(750 ILCS 62/65)

Sec. 65. Duties and responsibilities of the regional domestic violence fatality review team.

(a) Each regional review team shall carry out the following duties and responsibilities:

(1) Form a regional review team in accordance with Sections 50 and 55.

(2) Report the names, professional titles, if applicable, and business contact information of each review team member to the Statewide Committee and inform the Statewide Committee in a timely manner of any changes to the membership of the regional review team.

(3) Create a secure system of maintaining and storing minutes, correspondence, and confidential information related to the regional review team and the domestic violence fatality reviews.

(4) Ensure that each member of the regional review team participates in trainings and technical assistance provided by the Statewide Committee and other professionals.

(5) Meet at least quarterly and maintain minutes of the business conducted by the regional review team at each meeting.

(6) Establish priorities for reviewing eligible cases that consider, in part, demographic and case type diversity.

(7) Based upon information available from a variety of sources, consider cases eligible for review in accordance with Section 70.

(8) Vote by a majority of the regional review team members to review a specific case based upon various factors, including the priorities by the regional review team.

(9) Invite and coordinate with the specific people designated in Section 50 who were involved in the selected domestic violence related fatality or near-fatality to participate in the domestic violence fatality review. Members of the regional review team may also participate directly in the domestic violence fatality review.

(10) Execute a confidentiality agreement with each member of the regional review team and participant of a domestic violence fatality review in accordance with Section 75.

(11) Conduct a domestic violence fatality review of at least 2 eligible cases per calendar year, or, if the regional review team is unable to complete at least 2 reviews in a given year, provide an explanation to the Statewide Committee in the regional review team's annual report pursuant to paragraph (12).

(12) Prepare and submit an annual report to the Statewide Committee on the operations and activities of the regional review team in accordance with guidelines established by the Statewide Committee. The initial report shall be due on March 1 following the formation of the regional review team and subsequent reports shall be submitted no later than March 1 of each year thereafter.

(13) On odd numbered years, prepare and submit to the Statewide Committee a biennial report based upon the domestic violence fatality reviews of the corresponding time period. The biennial report shall include specific recommendations for legislative, systemic, policy, and any other changes to reduce domestic violence and domestic violence related fatalities and near-fatalities. These recommendations will be reviewed by the Statewide Committee according to Section 40 and will, in part, inform the Statewide Committee's biennial report on even years. Any information that identifies the victims, survivors, deceased, or offenders, or their family members or any information by which their identities can be determined by a reasonably diligent inquiry shall not be disclosed in any domestic violence fatality review biennial report or by any other means. Any narrative of nonidentifying facts will be limited to those essential and indispensable to the explanation of data analysis or a recommendation for reform. Aggregate and nonidentifying data, including demographics, may be included in the biennial report. The first biennial report shall be due no later than April 1, 2023, and each subsequent report shall be due no later than April 1 of each odd year thereafter.

(b) Each regional review team may carry out the following duties and responsibilities:

(1) Collect and analyze data from its regional area regarding cases eligible for review that were and were not reviewed by the regional review team for purposes of identifying patterns and making recommendations for community and systemic reforms.

(2) Subject to the availability of funding and approval by a vote of the majority of the regional review team members, engage with and enter into contracts with a higher education institution or research entity for research, analysis, training, and educational purposes in furtherance of the purposes of this Act. Regional review team members shall not share information with contractors that would disclose the identities of victims, survivors, deceased, offenders, and their family members or by which their identities can be determined by a reasonably diligent inquiry.

(3) Seek funds to support the operations of the regional review team and the facilitation of domestic violence fatality reviews.

(4) Support the implementation of systemic and community reform recommendations in order to advance the purposes of this Act.

(5) Engage in any other activities that enable the regional review team to carry out the purposes of this Act.

(Source: P.A. 102-520, eff. 8-20-21.)