State of Illinois
90th General Assembly
Legislation

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90_HB0851

      New Act
      720 ILCS 5/Article 21.4 heading new
      720 ILCS 5/21.4-1 new
      720 ILCS 5/21.4-2 new
      720 ILCS 5/21.4-3 new
      720 ILCS 5/21.4-4 new
          Creates the Health Care Facilities Act to make any person
      who intentionally interferes with another person's access  to
      a  health  care  facility  civilly  liable for damages, legal
      fees, and costs.  Provides for injunctive relief.  Amends the
      Criminal Code of 1961 to create the  offense  of  intentional
      interference  with  access  to  health  care.  Violation is a
      Class A misdemeanor.
                                                     LRB9001681NTsb
                                               LRB9001681NTsb
 1        AN ACT concerning  interference  with  access  to  health
 2    care.
 3        Be  it  enacted  by  the People of the State of Illinois,
 4    represented in the General Assembly:
 5        Section 1.  Short title.  This Act may be  cited  as  the
 6    Interference With Access To Health Care Facilities Act.
 7        Section  5.   Cause  of action.  Any person who, with the
 8    intent to prevent another person from entering or  exiting  a
 9    health care facility, violates Section 10-3, 10-3.1, 12-2, or
10    12-6  of  the Criminal Code of 1961 or commits the offense of
11    unlawful interference with access to health  care  under  the
12    Criminal  Code  of  1961 is liable to any person aggrieved by
13    that conduct,  including  but  not  limited  to  the  owners,
14    employees,  officers,  or agents of the health care facility,
15    as well as to any person whose lawful  efforts  to  enter  or
16    leave the facility are obstructed, impeded, or hindered.
17        Section  10.   Damages;  injunctive  relief;  costs.  The
18    aggrieved person may bring a civil action under this Act  and
19    obtain  the  greater of actual damages or liquidated damages,
20    injunctive relief, and reasonable attorney's fees and costs.
21        Section 15.  Definitions.  As used in this Act:
22        (1)  "Actual damages"  shall  be  treble  the  amount  of
23    damages proved by the plaintiff.  Proof of actual damages may
24    include evidence of pain, suffering, and emotional distress.
25        (2)  "Liquidated damages" shall be $5,000.
26        (3)  "Injunctive  relief" may include, but is not limited
27    to: (i) the imposition of a buffer zone of no  more  than  50
28    feet  around  the  health  care facility in which individuals
29    shall be prohibited from congregating, picketing, patrolling,
                            -2-                LRB9001681NTsb
 1    demonstrating, or entering with the intent to obstruct access
 2    to  the  clinic,  block  vehicular  traffic,   or   otherwise
 3    unlawfully  interfere  with  the clinic's operation; and (ii)
 4    the imposition of a noise restriction  in  which  individuals
 5    shall   be  prohibited  from  singing,  chanting,  whistling,
 6    shouting, or using bullhorns, sound amplification  equipment,
 7    or  making or causing other sounds within hearing of patients
 8    inside the clinic with the  intent  to  unlawfully  interfere
 9    with the clinic's operation.
10        Section  900.  The  Criminal  Code  of 1961 is amended by
11    adding Article 21.4 as follows:
12        (720 ILCS 5/Article 21.4 heading new)
13        ARTICLE 21.4. INTERFERENCE WITH ACCESS TO HEALTH CARE
14        (720 ILCS 5/21.4-1 new)
15        Sec. 21.4-1.  Unlawful interference with access to health
16    care.  It is unlawful for a person to  intentionally  prevent
17    or  attempt to prevent an individual from entering or exiting
18    a health care facility by physically detaining the individual
19    or  physically  obstructing,  hindering,  or   impeding   the
20    individual's passage.
21        (720 ILCS 5/21.4-2 new)
22        Sec.  21.4-2.  Definition.   As  used  in  this  Article,
23    "health  care  facility"  means  a private or public facility
24    that provides health care services directly  to  any  person,
25    including  but  not  limited to, a hospital, clinic, licensed
26    health    practitioner's    office,    health     maintenance
27    organization, or diagnostic or treatment center.
28        (720 ILCS 5/21.4-3 new)
29        Sec.  21.4-3.  Penalty. Unlawful interference with access
                            -3-                LRB9001681NTsb
 1    to health care is a Class A misdemeanor.
 2        (720 ILCS 5/21.4-4 new)
 3        Sec. 21.4-4. Exemptions.  This Article shall not prohibit
 4    any of the following:
 5        (1)  Lawful conduct protected by the First  Amendment  to
 6    the  United  States  Constitution  or  by  Section  4 or 5 of
 7    Article I of the Illinois Constitution.
 8        (2)  Lawful conduct by an officer, employee, or agent  of
 9    the health care facility.
10        (3)  Lawful  conduct  by a peace officer while performing
11    his or her official duties.
12        (4)  Lawful conduct by a party  to  a  labor  dispute  in
13    furtherance   of  labor  or  management  objectives  in  that
14    dispute.

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