102ND GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2021 and 2022
SB0563
 
Introduced 2/23/2021, by Sen. Omar Aquino
 
SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
 

 
New Act

     Creates the Judicial Quality Act. Requires the Administrative Office of the Illinois Courts to develop and implement an ongoing education and training program for judges and relevant court personnel regarding domestic violence or intimate partner violence, child abuse, racial bias in sentencing, cultural competency, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and gender nonconforming individuals, and the impact of trauma on youth brain development. Provides requirements for the education and training program. Allows the education and training program to be conducted virtually or held through an in-person convening.
  


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A BILL FOR
 

  
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1    AN ACT concerning courts.
  
 
2    Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
 
3represented in the General Assembly:
  



 
4    Section 1. Short title. This Act may be cited as the 
5Judicial Quality Act.
 
6    Section 5. Education and training program.  
7    (a) Subject to appropriation, the Administrative Office of 
8the Illinois Courts shall develop and implement an ongoing 
9education and training program for judges and relevant court 
10personnel, including guardians ad litem, regarding domestic 
11violence or intimate partner violence, child abuse, racial 
12bias in sentencing, cultural competency, transgender and 
13gender nonconforming, and the impact of trauma on youth brain 
14development. The education and training program shall:
15        (1) be conducted quarterly;
16        (2) include the latest, best practices from 
17    evidence-based and peer-reviewed research;
18        (3) be designed to improve the ability of courts to 
19    recognize and respond to the impact of child abuse, 
20    domestic violence, racial bias in sentencing, and trauma 
21    on all victims, specifically youth and lesbian, gay, 
22    bisexual, transgender, and gender nonconforming 
23    individuals;
 
 
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1        (4) include hearing live testimony from people, 
2    specifically lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and 
3    gender nonconforming individuals, who may have been 
4    sentenced to 20 years or more or detained pretrial on the 
5    impact of long-term sentencing and incarceration; and
6        (5) include no less than a quarter of State judges and 
7    relevant court personnel, and the entire judiciary shall 
8    attend no fewer than 4 trainings a year.
9    Documentation showing completion of classes shall be 
10available to the public upon request and recorded with the 
11Administrative Office of the Illinois Courts.
12    (b) All training may be conducted virtually where at least 
13one of the topics in subsection (a) shall be the focus of each 
14training.
15    (c) Trainings may be held through an in-person convening 
16at the discretion of the implementing body.