Urgent Legislative Alert: Call your representatives in Springfield to oppose passage of HB37965/30/2014
I am writing today to alert you to a problematic bill, HB 3796, that was only introduced last Friday afternoon, passed the House on Memorial Day, and will pass the Senate TODAY to the Senate sponsors, who expect a unanimous vote. I am providing detailed information below. It is urgent that you CALL YOUR SENATOR IN SPRINGFIELD TODAY to tell them you oppose HB3796 as this bill severely curbs the ability of the public to monitor government activity. Need to know who your Senator is? Click here.
HB 3796 adds provisions to the Freedom of Information Act to create a category of requests called "Voluminous Requests." This is in addition to the other provisions in the FOIA that enable public bodies to negotiate FOIA requests, which are the recurrent requester provision and the unduly burdensome provision. The voluminous request provisions:
It is important to note that the FOIA is "Intent-Neutral"--the reason that the requester wants public records is not a consideration that the public body should make in complying with the request. A document evidencing government business is presumed to be public-- or it may through clear and convincing evidence be withheld through an exception, or an exemption outside the FOIA statute may exist. These are the only considerations that a public body may take in responding to a FOIA request. It should be noted that the unduly burdensome provision is a workable provision--it requires the public body to ask the requester to narrow the request to manageable proportions. This bill is partly in reaction to those FOIA requesters who avoided the label of "recurrent requester" by putting their FOIA requests in one letter or email to the public body--an unintended consequence of the recurrent requester provision. If you remember, a recurrent requester submits 7 FOIA requests in 7 days, 15 FOIA requests in 30 days, or 50 FOIA requests in 365 days. At the very least, the recurrent requester provision should be removed from the FOIA, if the voluminous request provisions pass and get signed into law. While non-profits, scientific, or academic organizations, and the media are exempt from the voluminous request provisions, this bill severely curbs the ability of the public to monitor government activity. Thank you, Maryam Judar Executive Director/Community Lawyer Citizen Advocacy Center Projects include but are not limited to:
Legal Research
Some current places CAC is working:
Please join us in welcoming our impressive group of high school, college and legal interns. Thanks to you we have plenty of work to keep them busy! The intern program runs from Tuesday May 27th - Friday August 1, 2014
Public Access Counselor (PAC) interprets "right to speak" provision in the Open Meetings Act5/14/2014
Read the PAC Determination Letter
IL House Human Service Committee Chair Robyn Gabel (D-Evanston) has introduced a state policy proposal urging Gov. Quinn to support community-based strategies to help reduce hunger and poverty. The resolution builds on principles established through the IL Local Food Farms and Jobs Act of 2009 to promote grassroots democracy and Main Street economies.
For more details read Evanston's State Rep.Gabel seeks a resolution for coordinated food strategy published in the Evanston Review 5/13/14 OR this Daily Northwestern report on 5/20/14. |
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