HB2447 EngrossedLRB103 30299 DTM 56727 b

1    AN ACT concerning State 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 2 and 7 as follows:
 
6    (5 ILCS 120/2)  (from Ch. 102, par. 42)
7    Sec. 2. Open meetings.
8    (a) Openness required. All meetings of public bodies shall
9be open to the public unless excepted in subsection (c) and
10closed in accordance with Section 2a.
11    (b) Construction of exceptions. The exceptions contained
12in subsection (c) are in derogation of the requirement that
13public bodies meet in the open, and therefore, the exceptions
14are to be strictly construed, extending only to subjects
15clearly within their scope. The exceptions authorize but do
16not require the holding of a closed meeting to discuss a
17subject included within an enumerated exception.
18    (c) Exceptions. A public body may hold closed meetings to
19consider the following subjects:
20        (1) The appointment, employment, compensation,
21    discipline, performance, or dismissal of specific
22    employees, specific individuals who serve as independent
23    contractors in a park, recreational, or educational

 

 

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1    setting, or specific volunteers of the public body or
2    legal counsel for the public body, including hearing
3    testimony on a complaint lodged against an employee, a
4    specific individual who serves as an independent
5    contractor in a park, recreational, or educational
6    setting, or a volunteer of the public body or against
7    legal counsel for the public body to determine its
8    validity. However, a meeting to consider an increase in
9    compensation to a specific employee of a public body that
10    is subject to the Local Government Wage Increase
11    Transparency Act may not be closed and shall be open to the
12    public and posted and held in accordance with this Act.
13        (2) Collective negotiating matters between the public
14    body and its employees or their representatives, or
15    deliberations concerning salary schedules for one or more
16    classes of employees.
17        (3) The selection of a person to fill a public office,
18    as defined in this Act, including a vacancy in a public
19    office, when the public body is given power to appoint
20    under law or ordinance, or the discipline, performance or
21    removal of the occupant of a public office, when the
22    public body is given power to remove the occupant under
23    law or ordinance.
24        (4) Evidence or testimony presented in open hearing,
25    or in closed hearing where specifically authorized by law,
26    to a quasi-adjudicative body, as defined in this Act,

 

 

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1    provided that the body prepares and makes available for
2    public inspection a written decision setting forth its
3    determinative reasoning.
4        (4.5) Evidence or testimony presented to a school
5    board regarding denial of admission to school events or
6    property pursuant to Section 24-24 of the School Code,
7    provided that the school board prepares and makes
8    available for public inspection a written decision setting
9    forth its determinative reasoning.
10        (5) The purchase or lease of real property for the use
11    of the public body, including meetings held for the
12    purpose of discussing whether a particular parcel should
13    be acquired.
14        (6) The setting of a price for sale or lease of
15    property owned by the public body.
16        (7) The sale or purchase of securities, investments,
17    or investment contracts. This exception shall not apply to
18    the investment of assets or income of funds deposited into
19    the Illinois Prepaid Tuition Trust Fund.
20        (8) Security procedures, school building safety and
21    security, and the use of personnel and equipment to
22    respond to an actual, a threatened, or a reasonably
23    potential danger to the safety of employees, students,
24    staff, the public, or public property.
25        (9) Student disciplinary cases.
26        (10) The placement of individual students in special

 

 

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1    education programs and other matters relating to
2    individual students.
3        (11) Litigation, when an action against, affecting or
4    on behalf of the particular public body has been filed and
5    is pending before a court or administrative tribunal, or
6    when the public body finds that an action is probable or
7    imminent, in which case the basis for the finding shall be
8    recorded and entered into the minutes of the closed
9    meeting.
10        (12) The establishment of reserves or settlement of
11    claims as provided in the Local Governmental and
12    Governmental Employees Tort Immunity Act, if otherwise the
13    disposition of a claim or potential claim might be
14    prejudiced, or the review or discussion of claims, loss or
15    risk management information, records, data, advice or
16    communications from or with respect to any insurer of the
17    public body or any intergovernmental risk management
18    association or self insurance pool of which the public
19    body is a member.
20        (13) Conciliation of complaints of discrimination in
21    the sale or rental of housing, when closed meetings are
22    authorized by the law or ordinance prescribing fair
23    housing practices and creating a commission or
24    administrative agency for their enforcement.
25        (14) Informant sources, the hiring or assignment of
26    undercover personnel or equipment, or ongoing, prior or

 

 

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1    future criminal investigations, when discussed by a public
2    body with criminal investigatory responsibilities.
3        (15) Professional ethics or performance when
4    considered by an advisory body appointed to advise a
5    licensing or regulatory agency on matters germane to the
6    advisory body's field of competence.
7        (16) Self evaluation, practices and procedures or
8    professional ethics, when meeting with a representative of
9    a statewide association of which the public body is a
10    member.
11        (17) The recruitment, credentialing, discipline or
12    formal peer review of physicians or other health care
13    professionals, or for the discussion of matters protected
14    under the federal Patient Safety and Quality Improvement
15    Act of 2005, and the regulations promulgated thereunder,
16    including 42 C.F.R. Part 3 (73 FR 70732), or the federal
17    Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of
18    1996, and the regulations promulgated thereunder,
19    including 45 C.F.R. Parts 160, 162, and 164, by a
20    hospital, or other institution providing medical care,
21    that is operated by the public body.
22        (18) Deliberations for decisions of the Prisoner
23    Review Board.
24        (19) Review or discussion of applications received
25    under the Experimental Organ Transplantation Procedures
26    Act.

