From The Daily Herald:

State might change closed-meeting rules
By John Patterson Daily Herald State Government Writer
Posted on November 28, 2001
SPRINGFIELD - Illinois political lore is filled with backroom deals and secret action behind closed doors.

Tuesday, state lawmakers voted to shed some light on those proceedings. A key Senate panel voted to support a new law that would require village boards, city councils, school boards and other local governments to summarize in writing what they talked about behind closed doors and then certify that the law was not broken. The plan now goes to the full Senate for consideration.

"Our concern all along was to accountability in closed sessions," said David Bennett, executive director of the Illinois Press Association, a newspaper trade association that lobbied for the proposal. The association represents many of the state's newspapers, including the Daily Herald.

As proposed, the presiding officer of a local government panel - likely a mayor or village board president - would certify in writing why the panel met in private and that the members did not break state laws regarding open meetings. Those laws specifically spell out instances in which government boards can meet in private. Examples include hiring and firing of employees and discussing ongoing or potential court cases.

Bennett said it would be a clear sign of trouble if a mayor or board president chose not to sign the certificate, which would be available for public inspection. He also said the summaries would give the public an opportunity to have some idea of what was happening behind closed doors and whether it was legitimate.

However, the final version of the plan is a noticeable withdrawal from what Bennett and other supporters first envisioned. In the spring, they pitched a plan that would have required local governments to tape record or otherwise keep a verbatim record of all closed sessions. Local governments and several municipal lobbying groups vehemently opposed the plan and key lawmakers balked at the idea.

Bennett acknowledged Tuesday that it was politically unrealistic.