Sen. John J. Cullerton

Filed: 5/3/2017

 

 


 

 


 
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1
AMENDMENT TO SENATE BILL 543

2    AMENDMENT NO. ______. Amend Senate Bill 543 by replacing
3everything after the enacting clause with the following:
 
4    "Section 5. The Court of Claims Act is amended by changing
5Sections 8, 16, 18, 21, and 24 as follows:
 
6    (705 ILCS 505/8)   (from Ch. 37, par. 439.8)
7    Sec. 8. Court of Claims jurisdiction; deliberation
8periods. The court shall have exclusive jurisdiction to hear
9and determine the following matters:
10    (a) All claims against the State founded upon any law of
11the State of Illinois or upon any regulation adopted thereunder
12by an executive or administrative officer or agency; provided,
13however, the court shall not have jurisdiction (i) to hear or
14determine claims arising under the Workers' Compensation Act or
15the Workers' Occupational Diseases Act, or claims for expenses
16in civil litigation, or (ii) to review administrative decisions

 

 

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1for which a statute provides that review shall be in the
2circuit or appellate court.
3    (b) All claims against the State founded upon any contract
4entered into with the State of Illinois.
5    (c) All claims against the State for time unjustly served
6in prisons of this State when the person imprisoned received a
7pardon from the governor stating that such pardon is issued on
8the ground of innocence of the crime for which he or she was
9imprisoned or he or she received a certificate of innocence
10from the Circuit Court as provided in Section 2-702 of the Code
11of Civil Procedure; provided, the amount of the award is at the
12discretion of the court; and provided, the court shall make no
13award in excess of the following amounts: for imprisonment of 5
14years or less, not more than $85,350; for imprisonment of 14
15years or less but over 5 years, not more than $170,000; for
16imprisonment of over 14 years, not more than $199,150; and
17provided further, the court shall fix attorney's fees not to
18exceed 25% of the award granted. On or after the effective date
19of this amendatory Act of the 95th General Assembly, the court
20shall annually adjust the maximum awards authorized by this
21subsection (c) to reflect the increase, if any, in the Consumer
22Price Index For All Urban Consumers for the previous calendar
23year, as determined by the United States Department of Labor,
24except that no annual increment may exceed 5%. For the annual
25adjustments, if the Consumer Price Index decreases during a
26calendar year, there shall be no adjustment for that calendar

 

 

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1year. The transmission by the Prisoner Review Board or the
2clerk of the circuit court of the information described in
3Section 11(b) to the clerk of the Court of Claims is conclusive
4evidence of the validity of the claim. The changes made by this
5amendatory Act of the 95th General Assembly apply to all claims
6pending on or filed on or after the effective date.
7    (d) All claims against the State for damages in cases
8sounding in tort, if a like cause of action would lie against a
9private person or corporation in a civil suit, and all like
10claims sounding in tort against the Medical Center Commission,
11the Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois, the Board
12of Trustees of Southern Illinois University, the Board of
13Trustees of Chicago State University, the Board of Trustees of
14Eastern Illinois University, the Board of Trustees of Governors
15State University, the Board of Trustees of Illinois State
16University, the Board of Trustees of Northeastern Illinois
17University, the Board of Trustees of Northern Illinois
18University, the Board of Trustees of Western Illinois
19University, or the Board of Trustees of the Illinois
20Mathematics and Science Academy; provided, that an award for
21damages in a case sounding in tort, other than certain cases
22involving the operation of a State vehicle described in this
23paragraph, shall not exceed the sum of $500,000 $100,000 to or
24for the benefit of any claimant. The $500,000 $100,000 limit
25prescribed by this Section does not apply to an award of
26damages in any case sounding in tort arising out of the

 

 

