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1 | AN ACT concerning government.
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2 | Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
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3 | represented in the General Assembly:
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4 | Section 5. The Freedom of Information Act is amended by | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
5 | changing Sections 2, 3, 3.1, and 6 as follows:
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6 | (5 ILCS 140/2) (from Ch. 116, par. 202)
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7 | Sec. 2. Definitions. As used in this Act:
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8 | (a) "Public body" means all legislative,
executive, | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
9 | administrative, or advisory bodies of the State, state | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
10 | universities
and colleges, counties, townships, cities, | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
11 | villages, incorporated towns,
school districts and all other | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
12 | municipal corporations,
boards, bureaus, committees, or | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
13 | commissions of this State, any
subsidiary
bodies of any of the | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
14 | foregoing including but not limited to committees and
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15 | subcommittees thereof, and a School Finance Authority created | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
16 | under
Article 1E of the School Code.
"Public body" does not | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
17 | include a child death review team
or the Illinois Child Death | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
18 | Review Teams
Executive Council
established under
the Child | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
19 | Death Review Team Act.
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20 | (b) "Person" means any individual, corporation, | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
21 | partnership, firm,
organization
or association, acting | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
22 | individually or as a group.
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23 | (c) "Public records" means all records, reports, forms, |
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1 | writings, letters,
memoranda, books, papers, maps, | ||||||
2 | photographs, microfilms, cards, tapes,
recordings,
electronic | ||||||
3 | data processing records, electronic communications, recorded | ||||||
4 | information and all other
documentary
materials pertaining to | ||||||
5 | the transaction of public business, regardless of physical form | ||||||
6 | or characteristics, having been
prepared by or for, or having | ||||||
7 | been or being used by, received by, in the possession of, or | ||||||
8 | under the
control
of
any public body. | ||||||
9 | (c-5) "Private information" means unique identifiers, | ||||||
10 | including a person's social security number, driver's license | ||||||
11 | number, employee identification number, biometric identifiers, | ||||||
12 | personal financial information, passwords or other access | ||||||
13 | codes, medical records, home or personal telephone numbers, and | ||||||
14 | personal email addresses. Private information also includes | ||||||
15 | home address and personal license plates, except as otherwise | ||||||
16 | provided by law or when compiled without possibility of | ||||||
17 | attribution to any person. | ||||||
18 | (c-10) "Commercial purpose" means the purpose or intent to | ||||||
19 | use of any part of a public record or records, or information | ||||||
20 | derived from public records, in any form for sale, resale, or | ||||||
21 | solicitation or advertisement for sales or services or to | ||||||
22 | otherwise further a commercial, trade, or profit interest or | ||||||
23 | enterprise, as those terms are commonly understood . For | ||||||
24 | purposes of this definition, requests made by news media and | ||||||
25 | non-profit, scientific, or academic organizations shall not be | ||||||
26 | considered to be made for a "commercial purpose" when the |
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1 | principal purpose of the request is (i) to access and | ||||||
2 | disseminate information concerning news and current or passing | ||||||
3 | events, (ii) for articles of opinion or features of interest to | ||||||
4 | the public, or (iii) for the purpose of academic, scientific, | ||||||
5 | or public research or education.
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6 | (d) "Copying" means the reproduction of any public record | ||||||
7 | by means of any
photographic, electronic, mechanical or other | ||||||
8 | process, device or means now known or hereafter developed and | ||||||
9 | available to the public body.
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10 | (e) "Head of the public body" means the president, mayor, | ||||||
11 | chairman,
presiding
officer, director, superintendent, | ||||||
12 | manager, supervisor or individual otherwise
holding primary | ||||||
13 | executive and administrative authority for the public
body, or | ||||||
14 | such person's duly authorized designee.
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15 | (f) "News media" means a newspaper or other periodical | ||||||
16 | issued at regular
intervals whether in print or electronic | ||||||
17 | format, a news service whether
in print or electronic format, a | ||||||
18 | radio
station, a television station, a television network, a | ||||||
19 | community
antenna television service, or a person or | ||||||
20 | corporation engaged in making news
reels or other motion | ||||||
21 | picture news for public showing.
