102ND GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2021 and 2022
SB0563

 

Introduced 2/23/2021, by Sen. Omar Aquino

 

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
 
New Act

    Creates the Judicial Quality Act. Requires the Administrative Office of the Illinois Courts to develop and implement an ongoing education and training program for judges and relevant court personnel regarding domestic violence or intimate partner violence, child abuse, racial bias in sentencing, cultural competency, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and gender nonconforming individuals, and the impact of trauma on youth brain development. Provides requirements for the education and training program. Allows the education and training program to be conducted virtually or held through an in-person convening.


LRB102 14904 LNS 20258 b

 

 

A BILL FOR

 

SB0563LRB102 14904 LNS 20258 b

1    AN ACT concerning courts.
 
2    Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
3represented in the General Assembly:
 
4    Section 1. Short title. This Act may be cited as the
5Judicial Quality Act.
 
6    Section 5. Education and training program.
7    (a) Subject to appropriation, the Administrative Office of
8the Illinois Courts shall develop and implement an ongoing
9education and training program for judges and relevant court
10personnel, including guardians ad litem, regarding domestic
11violence or intimate partner violence, child abuse, racial
12bias in sentencing, cultural competency, transgender and
13gender nonconforming, and the impact of trauma on youth brain
14development. The education and training program shall:
15        (1) be conducted quarterly;
16        (2) include the latest, best practices from
17    evidence-based and peer-reviewed research;
18        (3) be designed to improve the ability of courts to
19    recognize and respond to the impact of child abuse,
20    domestic violence, racial bias in sentencing, and trauma
21    on all victims, specifically youth and lesbian, gay,
22    bisexual, transgender, and gender nonconforming
23    individuals;

 

 

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1        (4) include hearing live testimony from people,
2    specifically lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and
3    gender nonconforming individuals, who may have been
4    sentenced to 20 years or more or detained pretrial on the
5    impact of long-term sentencing and incarceration; and
6        (5) include no less than a quarter of State judges and
7    relevant court personnel, and the entire judiciary shall
8    attend no fewer than 4 trainings a year.
9    Documentation showing completion of classes shall be
10available to the public upon request and recorded with the
11Administrative Office of the Illinois Courts.
12    (b) All training may be conducted virtually where at least
13one of the topics in subsection (a) shall be the focus of each
14training.
15    (c) Trainings may be held through an in-person convening
16at the discretion of the implementing body.