Enacted in 1984, and amended in 2010, the Illinois Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) provides that any person has a right, enforceable in court, to obtain access to public records, except to the extent that such records (or portions of them) are protected from public disclosure by certain enumerated exceptions. A FOIA request can be made for any public record. Before sending a request to a public agency, you should determine which agency is likely to have the records you are seeking. Each public body must provide, if requested, a description of the type of records the public body maintains and a description of the methods whereby the public may request information.