COMMUNITY COLLEGES TODAY

Presented by: Frank B. Garrett III

TOP 10 OPEN MEETINGS ACT QUESTIONS

TOP 10 OPEN MEETINGS ACT QUESTIONS

1) What is a "meeting" and what is a "public body"?

2) Must a topic be on the meeting agenda, to be discussed at that meeting by the board?

3) What topics may the board discuss in a closed meeting?

4) What procedure should the board follow to go into closed session?

5) What training is required for elected and appointed members of a public body?

TOP 10 OPEN MEETINGS ACT QUESTIONS

6) What does the OMA say about recording meetings?

7) How should the board handle review and release of closed session minutes and tape recordings?

8) May a board member attend a meeting by telephone conference call?

9) When and how may board members communicate by e-mail, consistent with Open Meetings Act requirements?

10) What happens if you violate the Open Meetings Act?

QUESTIONS?

Presented by: Joseph J. Perkoski

AFFORDABLE CARE ACT –WHAT TRUSTEES NEED TO KNOW

W-2 REPORTING ON VALUE OF EMPLOYER PROVIDED HEALTH COVERAGE

Annually report on employees’ W-2 Forms the “aggregate cost of employer sponsored health coverage”.

For informational purposes only.

$2,500 CAP ON HEALTH FSA CONTRIBUTIONS

Cap of $2,500 on employees’ pre-tax contributions to health Flexible Spending Account (“FSA”).

Limit does not apply to employer discretionary contributions.

First cafeteria plan year on or after January 1, 2013.

UNIFORM SUMMARY OF BENEFITS AND COVERAGE (SBC) NOTIFICATION

All group health plan sponsors must provide a Summary of Benefits and Coverage (“SBC”) notice to all participants, their eligible dependents, all eligible employees and plan beneficiaries.

Extensive mandatory content and format requirements.

Penalty for non-compliance is $1,000 per failure for each participant or beneficiary.

AUTOMATIC ENROLLMENT IN EMPLOYER’S HEALTH INSURANCE PLAN

Automatically enroll all new employees in the employer’s lowest cost group health insurance plan, unless the new employee expressly opts out of the coverage.

Applicable employees with more than 200 full-time employees.

Enforcement stayed pending issuance of regulatory guidance.

EMPLOYER PLAY OR PAY PENALTIES

Beginning in 2014, employers may be assessed a financial penalty if they fail to offer full-time employees health insurance that:

Offers Minimum Essential Coverage (“MEC”)

Is Affordable

Provides Minimum Value

OFFERING MEC TO ALL FULL-TIME EMPLOYEES (AND THEIR DEPENDANTS)

MEC includes employer sponsored group health plans that provide medical care.

Includes both insured and self-insured plans.

PENALTY FOR FAILING TO OFFER MEC

Equivalent to $2,000 per year for every full-time employee in excess of 30 employees.

Assessed if at least one full-time employee obtains coverage through an “Exchange” and receives a tax credit or subsidy.

OFFERING “AFFORDABLE” COVERAGE

Unaffordable coverage costs the employee more than 9.5% of household income.

Applies to self-only coverage for lowest cost MEC plan.

Penalty equivalent to $3,000 per year for each full-time employee who obtains coverage through an Exchange and receives a tax credit or subsidy.

OFFERING MINIMUM VALUE COVERAGE

Not minimum value if plan pays less than 60% of the total average cost of covered benefits.

Penalty is same as for failing to offer affordable coverage.

WHO ARE YOUR FULL-TIME EMPLOYEES?

Employees who work on average at least 30 hours per week.

Presents special issues for determining status of academic year employees and part-time or adjunct faculty.

EXCISE TAX ON “CADILLAC PLANS”

40% excise tax on employer sponsored “cadillac plans” with premiums that exceed $10,200 for individual and $27,500 for family coverage.

Employer pays the tax for self-insured plans; insurer pays for insured plans.

