Bill > SB2170

This bill amends the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) to modify the definition and treatment of "recurrent requesters" by reducing the number of record requests that qualify a person as a recurrent requester. Specifically, the bill lowers the thresholds from 50 to 40 total requests in 12 months, from 15 to 10 requests within a 30-day period, and from 7 to 5 requests within a 7-day period. The bill also extends the response time for public bodies from 21 to 30 business days when handling requests from recurrent requesters. Additionally, the bill specifies that notice of recurrent requester status must be provided only once every 30 days, and it introduces a new provision making it a violation of the Act for designated recurrent requesters to knowingly obtain public records without disclosing their status. The changes aim to balance the public's right to access information with the administrative burden on public bodies, while maintaining exceptions for news media, non-profit, scientific, and academic organizations whose requests are made for informational, educational, or research purposes.

Government Affairs

https://www.ilga.gov/legislation/BillStatus.asp?DocNum=2170&GAID=18&DocTypeID=SB&SessionID=114&GA=104