State of Illinois
90th General Assembly
Legislation

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[ Engrossed ][ Enrolled ][ House Amendment 001 ]
[ House Amendment 003 ]

90_HB0800

      5 ILCS 140/3              from Ch. 116, par. 203
      705 ILCS 105/13           from Ch. 25, par. 13
          Amends the Freedom of Information Act.  Provides  that  a
      public  body  may  not  delegate or contract exclusively with
      another  person,  for  the  storage,  copying,  reproduction,
      inspection, or dissemination of public records.   Amends  the
      Clerks  of  Courts  Act to prohibit a clerk of the court from
      delegating or contracting exclusively  with  another  person,
      for   the  storage,  copying,  reproduction,  inspection,  or
      dissemination of court records.  Effective immediately.
                                                     LRB9003572RCks
                                               LRB9003572RCks
 1        AN ACT in relation  to  public  records,  amending  named
 2    Acts.
 3        Be  it  enacted  by  the People of the State of Illinois,
 4    represented in the General Assembly:
 5        Section 5.  The Freedom of Information Act is amended  by
 6    changing Section 3 as follows:
 7        (5 ILCS 140/3) (from Ch. 116, par. 203)
 8        Sec.  3.   (a)  Each  public body shall make available to
 9    any person for inspection  or  copying  all  public  records,
10    except  as  otherwise  provided  in  Section  7  of this Act.
11    Notwithstanding any other law, a public body may not delegate
12    or contract exclusively with another person, for the storage,
13    copying, reproduction, inspection, or dissemination,  of  any
14    public record, as defined in this Act.
15        (b)  Subject  to  the fee provisions of Section 6 of this
16    Act, each public body shall promptly provide, to  any  person
17    who  submits  a  written request, a copy of any public record
18    required to be disclosed by subsection (a)  of  this  Section
19    and shall certify such copy if so requested.
20        (c)  Each public body shall, promptly, either comply with
21    or deny a written request for public records within 7 working
22    days  after  its  receipt.   Denial  shall  be  by  letter as
23    provided in Section 9 of this Act.  Failure to respond  to  a
24    written request within 7 working days after its receipt shall
25    be considered a denial of the request.
26        (d)  The  time limits prescribed in paragraph (c) of this
27    Section may be extended in each case  for  not  more  than  7
28    additional working days for any of the following reasons:
29        (i)  the requested records are stored in whole or in part
30    at  other  locations  than  the  office  having charge of the
31    requested records;
                            -2-                LRB9003572RCks
 1        (ii)  the  request   requires   the   collection   of   a
 2    substantial number of specified records;
 3        (iii)  the  request  is  couched in categorical terms and
 4    requires an extensive search for the  records  responsive  to
 5    it;
 6        (iv)  the  requested records have not been located in the
 7    course of routine search and  additional  efforts  are  being
 8    made to locate them;
 9        (v)  the   requested   records  require  examination  and
10    evaluation by personnel having the necessary  competence  and
11    discretion  to  determine  if they are exempt from disclosure
12    under Section 7 of this Act or should be revealed  only  with
13    appropriate deletions;
14        (vi)  the  request for records cannot be complied with by
15    the  public  body  within  the  time  limits  prescribed   by
16    paragraph  (c)  of  this  Section without unduly burdening or
17    interfering with the operations of the public body;
18        (vii) there is a need for consultation,  which  shall  be
19    conducted  with  all  practicable  speed, with another public
20    body or among two or more components of a public body  having
21    a substantial interest in the determination or in the subject
22    matter of the request.
23        (e)  When  additional  time  is  required  for any of the
24    above reasons, the public body shall  notify  by  letter  the
25    person  making  the  written  request  within the time limits
26    specified by paragraph (c) of this Section of the reasons for
27    the delay and the date by which  the  records  will  be  made
28    available or denial will be forthcoming.  In no instance, may
29    the  delay in processing last longer than 7 working days.   A
30    failure to render a decision within 7 working days  shall  be
31    considered a denial of the request.
32        (f)  Requests  calling  for  all records falling within a
33    category shall be complied with unless  compliance  with  the
34    request  would  be unduly burdensome for the complying public
                            -3-                LRB9003572RCks
 1    body and there is no way to narrow the request and the burden
 2    on the public body  outweighs  the  public  interest  in  the
 3    information.  Before invoking this exemption, the public body
 4    shall extend to the person making the request an  opportunity
 5    to  confer  with  it  in  an attempt to reduce the request to
 6    manageable  proportions.   If  any   body   responds   to   a
 7    categorical  request  by stating that compliance would unduly
 8    burden its operation and the conditions described  above  are
 9    met, it shall do so in writing, specifying the reasons why it
10    would be unduly burdensome and the extent to which compliance
11    will  so  burden  the  operations of the public body.  Such a
12    response shall be treated as a  denial  of  the  request  for
13    information.   Repeated  requests for the same public records
14    by the same person shall be deemed  unduly  burdensome  under
15    this provision.
16        (g)  Each   public   body   may   promulgate   rules  and
17    regulations in conformity with the provisions of this Section
18    pertaining to the availability of records and  procedures  to
19    be followed, including:
20        (i)  the times and places where such records will be made
21    available, and
22        (ii)  the persons from whom such records may be obtained.
23    (Source: P.A. 83-1013.)
24        Section  10.   The  Clerks  of  Courts  Act is amended by
25    changing Section 13 as follows:
26        (705 ILCS 105/13) (from Ch. 25, par. 13)
27        Sec. 13. The clerks shall attend the  sessions  of  their
28    respective courts, preserve all the files and papers thereof,
29    make,   keep   and  preserve  complete  records  of  all  the
30    proceedings  and  determinations  thereof,  except  in  cases
31    otherwise provided by law,  and  do  and  perform  all  other
32    duties pertaining to their offices, as may be required by law
                            -4-                LRB9003572RCks
 1    or  the  rules  and  orders  of their courts respectively. No
 2    clerk shall delegate or  contract  exclusively  with  another
 3    person,  for  the storage, copying, reproduction, inspection,
 4    or dissemination of any court record as defined in this  Act.
 5    This  Section  is  subject  to  the  provisions of "The Local
 6    Records Act", approved August 18, 1961, as amended.
 7    (Source: P.A. 83-346.)
 8        Section 99.  Effective date.  This Act takes effect  upon
 9    becoming law.

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