Section 3700.520  Records that Will Be Withheld from Disclosure

When a request is made to inspect or copy a record that contains information that is otherwise exempt from disclosure under this Section, but also contains information that is not exempt from disclosure, the Agency shall make the remaining information available for inspection and copying. (Section 7(1) of FOIA) 

a)         Subject to this requirement and Section 7 of FOIA, the following shall be exempt from inspection and copying:

1)         Information specifically prohibited from disclosure by federal or State law or rules and regulations implementing federal or State law; (Section 7(1)(a) of FOIA)

2)         Private information, unless disclosure is required by another provision of FOIA, a State or federal law or a court order; (Section 7(1)(b) of FOIA)

3)         Files, documents, and other data or databases maintained by one or more law enforcement agencies and specifically designed to provide information to one or more law enforcement agencies regarding the physical or mental status of one or more individual subjects; (Section 7(1)(b-5) of FOIA)

4)         Personal information contained within records, the disclosure of which would constitute a clearly unwarranted invasion of personal privacy, unless the disclosure is consented to in writing by the individual subjects of the information.  "Unwarranted invasion of personal privacy" means the disclosure of information that is highly personal or objectionable to a reasonable person and in which the subject's right to privacy outweighs any legitimate public interest in obtaining the information.  The disclosure of information that bears on the public duties of public employees and officials shall not be considered an invasion of personal privacy; (Section 7(1)(c) of FOIA)

5)         Records in the possession of any public body created in the course of administrative enforcement proceedings, and any law enforcement or correctional agency for law enforcement purposes, but only to the extent that disclosure would:  

A)        Interfere with pending or actually and reasonably contemplated law enforcement proceedings conducted by any law enforcement or correctional agency that is the recipient of the request;

B)        Interfere with active administrative enforcement proceedings conducted by the public body that is the recipient of the request;

C)        Create a substantial likelihood that a person will be deprived of a fair trial or an impartial hearing;

D)        Unavoidably disclose the identity of a confidential source, confidential information furnished only by the confidential source, or persons who file complaints with or provide information to administrative, investigative, law enforcement, or penal agencies; except that the Agency will provide traffic accident reports, the identities of witnesses to traffic accidents, and rescue reports, except when disclosure would interfere with an active criminal investigation;

E)        Disclose unique or specialized investigative techniques other than those generally used and known, or disclose internal documents of correctional agencies related to detection, observation or investigation of incidents of crime or misconduct, and disclosure would result in demonstrable harm to the Agency;

F)         Endanger the life or physical safety of law enforcement personnel or any other person; or

G)        Obstruct an ongoing criminal investigation by the Agency; (Section 7(1)(d) of FOIA)

6)         Records that relate to or affect the security of correctional institutions and detention facilities; (Section 7(1)(e) of FOIA)

7)         Preliminary drafts, notes, recommendations, memoranda and other records in which opinions are expressed, or policies or actions are formulated, except that a specific record or relevant portion of a record shall not be exempt when the record is publicly cited and identified by the head of the Agency.  The exemption provided in this subsection (a)(7) extends to all those records of officers and agencies of the General Assembly that pertain to the preparation of legislative documents; (Section 7(1)(f) of FOIA)

8)         Trade secrets and commercial or financial information obtained from a person or business where the trade secrets or commercial or financial information are furnished under a claim that they are proprietary, privileged or confidential, and that disclosure of the trade secrets or commercial or financial information would cause competitive harm to the person or business, and only insofar as the claim directly applies to the records requested.  All trade secrets and commercial or financial information obtained by a public body, including a public pension fund, from a private equity fund or a privately held company within the investment portfolio of a private equity fund as a result of either investing or evaluating a potential investment of public funds in a private equity fund.  The exemption contained in this subsection (a)(8) does not apply to the aggregate financial performance information of a private equity fund, nor to the identity of the fund's managers or general partners. The exemption contained in this subsection (a)(8) does not apply to the identity of a privately held company within the investment portfolio of a private equity fund, unless the disclosure of the identity of a privately held company may cause competitive harm.  Nothing in this subsection (a)(8) shall be construed to prevent a person or business from consenting to disclosure; (Section 7(1)(g) of FOIA)

9)         Proposals and bids for any contract, grant, or agreement, including information that if it were disclosed would frustrate procurement or give an advantage to any person proposing to enter into a contract or agreement with the body, until an award or final selection is made.  Information prepared by or for the body in preparation of a bid solicitation shall be exempt until an award or final selection is made; (Section 7(1)(h) of FOIA)

10)         Valuable formulae, computer geographic systems, designs, drawings and research data obtained or produced by the Agency when disclosure could reasonably be expected to produce private gain or public loss.  The exemption for "computer geographic systems" provided in this subsection (a)(10) does not extend to requests made by news media as defined in Section 3700.110 when the requested information is not otherwise exempt and the only purpose of the request is to access and disseminate information regarding the health, safety, welfare or legal rights of the general public; (Section 7(1)(i) of FOIA)

11)         The following information pertaining to educational matters:

A)        Test questions, scoring keys, and other examination data used to administer an academic exam;

B)        Information received by a primary or secondary school, college, or university under its procedure for the evaluation of faculty members by their academic peers;

C)        Information concerning a school's or university's adjudication of student disciplinary cases, but only to the extent that disclosure would unavoidably reveal the identity of the student; and

D)        Course materials or research materials used by faculty members; (Section 7(1)(j) of FOIA)

