SPRINGFIELD, IL. (ECWd) –
Governor Rauner signed HB 5683, which amends the Open Meetings Act to allow anyone to file a lawsuit for violations of the Open Meetings Act within 60 days of the Attorney General deciding to resolve an alleged violation thru a means other than the issuance of a binding opinion.
Chief Sponsor of HB5683 was Representative Peter Breen (R-Lombard).
Text of the Act (ILGA website):
HB5683
Amends the Open Meetings Act. Provides that where the provisions of this Act are not complied with, or where there is probable cause to believe that the provisions of this Act will not be complied with, any person may bring a civil action in the circuit court within 60 days of the decision by the Attorney General to resolve a request for review by a means other than the issuance of a binding opinion, if the person timely files a request for review with the Public Access Counselor. Effective immediately.
Until now, citizens had no recourse once 60 days had passed after the meeting in question if they had timely filed a request for review, and the Attorney General decided not to issue a binding opinion.
Another common sense piece of legislation to further protect a citizen’s right to know the actions of their local government, and their right to enforce compliance with the Open Meetings Act.
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2 Comments
Danni Smith
Posted at 00:35h, 07 AugustYou had a job to do Robert Berlin. The taxpayer’s paid you to do your job. You did not do your job. You view yourself as the powerful elite. You are the reason this has happened. Now let us watch how you do not do your job and react with no explanation to your employers, the “little people”.
Warren J. Le Fever
Posted at 10:24h, 06 AugustThis is a very important piece of legislation. A real blow against shady operators. The Open Meetings Act has needed some amending for some time because lawyers for the Attorney General’s office simply decided not to do their jobs. There is still more amending on the OMA needed, but 2016 has been a good year for public right to know.