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Freedom of Information Act (FOIA)

What Is FOIA?

FOIA is the State Freedom of Information Act ("the Act") (5 ILCS 140/1 et seq.), under which certain public records in possession of public agencies may be accessed by the public upon written request. Pursuant to section 2(c) of the Act (5 ILCS 140/2(c)), a public record is any record, report, form, writing, letter, memoranda, book, paper, map, photograph, card, tape, recording, electronic data processing record, electronic communication, recorded information, and all other documentary material pertaining to the transaction of public business, regardless of physical form or characteristics, having been prepared, or having been or being used, received, possessed or under the control of any public body.

Some records are, however, not subject to release via the FOIA process; these types of records are described under section 7 of the Act (5 ILCS 140/7). Some records may also be subject to confidentiality provisions imposed by other state or federal statutes or court orders. The FOIA process for disclosure of information does not supersede these other applicable statutory and judicial mandates.

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You may submit a written request to the Department's FOIA Officer by means of US mail, or e-mail. A written request will ensure proper compliance with the requirements of the FOIA.

Requests can be sent by mail to:

Attn: Freedom of Information Officer

Legal Division

Illinois Department of Labor

115 S. LaSalle St, Suite 37th Floor

Chicago, Illinois 60603

Or by email to: DOL.FOIA@illinois.gov

Freedom of Information Act Officers:

  • Stephanie Barton
  • Sean Imburgia
  • Deborah (Dee) Baker

Notice: Pursuant to the Freedom of Information Act (“FOIA”), which has been amended by Public Act 104-0438 effective January 1, 2026, requests submitted electronically (by e-mail) “must appear in their entirety within the body of the electronic submission. As a cybersecurity measure, no public body shall be required to open electronically attached files or hyperlinks to view or access details of a request.” 5 ILCS 140/3(c). In order for the Department to process and respond to your request, you must resubmit your request to appear entirely within the body of the e-mail. The Illinois Department of Labor will respond within five (5) business days of receipt of a properly resubmitted request. 

Authority

This website information concerning the FOIA is being provided as required by Section 4 of the Act (5 ILCS 140/4). This website information may be revised and/or updated in the future.​

Links/Forms

Fees Associated with FOIA

The first 50 pages of black and white, legal or letter sized paper copies of records requested are free. Anything that surpasses 50 pages is generally 15 cents per page. If, for some reason, copies of paper records are provided to a requester that is not on black and white, legal or letter sized paper, the Department will charge a fee that will not exceed the actual cost of reproduction.

For more information on the guidelines used to charge fees related to FOIA, please see Section 6 of the Act.

Additional Resources

Certain records of our office are available immediately and links to those records are below:

Illinois Department of Labor Reports

Certified Transcripts of Payroll