Effective January 1, 2018.

NONDISCRIMINATION RULES FOR INSURED HEALTH PLANS

Employers are prohibited from discriminating in favor of “highly compensated employees” as to eligibility or benefits provided under an insured health plan.

Highly compensated employees are highest paid 25% of all employees within the organization.

Penalty: $100 each day of the noncompliant period for each person discriminated against - up to $500,000 or 10% of the amount the employer paid for the health plan during the preceding tax year, whichever is less.

Enforcement stayed pending regulations.

NONDISCRIMINATION RULES FOR SELF-INSURED HEALTH PLANS

Have been in place since 1981.

Employers prohibited from discriminating in favor of “highly compensated employees” as to eligibility or benefits provided under the plan.

Penalty for violation of the nondiscrimination rules result in highly compensated employees being taxed on “excess reimbursements.”

QUESTIONS?

Presented by: Kenneth M. Florey

THE EVOLVING ILLINOIS FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT: AMENDMENTS, COMPLIANCE AND ENFORCEMENT

FOIA COMPLIANCE STATEMENT

Compliance with the requirement of FOIA to provide prompt open access to public records is a primary duty of public bodies to the people of this State, and the Freedom of Information Act should be construed to this end, fiscal obligations notwithstanding. FOIA §1, 5 ILCS 140/1.

PUBLIC POLICY GOVERNING THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT

All persons are entitled to full and complete information regarding the affairs of government and the official acts and policies of those who represent them as public officials and public employees.

It is a fundamental obligation of government to operate openly and provide public records as expediently and efficiently as possible.

Such access is necessary to enable the people to fulfill their duties of discussing public issues fully and freely, making informed political judgments and monitoring government to ensure that it is being conducted in the public interest.

FOIA §1

PRESUMPTION REGARDING GOVERNMENTAL RECORDS

All records in the public body’s custody or possession are presumed to be open to public inspection and copying.

A public body has the burden of proving that a specific statutory exemption applies by clear and convincing evidence.

DEFINITION OF A PUBLIC RECORD UNDER FOIA

All records, reports, forms, writings, letters, memoranda, books, papers, maps, photographs, microfilms, cards, tapes, records, electronic data processing records, electronic communications, recorded information and all other documentary materials pertaining to the transaction of public business, regardless of physical form or characteristics, having been prepared by or for, or having been used or being used by, received by, in the possession, or under the control of any public body.

WHOSE COMMUNICATIONS ARE CONSIDERED PUBLIC RECORDS?

Communications and records of elected and appointed local government officials, as well as administrators and other employees, that pertain to the business of the public body are public records subject to FOIA.

WHOSE COMMUNICATIONS ARE CONSIDERED PUBLIC RECORDS?

Electronic communications of public officials that “pertain to the transaction of public business” are public records subject to FOIA.

Regardless of whether the communication was sent or received via a personal email account, or on a personal computer, cell phone or other electronic device owned by the public official.

WHOSE COMMUNICATIONS ARE CONSIDERED PUBLIC RECORDS?

“Whether information is a ‘public record’ is not determined by where, how, or on what device that record was created; rather, the question is whether the record was prepared by or used by one or more members of a public body in conducting the affairs of government”. 2011 PAC 15916

SPECIFIC EXEMPTIONS MAY APPLY

Public records, or parts of records, that contain information expressly exempt from disclosure under FOIA, may be withheld or redacted.

While exempt information may be redacted, all remaining parts of the record must be disclosed.

SOME EXEMPTIONS MAY BE OF PARTICULAR INTEREST TO COMMUNITY COLLEGE DISTRICTS

Information prohibited from disclosure by other state or federal laws.

Private information.

Personal information the disclosure of which would constitute an unwarranted invasion of personal privacy.

Preliminary drafts in which opinions are expressed or policies or actions are formulated.