 

 

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1        (20) The classification and discussion of matters
2    classified as confidential or continued confidential by
3    the State Government Suggestion Award Board.
4        (21) Discussion of minutes of meetings lawfully closed
5    under this Act, whether for purposes of approval by the
6    body of the minutes or semi-annual review of the minutes
7    as mandated by Section 2.06.
8        (22) Deliberations for decisions of the State
9    Emergency Medical Services Disciplinary Review Board.
10        (23) The operation by a municipality of a municipal
11    utility or the operation of a municipal power agency or
12    municipal natural gas agency when the discussion involves
13    (i) contracts relating to the purchase, sale, or delivery
14    of electricity or natural gas or (ii) the results or
15    conclusions of load forecast studies.
16        (24) Meetings of a residential health care facility
17    resident sexual assault and death review team or the
18    Executive Council under the Abuse Prevention Review Team
19    Act.
20        (25) Meetings of an independent team of experts under
21    Brian's Law.
22        (26) Meetings of a mortality review team appointed
23    under the Department of Juvenile Justice Mortality Review
24    Team Act.
25        (27) (Blank).
26        (28) Correspondence and records (i) that may not be

 

 

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1    disclosed under Section 11-9 of the Illinois Public Aid
2    Code or (ii) that pertain to appeals under Section 11-8 of
3    the Illinois Public Aid Code.
4        (29) Meetings between internal or external auditors
5    and governmental audit committees, finance committees, and
6    their equivalents, when the discussion involves internal
7    control weaknesses, identification of potential fraud risk
8    areas, known or suspected frauds, and fraud interviews
9    conducted in accordance with generally accepted auditing
10    standards of the United States of America.
11        (30) Those meetings or portions of meetings of a
12    fatality review team or the Illinois Fatality Review Team
13    Advisory Council during which a review of the death of an
14    eligible adult in which abuse or neglect is suspected,
15    alleged, or substantiated is conducted pursuant to Section
16    15 of the Adult Protective Services Act.
17        (31) Meetings and deliberations for decisions of the
18    Concealed Carry Licensing Review Board under the Firearm
19    Concealed Carry Act.
20        (32) Meetings between the Regional Transportation
21    Authority Board and its Service Boards when the discussion
22    involves review by the Regional Transportation Authority
23    Board of employment contracts under Section 28d of the
24    Metropolitan Transit Authority Act and Sections 3A.18 and
25    3B.26 of the Regional Transportation Authority Act.
26        (33) Those meetings or portions of meetings of the

 

 

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1    advisory committee and peer review subcommittee created
2    under Section 320 of the Illinois Controlled Substances
3    Act during which specific controlled substance prescriber,
4    dispenser, or patient information is discussed.
5        (34) Meetings of the Tax Increment Financing Reform
6    Task Force under Section 2505-800 of the Department of
7    Revenue Law of the Civil Administrative Code of Illinois.
8        (35) Meetings of the group established to discuss
9    Medicaid capitation rates under Section 5-30.8 of the
10    Illinois Public Aid Code.
11        (36) Those deliberations or portions of deliberations
12    for decisions of the Illinois Gaming Board in which there
13    is discussed any of the following: (i) personal,
14    commercial, financial, or other information obtained from
15    any source that is privileged, proprietary, confidential,
16    or a trade secret; or (ii) information specifically
17    exempted from the disclosure by federal or State law.
18        (37) Deliberations for decisions of the Illinois Law
19    Enforcement Training Standards Board, the Certification
20    Review Panel, and the Illinois State Police Merit Board
21    regarding certification and decertification.
22        (38) Meetings of the Ad Hoc Statewide Domestic
23    Violence Fatality Review Committee of the Illinois
24    Criminal Justice Information Authority Board that occur in
25    closed executive session under subsection (d) of Section
26    35 of the Domestic Violence Fatality Review Act.

 

 

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1        (39) Meetings of the regional review teams under
2    subsection (a) of Section 75 of the Domestic Violence
3    Fatality Review Act.
4        (40) Meetings of the Firearm Owner's Identification
5    Card Review Board under Section 10 of the Firearm Owners
6    Identification Card Act.
7    (d) Definitions. For purposes of this Section:
8    "Employee" means a person employed by a public body whose
9relationship with the public body constitutes an
10employer-employee relationship under the usual common law
11rules, and who is not an independent contractor.
12    "Public office" means a position created by or under the
13Constitution or laws of this State, the occupant of which is
14charged with the exercise of some portion of the sovereign
15power of this State. The term "public office" shall include
16members of the public body, but it shall not include
17organizational positions filled by members thereof, whether
18established by law or by a public body itself, that exist to
19assist the body in the conduct of its business.
20    "Quasi-adjudicative body" means an administrative body
21charged by law or ordinance with the responsibility to conduct
22hearings, receive evidence or testimony and make
23determinations based thereon, but does not include local
24electoral boards when such bodies are considering petition
25challenges.
26    (e) Final action. No final action may be taken at a closed

 

 

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1meeting. Final action shall be preceded by a public recital of
2the nature of the matter being considered and other
3information that will inform the public of the business being
4conducted.
5(Source: P.A. 101-31, eff. 6-28-19; 101-459, eff. 8-23-19;
6101-652, eff. 1-1-22; 102-237, eff. 1-1-22; 102-520, eff.
78-20-21; 102-558, eff. 8-20-21; 102-813, eff. 5-13-22.)
 
