HB2979eng 98TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HB2979 Engrossed LRB098 10827 CEL 41309 b

AN ACT concerning wildlife.

Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois, represented in the General Assembly:

Section 5. The Freedom of Information Act is amended by changing Section 7.5 as follows:

(5 ILCS 140/7.5)

Sec. 7.5. Statutory Exemptions. To the extent provided for by the statutes referenced below, the following shall be exempt from inspection and copying:

(a) All information determined to be confidential under Section 4002 of the Technology Advancement and Development Act.

(b) Library circulation and order records identifying library users with specific materials under the Library Records Confidentiality Act.

(c) Applications, related documents, and medical records received by the Experimental Organ Transplantation Procedures Board and any and all documents or other records prepared by the Experimental Organ Transplantation Procedures Board or its staff relating to applications it has received.

(d) Information and records held by the Department of Public Health and its authorized representatives relating to known or suspected cases of sexually transmissible disease or any information the disclosure of which is restricted under the Illinois Sexually Transmissible Disease Control Act.

(e) Information the disclosure of which is exempted under Section 30 of the Radon Industry Licensing Act.

(f) Firm performance evaluations under Section 55 of the Architectural, Engineering, and Land Surveying Qualifications Based Selection Act.

(g) Information the disclosure of which is restricted and exempted under Section 50 of the Illinois Prepaid Tuition Act.

(h) Information the disclosure of which is exempted under the State Officials and Employees Ethics Act, and records of any lawfully created State or local inspector general's office that would be exempt if created or obtained by an Executive Inspector General's office under that Act.

(i) Information contained in a local emergency energy plan submitted to a municipality in accordance with a local emergency energy plan ordinance that is adopted under Section 11-21.5-5 of the Illinois Municipal Code.

(j) Information and data concerning the distribution of surcharge moneys collected and remitted by wireless carriers under the Wireless Emergency Telephone Safety Act.

(k) Law enforcement officer identification information or driver identification information compiled by a law enforcement agency or the Department of Transportation under Section 11-212 of the Illinois Vehicle Code.

(l) Records and information provided to a residential health care facility resident sexual assault and death review team or the Executive Council under the Abuse Prevention Review Team Act.

(m) Information provided to the predatory lending database created pursuant to Article 3 of the Residential Real Property Disclosure Act, except to the extent authorized under that Article.

(n) Defense budgets and petitions for certification of compensation and expenses for court appointed trial counsel as provided under Sections 10 and 15 of the Capital Crimes Litigation Act. This subsection (n) shall apply until the conclusion of the trial of the case, even if the prosecution chooses not to pursue the death penalty prior to trial or sentencing.

(o) Information that is prohibited from being disclosed under Section 4 of the Illinois Health and Hazardous Substances Registry Act.

(p) Security portions of system safety program plans, investigation reports, surveys, schedules, lists, data, or information compiled, collected, or prepared by or for the Regional Transportation Authority under Section 2.11 of the Regional Transportation Authority Act or the St. Clair County Transit District under the Bi-State Transit Safety Act.

(q) Information prohibited from being disclosed by the Personnel Records Review Act.

(r) Information prohibited from being disclosed by the Illinois School Student Records Act.

(s) Information the disclosure of which is restricted under Section 5-108 of the Public Utilities Act.

(t) All identified or deidentified health information in the form of health data or medical records contained in, stored in, submitted to, transferred by, or released from the Illinois Health Information Exchange, and identified or deidentified health information in the form of health data and medical records of the Illinois Health Information Exchange in the possession of the Illinois Health Information Exchange Authority due to its administration of the Illinois Health Information Exchange. The terms "identified" and "deidentified" shall be given the same meaning as in the Health Insurance Accountability and Portability Act of 1996, Public Law 104-191, or any subsequent amendments thereto, and any regulations promulgated thereunder.

(u) Records and information provided to an independent team of experts under Brian's Law.

(v) Names and information of people who have applied for or received Firearm Owner's Identification Cards under the Firearm Owners Identification Card Act.

