HB0350 102ND GENERAL ASSEMBLY

LRB102 10102 LNS 15423 b

102ND GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2021 and 2022
HB0350

Introduced 1/29/2021, by Rep. La Shawn K. Ford

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:

705 ILCS 135/5-10
705 ILCS 135/5-20

Amends the Criminal and Traffic Assessment Act. Provides that before the court orders an assessment, the court shall make a determination of the defendant's ability to pay the assessment. Provides that if the court determines that the defendant is unable to pay the assessment, the court may reduce the assessment or waive the assessment in the court's discretion. Deletes language providing that that one hour of public or community service shall be equivalent to $4 of assessment. Provides instead that one hour of public or community service shall be equivalent to the value of one hour of work at the State minimum wage or the minimum hourly wage in the municipality where the defendant resides, whichever is greater. Requires the Director of Labor to publish an up-to-date list of the Illinois minimum wage and the minimum wages of each municipality in the State that has enacted a minimum wage that is greater than the State minimum wage. Provides that the Director of Labor shall send the published minimum wage list and updates to the Administrative Office of the Illinois Courts to be provided to each judicial circuit in the State.

FISCAL NOTE ACT MAY APPLY

A BILL FOR

AN ACT concerning courts.

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

Section 5. The Criminal and Traffic Assessment Act is amended by changing Sections 5-10 and 5-20 as follows:

(705 ILCS 135/5-10)

(Section scheduled to be repealed on January 1, 2022)

Sec. 5-10. Schedules; payment.

(a) In each case, the court shall order an assessment at the time of sentencing, as set forth in this Act, for a defendant to pay in addition to any fine, restitution, or forfeiture ordered by the court when the defendant is convicted of, pleads guilty to, or is placed on court supervision for a violation of a statute of this State or a similar local ordinance. The court may order a fine, restitution, or forfeiture on any violation that is being sentenced but shall order only one assessment from the Schedule of Assessments 1 through 13 of this Act for all sentenced violations in a case, that being the schedule applicable to the highest classified offense violation that is being sentenced, plus any conditional assessments under Section 15-70 of this Act applicable to any sentenced violation in the case.

(b) Before the court orders an assessment, the court shall make a determination of the defendant's ability to pay the assessment. If the court determines that the defendant is unable to pay the assessment, the court may reduce the assessment or waive the assessment in the court's discretion. If the court finds that the schedule of assessments will cause an undue burden on any victim in a case or if the court orders community service or some other punishment in place of the applicable schedule of assessments, the court may reduce the amount set forth in the applicable schedule of assessments or not order the applicable schedule of assessments. If the court reduces the amount set forth in the applicable schedule of assessments, then all recipients of the funds collected will receive a prorated amount to reflect the reduction.

(c) The court may order the assessments to be paid forthwith or within a specified period of time or in installments.

(c-3) Excluding any ordered conditional assessment, if the assessment is not paid within the period of probation, conditional discharge, or supervision to which the defendant was originally sentenced, the court may extend the period of probation, conditional discharge, or supervision under Section 5-6-2 or 5-6-3.1 of the Unified Code of Corrections, as applicable, until the assessment is paid or until successful completion of public or community service set forth in subsection (b) of Section 5-20 of this Act or the successful completion of the substance abuse intervention or treatment program set forth in subsection (c-5) of this Section.

(c-5) Excluding any ordered conditional assessment, the court may suspend the collection of the assessment; provided, the defendant agrees to enter a substance abuse intervention or treatment program approved by the court; and further provided that the defendant agrees to pay for all or some portion of the costs associated with the intervention or treatment program. In this case, the collection of the assessment shall be suspended during the defendant's participation in the approved intervention or treatment program. Upon successful completion of the program, the defendant may apply to the court to reduce the assessment imposed under this Section by any amount actually paid by the defendant for his or her participation in the program. The court shall not reduce the assessment under this subsection unless the defendant establishes to the satisfaction of the court that he or she has successfully completed the intervention or treatment program. If the defendant's participation is for any reason terminated before his or her successful completion of the intervention or treatment program, collection of the entire assessment imposed under this Act shall be enforced. Nothing in this Section shall be deemed to affect or suspend any other fines, restitution costs, forfeitures, or assessments imposed under this or any other Act.

(d) Except as provided in Section 5-15 of this Act, the defendant shall pay to the clerk of the court and the clerk shall remit the assessment to the appropriate entity as set forth in the ordered schedule of assessments within one month of its receipt.

(e) Unless a court ordered payment schedule is implemented or the assessment requirements of this Act are waived under a court order, the clerk of the circuit court may add to any unpaid assessments under this Act a delinquency amount equal to 5% of the unpaid assessments that remain unpaid after 30 days, 10% of the unpaid assessments that remain unpaid after 60 days, and 15% of the unpaid assessments that remain unpaid after 90 days. Notice to those parties may be made by signage posting or publication. The additional delinquency amounts collected under this Section shall be deposited into the Circuit Clerk Operations and Administration Fund and used to defray additional administrative costs incurred by the clerk of the circuit court in collecting unpaid assessments.

(Source: P.A. 100-987, eff. 7-1-19; 100-1161, eff. 7-1-19.)

(705 ILCS 135/5-20)

(Section scheduled to be repealed on January 1, 2022)

Sec. 5-20. Credit; time served; community service.

(a) Any credit for time served prior to sentencing that reduces the amount a defendant is required to pay shall be deducted from the fine, if any, ordered by the court.

(b) Excluding any ordered conditional assessment, a defendant who has been ordered to pay an assessment may petition the court to convert all or part of the assessment into court-approved public or community service. One hour of public or community service shall be equivalent to the value of one hour of work at the State minimum wage as provided in the Minimum Wage Law or the minimum hourly wage in the municipality where the defendant resides, whichever is greater, as calculated by the Department of Labor. On the effective date of this amendatory Act of the 102nd General Assembly and annually thereafter, the Director of Labor shall publish the Illinois minimum wage and the minimum wages of each municipality in this State that has enacted by ordinance a minimum wage that is greater than the State minimum wage. The Director of Labor shall update the list if the State or municipal minimum wage is changed by law or if a municipality enacts an ordinance increasing its minimum wage that is greater than the State minimum wage. The Director of Labor shall send the published minimum wage list and updates to the Administrative Office of the Illinois Courts to be provided to each judicial circuit in this State $4 of assessment. The performance of this public or community service shall be a condition of probation, conditional discharge, or supervision and shall be in addition to the performance of any other period of public or community service ordered by the court or required by law.

(Source: P.A. 100-987, eff. 7-1-19; 101-408, eff. 1-1-20.)