97TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2011 and 2012
SB1950

 

Introduced 2/10/2011, by Sen. William Delgado

 

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
 
325 ILCS 5/4  from Ch. 23, par. 2054
325 ILCS 5/7  from Ch. 23, par. 2057
325 ILCS 5/7.6  from Ch. 23, par. 2057.6

    Amends the Abused and Neglected Child Reporting Act. Enhances the criminal penalty for persons who knowingly transmit a false report of child abuse or neglect to the Department of Children and Family Services. Effective immediately.


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CORRECTIONAL BUDGET AND IMPACT NOTE ACT MAY APPLY

 

 

A BILL FOR

 

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1    AN ACT concerning children.
 
2    Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
3represented in the General Assembly:
 
4    Section 5. The Abused and Neglected Child Reporting Act is
5amended by changing Sections 4, 7, and 7.6 as follows:
 
6    (325 ILCS 5/4)  (from Ch. 23, par. 2054)
7    Sec. 4. Persons required to report; privileged
8communications; transmitting false report. Any physician,
9resident, intern, hospital, hospital administrator and
10personnel engaged in examination, care and treatment of
11persons, surgeon, dentist, dentist hygienist, osteopath,
12chiropractor, podiatrist, physician assistant, substance abuse
13treatment personnel, funeral home director or employee,
14coroner, medical examiner, emergency medical technician,
15acupuncturist, crisis line or hotline personnel, school
16personnel (including administrators and both certified and
17non-certified school employees), educational advocate assigned
18to a child pursuant to the School Code, member of a school
19board or the Chicago Board of Education or the governing body
20of a private school (but only to the extent required in
21accordance with other provisions of this Section expressly
22concerning the duty of school board members to report suspected
23child abuse), truant officers, social worker, social services

 

 

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1administrator, domestic violence program personnel, registered
2nurse, licensed practical nurse, genetic counselor,
3respiratory care practitioner, advanced practice nurse, home
4health aide, director or staff assistant of a nursery school or
5a child day care center, recreational program or facility
6personnel, law enforcement officer, licensed professional
7counselor, licensed clinical professional counselor,
8registered psychologist and assistants working under the
9direct supervision of a psychologist, psychiatrist, or field
10personnel of the Department of Healthcare and Family Services,
11Juvenile Justice, Public Health, Human Services (acting as
12successor to the Department of Mental Health and Developmental
13Disabilities, Rehabilitation Services, or Public Aid),
14Corrections, Human Rights, or Children and Family Services,
15supervisor and administrator of general assistance under the
16Illinois Public Aid Code, probation officer, animal control
17officer or Illinois Department of Agriculture Bureau of Animal
18Health and Welfare field investigator, or any other foster
19parent, homemaker or child care worker having reasonable cause
20to believe a child known to them in their professional or
21official capacity may be an abused child or a neglected child
22shall immediately report or cause a report to be made to the
23Department.
24    Any member of the clergy having reasonable cause to believe
25that a child known to that member of the clergy in his or her
26professional capacity may be an abused child as defined in item

 

 

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1(c) of the definition of "abused child" in Section 3 of this
2Act shall immediately report or cause a report to be made to
3the Department.
4    If an allegation is raised to a school board member during
5the course of an open or closed school board meeting that a
6child who is enrolled in the school district of which he or she
7is a board member is an abused child as defined in Section 3 of
8this Act, the member shall direct or cause the school board to
9direct the superintendent of the school district or other
10equivalent school administrator to comply with the
11requirements of this Act concerning the reporting of child
12abuse. For purposes of this paragraph, a school board member is
13granted the authority in his or her individual capacity to
14direct the superintendent of the school district or other
15equivalent school administrator to comply with the
16requirements of this Act concerning the reporting of child
17abuse.
18    Notwithstanding any other provision of this Act, if an
19employee of a school district has made a report or caused a
20report to be made to the Department under this Act involving
21the conduct of a current or former employee of the school
22district and a request is made by another school district for
23the provision of information concerning the job performance or
24qualifications of the current or former employee because he or
25she is an applicant for employment with the requesting school
26district, the general superintendent of the school district to

 

 

