In a recent issue of our newsletter, we described a proposed amendment to the Freedom of Information Act (“FOIA”) that might have helped to ease the burden on local governments when responding to some types of FOIA requests. Governor Quinn vetoed the proposed measure, HB 3796, on June 27, 2014.
The Governor objected to the bill on the basis that it reduced government transparency and would make it more difficult for citizens to obtain a large volume of records. The Governor also objected to provisions which he said would “slow down the process for individuals who lack electronic means to request or obtain information.” This appears to be an objection to the provisions of the bill that would allow municipalities to refer parties to information published on their website rather than having to duplicate that publicly available information for FOIA requesters. We will continue to monitor this matter and will let our readers know if any part of this bill is revived in the veto session.
Author: Ruth A. Schlossberg