
State Public Records Law
Illinois Compiled Statutes
(5 ILCS 140/) Freedom of Information Act
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Exemptions to Disclosure
The following records are exempt from inspection and copying:
- Preliminary drafts, notes, recommendations, memoranda and other records in which opinions are expressed, or policies or actions are formulated
- Trade secrets
- Privileged information
- “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.” 5 ILCS 140, § 7(1)(i)
- Course materials or research materials used by faculty members.
- 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.
Access Rights
- Any person
- Any purpose; can’t be required to submit request on standard form or to specify purpose for request, except to determine whether purpose is commercial or if request for fee waiver should be granted
- Need response within 5 business days; otherwise, constitutes denial of access; if records are eventually provided, but after the 5-day period with no response, then can’t be charged any fee for the requested copies.
- If request is for commercial purposes, agency has 21 business days to respond
- Can’t be charged fees for personnel labor, etc.; fees for paper format don’t by default apply to electronic format
- No fees for first 50 pages of black and white
- No charge or reduced charge if requestor states specific purpose and demonstrates it to be in public interest
- Includes any records, reports, etc. that are prepared by or for, used by, in possession of, or under control of any public body
- Request to inspect must reasonably identify a public record, not just general data which might be gleaned
- After the first 50 pages of b/w the fee is not to exceed $0.15 per page
- A public body may charge up to $10 for each hour spent by personnel in searching for and retrieving a record or examining the record for necessary redactions.
- No fees shall be charged for the first 8 hours spent by personnel in searching for or retrieving a requested record.
- A public body may charge the actual cost of retrieving and transporting public records from an off-site storage facility when the public records are maintained by a third-party storage company under contract with the public body.
Destruction of Public Records
- Must submit lists or schedules of public records in custody that lack administrative, legal, or fiscal value to warrant further retention by agency, to the Commission; Commission then determines what records have no such value, nor research nor historical value, and shall authorize destruction or disposal
- No public record shall be disposed of by any Local Records Commission on its own initiative
State Whistleblower Score
Rank: 17/51 states
Illinois has an average state whistleblower law with average coverage (19 out of 33 possible points), a good degree of usability (25 out of 33) and weak remedies (17 out of 33), plus the one bonus point awarded for employee notification of rights.
Illinois Activity
MISSISSIPPI BARGE TRAFFIC DOWN SHARPLY IN ‘04
New Numbers May Be Death Knell for Big Locks Project
NATIONAL ACADEMIES OF SCIENCE RIPS CORPS UPPER MISSISSIPPI PLAN
Third NAS Report Is Scalding -- Most Critical
CORPS VIOLATES ITS OWN RULES ON MISSISSIPPI STUDY
$70 Million "Draft" Is Internally Inconsistent, Intentionally Inaccurate & Incomplete
UPPER MISSISSIPPI PROJECT RETURNS ONLY NICKEL ON THE DOLLAR
Both Barge Traffic and Congestion Continue to Drop as Senate Vote Nears
TAXPAYER & GREEN GROUPS SLAM MULTI-BILLION DOLLAR MISSISSIPPI RIVER PLAN
"Twice Cooked Pork" Report Released
IN BUDGET BUSTING MOVE, CORPS OF ENGINEERS PROPOSES MULTI-BILLION DOLLAR MISSISSIPPI RIVER LOCK EXPANSION
Conservation Groups Oppose Project
BUSH ADMINISTRATION ZEROES OUT UPPER MISSISSIPPI LOCKS
Army Corps Civil Works Program Slashed
MISSISSIPPI RIVER BARGE TRAFFIC DOWN AGAIN IN 2003
Need for New Locks Fading
NEW NATIONAL ACADEMIES OF SCIENCE REPORT BLASTS CORPS PLAN FOR UPPER MISSISSIPPI
NAS Tells Corps to Take Controversial Project Back to the Drawing Board
ARMY CORPS SUED ON MISSISSIPPI BARGE PLAN
Economic Plan on Controversial $2.5 Billion Project Flawed
BARGE TRAFFIC DOWN AGAIN IN 2003
Industry Cites Overcapacity & Slow Growth -- Undercutting Case for Mississippi Lock Expansion
CORPS ECONOMIC MODELS FOR MISSISSIPPI NOT PEER REVIEWED
Troubled Study Violates Data Quality Act
BARGE TRAFFIC CONTINUES DROPPING ON MISSISSIPPI AND ILLINOIS RIVERS
New Figures at Odds With Corps Plans for Lock Expansions
BARGE TRAFFIC DROPS ON MISSISSIPPI AND ILLINOIS RIVERS;
New Figures At Odds With Corps Plans for Lock Expansion
SHIPPING DECLINES ON MISSISSIPPI AND ILLINOIS RIVERS
New Figures Undercut Need for Billion-Dollar Lock Project
CHICAGO GETS SPECIAL CLEAN AIR EXEMPTION
Unprecedented Pre-Election Deal Rushed Through