Illinois General Assembly - Full Text of Public Act 097-0993
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Public Act 097-0993


 

Public Act 0993 97TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

  
  
  

 


 
Public Act 097-0993
 
HB5189 EnrolledLRB097 18784 JDS 64020 b

    AN ACT concerning State government.
 
    Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
represented in the General Assembly:
 
    Section 5. The State Comptroller Act is amended by changing
Section 9.03 as follows:
 
    (15 ILCS 405/9.03)  (from Ch. 15, par. 209.03)
    Sec. 9.03. Direct deposit of State payments.
    (a) The Comptroller, with the approval of the State
Treasurer, may provide by rule or regulation for the direct
deposit of any payment lawfully payable from the State Treasury
and in accordance with federal banking regulations including
but not limited to payments to (i) persons paid from personal
services, (ii) persons receiving benefit payments from the
Comptroller under the State pension systems, (iii) individuals
who receive assistance under Articles III, IV, and VI of the
Illinois Public Aid Code, (iv) providers of services under the
Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities Administrative
Act, (v) providers of community-based mental health services,
and (vi) providers of services under programs administered by
the State Board of Education, in the accounts of those persons
or entities maintained at a bank, savings and loan association,
or credit union, where authorized by the payee. The Comptroller
also may deposit public aid payments for individuals who
receive assistance under Articles III, IV, VI, and X of the
Illinois Public Aid Code directly into an electronic benefits
transfer account in a financial institution approved by the
State Treasurer as prescribed by the Illinois Department of
Human Services and in accordance with the rules and regulations
of that Department and the rules and regulations adopted by the
Comptroller and the State Treasurer. The Comptroller, with the
approval of the State Treasurer, may provide by rule for the
electronic direct deposit of payments to public agencies and
any other payee of the State. The electronic direct deposits
may be made to the designated account in those financial
institutions specified in this Section for the direct deposit
of payments. Within 6 months after the effective date of this
amendatory Act of 1994, the Comptroller shall establish a pilot
program for the electronic direct deposit of payments to local
school districts, municipalities, and units of local
government. The payments may be made without the use of the
voucher-warrant system, provided that documentation of
approval by the Treasurer of each group of payments made by
direct deposit shall be retained by the Comptroller. The form
and method of the Treasurer's approval shall be established by
the rules or regulations adopted by the Comptroller under this
Section.
    (b) Except as provided in subsection (b-5), all All State
payments for an employee's payroll or an employee's expense
reimbursement must be made through direct deposit. It is the
responsibility of the paying State agency to ensure compliance
with this mandate. If a State agency pays an employee's payroll
or an employee's expense reimbursement without using direct
deposit, the Comptroller may charge that employee a processing
fee of $2.50 per paper warrant. The processing fee may be
withheld from the employee's payment or reimbursement. The
amount collected from the fee shall be deposited into the
Comptroller's Administrative Fund.
    (b-5) If an employee wants their payments deposited into a
secure check account, the employee must submit a direct deposit
form to the paying State agency for their payroll or to the
Comptroller for their expense reimbursements. Upon acceptance
of the direct deposit form, the Comptroller shall disburse
those funds to the secure check account. For the purposes of
this Section, "secure check account" means an account
established with a financial institution for the employee that
allows the dispensing of the funds in the account through a
third party who dispenses to the employee a paper check.
    (c) All State payments to a vendor that exceed the
allowable limit of paper warrants in a fiscal year, by the same
agency, must be made through direct deposit. It is the
responsibility of the paying State agency to ensure compliance
with this mandate. If a State agency pays a vendor more times
than the allowable limit in a single fiscal year without using
direct deposit, the Comptroller may charge the vendor a
processing fee of $2.50 per paper warrant. The processing fee
may be withheld from the vendor's payment. The amount collected
from the processing fee shall be deposited into the
Comptroller's Administrative Fund. The Office of the
Comptroller shall define "allowable limit" in the
Comptroller's Statewide Accounting Management System (SAMS)
manual, except that the allowable limit shall not be less than
30 paper warrants. The Office of the Comptroller shall also
provide reasonable notice to all State agencies of the
allowable limit of paper warrants.
    (d) State employees covered by provisions in collective
bargaining agreements that do not require direct deposit of
paychecks are exempt from this mandate. No later than 60 days
after the effective date of this amendatory Act of the 97th
General Assembly, all State agencies must provide to the Office
of the Comptroller a list of employees that are exempt under
this subsection (d) from the direct deposit mandate. In
addition, a State employee or vendor may file a hardship
petition with the Office of the Comptroller requesting an
exemption from the direct deposit mandate under this Section. A
hardship petition shall be made available for download on the
Comptroller's official Internet website.
    (e) Notwithstanding any provision of law to the contrary,
the direct deposit of State payments under this Section for an
employee's payroll, an employee's expense reimbursement, or a
State vendor's payment does not authorize the State to
automatically withdraw funds from those accounts.
    (f) For the purposes of this Section, "vendor" means a
non-governmental entity with a taxpayer identification number
issued by the Social Security Administration or Internal
Revenue Service that receives payments through the
Comptroller's commercial system. The term does not include
State agencies.
    (g) The requirements of this Section do not apply to the
legislative or judicial branches of State government.
(Source: P.A. 97-348, eff. 8-12-11.)
 
    Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect 30 days
after becoming law.

Effective Date: 9/16/2012