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22 | (g) "Recurrent requester", as used in Section 3.2 of this | ||||||
23 | Act, means a person that, in the 12 months immediately | ||||||
24 | preceding the request, has submitted to the same public body | ||||||
25 | (i) a minimum of 50 requests for records, (ii) a minimum of 15 | ||||||
26 | requests for records within a 30-day period, or (iii) a minimum |
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1 | of 7 requests for records within a 7-day period. For purposes | ||||||
2 | of this definition, requests made by news media and non-profit, | ||||||
3 | scientific, or academic organizations shall not be considered | ||||||
4 | in calculating the number of requests made in the time periods | ||||||
5 | in this definition when the principal purpose of the requests | ||||||
6 | is (i) to access and disseminate information concerning news | ||||||
7 | and current or passing events, (ii) for articles of opinion or | ||||||
8 | features of interest to the public, or (iii) for the purpose of | ||||||
9 | academic, scientific, or public research or education. | ||||||
10 | For the purposes of this subsection (g), "request" means a | ||||||
11 | written document (or oral request, if the public body chooses | ||||||
12 | to honor oral requests) that is submitted to a public body via | ||||||
13 | personal delivery, mail, telefax, electronic mail, or other | ||||||
14 | means available to the public body and that identifies the | ||||||
15 | particular public record the requester seeks. One request may | ||||||
16 | identify multiple records to be inspected or copied. | ||||||
17 | (Source: P.A. 96-261, eff. 1-1-10; 96-542, eff. 1-1-10; | ||||||
18 | 96-1000, eff. 7-2-10; 97-579, eff. 8-26-11.)
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19 | (5 ILCS 140/3) (from Ch. 116, par. 203)
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20 | Sec. 3.
(a) Each public body shall make available to any | ||||||
21 | person for
inspection or copying all public records, except as | ||||||
22 | otherwise provided in
Section 7 of this Act.
Notwithstanding | ||||||
23 | any other law, a public body may not grant to any person
or | ||||||
24 | entity, whether by contract, license, or otherwise, the | ||||||
25 | exclusive right to
access and disseminate any public record as |
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1 | defined in this Act.
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2 | (b) Subject to Section 3.1 and to the fee provisions of | ||||||
3 | Section 6 of this Act, each public
body shall promptly provide, | ||||||
4 | to any person who submits a request,
a copy of any public | ||||||
5 | record required to be disclosed
by subsection (a) of this | ||||||
6 | Section and shall certify such copy if so requested.
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7 | (c) Requests for inspection or copies shall be made in | ||||||
8 | writing and directed to the public body. Written requests may | ||||||
9 | be submitted to a public body via personal delivery, mail, | ||||||
10 | telefax, or other means available to the public body. A public | ||||||
11 | body may honor oral requests for inspection or copying. A | ||||||
12 | public body may not require that a request be submitted on a | ||||||
13 | standard form or require the requester to specify the purpose | ||||||
14 | for a request, except to determine whether the records are | ||||||
15 | requested for a commercial purpose or whether to grant a | ||||||
16 | request for a fee waiver. All requests for inspection and | ||||||
17 | copying received by a public body shall immediately be | ||||||
18 | forwarded to its Freedom of Information officer or designee. | ||||||
19 | (d) Each public body shall, promptly, either comply with or | ||||||
20 | deny a
request for public records within 5 business days after | ||||||
21 | its receipt of the request, unless the time for response is | ||||||
22 | properly extended under subsection (e) of this Section. Denial
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23 | shall be in writing as provided in Section 9 of this Act. | ||||||
24 | Failure to comply with
a written request, extend the time for | ||||||
25 | response, or deny a request within 5 business days after its | ||||||
26 | receipt shall be considered a
denial of the request. A public |
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1 | body that fails to respond to a request within the requisite | ||||||
2 | periods in this Section but thereafter provides the requester | ||||||
3 | with copies of the requested public records may not impose a | ||||||
4 | fee for such copies. A public body that fails to respond to a | ||||||
5 | request received may not treat the request as unduly burdensome | ||||||
6 | under subsection (g).
