Public Act 096-1508
 
HB3962 EnrolledLRB096 10339 RLC 20509 b

    AN ACT concerning criminal law.
 
    Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
represented in the General Assembly:
 
    Section 5. The Criminal Code of 1961 is amended by changing
Section 32-8 as follows:
 
    (720 ILCS 5/32-8)  (from Ch. 38, par. 32-8)
    Sec. 32-8. Tampering with public records.
    (a) A person who knowingly, and without lawful authority,
and with the intent to defraud any party, public officer or
entity, alters, destroys, defaces, removes or conceals any
public record commits a Class 4 felony.
    (b) "Public record" expressly includes, but is not limited
to, court records, or documents, evidence, or exhibits filed
with the clerk of the court and which have become a part of the
official court record, pertaining to any civil or criminal
proceeding in any court.
    (c) Any judge, circuit clerk or clerk of court, public
official or employee, court reporter, or other person who
knowingly, and without lawful authority, and with the intent to
defraud any party, public officer or entity, alters, destroys,
defaces, removes, or conceals any public record received or
held by any judge or by a clerk of any court commits a Class 3
felony.
    (d) Any person convicted under subsection (c) who at the
time of the violation was responsible for making, keeping,
storing, or reporting the record for which the tampering
occurred:
        (1) shall forfeit his or her public office or public
    employment, if any, and shall thereafter be ineligible for
    both State and local public office and public employment in
    this State for a period of 5 years after completion of any
    term of probation, conditional discharge, or incarceration
    in a penitentiary including the period of mandatory
    supervised release;
        (2) shall forfeit all retirement, pension, and other
    benefits arising out of public office or public employment
    as may be determined by the court in accordance with the
    applicable provisions of the Illinois Pension Code;
        (3) shall be subject to termination of any professional
    licensure or registration in this State as may be
    determined by the court in accordance with the provisions
    of the applicable professional licensing or registration
    laws;
        (4) may be ordered by the court, after a hearing in
    accordance with applicable law and in addition to any other
    penalty or fine imposed by the court, to forfeit to the
    State an amount equal to any financial gain or the value of
    any advantage realized by the person as a result of the
    offense; and
        (5) may be ordered by the court, after a hearing in
    accordance with applicable law and in addition to any other
    penalty or fine imposed by the court, to pay restitution to
    the victim in an amount equal to any financial loss or the
    value of any advantage lost by the victim as a result of
    the offense.
    For the purposes of this subsection (d), an offense under
subsection (c) committed by a person holding public office or
public employment shall be rebuttably presumed to relate to or
arise out of or in connection with that public office or public
employment.
    (e) Any party litigant who believes a violation of this
Section has occurred may seek the restoration of the court
record as provided in the Court Records Restoration Act. Any
order of the court denying the restoration of the court record
may be appealed as any other civil judgment having an interest
in the protection and integrity of any court record, whether
such party be a public official or a private individual, shall
have the right to request and, if necessary, to demand that an
investigation be opened into the alteration, destruction,
defacement, removal, or concealment of any public record. Such
request may be made to any law enforcement agency, including,
but not limited to, local law enforcement and the State Police.
    (f) When the sheriff or local law enforcement agency having
jurisdiction declines to investigate, or inadequately
investigates, the court or any interested party, shall notify
the State Police of a suspected a violation of subsection (a)
or (c), who the State Police shall have the authority to
investigate, and may shall investigate, the same, without
regard to whether such local law enforcement agency has
requested the State Police to do so.
    (g) If When the State's Attorney having jurisdiction
declines to prosecute a violation of subsection (a) or (c), the
court or interested party shall notify the Attorney General of
such refusal. The the Attorney General shall, thereafter, have
the authority to prosecute, and may prosecute, the same,
without a referral from regard to whether such State's Attorney
has requested the Attorney General to do so.
    (h) Prosecution of a violation of subsection (c) shall be
commenced within 3 years after the act constituting the
violation is discovered or reasonably should have been
discovered.
(Source: P.A. 96-1217, eff. 1-1-11.)