HB4645 104TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

LRB104 17314 RTM 30736 b

104TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2025 and 2026
HB4645

Introduced 2/3/2026, by Rep. Maura Hirschauer

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:

50 ILCS 705/10.30 new
705 ILCS 405/1-3	from Ch. 37, par. 801-3
705 ILCS 405/5-105

Amends the Illinois Police Training Act. Requires the Illinois Law Enforcement Training Standards Board to conduct or approve a training program, including continuing educational requirements, for law enforcement officers of local law enforcement agencies serving as juvenile officers before an officer may serve as a juvenile officer or continue serving as a juvenile officer. Requires the Board to issue a certificate for satisfactory completion of the training program. Requires the Board to set eligibility requirements for juvenile officers. Amends the Juvenile Court Act of 1987. Defines "juvenile police officer" as an eligible sworn police officer and an officer who has completed continuing educational requirements.

A BILL FOR

AN ACT concerning law enforcement.

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

Section 5. The Illinois Police Training Act is amended by adding Section 10.30 as follows:

(50 ILCS 705/10.30 new)

Sec. 10.30. Training; eligibility; juvenile officers.

(a) The Board shall conduct or approve a training program, including continuing educational requirements, for law enforcement officers of local law enforcement agencies serving as Juvenile Officers pursuant to the respective provisions of the Juvenile Court Act. Only law enforcement officers who successfully complete the training program, including continuing educational requirements, may be assigned or continue as juvenile officers. Satisfactory completion of the training program shall be evidenced by a certificate issued to the law enforcement officer by the Illinois Law Enforcement Training Standards Board.

(b) The Board shall set eligibility requirements for law enforcement officers entering an initial training program under subsection (a).

Section 10. The Juvenile Court Act of 1987 is amended by changing Sections 1-3 and 5-105 as follows:

(705 ILCS 405/1-3) (from Ch. 37, par. 801-3)

Sec. 1-3. Definitions. Terms used in this Act, unless the context otherwise requires, have the following meanings ascribed to them:

(1) "Adjudicatory hearing" means a hearing to determine whether the allegations of a petition under Section 2-13, 3-15, or 4-12 that a minor under 18 years of age is abused, neglected, or dependent, or requires authoritative intervention, or addicted, respectively, are supported by a preponderance of the evidence or whether the allegations of a petition under Section 5-520 that a minor is delinquent are proved beyond a reasonable doubt.

(2) "Adult" means a person 21 years of age or older.

(3) "Agency" means a public or private child care facility legally authorized or licensed by this State for placement or institutional care or for both placement and institutional care.

(4) "Association" means any organization, public or private, engaged in welfare functions which include services to or on behalf of children but does not include "agency" as herein defined.

(4.05) Whenever a "best interest" determination is required, the following factors shall be considered in the context of the child's age and developmental needs:

(a) the physical safety and welfare of the child, including food, shelter, health, and clothing;

(b) the development of the child's identity;

(c) the child's background and ties, including familial, cultural, and religious;

(d) the child's sense of attachments, including:

(i) where the child actually feels love, attachment, and a sense of being valued (as opposed to where adults believe the child should feel such love, attachment, and a sense of being valued);

(ii) the child's sense of security;

(iii) the child's sense of familiarity;

(iv) continuity of affection for the child;

(v) the least disruptive placement alternative for the child;

(e) the child's wishes and long-term goals, including the child's wishes regarding available permanency options and the child's wishes regarding maintaining connections with parents, siblings, and other relatives;

(f) the child's community ties, including church, school, and friends;

(g) the child's need for permanence which includes the child's need for stability and continuity of relationships with parent figures, siblings, and other relatives;

(h) the uniqueness of every family and child;

(i) the risks attendant to entering and being in substitute care; and

(j) the preferences of the persons available to care for the child, including willingness to provide permanency to the child, either through subsidized guardianship or through adoption.

(4.08) "Caregiver" includes a foster parent. Beginning July 1, 2025, "caregiver" includes a foster parent as defined in Section 2.17 of the Child Care Act of 1969, certified relative caregiver, as defined in Section 2.36 of the Child Care Act of 1969, and relative caregiver as defined in Section 4d of the Children and Family Services Act.

(4.1) "Chronic truant" shall have the definition ascribed to it in Section 26-2a of the School Code.

(5) "Court" means the circuit court in a session or division assigned to hear proceedings under this Act.

(6) "Dispositional hearing" means a hearing to determine whether a minor should be adjudged to be a ward of the court, and to determine what order of disposition should be made in respect to a minor adjudged to be a ward of the court.

(6.5) "Dissemination" or "disseminate" means to publish, produce, print, manufacture, distribute, sell, lease, exhibit, broadcast, display, transmit, or otherwise share information in any format so as to make the information accessible to others.