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1operation by a State employee of a vehicle owned, leased, or
2controlled by the State. An award for damages in any case
3sounding in tort arising out of the operation by a State
4employee of a vehicle owned, leased, or controlled by the State
5shall not exceed the sum of $2,000,000. The defense that the
6State or the Medical Center Commission or the Board of Trustees
7of the University of Illinois, the Board of Trustees of
8Southern Illinois University, the Board of Trustees of Chicago
9State University, the Board of Trustees of Eastern Illinois
10University, the Board of Trustees of Governors State
11University, the Board of Trustees of Illinois State University,
12the Board of Trustees of Northeastern Illinois University, the
13Board of Trustees of Northern Illinois University, the Board of
14Trustees of Western Illinois University, or the Board of
15Trustees of the Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy is not
16liable for the negligence of its officers, agents, and
17employees in the course of their employment is not applicable
18to the hearing and determination of such claims.
19    (e) All claims for recoupment made by the State of Illinois
20against any claimant.
21    (f) All claims pursuant to the Line of Duty Compensation
22Act. A claim under that Act must be heard and determined within
23one year after the application for that claim is filed with the
24Court as provided in that Act.
25    (g) All claims filed pursuant to the Crime Victims
26Compensation Act.

 

 

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1    (h) All claims pursuant to the Illinois National
2Guardsman's Compensation Act. A claim under that Act must be
3heard and determined within one year after the application for
4that claim is filed with the Court as provided in that Act.
5    (i) All claims authorized by subsection (a) of Section
610-55 of the Illinois Administrative Procedure Act for the
7expenses incurred by a party in a contested case on the
8administrative level.
9    (j) The changes made to this Section by this amendatory Act
10of the 100th General Assembly apply only to claims filed on or
11after the effective date of this amendatory Act of the 100th
12General Assembly.
13(Source: P.A. 95-970, eff. 9-22-08; 96-80, eff. 7-27-09.)
 
14    (705 ILCS 505/16)  (from Ch. 37, par. 439.16)
15    Sec. 16. Concurrence of judges. Concurrence of 4 judges is
16necessary to the decision of any case, except that the
17signature of one judge is binding if a decision is entered in a
18lapsed appropriation claim in which a motion or stipulation has
19been filed or a decision is entered on a Crime Victims
20Compensation Act claim. The ; provided, however, the court in
21its discretion may assign any case to a commissioner for
22hearing and final decision, subject to whatever right of review
23the court by rule may choose to exercise. In matters involving
24the award of emergency funds under the Crime Victims
25Compensation Act, the decision of one judge is necessary to

 

 

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1award emergency funds.
2(Source: P.A. 92-286, eff. 1-1-02.)
 
3    (705 ILCS 505/18)  (from Ch. 37, par. 439.18)
4    Sec. 18. The court shall provide, by rule, for the
5maintenance of separate records of claims which arise solely
6due to lapsed appropriations and for claims for which amount of
7recovery sought is less than $50,000 $5,000. In all other
8cases, the court or Commissioner as the case may be, shall file
9with its clerk a written opinion in each case upon final
10disposition thereof. All opinions shall be compiled and
11published annually by the clerk of the court.
12(Source: P.A. 90-492, eff. 8-17-97.)
 
13    (705 ILCS 505/21)   (from Ch. 37, par. 439.21)
14    Sec. 21. The court is authorized to impose, by uniform
15rules, a fee of $15 for the filing of a petition in any case in
16which the award sought is more than $50 and less than $1,000
17and $35 in any case in which the award sought is $1,000 or
18more; and to charge and collect for copies of opinions or other
19documents filed in the Court of Claims such fees as may be
20prescribed by the rules of the Court. All fees and charges so
21collected shall be forthwith paid into the State Treasury.
22    A petitioner who is a prisoner in an Illinois Department of
23Corrections facility who files a pleading, motion, or other
24filing that purports to be a legal document against the State,

 

 

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1the Illinois Department of Corrections, the Prisoner Review
2Board, or any of their officers or employees in which the court
3makes a specific finding that it is frivolous shall pay all
4filing fees and court costs in the manner provided in Article
5XXII of the Code of Civil Procedure.
6    In claims based upon lapsed appropriations or lost warrant
7or in claims filed under the Line of Duty Compensation Act, the
8Illinois National Guardsman's Compensation Act, or the Crime
9Victims Compensation Act or in claims filed by medical vendors
10for medical services rendered by the claimant to persons
11eligible for Medical Assistance under programs administered by
12the Department of Healthcare and Family Services, no filing fee
13shall be required.
14    The changes made to this Section by this amendatory Act of
15the 100th General Assembly apply only to claims filed on or
16after the effective date of this amendatory Act of the 100th
17General Assembly.
18(Source: P.A. 95-331, eff. 8-21-07.)
 
