        (9) In addition to the requirements for open meetings
8    under Section 2.06, public bodies holding open meetings
9    under this subsection (e) must also keep the public body,
10    in addition to the requirements for open meetings under
11    Section 2.06, shall keep a verbatim record of its all
12    their meetings in the form of an audio or video recording,
13    and those records . Verbatim records made under this
14    paragraph (9) shall be made available to the public under,
15    and are otherwise subject to, the provisions of Section
16    2.06; .
17        (10) the The public body shall bear all costs
18    associated with compliance with this subsection (e); .
19        (11) the public body shall make available a dedicated
20    meeting space where those individuals who do not have
21    access to the Internet may participate in the meeting;
22        (12) the public body shall ensure that a means of
23    remote participation other than audio-only communication
24    is made available to those individuals who are interested
25    in participating in the meeting;
26        (13) the public body shall ensure that all cameras

 

 

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1    used for remote participation are operating properly; and
2        (14) the public body shall maintain a written record
3    of those individuals who participated in the meeting and a
4    description of whether those individuals participated in
5    person or by remote means.
6(Source: P.A. 100-477, eff. 9-8-17; 101-640, eff. 6-12-20.)