(w) Personally identifiable information which is exempted from disclosure under subsection (g) of Section 19.1 of the Toll Highway Act.

(x) Information which is exempted from disclosure under Section 5-1014.3 of the Counties Code or Section 8-11-21 of the Illinois Municipal Code.

(y) Information which is exempted from disclosure under Section 2.37 of the Wildlife Code.

(Source: P.A. 96-542, eff. 1-1-10; 96-1235, eff. 1-1-11; 96-1331, eff. 7-27-10; 97-80, eff. 7-5-11; 97-333, eff. 8-12-11; 97-342, eff. 8-12-11; 97-813, eff. 7-13-12; 97-976, eff. 1-1-13.)

Section 10. The Wildlife Code is amended by changing Section 2.37 as follows:

(520 ILCS 5/2.37) (from Ch. 61, par. 2.37)

Sec. 2.37. Authority to kill wildlife responsible for damage. Subject to federal regulations and Section 3 of the Illinois Endangered Species Act, the Department may authorize owners and tenants of lands or their agents to remove or destroy any wild bird or wild mammal when the wild bird or wild mammal is known to be destroying property or causing a risk to human health or safety upon his or her land.

Upon receipt by the Department of information from the owner, tenant, or sharecropper that any one or more species of wildlife is damaging dams, levees, ditches, cattle pastures, or other property on the land on which he resides or controls, together with a statement regarding location of the property damages, the nature and extent of the damage, and the particular species of wildlife committing the damage, the Department shall make an investigation.

If, after investigation, the Department finds that damage does exist and can be abated only by removing or destroying that wildlife, a permit shall be issued by the Department to remove or destroy the species responsible for causing the damage.

A permit to control the damage shall be for a period of up to 90 days, shall specify the means and methods by which and the person or persons by whom the wildlife may be removed or destroyed, and shall set forth the disposition procedure to be made of all wildlife taken and other restrictions the Director considers necessary and appropriate in the circumstances of the particular case. Whenever possible, the specimens destroyed shall be given to a bona-fide public or State scientific, educational, or zoological institution.

The permittee shall advise the Department in writing, within 10 days after the expiration date of the permit, of the number of individual species of wildlife taken, disposition made of them, and any other information which the Department may consider necessary.

Subject to federal regulations and Section 3 of the Illinois Endangered Species Act, the Department may grant to an individual, corporation, association or a governmental body the authority to control species protected by this Code. The Department shall set forth applicable regulations in an Administrative Order and may require periodic reports listing species taken, numbers of each species taken, dates when taken, and other pertinent information.

Drainage Districts shall have the authority to control beaver provided that they must notify the Department in writing that a problem exists and of their intention to trap the animals at least 7 days before the trapping begins. The District must identify traps used in beaver control outside the dates of the furbearer trapping season with metal tags with the district's name legibly inscribed upon them. During the furtrapping season, traps must be identified as prescribed by law. Conibear traps at least size 330 shall be used except during the statewide furbearer trapping season. During that time trappers may use any device that is legal according to the Wildlife Code. Except during the statewide furbearer trapping season, beaver traps must be set in water at least 10 inches deep. Except during the statewide furbearer trapping season, traps must be set within 10 feet of an inhabited bank burrow or house and within 10 feet of a dam maintained by a beaver. No beaver or other furbearer taken outside of the dates for the furbearer trapping season may be sold. All animals must be given to the nearest conservation officer or other Department of Natural Resources representative within 48 hours after they are caught. Furbearers taken during the fur trapping season may be sold provided that they are taken by persons who have valid trapping licenses in their possession and are lawfully taken. The District must submit an annual report showing the species and numbers of animals caught. The report must indicate all species which were taken.

The location of traps or snares authorized under this Section either by the Department or any other governmental body with the authority to control species protected by this Code shall be exempt from the provisions of the Freedom of Information Act.

(Source: P.A. 97-813, eff. 7-13-12; 97-959, eff. 8-15-12.)

Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon becoming law.