12)       Architects' plans and engineers' technical submissions, and other construction related technical documents for projects not constructed or developed in whole or in part with public funds and for projects constructed or developed with public funds, including but not limited to power generating and distribution stations and other transmission and distribution facilities, water treatment facilities, airport facilities, sport stadiums, convention centers, and all government owned, operated, or occupied buildings, but only to the extent that disclosure would compromise security; (Section 7(1)(k) of FOIA)

13)       Minutes of meetings of public bodies closed to the public as provided in the Open Meetings Act [5 ILCS 120] until the public body makes the minutes available to the public under Section 2.06 of the Open Meetings Act; (Section 7(1)(l) of FOIA)

14)       Communications between the Agency and an attorney or auditor representing the Agency that would not be subject to discovery in litigation, and materials prepared or compiled by or for the Agency in anticipation of a criminal, civil or administrative proceeding upon the request of an attorney advising the Agency, and materials prepared or compiled with respect to internal audits of the Agency; (Section 7(1)(m) of FOIA)

15)       Records relating to the Agency's adjudication of employee grievances or disciplinary cases; however, this exemption shall not extend to the final outcome of cases in which discipline is imposed; (Section 7(1)(n) of FOIA)

16)       Administrative or technical information associated with automated data processing operations, including but not limited to software, operating protocols, computer program abstracts, file layouts, source listings, object modules, load modules, user guides, documentation pertaining to all logical and physical design of computerized systems, employee manuals, and any other information that, if disclosed, would jeopardize the security of the system or its data or the security of materials exempt under this Section; (Section 7(1)(o) of FOIA)

17)       Records relating to collective negotiating matters between the Agency and its employees or representatives, except that any final contract or agreement shall be subject to inspection and copying; (Section 7(1)(p) of FOIA)

18)       Test questions, scoring keys, and other examination data used to determine the qualifications of an applicant for a license or employment; (Section 7(1)(q) of FOIA)

19)       The records, documents and information relating to real estate purchase negotiations until those negotiations have been completed or otherwise terminated. With regard to a parcel involved in a pending or actually and reasonably contemplated eminent domain proceeding under the Eminent Domain Act [735 ILCS 30], records, documents and information relating to that parcel shall be exempt except as may be allowed under discovery rules adopted by the Illinois Supreme Court.  The records, documents and information relating to a real estate sale shall be exempt only until a sale is consummated; (Section 7(1)(r) of FOIA)

20)       Any and all proprietary information and records related to the operation of an intergovernmental risk management association or self-insurance pool or jointly self-administered health and accident cooperative or pool. Insurance or self-insurance (including any intergovernmental risk management association or self-insurance pool) claims, loss or risk management information, records, data, advice or communications; (Section 7(1)(s) of FOIA)

21)       Information contained in or related to examination, operating, or condition reports prepared by, on behalf of, or for the use of a public body responsible for the regulation or supervision of financial institutions or insurance companies, unless disclosure is otherwise required by State law; (Section 7(1)(t) of FOIA)

22)       Information that would disclose or might lead to the disclosure of secret or confidential information, codes, algorithms, programs or private keys intended to be used to create electronic or digital signatures under the Electronic Commerce Security Act [5 ILCS 175]; (Section 7(1)(u) of FOIA)

23)       Vulnerability assessments, security measures, and response policies or plans that are designed to identify, prevent, or respond to potential attacks upon a community's population or systems, facilities, or installations, the destruction or contamination of which would constitute a clear and present danger to the health or safety of the community, but only to the extent that disclosure could reasonably be expected to jeopardize the effectiveness of the measures or the safety of the personnel who implement them or the public. Information exempt under this subsection (a)(23) may include such things as details pertaining to the mobilization or deployment of personnel or equipment, to the operation of communication systems or protocols, or to tactical operations; (Section 7(1)(v) of FOIA)

24)       Maps and other records regarding the location or security of generation, transmission, distribution, storage, gathering, treatment, or switching facilities owned by a utility, by a power generator, or by the Illinois Power Agency; (Section 7(1)(x) of FOIA)

25)       Information contained in or related to proposals, bids, or negotiations related to electric power procurement under Section 1-75 of the Illinois Power Agency Act [20 ILCS 3855] and Section 16-111.5 of the Public Utilities Act [220 ILCS 5] that is determined to be confidential and proprietary by the Illinois Power Agency or by the Illinois Commerce Commission; (Section 7(1)(y) of FOIA)

26)       Information about students exempted from disclosure under Section 10-20.38 or 34-18.29 of the School Code, and information about undergraduate students enrolled at an institution of higher education exempted from disclosure under Section 25 of the Illinois Credit Card Marketing Act of 2009 [110 ILCS 26]; (Section 7(1)(z) of FOIA)

27)       Information the disclosure of which is exempted under the Viatical Settlements Act of 2009 [215 ILCS 158]; (Section 7(1)(aa) of FOIA)

28)       Information regarding interments, entombments, or inurnments of human remains that are submitted to the Cemetery Oversight Database under the Cemetery Care Act [760 ILCS 100] or the Cemetery Oversight Act [225 ILCS 411], whichever is applicable. (Section 7(1)(bb) of FOIA)

b)         A record that is not in the possession of the Agency but is in the possession of a party with whom the Agency has contracted to perform a governmental function on behalf of the Agency, and that directly relates to the governmental function and is not otherwise exempt under FOIA, shall be considered a record of the Agency for purposes of Subpart C.  (Section 7(2) of FOIA)