State of Illinois
91st General Assembly
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91_HB2857

 
                                               LRB9105363RCpr

 1        AN ACT to amend the Clerks  of  Courts  Act  by  changing
 2    Sections 8, 13, and 16.

 3        Be  it  enacted  by  the People of the State of Illinois,
 4    represented in the General Assembly:

 5        Section 5.  The  Clerks  of  Courts  Act  is  amended  by
 6    changing Sections 8, 13, and 16 as follows:

 7        (705 ILCS 105/8) (from Ch. 25, par. 8)
 8        Sec. 8.  The clerks shall, in all cases, attend in person
 9    to  the  duties  of  their  offices, respectively, when it is
10    practicable so to  do,  and  shall  perform  all  the  duties
11    thereof  which  can reasonably be performed by one person. In
12    the performance of the duties of the office of clerk  of  the
13    circuit   court,  any  such  clerk,  after  filing  with  the
14    Secretary of State his or her manual signature  certified  by
15    him  or  her  under oath, may execute or cause to be executed
16    with a facsimile signature, in lieu of his  or  her  original
17    signature,  all forms of process and notices issued by his or
18    her office.
19        "Facsimile signature" means a reproduction by  engraving,
20    imprinting,  stamping,  electronic  or  digital execution, or
21    other means of the manual signature of an authorized officer.
22        When the seal of  the  clerk  of  the  circuit  court  is
23    required  in the execution of any process or notice issued by
24    the clerk's office, the  clerk  may  cause  the  seal  to  be
25    printed,   engraved,  stamped,  electronically  or  digitally
26    imprinted,  or otherwise placed  in  facsimile  thereon.  The
27    facsimile  seal  has the same effect as the impression of the
28    seal.
29    (Source: P.A. 83-346.)

30        (705 ILCS 105/13) (from Ch. 25, par. 13)
 
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 1        Sec. 13. The clerks shall attend the  sessions  of  their
 2    respective  courts,  preserve all the files,  and papers, and
 3    electronic data  thereof, make, keep  and  preserve  complete
 4    records  of  all  the proceedings and determinations thereof,
 5    whether  those  records  are  maintained  in  a  documentary,
 6    electronic, or digital  format,  except  in  cases  otherwise
 7    provided  by  law,  and  do  and  perform  all  other  duties
 8    pertaining to their offices, as may be required by law or the
 9    rules    and    orders    of   their   courts   respectively.
10    Notwithstanding any  other  law,  the  right  to  access  and
11    disseminate  any  court record as defined in this Act may not
12    be subject to an exclusive contract with  another  person  or
13    entity.   This  Section  is subject to the provisions of "The
14    Local Records Act", approved August 18, 1961, as amended.
15    (Source: P.A. 90-206, eff. 7-25-97.)

16        (705 ILCS 105/16) (from Ch. 25, par. 16)
17        Sec. 16.  Records kept  by  the  clerks  of  the  circuit
18    courts  are  subject  to the provisions of "The Local Records
19    Act", approved August 18, 1961, as amended.
20        Unless otherwise provided by rule or administrative order
21    of the Supreme Court, the respective clerks  of  the  circuit
22    courts  shall  keep  in  their offices the following books or
23    electronic records:
24        1.  A general or electronic docket, upon which  shall  be
25    entered all suits, in the order in which they are commenced.
26        2.  Two well-bound books or clearly delineated electronic
27    database,  to  be  denominated  "Plaintiff's  Index  to Court
28    Records," and "Defendant's Index  to  Court  Records"  to  be
29    maintained  in  an  electronic  format  or  ruled and printed
30    substantially in the following manner:
31    .............................................................
32    Plaintiffs Defendants   Kind of       Date     Record  Pages
33                             Action    Commenced    Book
 
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 1    .............................................................

 2    .............................................................
 3    .............................................................
 4                Date of     Judgment
 5                judgment     docket
 6    .............................................................
 7                           Book Page

 8    .............................................................
 9                                    Certificate Satisfied
10            Certificate Certificate     of       or not   Number
11              of levy     of sale   redemption  satisfied of case
12    .............................................................
13       Fee     Book Page   Book Page   Book Page
14       Book

