Local Government Law Bulletin
New Rules for Travel Expense Reimbursement
August 18, 2016 As a result of a new law effective January 1, 2017, certain local government officials will have new rules and limitations on reimbursement of travel, meal and lodging expenses. Every local public agency affected by this legislation will need to have...
New PAC Opinion Concerns FOIA and Personal Email Accounts
August 17, 2016 In a significant new opinion issued on August 9, 2016, the Illinois Attorney General’s Public Access Counselor issued an opinion finding that “communications pertaining to the transaction of public business that were sent or received on … personal...
Illinois is Now a Marijuana State
August 4, 2016 On July 29, 2016, Governor Rauner surprised the State by signing a bill into immediate effect that decriminalizes marijuana and marijuana paraphernalia. Specifically, it is no longer a crime in Illinois to possess 10 grams or less of marijuana or any...
Failure to Comply with Filing Requirements Not Necessarily Fatal to Traffic Citations
We previously reported on the Fifth Appellate District’s People v. Geiler ruling, which most notably dismissed a traffic violation because the issuing municipality displayed a “clear and consistent violation” of the Supreme Court Rule 552 filing requirements. Rule 552...
Illinois Legislature Proposes Telecommunications Bill
July 22, 2016 New telecommunications legislation is pending in the Illinois Senate. The draft bill would, if adopted by the legislature and signed by the Governor, create the Small Wireless Facilities Deployment Act which would provide that a right of way authority...
New Law Creates Additional Fines for FOIA Violations
July 21, 2016 Earlier this week, Governor Rauner signed two bills collectively known as “Molly’s Law.” The bills are seemingly unrelated with regard to topic, but developed as a result of a terrible set of facts. Essentially, this new law extends the statute of...
Illinois Public Access Counselor Releases Fourth Opinion of 2016
July 7, 2016 Late last month, the Illinois Public Access Counselor issued an opinion finding that the Chicago Police Department (CPD) violated the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). Specifically, the request, submitted on April 5, 2016, sought CPD staffing level...
Illinois Appellate Court Holds IHSA Not Subject to FOIA
July 7, 2016 Last month, an Illinois appellate court considered a case involving the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and the Illinois High School Association (IHSA). Specifically, the plaintiff submitted written requests seeking all of the IHSA’s contracts for...
Illinois General Assembly Passes Bill Concerning Administrative Towing
June 23, 2016 As of late, municipal impoundment ordinances have been an issue of increasing debate. Last month, we reported on a recent case out of the Third District dealing with administrative impoundment fees. Now, the Illinois Legislature has decided to express an...