SOME EXEMPTIONS MAY BE OF PARTICULAR INTEREST TO COMMUNITY COLLEGE DISTRICTS

Commercial or financial information obtained from a person or business under the claim that it is proprietary or confidential.

Test questions, scoring keys and other examination data.

Peer review information.

Grievance/discipline records.

Collective bargaining negotiations records.

RECEIVING AND RESPONDING TO FOIA REQUESTS

FOIA requests are written requests directed to the public body via personal delivery, mail, fax, email or other available means.

Public body can provide, but not require use of, a standard FOIA request form.

Note: Records request handed to public official at a public meeting must be accepted and treated as a FOIA request to the public body.

TIMELINES FOR RESPONSE

Generally 5 business days to respond.

May be extended 5 additional business days for reasons specified in FOIA.

Parties may agree in writing to extend the time for response.

COMMERCIAL REQUESTERS

Commercial request means the public record, or information derived from the record, will be used in any form for sale, resale, solicitation or advertisement for sales or services.

Twenty-one (21) business days to respond.

Public body permitted to ask whether request is for a commercial purpose.

RECURRENT REQUESTERS

Person who has submitted at least 50 requests in 12 months, at least 15 requests in 30 days, or at least 7 requests in 7 days.

Respond within 5 business days to notify requester of recurrent requester status, the reason for that designation, and that a response will issue within 21 business days.

UNDULY BURDENSOME REQUEST

Categorical request where the burden to the public body to comply with the request outweighs the public interest in the information.

Notify requester within 5 business days that the request is “unduly burdensome” and offer opportunity to reduce request to manageable proportion.

DENYING A FOIA REQUEST

Timely notify requester in writing of reason for denial or any exemptions.

Caution: Failure to cite all reasons for denial or redaction of records in a timely initial response may cause the public body to forfeit right to deny the request.

CHARGING FEES

Generally, no charge for first 50 pages of black and white standard-sized copies; 15 cents per page thereafter.

No fees when records transmitted electronically.

Generally no charge for cost of search and review of records, or other personnel costs associated with producing the records, except for commercial requesters.

PENALTIES FOR FAILING TO TIMELY RESPOND

Will forfeit right to later impose any copy charges for the response, and lose ability to assert that the request is “unduly burdensome”.

Can subject the public body to statutory civil penalties of $2,500 - $5,000 per occurrence, and mandatory payment of attorney fees and costs.

PUBLIC ACCESS COUNSELOR’S ROLE IN REVIEW OF FOIA COMPLIANCE

A FOIA requester has 60 days to request the PAC to review partial or complete denial of a FOIA request.

PAC may resolve the matter by issuing a non-binding opinion, which is not reviewable in the courts.

Otherwise Attorney General issues a binding opinion within 60 days.

ATTORNEY GENERAL’S BINDING OPINION IS SUBJECT TO ADMINISTRATIVE REVIEW IN CIRCUIT COURT

If binding opinion finds a FOIA violation, the public body must take immediate action to comply or seek administrative review in circuit court.

If binding opinion finds no FOIA violation, requester seek administrative review.

REQUESTER’S RIGHT TO SEEK INJUNCTIVE OR DECLARATORY RELIEF

FOIA requester may skip PAC review and file claim for injunctive or declaratory relief in circuit court.

Public body must prove by clear and convincing evidence that it complied or properly asserted FOIA exemption.

Mandatory attorney fees awarded to FOIA requester who prevails.

Civil penalties of $2,500 - $5,000 per occurrence assessed against public body for willful and intentional violation of FOIA or acting in bad faith.

SOURCES FOR INFORMATION ABOUT FOIA

Public Access Counselor Website

http://foia.ilattorneygeneral.net/Training.aspx

Binding Opinions of the Illinois Attorney General

http://foia.ilattorneygeneral.net/bindingopinions.aspx

College or Local Government Attorney

QUESTIONS?

Presented by: Kenneth M. Florey

ETHICS VIOLATIONS AND CONCERNS

QUESTIONS?