Bill > HB0023

This bill amends the Open Meetings Act to clarify and expand provisions related to meeting attendance and emergency situations. It introduces two new definitions: "bona fide emergency," which means a disaster, act of terror, or any occurrence that threatens governmental operations or public safety, and "exigent circumstances," which refers to situations requiring immediate attention such as injury, sickness, loss of life, or property damage. The bill modifies the existing language to allow a member of a public body to attend a meeting by alternative means (like video or audio conference) if they are prevented from physically attending due to exigent circumstances concerning a family member, replacing the previous broader language of "a family or other emergency." The legislation provides more specific guidelines for when and how public bodies can conduct meetings remotely, particularly during emergency situations, including requirements for public notice, ensuring public access, conducting roll call votes, and maintaining verbatim records. These changes aim to provide more flexibility for public bodies while maintaining transparency and accessibility during challenging circumstances.

Government Affairs

https://www.ilga.gov/legislation/BillStatus.asp?DocNum=23&GAID=18&DocTypeID=HB&SessionID=114&GA=104