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1which the request is being made must disclose to the requesting
2school district the fact that an employee of the school
3district has made a report involving the conduct of the
4applicant or caused a report to be made to the Department, as
5required under this Act. Only the fact that an employee of the
6school district has made a report involving the conduct of the
7applicant or caused a report to be made to the Department may
8be disclosed by the general superintendent of the school
9district to which the request for information concerning the
10applicant is made, and this fact may be disclosed only in cases
11where the employee and the general superintendent have not been
12informed by the Department that the allegations were unfounded.
13An employee of a school district who is or has been the subject
14of a report made pursuant to this Act during his or her
15employment with the school district must be informed by that
16school district that if he or she applies for employment with
17another school district, the general superintendent of the
18former school district, upon the request of the school district
19to which the employee applies, shall notify that requesting
20school district that the employee is or was the subject of such
21a report.
22    Whenever such person is required to report under this Act
23in his capacity as a member of the staff of a medical or other
24public or private institution, school, facility or agency, or
25as a member of the clergy, he shall make report immediately to
26the Department in accordance with the provisions of this Act

 

 

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1and may also notify the person in charge of such institution,
2school, facility or agency, or church, synagogue, temple,
3mosque, or other religious institution, or his designated agent
4that such report has been made. Under no circumstances shall
5any person in charge of such institution, school, facility or
6agency, or church, synagogue, temple, mosque, or other
7religious institution, or his designated agent to whom such
8notification has been made, exercise any control, restraint,
9modification or other change in the report or the forwarding of
10such report to the Department.
11    The privileged quality of communication between any
12professional person required to report and his patient or
13client shall not apply to situations involving abused or
14neglected children and shall not constitute grounds for failure
15to report as required by this Act.
16    A member of the clergy may claim the privilege under
17Section 8-803 of the Code of Civil Procedure.
18    In addition to the above persons required to report
19suspected cases of abused or neglected children, any other
20person may make a report if such person has reasonable cause to
21believe a child may be an abused child or a neglected child.
22    Any person who enters into employment on and after July 1,
231986 and is mandated by virtue of that employment to report
24under this Act, shall sign a statement on a form prescribed by
25the Department, to the effect that the employee has knowledge
26and understanding of the reporting requirements of this Act.

 

 

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1The statement shall be signed prior to commencement of the
2employment. The signed statement shall be retained by the
3employer. The cost of printing, distribution, and filing of the
4statement shall be borne by the employer.
5    The Department shall provide copies of this Act, upon
6request, to all employers employing persons who shall be
7required under the provisions of this Section to report under
8this Act.
9    Any person who knowingly transmits a false report to the
10Department commits the offense of disorderly conduct under
11subsection (a)(7) of Section 26-1 of the "Criminal Code of
121961". A violation of this provision is a Class 4 felony. Any
13person who violates this provision a second or subsequent time
14shall be guilty of a Class 3 felony.
15    Any person who knowingly and willfully violates any
16provision of this Section other than a second or subsequent
17violation of transmitting a false report as described in the
18preceding paragraph, is guilty of a Class A misdemeanor for a
19first violation and a Class 4 felony for a second or subsequent
20violation; except that if the person acted as part of a plan or
21scheme having as its object the prevention of discovery of an
22abused or neglected child by lawful authorities for the purpose
23of protecting or insulating any person or entity from arrest or
24prosecution, the person is guilty of a Class 4 felony for a
25first offense and a Class 3 felony for a second or subsequent
26offense (regardless of whether the second or subsequent offense

 

 

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1involves any of the same facts or persons as the first or other
2prior offense).
3    A child whose parent, guardian or custodian in good faith
4selects and depends upon spiritual means through prayer alone
5for the treatment or cure of disease or remedial care may be
6considered neglected or abused, but not for the sole reason
7that his parent, guardian or custodian accepts and practices
8such beliefs.
9    A child shall not be considered neglected or abused solely
10because the child is not attending school in accordance with
11the requirements of Article 26 of the School Code, as amended.
12    Nothing in this Act prohibits a mandated reporter who
13reasonably believes that an animal is being abused or neglected
14in violation of the Humane Care for Animals Act from reporting
15animal abuse or neglect to the Department of Agriculture's
16Bureau of Animal Health and Welfare.
17    A home rule unit may not regulate the reporting of child
18abuse or neglect in a manner inconsistent with the provisions
19of this Section. This Section is a limitation under subsection
20(i) of Section 6 of Article VII of the Illinois Constitution on
21the concurrent exercise by home rule units of powers and
22functions exercised by the State.
23    For purposes of this Section "child abuse or neglect"
24includes abuse or neglect of an adult resident as defined in
25this Act.
26(Source: P.A. 95-10, eff. 6-30-07; 95-461, eff. 8-27-07;

 

 

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195-876, eff. 8-21-08; 95-908, eff. 8-26-08; 96-494, eff.
28-14-09; 96-1446, eff. 8-20-10.)
 
