HB1797 104TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

LRB104 03970 KTG 13994 b

104TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2025 and 2026
HB1797

Introduced 1/28/2025, by Rep. Tom Weber

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:

325 ILCS 5/7	from Ch. 23, par. 2057
325 ILCS 5/7.3	from Ch. 23, par. 2057.3

Amends the Abused and Neglected Child Reporting Act. Provides that any report received by the Department of Children and Family Services alleging the abuse or neglect of a child by any person (rather than a person who is not the child's parent, a member of the child's immediate family, a person responsible for the child's welfare, an individual residing in the same home as the child, or a paramour of the child's parent) shall immediately be shared with (rather than referred to) the appropriate local law enforcement agency. Provides that, upon receipt of the shared report, the local law enforcement agency may, in its discretion, conduct a criminal investigation or other action based on the information contained within the report. Provides that the Department shall be the sole agency responsible for receiving and investigating reports of child abuse or neglect made under the Act, except where investigations by other agencies may be required with respect to reports alleging the abuse or neglect of a child by any person (rather than except where investigations by other agencies may be required with respect to reports alleging the abuse or neglect of a child by a person who is not the child's parent, a member of the child's immediate family, a person responsible for the child's welfare, an individual residing in the same home as the child, or a paramour of the child's parent).

A BILL FOR

AN ACT concerning children.

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

Section 1. Reference to Act. This Act may be referred to as the AJ Freund Act.

Section 5. The Abused and Neglected Child Reporting Act is amended by changing Sections 7 and 7.3 as follows:

(325 ILCS 5/7) (from Ch. 23, par. 2057)

Sec. 7. Time and manner of making reports. All reports of suspected child abuse or neglect made under this Act shall be made immediately by telephone to the central register established under Section 7.7 on the single, State-wide, toll-free telephone number established in Section 7.6, or in person or by telephone through the nearest Department office. The Department shall, in cooperation with school officials, distribute appropriate materials in school buildings listing the toll-free telephone number established in Section 7.6, including methods of making a report under this Act. The Department may, in cooperation with appropriate members of the clergy, distribute appropriate materials in churches, synagogues, temples, mosques, or other religious buildings listing the toll-free telephone number established in Section 7.6, including methods of making a report under this Act.

Wherever the Statewide number is posted, there shall also be posted the following notice:

"Any person who knowingly transmits a false report to the Department commits the offense of disorderly conduct under subsection (a)(7) of Section 26-1 of the Criminal Code of 2012. A violation of this subsection is a Class 4 felony."

The report required by this Act shall include, if known, the name and address of the child and the child's parents or other persons having the child's custody; the child's age; the nature of the child's condition, including any evidence of previous injuries or disabilities; and any other information that the person filing the report believes might be helpful in establishing the cause of such abuse or neglect and the identity of the person believed to have caused such abuse or neglect. Reports made to the central register through the State-wide, toll-free telephone number shall be immediately transmitted by the Department to the appropriate Child Protective Service Unit. All such reports alleging the death of a child, serious injury to a child, including, but not limited to, brain damage, skull fractures, subdural hematomas, and internal injuries, torture of a child, malnutrition of a child, and sexual abuse to a child, including, but not limited to, sexual intercourse, sexual exploitation, sexual molestation, and sexually transmitted disease in a child age 12 and under, shall also be immediately transmitted by the Department to the appropriate local law enforcement agency. The Department shall within 24 hours orally notify local law enforcement personnel and the office of the State's Attorney of the involved county of the receipt of any report alleging the death of a child, serious injury to a child, including, but not limited to, brain damage, skull fractures, subdural hematomas, and internal injuries, torture of a child, malnutrition of a child, and sexual abuse to a child, including, but not limited to, sexual intercourse, sexual exploitation, sexual molestation, and sexually transmitted disease in a child age 12 and under. All oral reports made by the Department to local law enforcement personnel and the office of the State's Attorney of the involved county shall be confirmed in writing within 24 hours of the oral report.

Any report received by the Department alleging the abuse or neglect of a child by any a person who is not the child's parent, a member of the child's immediate family, a person responsible for the child's welfare, an individual residing in the same home as the child, or a paramour of the child's parent shall immediately be shared with referred to the appropriate local law enforcement agency. Upon receipt of the shared report, the local law enforcement agency may, in its discretion, conduct a criminal investigation or other action based on the information contained within the report for consideration of criminal investigation or other action.

Written confirmation reports from persons not required to report by this Act may be made to the appropriate Child Protective Service Unit. Written reports from persons required by this Act to report shall be admissible in evidence in any judicial proceeding or administrative hearing relating to child abuse or neglect. Reports involving known or suspected child abuse or neglect in public or private residential agencies or institutions shall be made and received in the same manner as all other reports made under this Act.

For purposes of this Section, "child" includes an adult resident as defined in this Act.

(Source: P.A. 102-558, eff. 8-20-21; 103-22, eff. 8-8-23; 103-624, eff. 1-1-25.)

(325 ILCS 5/7.3) (from Ch. 23, par. 2057.3)

Sec. 7.3. (a) The Department shall be the sole agency responsible for receiving and investigating reports of child abuse or neglect made under this Act, including reports of adult resident abuse or neglect as defined in this Act, except where investigations by other agencies may be required with respect to reports alleging the abuse or neglect of a child by any person, a person who is not the child's parent, a member of the child's immediate family, a person responsible for the child's welfare, an individual residing in the same home as the child, or a paramour of the child's parent, the death of a child, serious injury to a child, or sexual abuse to a child made pursuant to Sections 4.1 or 7 of this Act, and except that the Department may delegate the performance of the investigation to the Illinois State Police, a law enforcement agency and to those private social service agencies which have been designated for this purpose by the Department prior to July 1, 1980.

(b) Notwithstanding any other provision of this Act, the Department shall adopt rules expressly allowing law enforcement personnel to investigate reports of suspected child abuse or neglect concurrently with the Department, without regard to whether the Department determines a report to be "indicated" or "unfounded" or deems a report to be "undetermined".

(c) By June 1, 2016, the Department shall adopt rules that address and set forth criteria and standards relevant to investigations of reports of abuse or neglect committed by any agency, as defined in Section 3 of this Act, or person working for an agency responsible for the welfare of a child or adult resident.

(Source: P.A. 101-583, eff. 1-1-20; 102-538, eff. 8-20-21.)