(7) "Emancipated minor" means any minor 16 years of age or over who has been completely or partially emancipated under the Emancipation of Minors Act or under this Act.

(7.03) "Expunge" means to physically destroy the records and to obliterate the minor's name from any official index, public record, or electronic database.

(7.05) "Foster parent" includes a relative caregiver selected by the Department of Children and Family Services to provide care for the minor.

(8) "Guardianship of the person" of a minor means the duty and authority to act in the best interests of the minor, subject to residual parental rights and responsibilities, to make important decisions in matters having a permanent effect on the life and development of the minor and to be concerned with the minor's general welfare. It includes but is not necessarily limited to:

(a) the authority to consent to marriage, to enlistment in the armed forces of the United States, or to a major medical, psychiatric, and surgical treatment; to represent the minor in legal actions; and to make other decisions of substantial legal significance concerning the minor;

(b) the authority and duty of reasonable visitation, except to the extent that these have been limited in the best interests of the minor by court order;

(c) the rights and responsibilities of legal custody except where legal custody has been vested in another person or agency; and

(d) the power to consent to the adoption of the minor, but only if expressly conferred on the guardian in accordance with Section 2-29, 3-30, or 4-27.

(8.1) "Juvenile court record" includes, but is not limited to:

(a) all documents filed in or maintained by the juvenile court pertaining to a specific incident, proceeding, or individual;

(b) all documents relating to a specific incident, proceeding, or individual made available to or maintained by probation officers;

(c) all documents, video or audio tapes, photographs, and exhibits admitted into evidence at juvenile court hearings; or

(d) all documents, transcripts, records, reports, or other evidence prepared by, maintained by, or released by any municipal, county, or State agency or department, in any format, if indicating involvement with the juvenile court relating to a specific incident, proceeding, or individual.

(8.2) "Juvenile law enforcement record" includes records of arrest, station adjustments, fingerprints, probation adjustments, the issuance of a notice to appear, or any other records or documents maintained by any law enforcement agency relating to a minor suspected of committing an offense, and records maintained by a law enforcement agency that identifies a juvenile as a suspect in committing an offense, but does not include records identifying a juvenile as a victim, witness, or missing juvenile and any records created, maintained, or used for purposes of referral to programs relating to diversion as defined in subsection (6) of Section 5-105.

(9) "Legal custody" means the relationship created by an order of court in the best interests of the minor which imposes on the custodian the responsibility of physical possession of a minor and the duty to protect, train and discipline the minor and to provide the minor with food, shelter, education, and ordinary medical care, except as these are limited by residual parental rights and responsibilities and the rights and responsibilities of the guardian of the person, if any.

(9.1) "Mentally capable adult relative" means a person 21 years of age or older who is not suffering from a mental illness that prevents the person from providing the care necessary to safeguard the physical safety and welfare of a minor who is left in that person's care by the parent or parents or other person responsible for the minor's welfare.

(10) "Minor" means a person under the age of 21 years subject to this Act.

(11) "Parent" means a father or mother of a child and includes any adoptive parent. It also includes a person (i) whose parentage is presumed or has been established under the law of this or another jurisdiction or (ii) who has registered with the Putative Father Registry in accordance with Section 12.1 of the Adoption Act and whose paternity has not been ruled out under the law of this or another jurisdiction. It does not include a parent whose rights in respect to the minor have been terminated in any manner provided by law. It does not include a person who has been or could be determined to be a parent under the Illinois Parentage Act of 1984 or the Illinois Parentage Act of 2015, or similar parentage law in any other state, if that person has been convicted of or pled nolo contendere to a crime that resulted in the conception of the child under Section 11-1.20, 11-1.30, 11-1.40, 11-11, 12-13, 12-14, 12-14.1, subsection (a) or (b) (but not subsection (c)) of Section 11-1.50 or 12-15, or subsection (a), (b), (c), (e), or (f) (but not subsection (d)) of Section 11-1.60 or 12-16 of the Criminal Code of 1961 or the Criminal Code of 2012, or similar statute in another jurisdiction unless upon motion of any party, other than the offender, to the juvenile court proceedings the court finds it is in the child's best interest to deem the offender a parent for purposes of the juvenile court proceedings.

(11.1) "Permanency goal" means a goal set by the court as defined in subsection (2.3) of Section 2-28.

(11.2) "Permanency hearing" means a hearing to set the permanency goal and to review and determine (i) the appropriateness of the services contained in the plan and whether those services have been provided, (ii) whether reasonable efforts have been made by all the parties to the service plan to achieve the goal, and (iii) whether the plan and goal have been achieved.

(12) "Petition" means the petition provided for in Section 2-13, 3-15, 4-12, or 5-520, including any supplemental petitions thereunder in Section 3-15, 4-12, or 5-520.