3    (325 ILCS 5/7)  (from Ch. 23, par. 2057)
4    Sec. 7. Time and manner of making reports. All reports of
5suspected child abuse or neglect made under this Act shall be
6made immediately by telephone to the central register
7established under Section 7.7 on the single, State-wide,
8toll-free telephone number established in Section 7.6, or in
9person or by telephone through the nearest Department office.
10The Department shall, in cooperation with school officials,
11distribute appropriate materials in school buildings listing
12the toll-free telephone number established in Section 7.6,
13including methods of making a report under this Act. The
14Department may, in cooperation with appropriate members of the
15clergy, distribute appropriate materials in churches,
16synagogues, temples, mosques, or other religious buildings
17listing the toll-free telephone number established in Section
187.6, including methods of making a report under this Act.
19    Wherever the Statewide number is posted, there shall also
20be posted the following notice:
21    "Any person who knowingly transmits a false report to the
22Department commits the offense of disorderly conduct under
23subsection (a)(7) of Section 26-1 of the Criminal Code of 1961.
24A violation of this subsection is a Class 4 felony. A first
25violation of this subsection is a Class A misdemeanor,

 

 

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1punishable by a term of imprisonment for up to one year, or by
2a fine not to exceed $1,000, or by both such term and fine. A
3second or subsequent violation is a Class 4 felony."
4    The report required by this Act shall include, if known,
5the name and address of the child and his parents or other
6persons having his custody; the child's age; the nature of the
7child's condition including any evidence of previous injuries
8or disabilities; and any other information that the person
9filing the report believes might be helpful in establishing the
10cause of such abuse or neglect and the identity of the person
11believed to have caused such abuse or neglect. Reports made to
12the central register through the State-wide, toll-free
13telephone number shall be immediately transmitted by the
14Department to the appropriate Child Protective Service Unit.
15All such reports alleging the death of a child, serious injury
16to a child including, but not limited to, brain damage, skull
17fractures, subdural hematomas, and internal injuries, torture
18of a child, malnutrition of a child, and sexual abuse to a
19child, including, but not limited to, sexual intercourse,
20sexual exploitation, sexual molestation, and sexually
21transmitted disease in a child age 12 and under, shall also be
22immediately transmitted by the Department to the appropriate
23local law enforcement agency. The Department shall within 24
24hours orally notify local law enforcement personnel and the
25office of the State's Attorney of the involved county of the
26receipt of any report alleging the death of a child, serious

 

 

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1injury to a child including, but not limited to, brain damage,
2skull fractures, subdural hematomas, and, internal injuries,
3torture of a child, malnutrition of a child, and sexual abuse
4to a child, including, but not limited to, sexual intercourse,
5sexual exploitation, sexual molestation, and sexually
6transmitted disease in a child age twelve and under. All oral
7reports made by the Department to local law enforcement
8personnel and the office of the State's Attorney of the
9involved county shall be confirmed in writing within 24 hours
10of the oral report. All reports by persons mandated to report
11under this Act shall be confirmed in writing to the appropriate
12Child Protective Service Unit, which may be on forms supplied
13by the Department, within 48 hours of any initial report.
14    Written confirmation reports from persons not required to
15report by this Act may be made to the appropriate Child
16Protective Service Unit. Written reports from persons required
17by this Act to report shall be admissible in evidence in any
18judicial proceeding relating to child abuse or neglect. Reports
19involving known or suspected child abuse or neglect in public
20or private residential agencies or institutions shall be made
21and received in the same manner as all other reports made under
22this Act.
23    For purposes of this Section "child" includes an adult
24resident as defined in this Act.
25(Source: P.A. 95-57, eff. 8-10-07; 96-1446, eff. 8-20-10.)
 

 

 

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1    (325 ILCS 5/7.6)  (from Ch. 23, par. 2057.6)
2    Sec. 7.6. There shall be a single State-wide, toll-free
3telephone number established and maintained by the Department
4which all persons, whether or not mandated by law, may use to
5report suspected child abuse or neglect at any hour of the day
6or night, on any day of the week. Immediately upon receipt of
7such reports, the Department shall transmit the contents of the
8report, either orally or electronically, to the appropriate
9Child Protective Service Unit. Any other person may use the
10State-wide number to obtain assistance or information
11concerning the handling of child abuse and neglect cases.
12    Wherever the Statewide number is posted, there shall also
13be posted the following notice:
14    "Any person who knowingly transmits a false report to the
15Department commits the offense of disorderly conduct under
16subsection (a)(7) of Section 26-1 of the Criminal Code of 1961.
17A violation of this subsection is a Class 4 felony. A violation
18of this subsection is a Class B misdemeanor, punishable by a
19term of imprisonment for not more than 6 months, or by a fine
20not to exceed $500, or by both such term and fine."
21(Source: P.A. 84-1318.)
 
22    Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon
23becoming law.