[ Search ] [ PDF text ] [ Legislation ]
[ Home ] [ Back ] [ Bottom ]
[ Introduced ] | [ Engrossed ] | [ Enrolled ] |
[ Senate Amendment 001 ] |
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