19    (705 ILCS 505/24)  (from Ch. 37, par. 439.24)
20    Sec. 24. Payment of awards.
21    (1) From funds appropriated by the General Assembly for the
22purposes of this Section the Court may direct immediate payment
23of:
24        (a) All claims arising solely as a result of the
25    lapsing of an appropriation out of which the obligation

 

 

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1    could have been paid.
2        (b) All claims pursuant to the Line of Duty
3    Compensation Act.
4        (c) All claims pursuant to the "Illinois National
5    Guardsman's and Naval Militiaman's Compensation Act",
6    approved August 12, 1971, as amended.
7        (d) All claims pursuant to the "Crime Victims
8    Compensation Act", approved August 23, 1973, as amended.
9        (d-5) All claims against the State for unjust
10    imprisonment as provided in subsection (c) of Section 8 of
11    this Act.
12        (e) All other claims wherein the amount of the award of
13    the Court is less than $50,000 $5,000.
14    (2) The court may, from funds specifically appropriated
15from the General Revenue Fund for this purpose, direct the
16payment of awards less than $50,000 solely as a result of the
17lapsing of an appropriation originally made from any fund held
18by the State Treasurer. For any such award paid from the
19General Revenue Fund, the court shall thereafter seek an
20appropriation from the fund from which the liability originally
21accrued in reimbursement of the General Revenue Fund.
22    (3) In directing payment of a claim pursuant to the Line of
23Duty Compensation Act, the Court must direct the Comptroller to
24add an interest penalty if payment of a claim is not made
25within 6 months after a claim is filed in accordance with
26Section 3 of the Line of Duty Compensation Act and all

 

 

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1information has been submitted as required under Section 4 of
2the Line of Duty Compensation Act. If payment is not issued
3within the 6-month period, an interest penalty of 1% of the
4amount of the award shall be added for each month or fraction
5thereof after the end of the 6-month period, until final
6payment is made. This interest penalty shall be added
7regardless of whether the payment is not issued within the
86-month period because of the appropriation process, the
9consideration of the matter by the Court, or any other reason.
10    (3.5) The interest penalty payment provided for in
11subsection (3) shall be added to all claims for which benefits
12were not paid as of the effective date of P.A. 95-928. The
13interest penalty shall be calculated starting from the
14effective date of P.A. 95-928, provided that the effective date
15of P.A. 95-928 is at least 6 months after the date on which the
16claim was filed in accordance with Section 3 of the Line of
17Duty Compensation Act. In the event that the date 6 months
18after the date on which the claim was filed is later than the
19effective date of P.A. 95-928, the Court shall calculate the
20interest payment penalty starting from the date 6 months after
21the date on which the claim was filed in accordance with
22Section 3 of the Line of Duty Compensation Act. This subsection
23(3.5) of this amendatory Act of the 96th General Assembly is
24declarative of existing law.
25    (3.6) In addition to the interest payments provided for in
26subsections (3) and (3.5), the Court shall direct the

 

 

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1Comptroller to add a "catch-up" payment to the claims of
2eligible claimants. For the purposes of this subsection (3.6),
3an "eligible claimant" is a claimant whose claim is not paid in
4the year in which it was filed. For purposes of this subsection
5(3.6), "'catch-up' payment" is defined as the difference
6between the amount paid to claimants whose claims were filed in
7the year in which the eligible claimant's claim is paid and the
8amount paid to claimants whose claims were filed in the year in
9which the eligible claimant filed his or her claim. The
10"catch-up" payment is payable simultaneously with the claim
11award.
12    (4) From funds appropriated by the General Assembly for the
13purposes of paying claims under paragraph (c) of Section 8, the
14court must direct payment of each claim and the payment must be
15received by the claimant within 60 days after the date that the
16funds are appropriated for that purpose.
17(Source: P.A. 95-928, eff. 8-26-08; 95-970, eff. 9-22-08;
1896-328, eff. 8-11-09; 96-539, eff. 1-1-10.)".