Bill Text: IL HB4596 | 2011-2012 | 97th General Assembly | Enrolled

NOTE: There are more recent revisions of this legislation. Read Latest Draft

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Bill Title: Amends the Freedom of Information Act. With respect to the disclosure exemption for administrative enforcement and law enforcement records, extends the exemption to records the disclosure of which would affect enforcement proceedings and investigations of any public body (now, the public body that receives the request). Requires a public body that receives any administrative enforcement or law enforcement records request but that is not the public body or law enforcement or correctional agency contemplating or conducting a proceeding or investigation to transmit the request to such body or agency. Effective immediately.

Spectrum: Bipartisan Bill

Status: (Passed) 2012-08-24 - Public Act . . . . . . . . . 97-1065 [HB4596 Detail]

Download: Illinois-2011-HB4596-Enrolled.html

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AN ACT concerning government.
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 as follows:
(5 ILCS 140/7) (from Ch. 116, par. 207)
Sec. 7. Exemptions.
(1) When a request is made to inspect or copy a public
record that contains information that is exempt from disclosure
under this Section, but also contains information that is not
exempt from disclosure, the public body may elect to redact the
information that is exempt. The public body shall make the
remaining information available for inspection and copying.
Subject to this requirement, the following shall be exempt from
inspection and copying:
(a) Information specifically prohibited from
disclosure by federal or State law or rules and regulations
implementing federal or State law.
(b) Private information, unless disclosure is required
by another provision of this Act, a State or federal law or
a court order.
(b-5) Files, documents, and other data or databases
maintained by one or more law enforcement agencies and

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specifically designed to provide information to one or more
law enforcement agencies regarding the physical or mental
status of one or more individual subjects.
(c) Personal information contained within public
records, the disclosure of which would constitute a clearly
unwarranted invasion of personal privacy, unless the
disclosure is consented to in writing by the individual
subjects of the information. "Unwarranted invasion of
personal privacy" means the disclosure of information that
is highly personal or objectionable to a reasonable person
and in which the subject's right to privacy outweighs any
legitimate public interest in obtaining the information.
The disclosure of information that bears on the public
duties of public employees and officials shall not be
considered an invasion of personal privacy.
(d) Records in the possession of any public body
created in the course of administrative enforcement
proceedings, and any law enforcement or correctional
agency for law enforcement purposes, but only to the extent
that disclosure would:
(i) interfere with pending or actually and
reasonably contemplated law enforcement proceedings
conducted by any law enforcement or correctional
agency that is the recipient of the request;
(ii) interfere with active administrative
enforcement proceedings conducted by the public body

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that is the recipient of the request;
(iii) create a substantial likelihood that a
person will be deprived of a fair trial or an impartial
hearing;
(iv) unavoidably disclose the identity of a
confidential source, confidential information
furnished only by the confidential source, or persons
who file complaints with or provide information to
administrative, investigative, law enforcement, or
penal agencies; except that the identities of
witnesses to traffic accidents, traffic accident
reports, and rescue reports shall be provided by
agencies of local government, except when disclosure
would interfere with an active criminal investigation
conducted by the agency that is the recipient of the
request;
(v) disclose unique or specialized investigative
techniques other than those generally used and known or
disclose internal documents of correctional agencies
related to detection, observation or investigation of
incidents of crime or misconduct, and disclosure would
result in demonstrable harm to the agency or public
body that is the recipient of the request;
(vi) endanger the life or physical safety of law
enforcement personnel or any other person; or
(vii) obstruct an ongoing criminal investigation

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by the agency that is the recipient of the request.
(d-5) A law enforcement record created for law
enforcement purposes and contained in a shared electronic
record management system if the law enforcement agency that
is the recipient of the request did not create the record,
did not participate in or have a role in any of the events
which are the subject of the record, and only has access to
the record through the shared electronic record management
system.
(e) Records that relate to or affect the security of
correctional institutions and detention facilities.
(f) Preliminary drafts, notes, recommendations,
memoranda and other records in which opinions are
expressed, or policies or actions are formulated, except
that a specific record or relevant portion of a record
shall not be exempt when the record is publicly cited and
identified by the head of the public body. The exemption
provided in this paragraph (f) extends to all those records
of officers and agencies of the General Assembly that
pertain to the preparation of legislative documents.
(g) Trade secrets and commercial or financial
information obtained from a person or business where the
trade secrets or commercial or financial information are
furnished under a claim that they are proprietary,
privileged or confidential, and that disclosure of the
trade secrets or commercial or financial information would

