HB4572eng 94TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HB4572 Engrossed LRB094 15951 JAM 51179 b

AN ACT concerning ethics.

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

Section 5. The State Officials and Employees Ethics Act is amended by changing Sections 20-90, 20-95, 25-90, 25-95, and 50-5 as follows:

(5 ILCS 430/20-90)

Sec. 20-90. Confidentiality.

(a) The identity of any individual providing information or reporting any possible or alleged misconduct to an Executive Inspector General or the Executive Ethics Commission shall be kept confidential and may not be disclosed without the consent of that individual, unless the individual consents to disclosure of his or her name or disclosure of the individual's identity is otherwise required by law. The confidentiality granted by this subsection does not preclude the disclosure of the person's identity to employees of the Executive Inspector General or Executive Ethics Commission who need the information for the proper performance of their employment functions. The confidentiality granted by this subsection does not preclude the disclosure of the identity of a person in any capacity other than as the source of an allegation.

(b) Subject to the provisions of Section 20-50(c), commissioners, employees, and agents of the Executive Ethics Commission, the Executive Inspectors General, and employees and agents of each Office of an Executive Inspector General shall keep confidential and shall not disclose information exempted from disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act or by this Act.

(Source: P.A. 93-617, eff. 12-9-03.)

(5 ILCS 430/20-95)

Sec. 20-95. Exemptions.

(a) Documents generated by an ethics officer under this Act, except Section 5-50, are exempt from the provisions of the Freedom of Information Act.

(b) Any allegations and related documents submitted to an Executive Inspector General and any pleadings and related documents brought before the Executive Ethics Commission are exempt from the provisions of the Freedom of Information Act so long as the Executive Ethics Commission does not make a finding of a violation of this Act. If the Executive Ethics Commission finds that a violation has occurred, the entire record of proceedings before the Commission, the decision and recommendation, and the mandatory report from the agency head or ultimate jurisdictional authority to the Executive Ethics Commission are not exempt from the provisions of the Freedom of Information Act but information contained therein that is otherwise exempt from the Freedom of Information Act must be redacted before disclosure as provided in Section 8 of the Freedom of Information Act.

(c) Meetings of the Commission under Sections 20-5 and 20-15 of this Act are exempt from the provisions of the Open Meetings Act.

(d) Unless otherwise provided in this Act, all investigatory files and reports of the Office of an Executive Inspector General, other than quarterly reports, are confidential, are exempt from disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act, and shall not be divulged to any person or agency, except as necessary (i) to the appropriate law enforcement authority if the matter is referred pursuant to this Act, (ii) to the ultimate jurisdictional authority, (iii) to the Executive Ethics Commission, ; or (iv) to another Inspector General appointed pursuant to this Act, or (v) by a person or entity described in item (i), (ii), (iii), or (iv) to that person's or entity's employees for the proper performance of their employment functions.

At the written request of a person whose alleged misconduct or violation is a subject of an otherwise confidential report of an Executive Inspector General, that person's ultimate jurisdictional authority may, in the ultimate jurisdictional authority's discretion, provide a redacted copy of that report to that person if the Inspector General approves the redaction. All personally identifying and confidential information concerning any other person must be redacted from the copy of the report. The person receiving the redacted copy of the report shall not further disclose information in the redacted copy of the report, other than to the person's personal attorney or union representative as applicable, without the prior approval of the ultimate jurisdictional authority.

(Source: P.A. 93-617, eff. 12-9-03.)

(5 ILCS 430/25-90)

Sec. 25-90. Confidentiality.

(a) The identity of any individual providing information or reporting any possible or alleged misconduct to the Legislative Inspector General or the Legislative Ethics Commission shall be kept confidential and may not be disclosed without the consent of that individual, unless the individual consents to disclosure of his or her name or disclosure of the individual's identity is otherwise required by law. The confidentiality granted by this subsection does not preclude the disclosure of the person's identity to employees of the Legislative Inspector General or Legislative Ethics Commission who need the information for the proper performance of their employment functions. The confidentiality granted by this subsection does not preclude the disclosure of the identity of a person in any capacity other than as the source of an allegation.

(b) Subject to the provisions of Section 25-50(c), commissioners, employees, and agents of the Legislative Ethics Commission, the Legislative Inspector General, and employees and agents of the Office of the Legislative Inspector General shall keep confidential and shall not disclose information exempted from disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act or by this Act.

(Source: P.A. 93-617, eff. 12-9-03.)