15    .............................................................
16        All cases shall be entered in such  books  or  electronic
17    database,   in  alphabetical  order,  by  the  name  of  each
18    plaintiff and defendant.  The books  or  electronic  database
19    shall  set  forth  the  names of the parties, kind of action,
20    date commenced, the record books and pages on which the cases
21    are recorded, the date of judgment, books and  pages  of  the
22    judgment  dockets,  fee  book, certificates of levy, sale and
23    redemption records on which they are entered satisfied or not
24    satisfied, and number of case.  The defendant's  index  shall
25    be maintained in an electronic format or ruled and printed in
26    the  same  manner as the plaintiff's except the parties shall
27    be reversed.
28        3.  Proper books of record, or electronic  database  with
29    indices,  showing  the  names of all parties to any action or
30    judgment therein recorded, with a reference to the page where
31    it is recorded.
32        4.  A judgment  docket,  in  which  all  final  judgments
 
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 1    (except  child  support orders as hereinafter provided) shall
 2    be minuted at the time they are entered, or  within  60  days
 3    thereafter in alphabetical order, by the name of every person
 4    against  whom the judgment is entered, showing, in the proper
 5    columns ruled for that purpose, the names of the parties, the
 6    date, nature of the judgment,  amount  of  the  judgment  and
 7    costs  in  separate  items,  for  which it is issued, to whom
 8    issued, when returned, and the manner of its  enforcement;  a
 9    blank  column shall be kept in which may be entered a note of
10    the satisfaction or other  disposition  of  the  judgment  or
11    order  and when satisfied by enforcement or otherwise, or set
12    aside or enjoined; the clerk shall enter a minute thereof  in
13    such  column,  showing how disposed of, the date and the book
14    and page, where the evidence thereof is to be found.  In  the
15    case  of child support orders or modifications of such orders
16    entered on or after May 1, 1987, the clerk shall minute  such
17    orders  or  modifications  in  the  manner  and form provided
18    herein but shall not minute every child  support  installment
19    when  due  or  every  child  support payment when made.  Such
20    dockets may be searched by persons, at all  reasonable  times
21    without fee.
22        5.  A fee book, in which shall be distinctly set down, in
23    items,  the  proper title of the cause and heads, the cost of
24    each action, including clerk's, sheriff's and witness'  fees,
25    stating the name of each witness having claimed attendance in
26    respect  of  the  trial  or  hearing  of such action with the
27    number of days attended.  It shall not be necessary to insert
28    the  cost  in  the  judgment;  but  whenever  an  action   is
29    determined  and  final  judgment  entered,  the costs of each
30    party litigant shall be made up and entered in such fee book,
31    which shall be considered a part of the record and  judgment,
32    subject,  however, at all times to be corrected by the court;
33    and the  prevailing  party  shall  be  considered  as  having
34    recovered  judgment  for  the amount of the costs so taxed in
 
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 1    his or her favor, and the  same  shall  be  included  in  the
 2    certified   copy   of  such  judgment,  and  a  bill  thereof
 3    accompanying certified copy of the judgment.   If  any  clerk
 4    shall issue a fee bill or a bill of costs, with the certified
 5    copy  of  the judgment without first entering the same in the
 6    fee book, or if any such bill of costs or fee bill  shall  be
 7    issued which shall not be in substance a copy of the recorded
 8    bill,  the  same  shall be void.  Any person having paid such
 9    bill of costs or fee bill, may recover  from  the  clerk  the
10    amount  thereof,  with  costs  of  the action, in any circuit
11    court.
12        6.  Such other books of record and entry as are  provided
13    by law, or may be required in the proper performance of their
14    duties.  All records, dockets and books required by law to be
15    kept by such clerks shall be deemed public records, and shall
16    at all times be open to inspection without fee or reward, and
17    all  persons  shall  have  free  access  for  inspection  and
18    examination  to  such  records, docket and books, and also to
19    all papers on file in the different clerks' offices and shall
20    have the right to take memoranda and abstracts thereto.
21        7.  Such  other  records  maintained  on  an   electronic
22    database  or platform containing abbreviated forms of entries
23    on an electronic database or  platform  of  the  proceedings,
24    orders,  judgments,  or  fees  in  any  action of the circuit
25    court, which abbreviated forms are so  prescribed,  have  the
26    same   force  and  effect  as  if  the  proceedings,  orders,
27    judgments, and fees were entered in full on  the  records  of
28    the  court  in  the form and manner set forth in this Section
29    16.
30        When a judicial  circuit  or  county  within  a  judicial
31    circuit has been automated, the keeping of a manual record in
32    the format provided in paragraph 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 of this
33    Section   is   not   required.   Electronic  records  may  be
34    transferred  to  optical   disk,   digital   storage   media,
 
                            -6-                LRB9105363RCpr
 1    microfilm, or microfiche for archival purposes.
 2    (Source: P.A. 85-1156.)

 3        Section  99.  Effective date.  This Act takes effect upon
 4    becoming law.

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