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7 | (e) The time for response under this Section may be
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8 | extended by the public body for not more than 5 business days | ||||||
9 | from the original due date for any
of the following reasons:
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10 | (i) the requested records are stored in whole or in | ||||||
11 | part at other
locations
than the office having charge of | ||||||
12 | the requested records;
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13 | (ii) the request requires the collection of a | ||||||
14 | substantial number of
specified records;
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15 | (iii) the request is couched in categorical terms and | ||||||
16 | requires an
extensive
search for the records responsive to | ||||||
17 | it;
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18 | (iv) the requested records have not been located in the | ||||||
19 | course of routine
search and additional efforts are being | ||||||
20 | made to locate them;
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21 | (v) the requested records require examination and | ||||||
22 | evaluation by personnel
having the necessary competence | ||||||
23 | and discretion to determine if they are
exempt from | ||||||
24 | disclosure under Section 7 of this Act or should be | ||||||
25 | revealed
only with appropriate deletions;
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26 | (vi) the request for records cannot be complied with by |
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1 | the public body
within the time limits prescribed by | ||||||
2 | paragraph (c) of this Section without
unduly burdening or | ||||||
3 | interfering with the operations of the public body;
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4 | (vii) there is a need for consultation, which shall be | ||||||
5 | conducted with all
practicable speed, with another public | ||||||
6 | body or among two or more components
of a public body | ||||||
7 | having a substantial interest in the determination or in
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8 | the subject matter of the request.
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9 | The person making a request and the public body may agree | ||||||
10 | in writing to extend the time for compliance for a period to be | ||||||
11 | determined by the parties. If the requester and the public body | ||||||
12 | agree to extend the period for compliance, a failure by the | ||||||
13 | public body to comply with any previous deadlines shall not be | ||||||
14 | treated as a denial of the request for the records. | ||||||
15 | (f) When additional time is required for any of the above | ||||||
16 | reasons, the
public body shall, within 5 business days after | ||||||
17 | receipt of the request, notify the person making the request of | ||||||
18 | the reasons
for the extension and the date by which the | ||||||
19 | response will be forthcoming. Failure to respond within the | ||||||
20 | time permitted for extension shall be considered a denial of | ||||||
21 | the request. A public body that fails to respond to a request | ||||||
22 | within the time permitted for extension but thereafter provides | ||||||
23 | the requester with copies of the requested public records may | ||||||
24 | not impose a fee for those copies. A public body that requests | ||||||
25 | an extension and subsequently fails to respond to the request | ||||||
26 | may not treat the request as unduly burdensome under subsection |
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1 | (g).
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2 | (g) Requests calling for all records falling within a | ||||||
3 | category shall be
complied with unless compliance with the | ||||||
4 | request would be unduly burdensome
for the complying public | ||||||
5 | body and there is no way to narrow the request and the
burden | ||||||
6 | on the public body outweighs the public interest in the | ||||||
7 | information.
Before invoking this exemption, the public body | ||||||
8 | shall extend to the person
making the request an opportunity to | ||||||
9 | confer with it in an attempt to reduce
the request to | ||||||
10 | manageable proportions. If any body responds to a categorical
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11 | request by stating that compliance would unduly burden its | ||||||
12 | operation and
the conditions described above are met, it shall | ||||||
13 | do so in writing, specifying
the reasons why it would be unduly | ||||||
14 | burdensome and the extent to which compliance
will so burden | ||||||
15 | the operations of the public body. Such a response shall
be | ||||||
16 | treated as a denial of the
request for information. | ||||||
17 | Repeated requests from the same person for the same records | ||||||
18 | that are unchanged or identical to records previously provided | ||||||
19 | or properly denied under this Act shall be deemed unduly | ||||||
20 | burdensome under this provision.
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21 | (h) Each public body may promulgate rules and regulations | ||||||
22 | in conformity
with the provisions of this Section pertaining to | ||||||
23 | the availability of records
and procedures to be followed, | ||||||
24 | including:
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25 | (i) the times and places where such records will be | ||||||
26 | made available, and
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1 | (ii) the persons from whom such records may be | ||||||
2 | obtained.
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3 | (i) (Blank). The time periods for compliance or denial of a | ||||||
4 | request to inspect or copy records set out in this Section | ||||||
5 | shall not apply to requests for records made for a commercial | ||||||
6 | purpose. Such requests shall be subject to the provisions of | ||||||
7 | Section 3.1 of this Act. | ||||||
8 | (Source: P.A. 96-542, eff. 1-1-10.)