(12.1) "Physically capable adult relative" means a person 21 years of age or older who does not have a severe physical disability or medical condition, or is not suffering from alcoholism or drug addiction, that prevents the person from providing the care necessary to safeguard the physical safety and welfare of a minor who is left in that person's care by the parent or parents or other person responsible for the minor's welfare.

(12.2) "Post Permanency Sibling Contact Agreement" has the meaning ascribed to the term in Section 7.4 of the Children and Family Services Act.

(12.3) "Residential treatment center" means a licensed setting that provides 24-hour care to children in a group home or institution, including a facility licensed as a child care institution under Section 2.06 of the Child Care Act of 1969, a licensed group home under Section 2.16 of the Child Care Act of 1969, a qualified residential treatment program under Section 2.35 of the Child Care Act of 1969, a secure child care facility as defined in paragraph (18) of this Section, or any similar facility in another state. "Residential treatment center" does not include a relative foster home or a licensed foster family home.

(13) "Residual parental rights and responsibilities" means those rights and responsibilities remaining with the parent after the transfer of legal custody or guardianship of the person, including, but not necessarily limited to, the right to reasonable visitation (which may be limited by the court in the best interests of the minor as provided in subsection (8)(b) of this Section), the right to consent to adoption, the right to determine the minor's religious affiliation, and the responsibility for the minor's support.

(14) "Shelter" means the temporary care of a minor in physically unrestricting facilities pending court disposition or execution of court order for placement.

(14.05) "Shelter placement" means a temporary or emergency placement for a minor, including an emergency foster home placement.

(14.1) "Sibling Contact Support Plan" has the meaning ascribed to the term in Section 7.4 of the Children and Family Services Act.

(14.2) "Significant event report" means a written document describing an occurrence or event beyond the customary operations, routines, or relationships in the Department of Children of Family Services, a child care facility, or other entity that is licensed or regulated by the Department of Children of Family Services or that provides services for the Department of Children of Family Services under a grant, contract, or purchase of service agreement; involving children or youth, employees, foster parents, or relative caregivers; allegations of abuse or neglect or any other incident raising a concern about the well-being of a minor under the jurisdiction of the court under Article II of the Juvenile Court Act of 1987; incidents involving damage to property, allegations of criminal activity, misconduct, or other occurrences affecting the operations of the Department of Children of Family Services or a child care facility; any incident that could have media impact; and unusual incidents as defined by Department of Children and Family Services rule.

(15) "Station adjustment" means the informal handling of an alleged offender by a juvenile police officer.

(16) "Ward of the court" means a minor who is so adjudged under Section 2-22, 3-23, 4-20, or 5-705, after a finding of the requisite jurisdictional facts, and thus is subject to the dispositional powers of the court under this Act.

(17) "Juvenile police officer" means an eligible a sworn police officer who has completed a Basic Recruit Training Course, has been assigned to the position of juvenile police officer by the officer's chief law enforcement officer and has completed the necessary juvenile officers training, including continuing educational requirements, as prescribed by the Illinois Law Enforcement Training Standards Board, or in the case of a State police officer, juvenile officer training approved by the Director of the Illinois State Police. As used in this paragraph, "eligible sworn police officer" means a sworn police officer who meets the eligibility requirements as prescribed by the Illinois Law Enforcement Training Standards Board.

(18) "Secure child care facility" means any child care facility licensed by the Department of Children and Family Services to provide secure living arrangements for children under 18 years of age who are subject to placement in facilities under the Children and Family Services Act and who are not subject to placement in facilities for whom standards are established by the Department of Corrections under Section 3-15-2 of the Unified Code of Corrections. "Secure child care facility" also means a facility that is designed and operated to ensure that all entrances and exits from the facility, a building, or a distinct part of the building are under the exclusive control of the staff of the facility, whether or not the child has the freedom of movement within the perimeter of the facility, building, or distinct part of the building.

(Source: P.A. 102-538, eff. 8-20-21; 103-22, eff. 8-8-23; 103-564, eff. 11-17-23; 103-1061, eff. 2-5-25.)

(705 ILCS 405/5-105)

Sec. 5-105. Definitions. As used in this Article:

(1) "Aftercare release" means the conditional and revocable release of an adjudicated delinquent juvenile committed to the Department of Juvenile Justice under the supervision of the Department of Juvenile Justice.

(1.5) "Court" means the circuit court in a session or division assigned to hear proceedings under this Act, and includes the term Juvenile Court.

(2) "Community service" means uncompensated labor for a community service agency as hereinafter defined.

(2.5) "Community service agency" means a not-for-profit organization, community organization, church, charitable organization, individual, public office, or other public body whose purpose is to enhance the physical or mental health of a delinquent minor or to rehabilitate the minor, or to improve the environmental quality or social welfare of the community which agrees to accept community service from juvenile delinquents and to report on the progress of the community service to the State's Attorney pursuant to an agreement or to the court or to any agency designated by the court or to the authorized diversion program that has referred the delinquent minor for community service.

