Illinois House overrides veto of FOIA legislation

SPRINGFIELD-- The Illinois House has voted to override Gov. Pat Quinn's veto of legislation that allows governments to charge higher fees for large public records requests.

Legislators voted 77-36 on Wednesday to override the veto. It now goes to the Illinois Senate, where it will require a three-fifths vote to override.

The Legislature approved the measure during the spring session. Quinn vetoed it, saying it would reduce transparency.

Rep. Barbara Flynn Currie is the bill's sponsor. The Chicago Democrat says it gives municipalities a way to address sometimes "spiteful, harassing" Freedom of Information Act requests.

The measure allows public bodies to charge fees for providing electronic data if FOIA requests are considered too voluminous or frequent.

It exempts the news media and non-profit or academic organizations.