97TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2011 and 2012
HB4147

 

Introduced 1/30/2012, by Rep. Kelly M. Cassidy

 

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
 
325 ILCS 5/4  from Ch. 23, par. 2054

    Amends the Abused and Neglected Child Reporting Act. Adds any State employee or employee of any organization that receives State funding to the list of mandated reporters under the Act. Effective immediately.


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A BILL FOR

 

HB4147LRB097 17515 KTG 62719 b

1    AN ACT concerning children.
 
2    Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
3represented in the General Assembly:
 
4    Section 5. The Abused and Neglected Child Reporting Act is
5amended by changing Section 4 as follows:
 
6    (325 ILCS 5/4)  (from Ch. 23, par. 2054)
7    Sec. 4. Persons required to report; privileged
8communications; transmitting false report. Any physician,
9resident, intern, hospital, hospital administrator and
10personnel engaged in examination, care and treatment of
11persons, surgeon, dentist, dentist hygienist, osteopath,
12chiropractor, podiatrist, physician assistant, substance abuse
13treatment personnel, funeral home director or employee,
14coroner, medical examiner, emergency medical technician,
15acupuncturist, crisis line or hotline personnel, school
16personnel (including administrators and both certified and
17non-certified school employees), educational advocate assigned
18to a child pursuant to the School Code, member of a school
19board or the Chicago Board of Education or the governing body
20of a private school (but only to the extent required in
21accordance with other provisions of this Section expressly
22concerning the duty of school board members to report suspected
23child abuse), truant officers, social worker, social services

 

 

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1administrator, domestic violence program personnel, registered
2nurse, licensed practical nurse, genetic counselor,
3respiratory care practitioner, advanced practice nurse, home
4health aide, director or staff assistant of a nursery school or
5a child day care center, recreational program or facility
6personnel, law enforcement officer, licensed professional
7counselor, licensed clinical professional counselor,
8registered psychologist and assistants working under the
9direct supervision of a psychologist, psychiatrist, or field
10personnel of the Department of Healthcare and Family Services,
11Juvenile Justice, Public Health, Human Services (acting as
12successor to the Department of Mental Health and Developmental
13Disabilities, Rehabilitation Services, or Public Aid),
14Corrections, Human Rights, or Children and Family Services,
15supervisor and administrator of general assistance under the
16Illinois Public Aid Code, probation officer, animal control
17officer or Illinois Department of Agriculture Bureau of Animal
18Health and Welfare field investigator, State employee or
19employee of any organization that receives State funding, or
20any other foster parent, homemaker or child care worker having
21reasonable cause to believe a child known to them in their
22professional or official capacity may be an abused child or a
23neglected child shall immediately report or cause a report to
24be made to the Department.
25    Any member of the clergy having reasonable cause to believe
26that a child known to that member of the clergy in his or her

 

 

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1professional capacity may be an abused child as defined in item
2(c) of the definition of "abused child" in Section 3 of this
3Act shall immediately report or cause a report to be made to
4the Department.
5    Any physician, physician's assistant, registered nurse,
6licensed practical nurse, medical technician, certified
7nursing assistant, social worker, or licensed professional
8counselor of any office, clinic, or any other physical location
9that provides abortions, abortion referrals, or contraceptives
10having reasonable cause to believe a child known to him or her
11in his or her professional or official capacity may be an
12abused child or a neglected child shall immediately report or
13cause a report to be made to the Department.
14    If an allegation is raised to a school board member during
15the course of an open or closed school board meeting that a
16child who is enrolled in the school district of which he or she
17is a board member is an abused child as defined in Section 3 of
18this Act, the member shall direct or cause the school board to
19direct the superintendent of the school district or other
20equivalent school administrator to comply with the
21requirements of this Act concerning the reporting of child
22abuse. For purposes of this paragraph, a school board member is
23granted the authority in his or her individual capacity to
24direct the superintendent of the school district or other
25equivalent school administrator to comply with the
26requirements of this Act concerning the reporting of child

 

 

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1abuse.
2    Notwithstanding any other provision of this Act, if an
3employee of a school district has made a report or caused a
4report to be made to the Department under this Act involving
5the conduct of a current or former employee of the school
6district and a request is made by another school district for
7the provision of information concerning the job performance or
8qualifications of the current or former employee because he or
9she is an applicant for employment with the requesting school
10district, the general superintendent of the school district to
11which the request is being made must disclose to the requesting
12school district the fact that an employee of the school
13district has made a report involving the conduct of the
14applicant or caused a report to be made to the Department, as
15required under this Act. Only the fact that an employee of the
16school district has made a report involving the conduct of the
17applicant or caused a report to be made to the Department may
18be disclosed by the general superintendent of the school
19district to which the request for information concerning the
20applicant is made, and this fact may be disclosed only in cases
21where the employee and the general superintendent have not been
22informed by the Department that the allegations were unfounded.
23An employee of a school district who is or has been the subject
24of a report made pursuant to this Act during his or her
25employment with the school district must be informed by that
26school district that if he or she applies for employment with