8    (5 ILCS 120/7)
9    Sec. 7. Attendance by a means other than physical
10presence.
11    (a) If a quorum of the members of the public body is
12physically present as required by Section 2.01, a majority of
13the public body may allow a member of that body to attend the
14meeting by other means if the member is prevented from
15physically attending because of: (i) personal illness or
16disability; (ii) employment purposes or the business of the
17public body; or (iii) a family or other emergency; or (iv)
18unexpected childcare obligations. "Other means" is by video or
19audio conference.
20    (b) If a member wishes to attend a meeting by other means,
21the member must notify the recording secretary or clerk of the
22public body before the meeting unless advance notice is
23impractical.
24    (c) A majority of the public body may allow a member to
25attend a meeting by other means only in accordance with and to

 

 

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1the extent allowed by rules adopted by the public body. The
2rules must conform to the requirements and restrictions of
3this Section, may further limit the extent to which attendance
4by other means is allowed, and may provide for the giving of
5additional notice to the public or further facilitate public
6access to meetings.
7    (d) The limitations of this Section shall not apply to (i)
8closed meetings of (A) public bodies with statewide
9jurisdiction, (B) Illinois library systems with jurisdiction
10over a specific geographic area of more than 4,500 square
11miles, (C) municipal transit districts with jurisdiction over
12a specific geographic area of more than 4,500 square miles, or
13(D) local workforce innovation areas with jurisdiction over a
14specific geographic area of more than 4,500 square miles or
15(ii) open or closed meetings of State advisory boards or
16bodies that do not have authority to make binding
17recommendations or determinations or to take any other
18substantive action. State advisory boards or bodies, public
19bodies with statewide jurisdiction, Illinois library systems
20with jurisdiction over a specific geographic area of more than
214,500 square miles, municipal transit districts with
22jurisdiction over a specific geographic area of more than
234,500 square miles, and local workforce investment areas with
24jurisdiction over a specific geographic area of more than
254,500 square miles, however, may permit members to attend
26meetings by other means only in accordance with and to the

 

 

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

 

 

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1        (4) for open meetings, members of the public present
2    at the regular meeting location of the body can hear all
3    discussion and testimony and all votes of the members of
4    the body, unless attendance at the regular meeting
5    location is not feasible due to the disaster, including
6    the issued disaster declaration, in which case the public
7    body must make alternative arrangements and provide notice
8    pursuant to this Section of such alternative arrangements
9    in a manner to allow any interested member of the public
10    access to contemporaneously hear all discussion,
11    testimony, and roll call votes, such as by offering a
12    telephone number or a web-based link;
13        (5) at least one member of the body, chief legal
14    counsel, or chief administrative officer is physically
15    present at the regular meeting location, unless unfeasible
16    due to the disaster, including the issued disaster
17    declaration; and
18        (6) all votes are conducted by roll call, so each
19    member's vote on each issue can be identified and
20    recorded.
21        (7) Except in the event of a bona fide emergency, 48
22    hours' notice shall be given of a meeting to be held
23    pursuant to this Section. Notice shall be given to all
24    members of the public body, shall be posted on the website
25    of the public body, and shall also be provided to any news
26    media who has requested notice of meetings pursuant to

 

 

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1    subsection (a) of Section 2.02 of this Act. If the public
2    body declares a bona fide emergency:
3            (A) Notice shall be given pursuant to subsection
4        (a) of Section 2.02 of this Act, and the presiding
5        officer shall state the nature of the emergency at the
6        beginning of the meeting.
7            (B) The public body must comply with the verbatim
8        recording requirements set forth in Section 2.06 of
9        this Act.
10        (8) Each member of the body participating in a meeting
11    by audio or video conference for a meeting held pursuant
12    to this Section is considered present at the meeting for
13    purposes of determining a quorum and participating in all
14    proceedings.
15        (9) In addition to the requirements for open meetings
16    under Section 2.06, public bodies holding open meetings
17    under this subsection (e) must also keep a verbatim record
18    of all their meetings in the form of an audio or video
19    recording. Verbatim records made under this paragraph (9)
20    shall be made available to the public under, and are
21    otherwise subject to, the provisions of Section 2.06.
22        (10) The public body shall bear all costs associated
23    with compliance with this subsection (e).
24(Source: P.A. 100-477, eff. 9-8-17; 101-640, eff. 6-12-20.)
 
25    Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon
26becoming law.