---
type: "Bill"
title: "FOI-MEDIA REQUESTS"
description: "Amends the Freedom of Information Act. Provides that a private gain or public loss, the expectation of which exempts certain information from the Act's inspection and copying requirements, does not include a news medium's dissemination of information regarding the public's health, safety, welfare, and legal rights. Effective July 1, 2003."
jurisdiction: "us/states/il"
legislature: "Illinois General Assembly"
session: "93rd"
identifier: "HB 539"
citation: "Illinois HB 539 (93rd)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: []
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: []
version_count: 3
action_count: 29
vote_count: 2
first_action: "2003-01-30"
last_action: "2003-06-30"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/224ca4f7-091b-4681-b887-3213953292ed"
source_url: "http://ilga.gov/legislation/BillStatus.asp?DocNum=539&GAID=3&DocTypeID=HB&LegId=976&SessionID=3&GA=93"
source_hash: "2e316bb86342cb3e53fca844ad70ae660edcadd229b5a979163a4572af328035"
vintage: "2026-07-01"
source_snapshot: "https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump"
retrieved_at: "2026-07-06"
confidence: "reported"
tags: ["legislation", "bill", "us-il"]
---

# Illinois HB 539 (93rd) — FOI-MEDIA REQUESTS

Amends the Freedom of Information Act. Provides that a private gain or public loss, the expectation of which exempts certain information from the Act's inspection and copying requirements, does not include a news medium's dissemination of information regarding the public's health, safety, welfare, and legal rights. Effective July 1, 2003.

## Version chain

The bill's text revisions, in order — the diff chain from filing to enrollment.

1. **Introduced** (filed) — [source](http://ilga.gov/legislation/fulltext.asp?DocName=09300HB0539&GA=93&SessionId=3&DocTypeId=HB&LegID=976&DocNum=539&GAID=3&Session=&print=true)
2. **Engrossed** (committee substitute) — [source](http://ilga.gov/legislation/fulltext.asp?DocName=09300HB0539eng&GA=93&SessionId=3&DocTypeId=HB&LegID=976&DocNum=539&GAID=3&Session=&print=true)
3. **Enrolled** (enrolled) — [source](http://ilga.gov/legislation/fulltext.asp?DocName=09300HB0539enr&GA=93&SessionId=3&DocTypeId=HB&LegID=976&DocNum=539&GAID=3&Session=&print=true)

## Votes

- Third Reading — **58–0** (pass) · upper
- Third Reading — **114–0** (pass) · lower

## Sponsors

- Barbara Flynn Currie — primary (person)

## Timeline

The legislative action history — every referral, reading, and vote.

- **2003-01-30** Filed with the Clerk by Rep. Barbara Flynn Currie `filing`
- **2003-01-30** First Reading `reading-1`
- **2003-01-30** Referred to Rules Committee `referral-committee`
- **2003-02-04** Assigned to Executive Committee `referral-committee`
- **2003-03-05** Re-assigned to State Government Administration Committee `referral-committee`
- **2003-03-13** House Committee Amendment No. 1 Filed with Clerk by State Government Administration Committee `amendment-introduction`
- **2003-03-13** House Committee Amendment No. 1 Adopted in State Government Administration Committee; by Voice Vote `amendment-passage`
- **2003-03-13** Do Pass as Amended / Short Debate State Government Administration Committee; 007-000-000 `committee-passage`
- **2003-03-13** Placed on Calendar 2nd Reading - Short Debate
- **2003-03-20** Fiscal Note Filed
- **2003-03-21** Second Reading - Short Debate `reading-2`
- **2003-03-21** Placed on Calendar Order of 3rd Reading - Short Debate
- **2003-03-25** Third Reading - Short Debate - Passed 114-000-000 `reading-3, passage`
- **2003-03-26** Arrive in Senate `introduction`
- **2003-03-26** Placed on Calendar Order of First Reading March 27, 2003 `reading-1`
- **2003-04-02** Chief Senate Sponsor Sen. John J. Cullerton
- **2003-04-08** First Reading `reading-1`
- **2003-04-08** Referred to Rules `referral-committee`
- **2003-04-16** Assigned to Judiciary `referral-committee`
- **2003-05-01** Do Pass Judiciary; 009-000-000 `committee-passage`
- **2003-05-01** Placed on Calendar Order of 2nd Reading May 6, 2003
- **2003-05-08** Second Reading `reading-2`
- **2003-05-08** Placed on Calendar Order of 3rd Reading May 9, 2003
- **2003-05-09** Third Reading - Passed; 058-000-000 `reading-3, passage`
- **2003-05-09** Passed Both Houses
- **2003-06-06** Sent to the Governor `executive-receipt`
- **2003-06-30** Governor Approved `executive-signature`
- **2003-06-30** Effective Date July 1, 2003
- **2003-06-30** Public Act . . . . . . . . . 93-0043 `became-law`

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/224ca4f7-091b-4681-b887-3213953292ed`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official Illinois legislature records).