(5 ILCS 430/25-95)

Sec. 25-95. Exemptions.

(a) Documents generated by an ethics officer under this Act, except Section 5-50, are exempt from the provisions of the Freedom of Information Act.

(a-5) Requests from ethics officers, members, and State employees to the Office of the Legislative Inspector General, a Special Legislative Inspector General, the Legislative Ethics Commission, an ethics officer, or a person designated by a legislative leader for guidance on matters involving the interpretation or application of this Act or rules promulgated under this Act are exempt from the provisions of the Freedom of Information Act. Guidance provided to an ethics officer, member, or State employee at the request of an ethics officer, member, or State employee by the Office of the Legislative Inspector General, a Special Legislative Inspector General, the Legislative Ethics Commission, an ethics officer, or a person designated by a legislative leader on matters involving the interpretation or application of this Act or rules promulgated under this Act is exempt from the provisions of the Freedom of Information Act.

(b) Any allegations and related documents submitted to the Legislative Inspector General and any pleadings and related documents brought before the Legislative Ethics Commission are exempt from the provisions of the Freedom of Information Act so long as the Legislative Ethics Commission does not make a finding of a violation of this Act. If the Legislative Ethics Commission finds that a violation has occurred, the entire record of proceedings before the Commission, the decision and recommendation, and the mandatory report from the agency head or ultimate jurisdictional authority to the Legislative Ethics Commission are not exempt from the provisions of the Freedom of Information Act but information contained therein that is exempt from the Freedom of Information Act must be redacted before disclosure as provided in Section 8 of the Freedom of Information Act.

(c) Meetings of the Commission under Sections 25-5 and 25-15 of this Act are exempt from the provisions of the Open Meetings Act.

(d) Unless otherwise provided in this Act, all investigatory files and reports of the Office of the Legislative Inspector General, other than quarterly reports, are confidential, are exempt from disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act, and shall not be divulged to any person or agency, except as necessary (i) to the appropriate law enforcement authority if the matter is referred pursuant to this Act, (ii) to the ultimate jurisdictional authority, or (iii) to the Legislative Ethics Commission, or (iv) by a person or entity described in item (i), (ii), or (iii) to that person's or entity's employees for the proper performance of their employment functions.

At the written request of a person whose alleged misconduct or violation is a subject of an otherwise confidential report of the Legislative Inspector General, that person's ultimate jurisdictional authority may, in the ultimate jurisdictional authority's discretion, provide a redacted copy of that report to that person if the Inspector General approves the redaction. All personally identifying and confidential information concerning any other person must be redacted from the copy of the report. The person receiving the redacted copy of the report shall not further disclose the information in the redacted copy of the report without the prior approval of the ultimate jurisdictional authority.

(Source: P.A. 93-617, eff. 12-9-03; 93-685, eff. 7-8-04.)

(5 ILCS 430/50-5)

Sec. 50-5. Penalties.

(a) A person is guilty of a Class A misdemeanor if that person intentionally violates any provision of Section 5-15, 5-30, 5-40, or 5-45 or Article 15.

(b) A person who intentionally violates any provision of Section 5-20, 5-35, 5-50, or 5-55 is guilty of a business offense subject to a fine of at least $1,001 and up to $5,000.

(c) A person who intentionally violates any provision of Article 10 is guilty of a business offense and subject to a fine of at least $1,001 and up to $5,000.

(d) Any person who intentionally makes a false report alleging a violation of any provision of this Act to an ethics commission, an inspector general, the State Police, a State's Attorney, the Attorney General, or any other law enforcement official is guilty of a Class A misdemeanor.

(e) An ethics commission may levy an administrative fine of up to $5,000 against any person who violates this Act, who intentionally obstructs or interferes with an investigation conducted under this Act by an inspector general, or who intentionally makes a false, frivolous, or bad faith allegation.

(e-5) A person who intentionally violates subsection (a) of Section 20-90, subsection (d) of Section 20-95, subsection (a) of Section 25-90, or subsection (d) of Section 25-95 is guilty of a Class A misdemeanor.

(f) In addition to any other penalty that may apply, whether criminal or civil, a State employee who intentionally violates any provision of Section 5-15, 5-20, 5-30, 5-35, 5-40, or 5-50, Article 10, Article 15, or Section 20-90 or 25-90 is subject to discipline or discharge by the appropriate ultimate jurisdictional authority.

(Source: P.A. 93-615, eff. 11-19-03; 93-617, eff. 12-9-03.)

Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon becoming law.