Bills Would Affect Public Comment at Municipal Meetings
Yesterday we reported on three bills that propose to amend FOIA. Today, we report on 2 other bills that affect local government meetings.
HB 5013: A bill was recently introduced
that would amend the Illinois Municipal Code to provide that municipalities cannot
prohibit persons from addressing individual city council members, municipal
officials, or municipal staff members at public meetings. The legislation would allow municipalities to impose
regulations on when persons can speak at a meeting. As you know, the Open
Meetings Act already requires public bodies (including municipalities) to provide
an opportunity for persons to address public officials at public meetings.
HB 5016: Another related bill would also amend the Illinois Municipal Code. If passed, this legislation would prevent municipalities from prohibiting members of the public
or members of a city council from offering comments or input after a
petitioner (defined as a person or entity who initiated and has a direct financial or
ownership interest concerning a particular agenda item) has addressed the city
council.
It's not clear whether either of these bills will move forward but we will certainly keep our readers posted.
Post Authored by Eugene Bolotnikov and Julie Tappendorf, Ancel Glink
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