Bill > SB2167

This bill amends the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) by modifying the provisions related to fees for requesting public records. Specifically, the bill removes the requirement for public bodies to provide an accounting of personnel hours when charging fees for voluminous electronic record requests. Under the current law, when a public body imposes fees for voluminous electronic records (such as PDF or non-PDF files), they must provide a detailed breakdown of fees, costs, and personnel hours. The new bill eliminates the requirement to report personnel hours, while still maintaining the requirement to account for fees and costs. The bill preserves existing provisions that allow public bodies to charge for actual costs of reproducing records, with some exceptions such as waiving fees for requests in the public interest or providing the first 50 pages of black and white copies free of charge. For commercial requests, the bill maintains the ability to charge up to $10 per hour for searching and retrieving records after the first 8 hours. These changes aim to streamline the fee reporting process for public bodies when responding to public records requests.

Government Affairs

https://www.ilga.gov/legislation/BillStatus.asp?DocNum=2167&GAID=18&DocTypeID=SB&SessionID=114&GA=104