[ Back ] [ Bottom ]
92_SB1756gms
State of Illinois
OFFICE OF THE GOVERNOR
Springfield, Illinois 62706
George H. Ryan
GOVERNOR
August 2, 2002
To the Honorable Members of
The Illinois Senate
92nd General Assembly
Pursuant to Article IV, Section 9(b) of the Illinois
Constitution of 1970, I hereby veto Senate Bill 1756,
entitled "AN ACT concerning open meetings."
Senate Bill 1756 amends the Open Meetings Act to require
a public body that has a website and whose staff maintains
the website, to post meeting notices, agendas, and minutes on
that website.
Numerous local officials and units of local government
have expressed their concerns and questions regarding this
legislation. One concern is that enactment of this
legislation would cause an undue financial burden on public
bodies because they would have to invest considerable time
and additional resources to meet this mandate. Another
concern is some provisions of the bill are vague. For
example, the bill does not specify the length of time which
records must be kept on the website.
While I believe that local governments should provide
this information of their own volition, I do not believe that
the State should mandate it. For these reasons, I hereby
veto and return Senate Bill 1756.
Sincerely,
George H. Ryan
GOVERNOR
[ Top ]