102ND GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2021 and 2022
HB3978

 

Introduced 3/4/2021, by Rep. La Shawn K. Ford

 

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
 
5 ILCS 140/2.15
815 ILCS 505/2QQQ

    Amends the Freedom of Information Act. Provides that a law enforcement agency may not electronically provide or publish booking photographs unless: (1) the booking photograph is posted to a social networking website to assist in the search for a missing person or to assist in the search for a fugitive, person of interest, or individual wanted in relation to a crime other than a petty offense, business offense, Class C misdemeanor, or Class B misdemeanor; or (2) the person is convicted of a crime other than a petty offense, business offense, Class C misdemeanor, or Class B misdemeanor. Deletes language providing that a law enforcement agency may publish on its social networking website booking photographs relating to charges other than civil offenses, petty offenses, business offenses, Class C misdemeanors, and Class B misdemeanors. Amends the Consumer Fraud and Deceptive Business Practices Act. Provides that it is an unlawful practice for a for-profit publishing entity that publishes on a publicly available website or in any other publication that charges a fee for removal or correction of the information to fail to remove within 30 days, without the imposition of any fee, the criminal record information of a person who provides the entity with: a pardon from the Governor or a certificate of innocence stating that the person is innocent of all offenses relating to the criminal record information; court records indicating that the person was found not guilty or that the case ended without a finding of guilt; or an order to expunge or seal the criminal record information of the person. Provides that a violating entity is subject to a civil penalty of $1,000 per day, plus attorney's fees, which shall be deposited into the General Revenue Fund.


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A BILL FOR

 

HB3978LRB102 04344 HEP 14362 b

1    AN ACT concerning arrest records.
 
2    Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
3represented in the General Assembly:
 
4    Section 5. The Freedom of Information Act is amended by
5changing Section 2.15 as follows:
 
6    (5 ILCS 140/2.15)
7    Sec. 2.15. Arrest reports and criminal history records.
8    (a) Arrest reports. The following chronologically
9maintained arrest and criminal history information maintained
10by State or local criminal justice agencies shall be furnished
11as soon as practical, but in no event later than 72 hours after
12the arrest, notwithstanding the time limits otherwise provided
13for in Section 3 of this Act: (i) information that identifies
14the individual, including the name, age, address, and
15photograph, when and if available; (ii) information detailing
16any charges relating to the arrest; (iii) the time and
17location of the arrest; (iv) the name of the investigating or
18arresting law enforcement agency; (v) if the individual is
19incarcerated, the amount of any bail or bond; and (vi) if the
20individual is incarcerated, the time and date that the
21individual was received into, discharged from, or transferred
22from the arresting agency's custody.
23    (b) Criminal history records. The following documents

 

 

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1maintained by a public body pertaining to criminal history
2record information are public records subject to inspection
3and copying by the public pursuant to this Act: (i) court
4records that are public; (ii) records that are otherwise
5available under State or local law; and (iii) records in which
6the requesting party is the individual identified, except as
7provided under Section 7(1)(d)(vi).
8    (c) Information described in items (iii) through (vi) of
9subsection (a) may be withheld if it is determined that
10disclosure would: (i) interfere with pending or actually and
11reasonably contemplated law enforcement proceedings conducted
12by any law enforcement agency; (ii) endanger the life or
13physical safety of law enforcement or correctional personnel
14or any other person; or (iii) compromise the security of any
15correctional facility.
16    (d) The provisions of this Section do not supersede the
17confidentiality provisions for law enforcement or arrest
18records of the Juvenile Court Act of 1987.
19    (e) Notwithstanding the requirements of subsection (a), a
20law enforcement agency may not electronically provide or
21publish booking photographs, commonly known as "mugshots", on
22its social networking website in connection with civil
23offenses, petty offenses, business offenses, Class C
24misdemeanors, and Class B misdemeanors unless: (1) the booking
25photograph is posted to the social networking website to
26assist in the search for a missing person or to assist in the

 

 

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1search for a fugitive, person of interest, or individual
2wanted in relation to a crime other than a petty offense,
3business offense, Class C misdemeanor, or Class B misdemeanor;
4or (2) the person is convicted of a crime other than a petty
5offense, business offense, Class C misdemeanor, or Class B
6misdemeanor. As used in this subsection, "social networking
7website" has the meaning provided in Section 10 of the Right to
8Privacy in the Workplace Act.
9(Source: P.A. 100-927, eff. 1-1-19; 101-433, eff. 8-20-19.)
 