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9 | (5 ILCS 140/3.1)
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10 | Sec. 3.1. Requests for commercial purposes. | ||||||
11 | (a) If a person requests to inspect or copy public records | ||||||
12 | for a commercial purpose, then that person must provide a | ||||||
13 | statement setting forth the commercial purpose for which the | ||||||
14 | public records will be used. The public body may request | ||||||
15 | additional information concerning the nature of the request. | ||||||
16 | (b) Upon being furnished a statement under subsection (a), | ||||||
17 | the public body may charge a fee that includes the cost of | ||||||
18 | time, materials, equipment, and personnel in copying or | ||||||
19 | producing the record. The public body may require the person to | ||||||
20 | pay charges in full before copying the requested documents. | ||||||
21 | (c) The time limitations set forth under Section 3 do not | ||||||
22 | apply to any request made for a commercial purpose. Within 21 | ||||||
23 | days after being furnished a statement under subsection (a), | ||||||
24 | unless the records are exempt from disclosure, the public body | ||||||
25 | must notify the requester of the estimated time required by the |
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1 | public body to provide the records requested and the estimated | ||||||
2 | fees to be charged. | ||||||
3 | (d) If a person knowingly obtains a public record for a | ||||||
4 | commercial purpose without indicating the commercial purpose, | ||||||
5 | if he or she knowingly obtains a public record for a | ||||||
6 | noncommercial purpose and knowingly uses or knowingly allows | ||||||
7 | the use of the public record for a commercial purpose, or if he | ||||||
8 | or she knowingly obtains a public record from anyone other than | ||||||
9 | the public body and uses it for a commercial purpose, then that | ||||||
10 | person, in addition to any other penalty, is liable to the | ||||||
11 | public body for damages in the amount of 3 times the amount | ||||||
12 | that would have been charged for the public record had the | ||||||
13 | commercial purpose been stated, plus costs and reasonable | ||||||
14 | attorney's fees or, if it can be shown that the public record | ||||||
15 | would not have been provided had the commercial purpose of | ||||||
16 | actual use been stated at the time of obtaining the records, 3 | ||||||
17 | times the actual damages. | ||||||
18 | (a) A public body shall respond to a request for records to | ||||||
19 | be used for a commercial purpose within 21 working days after | ||||||
20 | receipt. The response shall (i) provide to the requester an | ||||||
21 | estimate of the time required by the public body to provide the | ||||||
22 | records requested and an estimate of the fees to be charged, | ||||||
23 | which the public body may require the person to pay in full | ||||||
24 | before copying the requested documents, (ii) deny the request | ||||||
25 | pursuant to one or more of the exemptions set out in this Act, | ||||||
26 | (iii) notify the requester that the request is unduly |
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1 | burdensome and extend an opportunity to the requester to | ||||||
2 | attempt to reduce the request to manageable proportions, or | ||||||
3 | (iv) provide the records requested. | ||||||
4 | (b) Unless the records are exempt from disclosure, a public | ||||||
5 | body shall comply with a request within a reasonable period | ||||||
6 | considering the size and complexity of the request, and giving | ||||||
7 | priority to records requested for non-commercial purposes. | ||||||
8 | (c) It is a violation of this Act for a person to knowingly | ||||||
9 | obtain a public record for a commercial purpose without | ||||||
10 | disclosing that it is for a commercial purpose, if requested to | ||||||
11 | do so by the public body.
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12 | (Source: P.A. 96-542, eff. 1-1-10.)
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13 | (5 ILCS 140/6) (from Ch. 116, par. 206)
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14 | Sec. 6. Format of disclosures and authority Authority to | ||||||
15 | charge fees.