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cause competitive harm to the person or business, and only
insofar as the claim directly applies to the records
requested.
The information included under this exemption includes
all trade secrets and commercial or financial information
obtained by a public body, including a public pension fund,
from a private equity fund or a privately held company
within the investment portfolio of a private equity fund as
a result of either investing or evaluating a potential
investment of public funds in a private equity fund. The
exemption contained in this item does not apply to the
aggregate financial performance information of a private
equity fund, nor to the identity of the fund's managers or
general partners. The exemption contained in this item does
not apply to the identity of a privately held company
within the investment portfolio of a private equity fund,
unless the disclosure of the identity of a privately held
company may cause competitive harm.
Nothing contained in this paragraph (g) shall be
construed to prevent a person or business from consenting
to disclosure.
(h) Proposals and bids for any contract, grant, or
agreement, including information which if it were
disclosed would frustrate procurement or give an advantage
to any person proposing to enter into a contractor
agreement with the body, until an award or final selection

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is made. Information prepared by or for the body in
preparation of a bid solicitation shall be exempt until an
award or final selection is made.
(i) Valuable formulae, computer geographic systems,
designs, drawings and research data obtained or produced by
any public body when disclosure could reasonably be
expected to produce private gain or public loss. The
exemption for "computer geographic systems" provided in
this paragraph (i) does not extend to requests made by news
media as defined in Section 2 of this Act when the
requested information is not otherwise exempt and the only
purpose of the request is to access and disseminate
information regarding the health, safety, welfare, or
legal rights of the general public.
(j) The following information pertaining to
educational matters:
(i) test questions, scoring keys and other
examination data used to administer an academic
examination;
(ii) information received by a primary or
secondary school, college, or university under its
procedures for the evaluation of faculty members by
their academic peers;
(iii) information concerning a school or
university's adjudication of student disciplinary
cases, but only to the extent that disclosure would

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unavoidably reveal the identity of the student; and
(iv) course materials or research materials used
by faculty members.
(k) Architects' plans, engineers' technical
submissions, and other construction related technical
documents for projects not constructed or developed in
whole or in part with public funds and the same for
projects constructed or developed with public funds,
including but not limited to power generating and
distribution stations and other transmission and
distribution facilities, water treatment facilities,
airport facilities, sport stadiums, convention centers,
and all government owned, operated, or occupied buildings,
but only to the extent that disclosure would compromise
security.
(l) Minutes of meetings of public bodies closed to the
public as provided in the Open Meetings Act until the
public body makes the minutes available to the public under
Section 2.06 of the Open Meetings Act.
(m) Communications between a public body and an
attorney or auditor representing the public body that would
not be subject to discovery in litigation, and materials
prepared or compiled by or for a public body in
anticipation of a criminal, civil or administrative
proceeding upon the request of an attorney advising the
public body, and materials prepared or compiled with

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respect to internal audits of public bodies.
(n) Records relating to a public body's adjudication of
employee grievances or disciplinary cases; however, this
exemption shall not extend to the final outcome of cases in
which discipline is imposed.
(o) Administrative or technical information associated
with automated data processing operations, including but
not limited to software, operating protocols, computer
program abstracts, file layouts, source listings, object
modules, load modules, user guides, documentation
pertaining to all logical and physical design of
computerized systems, employee manuals, and any other
information that, if disclosed, would jeopardize the
security of the system or its data or the security of
materials exempt under this Section.
(p) Records relating to collective negotiating matters
between public bodies and their employees or
representatives, except that any final contract or
agreement shall be subject to inspection and copying.
(q) Test questions, scoring keys, and other
examination data used to determine the qualifications of an
applicant for a license or employment.
(r) The records, documents, and information relating
to real estate purchase negotiations until those
negotiations have been completed or otherwise terminated.
With regard to a parcel involved in a pending or actually

