On May 23, the Illinois General Assembly passed Senate Bill 2135, which in part amended the Open Meetings Act to permit, and set conditions for, conducting board meetings by audio or video conference without the physical...more
In the last month and a half of 2017, the Public Access Counselor of the Illinois Attorney General’s Office issued three binding opinions, one addressing the Open Meetings Act (OMA) and two addressing the Freedom of...more
The Public Access Counselor (PAC) of the Illinois Attorney General’s office recently issued two binding opinions addressing the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). Specifically, the opinions found two public bodies in...more
The Public Access Counselor recently issued a non-binding opinion holding that public bodies have the discretion to decide whether to waive or reduce copying fees associated with the production of documents responsive to FOIA...more
In three separate opinions rendered in November, the Public Access Counselor (PAC) of the Illinois Attorney General provided guidance regarding the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) on the definition of “unduly burdensome,”...more
One of the most legally perilous jobs of a school board is to preside over the public participation portion of a meeting. The key for a board is to balance its need to run efficient and orderly meetings with the ability of...more