10    Section 10. The Consumer Fraud and Deceptive Business
11Practices Act is amended by changing Section 2QQQ as follows:
 
12    (815 ILCS 505/2QQQ)
13    Sec. 2QQQ. Criminal record information.
14    (a) It is an unlawful practice for any person engaged in
15publishing or otherwise disseminating criminal record
16information through a print or electronic medium to solicit or
17accept the payment of a fee or other consideration to remove,
18correct, or modify said criminal record information.
19    (b) For the purposes of this Section, "criminal record
20information" includes any and all of the following:
21        (1) descriptions or notations of any arrests, any
22    formal criminal charges, and the disposition of those
23    criminal charges, including, but not limited to, any
24    information made available under Section 4a of the State

 

 

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1    Records Act or Section 3b of the Local Records Act;
2        (2) photographs of the person taken pursuant to an
3    arrest or other involvement in the criminal justice
4    system; or
5        (3) personal identifying information, including a
6    person's name, address, date of birth, photograph, and
7    social security number or other government-issued
8    identification number.
9    (c) A person or entity that publishes or otherwise
10disseminates for profit a person's criminal record information
11on a publicly available Internet website or in any other
12publication or criminal history report that charges a fee for
13removal or correction of the information must correct any
14errors in the individual's criminal history information within
155 business days after notification of an error. Failure to
16correct an error in the individual's criminal record
17information constitutes an unlawful practice within the
18meaning of this Act.
19    (d) A person whose criminal record information is
20published for profit on a publicly available Internet website
21or in any other publication that charges a fee for removal or
22correction of the information may demand the publisher to
23correct the information if the subject of the information, or
24his or her representative, sends a letter, via certified mail,
25to the publishing entity demanding the information be
26corrected and providing documentation of the correct

 

 

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1information.
2    (e) Failure by a for-profit publishing entity that
3publishes on a publicly available Internet website or in any
4other publication or criminal history report that charges a
5fee for removal or correction of the information to correct
6the person's published criminal record information within 5
7business days after receipt of the notice, demand for
8correction, and the provision of correct information,
9constitutes an unlawful and deceptive practice within the
10meaning of this Act. In addition to any other remedy available
11under this Act, a person who has been injured by a violation of
12this Section is entitled to the damages of $100 per day, plus
13attorney's fees, for the publisher's failure to correct the
14criminal record information.
15    (e-5) It is an unlawful practice for a for-profit
16publishing entity that publishes on a publicly available
17Internet website or in any other publication that charges a
18fee for removal or correction of the information to fail to
19remove within 30 days, without the imposition of any fee, the
20criminal record information of a person who provides the
21entity with:
22        (1) a pardon from the Governor stating that the pardon
23    is issued on the ground of innocence of the charges
24    relating to the criminal record information;
25        (2) a certificate of innocence, issued to the person
26    under Section 2-702 of the Code of Civil Procedure,

 

 

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1    finding that the person is innocent of all charges
2    relating to the criminal record information;
3        (3) court records indicating that the person was found
4    not guilty or that the case ended without a finding of
5    guilt; or
6        (4) an order to expunge or seal the criminal record
7    information of the person.
8    In addition to any other remedy available under this Act,
9an entity that violates this subsection is subject to a civil
10penalty of $1,000 per day, plus attorney's fees. Any proceeds
11recovered under this subsection shall be deposited into the
12General Revenue Fund.
13    (f) This Section does not apply to a play, book, magazine,
14newspaper, musical, composition, visual work, work of art,
15audiovisual work, radio, motion picture, or television
16program, or a dramatic, literary, or musical work.
17    (g) This Section does not apply to a news medium or
18reporter as defined in Section 8-902 of the Code of Civil
19Procedure.
20    (h) This Section does not apply to the Illinois State
21Police.
22    (i) This Section does not apply to a consumer reporting
23agency as defined under 15 U.S.C. 1681a(f).
24    (j) Nothing in this Section shall be construed to impose
25liability on an interactive computer service, as defined in 47
26U.S.C. 230(f)(2), for content provided by another person.

 

 

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1(Source: P.A. 100-927, eff. 1-1-19; 101-431, eff. 1-1-20.)