R-1493 - 09/08/2015 - GENERAL ASSEMBLY LEGISLATION - Resolutions Supporting Documents ITEM#619.
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AGENDA ITEM
Regular Board of Trustees Meeting
of
September 8,2015
SUBJECT: Illinois Open Meetings Act-Extending to the General Assembly
FROM: Riccardo F. Ginex,Village Manager
BUDGET SOURCE/BUDGET IMPACT: None
RECOMMENDED MOTION: Motion to Approve Resolution 2015-GL-OMA-R-1493,A
Resolution in Support of Extending The Illinois Open Meetings Act To The General
Assembly
Background/History:
Trustees Tiesenga and Moy have requested this item be placed on the agenda.
Currently the General Assembly is the only legislative body in Illinois that is excluded from the
application of the Act. This resolution is seeking support to have the General Assembly adhere
to the Open Meetings Act the same way municipalities in Illinois must follow.
Recommendation:
The Board adopts Resolution R-1493 as presented.
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RESOLUTION 2015-GL-OMA-R-1493
A RESOLUTION IN SUPPORT OF EXTENDING THE ILLINOIS OPEN MEETINGS ACT
TO THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY
WHEREAS, the Illinois Open Meetings Act, 120 ILCS 120/1 et seq. ("Act's provides that it was
implemented to fulfill the following policy:
"[T]he public policy of this State that public bodies exist to aid in the conduct of the
people's business and that the people have a right to be informed as to the conduct of
their business. In order that the people shall be informed, the General Assembly finds
and declares that it is the intent of this Act to ensure that the actions of public bodies be
taken openly and that their deliberations be conducted openly.
The General Assembly further declares it to be the public policy of this State that its
citizens shall be given advance notice of and the right to attend all meetings at which any
business of a public body is discussed or acted upon in any way."
5 ILCS 120/1; and
WHEREAS, the Village follows the Act in conducting public business, which includes, without
limitation, discussing the people's business openly and providing advance posted notice disclosing the
agenda items for discussion or action so that the public has time and opportunity to understand Village
business before, during, and after it occurs; and
WHEREAS, the Village frequently seeks to understand and communicate Village concerns to our
State legislators in the General Assembly, which General Assembly meets in Springfield, at a distance of
189 miles from the Village, which takes a minimum of three hours to travel each way to meet with a
General Assembly member; and
WHEREAS, the Act prohibits more than two Village Trustees from riding in the same car together
to get to Springfield if public business is discussed during the trip to see the General Assembly, despite
the fact that the General Assembly is not currently covered by the Act; and
WHEREAS, since the General Assembly is currently the only legislative body in Illinois with a
special exclusion from the application of the Act, the General Assembly need not post advance notice of
its legislative agenda, and frequently acts on legislation of importance to the Village upon only one hour's
notice, thereby making it impossible to drive to Springfield before legislative action is taken on such short
notice; and
WHEREAS, the General Assembly does not televise its proceedings for the benefit of the people
of the State of Illinois, and is largely exempt from the Freedom of Information Act ("FOIA'J, which applies
to all Illinois municipal bodies to insure that the people can access information relating to their
government and its deliberations; and
WHEREAS, in consequence of the General Assembly operating outside of the scope of the Act,
and it being isolated geographically from most of the population of our State, legions of lobbyists have
established themselves to be the eyes, ears, and hands of Illinois municipalities, all at great cost to those
who must pay for accurate information unavailable under the Act, resulting in 1,836 registered lobbyist
entities employing 1,636 lobbyists according to the Illinois Secretary of State (as of March 16, 2015); and
Resolution 2015-GL-OMA-R-1493
Supporting Extending OMA to General Assembly
Page 2 of 3
WHEREAS, equal application of our laws is a core value of democracy, tracing back as far as the
Magna Carta in England and, as United States Attorney General Loretta Lynch has noted, the Magna
Carta's work is still unfinished 800 years later, where in the United States, we still have work to do for our
laws to apply equally, to the rich and the poor, and especially to those with the most power over the lives
of others,just as the Magna Carta applied the same law to the commoners and the Kings; and
WHEREAS, it is the sense of this Board and the President that extending the Act to the Illinois
General Assembly will improve our understanding of Springfield, and assist Springfield to understand,
and act on, improved communications and helpful suggestions from us, and from all other municipal
bodies and residents of Illinois, in the General Assembly's conduct of our public business;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the President and Board of Trustees of the Village of
Oak Brook, DuPage and Cook Counties, Illinois as follows:
Section 1: Recitals. The foregoing recitals are hereby incorporated into, and made a part
of, this Resolution as the findings of the President and Board of Trustees of the Village of Oak Brook.
Section 2: Resolved. Now, therefore, be it resolved that the Village of Oak Brook
endorses major reform in State government to include extending the policy and the benefits of the Illinois
Open Meetings Act to the Illinois General Assembly, to extend the equal rule of law, enhance mutual
understanding and accountability, reduce travel and lobbyist costs, empower local voters, increase
competitive views in our community, reduce arbitrary or secretive actions, all of which will conserve
productive time and funds for alternative, pressing budgetary needs.
Section 3: Authorization to Transmit Resolution. The Village President and Village Clerk
are hereby authorized to send a suitable copy of this Resolution to the Village's local State Senators and
Representatives and the Illinois Governor.
Section 4: Effective Date. This resolution shall be in full force and effect from and after its
passage, approval, and publication as required by law.
[SIGNATURE PAGE FOLLOWS]
Resolution 2015-GL-OMA-R-1493
Supporting Extending OMA to General Assembly
Page 3 of 3
APPROVED THIS 8th day of September, 2015.
Gopal G. Lalmalani
Village President
PASSED THIS 8th day of September, 2015.
Ayes:
Nays:
Absent:
ATTEST:
Charlotte K. Pruss
Village Clerk