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16 | (a) When a person requests a copy of a record maintained in | ||||||
17 | an electronic format, the public body shall furnish it in an | ||||||
18 | the electronic format that is generally available to the public | ||||||
19 | specified by the requester, if feasible . If it is not feasible | ||||||
20 | to furnish the public records in an the specified electronic | ||||||
21 | format that is generally available to the public , then the | ||||||
22 | public body shall furnish it in the format in which it is | ||||||
23 | maintained by the public body, or in paper format at the option | ||||||
24 | of the requester . The public body may make its records | ||||||
25 | available through any publicly accessible electronic means. |
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1 | The public body may respond to a request by notifying the | ||||||
2 | requester that the record is available through publicly | ||||||
3 | accessible electronic means. A public body may charge the | ||||||
4 | requester for the actual cost of purchasing the recording | ||||||
5 | medium, whether disc, diskette, tape, or other medium , and the | ||||||
6 | public body may charge a fee under subsection (b) for any paper | ||||||
7 | that was used in creating an electronic record . A public body | ||||||
8 | may not charge the requester for the costs of any search for | ||||||
9 | and review of the records or other personnel costs associated | ||||||
10 | with reproducing the records, except for commercial requests as | ||||||
11 | provided in subsection (f) of this Section. Except to the | ||||||
12 | extent that the General Assembly expressly provides, statutory | ||||||
13 | fees applicable to copies of public records when furnished in a | ||||||
14 | paper format shall not be applicable to those records when | ||||||
15 | furnished in an electronic format. | ||||||
16 | (b) Except when a fee is otherwise fixed by statute, each | ||||||
17 | public body may charge fees
reasonably
calculated to
reimburse
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18 | its actual cost for reproducing and certifying public records | ||||||
19 | and for the
use, by any person, of the equipment of the public | ||||||
20 | body to copy records. No fees shall be charged for the first 50 | ||||||
21 | pages of black and white, letter or legal sized copies | ||||||
22 | requested by a requester. The fee for black and white, letter | ||||||
23 | or legal sized copies shall not exceed 15 cents per page. If a | ||||||
24 | public body provides copies in color or in a size other than | ||||||
25 | letter or legal, the public body may not charge more than its | ||||||
26 | actual cost for reproducing the records.
In calculating its |
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1 | actual cost for reproducing records or for the use of the | ||||||
2 | equipment of the public body to reproduce records, a public | ||||||
3 | body shall not include the costs of any search for and review | ||||||
4 | of the records or other personnel costs associated with | ||||||
5 | reproducing the records, except for commercial requests as | ||||||
6 | provided in subsection (f) of this Section. Such fees shall be | ||||||
7 | imposed
according to a standard scale of fees, established and | ||||||
8 | made public by the
body imposing them. The cost for certifying | ||||||
9 | a record shall not exceed $1.
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10 | (c) Documents shall be furnished without charge or at a | ||||||
11 | reduced
charge, as determined by the public body, if the person | ||||||
12 | requesting the
documents states the specific purpose for the | ||||||
13 | request and indicates that a
waiver or reduction of the fee is | ||||||
14 | in the public interest. Waiver or
reduction of the fee is in | ||||||
15 | the public interest if the principal purpose of
the request is | ||||||
16 | to access and disseminate information regarding the health,
| ||||||
17 | safety and welfare or the legal rights of the general public | ||||||
18 | and is not for
the principal purpose of personal or commercial | ||||||
19 | benefit.
For purposes of this subsection, "commercial benefit" | ||||||
20 | shall not apply to
requests
made by news media when the | ||||||
21 | principal purpose of the request is to access and
disseminate | ||||||
22 | information regarding the health, safety, and welfare or the | ||||||
23 | legal
rights of the general public.
In setting the
amount of | ||||||
24 | the waiver or reduction, the public body may take into
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25 | consideration the amount of materials requested and the cost of | ||||||
26 | copying
them.
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1 | (d) The imposition of a fee not consistent with subsections
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2 | (6) (a) and (b) of this Section Act constitutes a denial of | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
3 | access to public
records for the purposes of judicial review.
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4 | (e) The fee for each abstract of a driver's record shall be | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
5 | as provided
in Section 6-118 of "The Illinois Vehicle Code", | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
6 | approved September 29,
1969, as amended, whether furnished as a | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
7 | paper copy or as an electronic copy.
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8 | (f) A public body may charge up to $10 for each hour spent | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
9 | by personnel in searching for and retrieving a requested | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
10 | record. No fees shall be charged for the first 8 hours spent by | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
11 | personnel in searching for or retrieving a requested record. A | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
12 | public body may charge the actual cost of retrieving and | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
13 | transporting public records from an off-site storage facility | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
14 | when the public records are maintained by a third-party storage | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
15 | company under contract with the public body. If a public body | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
16 | imposes a fee pursuant to this subsection (f), it must provide | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
17 | the requester with an accounting of all fees, costs, and | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
18 | personnel hours in connection with the request for public | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
19 | records. The provisions of this subsection (f) apply only to | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
20 | commercial requests. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
21 | (Source: P.A. 96-542, eff. 1-1-10; 96-1000, eff. 7-2-10; | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
22 | 97-579, eff. 8-26-11.)
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23 | Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
24 | becoming law.
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