SB 243 proposed various amendments to the Open Meetings Act and FOIA, which had been approved by both the Illinois Senate and the Illinois General Assembly. The bill was just signed by the Governor last week and became P.A. 104-0438. We will update the related modules, but in the meantime, here is a summary of the changes provided in the Municipal Minute that will take effect on January 1, 2026:
- Meetings of Public Bodies Prohibited on Election Day
- Military Service Added as a Reason for Remote Meeting Attendance
- Township OMA Training Option Available
- Immunity for Public Officers and Employees for Record Disclosure in Compliance with PAC Opinion
- Section 4 FOIA Posting Requirements Allow Website Posting
- Junk Mail Excluded from FOIA Definition of Public Records
- Electronic FOIA Submissions Must be in Body of Submission (not Attachment or Hyperlink)
- Public Body Can Require Verification that FOIA Requester is a Person
- Self-Evaluation Exemption from OMA Expanded to Include Facilitator from Regional Association
- New FOIA Exemptions Added for Certain Criminal Justice and Nuclear Records