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and reasonably contemplated eminent domain proceeding
under the Eminent Domain Act, records, documents and
information relating to that parcel shall be exempt except
as may be allowed under discovery rules adopted by the
Illinois Supreme Court. The records, documents and
information relating to a real estate sale shall be exempt
until a sale is consummated.
(s) Any and all proprietary information and records
related to the operation of an intergovernmental risk
management association or self-insurance pool or jointly
self-administered health and accident cooperative or pool.
Insurance or self insurance (including any
intergovernmental risk management association or self
insurance pool) claims, loss or risk management
information, records, data, advice or communications.
(t) Information contained in or related to
examination, operating, or condition reports prepared by,
on behalf of, or for the use of a public body responsible
for the regulation or supervision of financial
institutions or insurance companies, unless disclosure is
otherwise required by State law.
(u) Information that would disclose or might lead to
the disclosure of secret or confidential information,
codes, algorithms, programs, or private keys intended to be
used to create electronic or digital signatures under the
Electronic Commerce Security Act.

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(v) Vulnerability assessments, security measures, and
response policies or plans that are designed to identify,
prevent, or respond to potential attacks upon a community's
population or systems, facilities, or installations, the
destruction or contamination of which would constitute a
clear and present danger to the health or safety of the
community, but only to the extent that disclosure could
reasonably be expected to jeopardize the effectiveness of
the measures or the safety of the personnel who implement
them or the public. Information exempt under this item may
include such things as details pertaining to the
mobilization or deployment of personnel or equipment, to
the operation of communication systems or protocols, or to
tactical operations.
(w) (Blank).
(x) Maps and other records regarding the location or
security of generation, transmission, distribution,
storage, gathering, treatment, or switching facilities
owned by a utility, by a power generator, or by the
Illinois Power Agency.
(y) Information contained in or related to proposals,
bids, or negotiations related to electric power
procurement under Section 1-75 of the Illinois Power Agency
Act and Section 16-111.5 of the Public Utilities Act that
is determined to be confidential and proprietary by the
Illinois Power Agency or by the Illinois Commerce

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Commission.
(z) Information about students exempted from
disclosure under Sections 10-20.38 or 34-18.29 of the
School Code, and information about undergraduate students
enrolled at an institution of higher education exempted
from disclosure under Section 25 of the Illinois Credit
Card Marketing Act of 2009.
(aa) Information the disclosure of which is exempted
under the Viatical Settlements Act of 2009.
(bb) Records and information provided to a mortality
review team and records maintained by a mortality review
team appointed under the Department of Juvenile Justice
Mortality Review Team Act.
(cc) Information regarding interments, entombments, or
inurnments of human remains that are submitted to the
Cemetery Oversight Database under the Cemetery Care Act or
the Cemetery Oversight Act, whichever is applicable.
(dd) Correspondence and records (i) that may not be
disclosed under Section 11-9 of the Public Aid Code or (ii)
that pertain to appeals under Section 11-8 of the Public
Aid Code.
(ee) (dd) The names, addresses, or other personal
information of persons who are minors and are also
participants and registrants in programs of park
districts, forest preserve districts, conservation
districts, recreation agencies, and special recreation

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associations.
(ff) (ee) The names, addresses, or other personal
information of participants and registrants in programs of
park districts, forest preserve districts, conservation
districts, recreation agencies, and special recreation
associations where such programs are targeted primarily to
minors.
(2) A public record that is not in the possession of a
public body but is in the possession of a party with whom the
agency has contracted to perform a governmental function on
behalf of the public body, and that directly relates to the
governmental function and is not otherwise exempt under this
Act, shall be considered a public record of the public body,
for purposes of this Act.
(3) This Section does not authorize withholding of
information or limit the availability of records to the public,
except as stated in this Section or otherwise provided in this
Act.
(Source: P.A. 96-261, eff. 1-1-10; 96-328, eff. 8-11-09;
96-542, eff. 1-1-10; 96-558, eff. 1-1-10; 96-736, eff. 7-1-10;
96-863, eff. 3-1-10; 96-1378, eff. 7-29-10; 97-333, eff.
8-12-11; 97-385, eff. 8-15-11; 97-452, eff. 8-19-11; revised
9-2-11.)
Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon
becoming law.