Steve Hartline

Dear Beth Hundsdorfer:

The Illinois Department of Human Services received your request for records pursuant to the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) on February 8, 2022. Your request seeks the following:

* any and all personal service contracts may have with Steven Hartline from 2015 to present, including any correspondence, notes, memos and other justification for said contracts.

The Department is in the process of gathering and reviewing records responsive to your request. Under the Freedom of Information Act, a public body may extend the time to respond to a FOIA request by up to five business days. 5 ILCS 140/3(e). As such, the Department is extending the time to respond to your request by five business days on one or more of the following bases:

* The requested records are stored in whole or in part at other locations than the office having charge of the requested records;
* The request requires the collection of a substantial number of specified records;
* The requested records have not been located in the course of a routine search and additional efforts are being made to locate them;
* The requested records require examination and evaluation by personnel having the necessary competence and discretion to determine if they are exempt from disclosure or should be revealed only with appropriate deletions; and
* The request for records cannot be complied with by the public body within the time limits prescribed by FOIA without unduly burdening or interfering with the operation of the public body.

The Department will respond to your request on or before February 24, 2022. Thank you for your continued patience and interest in the Illinois Department of Human Services.

Sincerely,

Thomas D. Mulcrone
Associate General Counsel
Illinois Department of Human Services
DHS.FOIAOfficer@illinois.gov<mailto:DHS.FOIAOfficer@illinois.gov>

CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE:
This electronic mail transmission, including any attachments, contains information that belongs to the sender and may be confidential or protected by attorney-client or attorney work product privilege. The information is only for the intended recipient. If you are not the named or intended recipient, please do not disclose, copy, distribute or use this information. If you have received this information in error, please promptly notify the sender of receipt of the e-mail and then destroy all copies of it. Receipt by unintended recipient does not waive any privilege or any exemption from disclosure. Any prohibited or unintended disclosure is not binding on the sender or IDHS. Thank you.

State of Illinois - CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE: The information contained in this communication is confidential, may be attorney-client privileged or attorney work product, may constitute inside information or internal deliberative staff communication, and is intended only for the use of the addressee. Unauthorized use, disclosure or copying of this communication or any part thereof is strictly prohibited and may be unlawful. If you have received this communication in error, please notify the sender immediately by return e-mail and destroy this communication and all copies thereof, including all attachments. Receipt by an unintended recipient does not waive attorney-client privilege, attorney work product privilege, or any other exemption from disclosure.

Dear Beth Hundsdorfer:

This correspondence is in response to your request for public records pursuant to the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), which the Illinois Department of Human Services received on February 8, 2022. Your request seeks the following:

* any and all personal service contracts may have with Steven Hartline from 2015 to present, including any correspondence, notes, memos and other justification for said contracts.

Attached you will find Personal Service Contracts, Contract Approval Request Forms, a Personal Service Contract Overview Form, an Employment Decision Form and an Employment Application responsive to your request. Please note that the Department redacted signatures, Social Security numbers, and other private information under Section 7(1)(b) of FOIA. 5 ILCS 140/7(1)(b); 5 ILCS 140/2(c-5). Under Section 11 of the Illinois Personnel Record Review Act, disclosure of performance evaluations under the Freedom of Information Act is prohibited. 820 ILCS 40/11. As a result, the Department is withholding any referenced performance evaluation pursuant to Section 7(1)(a) of FOIA, which provides an exemption for information that is prohibited from disclosure under State or federal law. 5 ILCS 140/7(1)(a). The Department is also withholding preliminary correspondence regarding the continued need for a Personal Services Contract for the Chief of Security at Choate Center under Section 7(1)(f) of FOIA. 5 ILCS 140/7(1)(f).

To the extent you consider any portion of this response to be an improper denial of your FOIA request, you have a right to seek review by writing to the Public Access Counselor (PAC) at the following address:

Public Access Counselor
Office of the Attorney General
500 South 2nd Street
Springfield, Illinois 62706
Fax: 217-782-1396
E-Mail: PublicAccess@ilag.gov<mailto:publicaccess@atg.state.il.us>

If you choose to file a Request for Review with the PAC, you must do so within 60 calendar days of the date of this letter. 5 ILCS 140/9.5(a). Please note that you must include a copy of your original FOIA request and this response when filing a Request for Review with the PAC. You also have the right to seek judicial review of this response. 5 ILCS 140/11.

Thank you for your interest in the Illinois Department of Human Services.

Sincerely,

Thomas D. Mulcrone
Associate General Counsel
Illinois Department of Human Services
DHS.FOIAOfficer@illinois.gov<mailto:DHS.FOIAOfficer@illinois.gov>

CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE:
This electronic mail transmission, including any attachments, contains information that belongs to the sender and may be confidential or protected by attorney-client or attorney work product privilege. The information is only for the intended recipient. If you are not the named or intended recipient, please do not disclose, copy, distribute or use this information. If you have received this information in error, please promptly notify the sender of receipt of the e-mail and then destroy all copies of it. Receipt by unintended recipient does not waive any privilege or any exemption from disclosure. Any prohibited or unintended disclosure is not binding on the sender or IDHS. Thank you.

State of Illinois - CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE: The information contained in this communication is confidential, may be attorney-client privileged or attorney work product, may constitute inside information or internal deliberative staff communication, and is intended only for the use of the addressee. Unauthorized use, disclosure or copying of this communication or any part thereof is strictly prohibited and may be unlawful. If you have received this communication in error, please notify the sender immediately by return e-mail and destroy this communication and all copies thereof, including all attachments. Receipt by an unintended recipient does not waive attorney-client privilege, attorney work product privilege, or any other exemption from disclosure.