 

 

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1another school district, the general superintendent of the
2former school district, upon the request of the school district
3to which the employee applies, shall notify that requesting
4school district that the employee is or was the subject of such
5a report.
6    Whenever such person is required to report under this Act
7in his capacity as a member of the staff of a medical or other
8public or private institution, school, facility or agency, or
9as a member of the clergy, he shall make report immediately to
10the Department in accordance with the provisions of this Act
11and may also notify the person in charge of such institution,
12school, facility or agency, or church, synagogue, temple,
13mosque, or other religious institution, or his designated agent
14that such report has been made. Under no circumstances shall
15any person in charge of such institution, school, facility or
16agency, or church, synagogue, temple, mosque, or other
17religious institution, or his designated agent to whom such
18notification has been made, exercise any control, restraint,
19modification or other change in the report or the forwarding of
20such report to the Department.
21    The privileged quality of communication between any
22professional person required to report and his patient or
23client shall not apply to situations involving abused or
24neglected children and shall not constitute grounds for failure
25to report as required by this Act or constitute grounds for
26failure to share information or documents with the Department

 

 

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1during the course of a child abuse or neglect investigation. If
2requested by the professional, the Department shall confirm in
3writing that the information or documents disclosed by the
4professional were gathered in the course of a child abuse or
5neglect investigation.
6    A member of the clergy may claim the privilege under
7Section 8-803 of the Code of Civil Procedure.
8    Any office, clinic, or any other physical location that
9provides abortions, abortion referrals, or contraceptives
10shall provide to all office personnel copies of written
11information and training materials about abuse and neglect and
12the requirements of this Act that are provided to employees of
13the office, clinic, or physical location who are required to
14make reports to the Department under this Act, and instruct
15such office personnel to bring to the attention of an employee
16of the office, clinic, or physical location who is required to
17make reports to the Department under this Act any reasonable
18suspicion that a child known to him or her in his or her
19professional or official capacity may be an abused child or a
20neglected child. In addition to the above persons required to
21report suspected cases of abused or neglected children, any
22other person may make a report if such person has reasonable
23cause to believe a child may be an abused child or a neglected
24child.
25    Any person who enters into employment on and after July 1,
261986 and is mandated by virtue of that employment to report

 

 

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1under this Act, shall sign a statement on a form prescribed by
2the Department, to the effect that the employee has knowledge
3and understanding of the reporting requirements of this Act.
4The statement shall be signed prior to commencement of the
5employment. The signed statement shall be retained by the
6employer. The cost of printing, distribution, and filing of the
7statement shall be borne by the employer.
8    The Department shall provide copies of this Act, upon
9request, to all employers employing persons who shall be
10required under the provisions of this Section to report under
11this Act.
12    Any person who knowingly transmits a false report to the
13Department commits the offense of disorderly conduct under
14subsection (a)(7) of Section 26-1 of the "Criminal Code of
151961". A violation of this provision is a Class 4 felony.
16    Any person who knowingly and willfully violates any
17provision of this Section other than a second or subsequent
18violation of transmitting a false report as described in the
19preceding paragraph, is guilty of a Class A misdemeanor for a
20first violation and a Class 4 felony for a second or subsequent
21violation; except that if the person acted as part of a plan or
22scheme having as its object the prevention of discovery of an
23abused or neglected child by lawful authorities for the purpose
24of protecting or insulating any person or entity from arrest or
25prosecution, the person is guilty of a Class 4 felony for a
26first offense and a Class 3 felony for a second or subsequent

 

 

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1offense (regardless of whether the second or subsequent offense
2involves any of the same facts or persons as the first or other
3prior offense).
4    A child whose parent, guardian or custodian in good faith
5selects and depends upon spiritual means through prayer alone
6for the treatment or cure of disease or remedial care may be
7considered neglected or abused, but not for the sole reason
8that his parent, guardian or custodian accepts and practices
9such beliefs.
10    A child shall not be considered neglected or abused solely
11because the child is not attending school in accordance with
12the requirements of Article 26 of the School Code, as amended.
13    Nothing in this Act prohibits a mandated reporter who
14reasonably believes that an animal is being abused or neglected
15in violation of the Humane Care for Animals Act from reporting
16animal abuse or neglect to the Department of Agriculture's
17Bureau of Animal Health and Welfare.
18    A home rule unit may not regulate the reporting of child
19abuse or neglect in a manner inconsistent with the provisions
20of this Section. This Section is a limitation under subsection
21(i) of Section 6 of Article VII of the Illinois Constitution on
22the concurrent exercise by home rule units of powers and
23functions exercised by the State.
24    For purposes of this Section "child abuse or neglect"
25includes abuse or neglect of an adult resident as defined in
26this Act.

 

 

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1(Source: P.A. 96-494, eff. 8-14-09; 96-1446, eff. 8-20-10;
297-189, eff. 7-22-11; 97-254, eff. 1-1-12; 97-387, eff.
38-15-11; revised 10-4-11.)
 
4    Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon
5becoming law.