(3) "Delinquent minor" means any minor who prior to the minor's 18th birthday has violated or attempted to violate an Illinois State, county, or municipal law or ordinance.

(4) "Department" means the Department of Human Services unless specifically referenced as another department.

(5) "Detention" means the temporary care of a minor who is alleged to be or has been adjudicated delinquent and who requires secure custody for the minor's own protection or the community's protection in a facility designed to physically restrict the minor's movements, pending disposition by the court or execution of an order of the court for placement or commitment. Design features that physically restrict movement include, but are not limited to, locked rooms and the secure handcuffing of a minor to a rail or other stationary object. In addition, "detention" includes the court ordered care of an alleged or adjudicated delinquent minor who requires secure custody pursuant to Section 5-125 of this Act.

(6) "Diversion" means the referral of a juvenile, without court intervention, into a program that provides services designed to educate the juvenile and develop a productive and responsible approach to living in the community.

(7) "Juvenile detention home" means a public facility with specially trained staff that conforms to the county juvenile detention standards adopted by the Department of Juvenile Justice.

(8) "Juvenile justice continuum" means a set of delinquency prevention programs and services designed for the purpose of preventing or reducing delinquent acts, including criminal activity by youth gangs, as well as intervention, rehabilitation, and prevention services targeted at minors who have committed delinquent acts, and minors who have previously been committed to residential treatment programs for delinquents. The term includes children-in-need-of-services and families-in-need-of-services programs; aftercare and reentry services; substance abuse and mental health programs; community service programs; community service work programs; and alternative-dispute resolution programs serving youth-at-risk of delinquency and their families, whether offered or delivered by State or local governmental entities, public or private for-profit or not-for-profit organizations, or religious or charitable organizations. This term would also encompass any program or service consistent with the purpose of those programs and services enumerated in this subsection.

(9) "Juvenile police officer" means an eligible a sworn police officer who has completed a Basic Recruit Training Course, has been assigned to the position of juvenile police officer by the officer's chief law enforcement officer and has completed the necessary juvenile officers training, including continuing educational requirements, as prescribed by the Illinois Law Enforcement Training Standards Board, or in the case of a State police officer, juvenile officer training approved by the Director of the Illinois State Police. As used in this paragraph, "eligible sworn police officer" means a sworn police officer who meets the eligibility requirements as prescribed by the Illinois Law Enforcement Training Standards Board.

(10) "Minor" means a person under the age of 21 years subject to this Act.

(11) "Non-secure custody" means confinement where the minor is not physically restricted by being placed in a locked cell or room, by being handcuffed to a rail or other stationary object, or by other means. "Non-secure custody" may include, but is not limited to, electronic monitoring, foster home placement, home confinement, group home placement, or physical restriction of movement or activity solely through facility staff.

(12) "Public or community service" means uncompensated labor for a not-for-profit organization or public body whose purpose is to enhance physical or mental stability of the offender, environmental quality or the social welfare and which agrees to accept public or community service from offenders and to report on the progress of the offender and the public or community service to the court or to the authorized diversion program that has referred the offender for public or community service. "Public or community service" does not include blood donation or assignment to labor at a blood bank. For the purposes of this Act, "blood bank" has the meaning ascribed to the term in Section 2-124 of the Illinois Clinical Laboratory and Blood Bank Act.

(13) "Sentencing hearing" means a hearing to determine whether a minor should be adjudged a ward of the court and to determine what sentence should be imposed on the minor. It is the intent of the General Assembly that the term "sentencing hearing" replace the term "dispositional hearing" and be synonymous with that definition as it was used in the Juvenile Court Act of 1987.

(14) "Shelter" means the temporary care of a minor in physically unrestricting facilities pending court disposition or execution of court order for placement.

(15) "Site" means a not-for-profit organization, public body, church, charitable organization, or individual agreeing to accept community service from offenders and to report on the progress of ordered or required public or community service to the court or to the authorized diversion program that has referred the offender for public or community service.

(16) "Station adjustment" means the informal or formal handling of an alleged offender by a juvenile police officer.

(17) "Trial" means a hearing to determine whether the allegations of a petition under Section 5-520 that a minor is delinquent are proved beyond a reasonable doubt. It is the intent of the General Assembly that the term "trial" replace the term "adjudicatory hearing" and be synonymous with that definition as it was used in the Juvenile Court Act of 1987.

The changes made to this Section by Public Act 98-61 apply to violations or attempted violations committed on or after January 1, 2014 (the effective date of Public Act 98-61).

(Source: P.A. 102-538, eff. 8-20-21; 103-22, eff. 8-8-23; 103-27, eff. 1-1-24; 103-605, eff. 7-1-24.)