97TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2011 and 2012
HB1532

 

Introduced 2/15/2011, by Rep. Patrick J. Verschoore

 

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
 
705 ILCS 105/27.3a  from Ch. 25, par. 27.3a
705 ILCS 105/27.3c  from Ch. 25, par. 27.3c
705 ILCS 105/27.3d
730 ILCS 110/15.1  from Ch. 38, par. 204-7.1

    Amends the Clerks of Courts Act and the Probation and Probation Officers Act. Provides that all amounts over $250,000 on November 30th of each year in the court automation fund, the Court Document Fee Fund, the Circuit Court Clerk Operation and Administrative Fund, and the Probation and Court Services Fund are to be turned over to the county treasurer for deposit in the county's general fund to offset departmental related expenses. Should the need arise to complete a project that will require more than the $250,000 limit, an agreement may be entered into among the circuit clerk, the chief judge of the circuit, and the county board chairperson to allow for a larger sum to be retained in the fund.


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A BILL FOR

 

HB1532LRB097 06704 AJO 46791 b

1    AN ACT concerning courts.
 
2    Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
3represented in the General Assembly:
 
4    Section 5. The Clerks of Courts Act is amended by changing
5Sections 27.3a, 27.3c, and 27.3d as follows:
 
6    (705 ILCS 105/27.3a)  (from Ch. 25, par. 27.3a)
7    Sec. 27.3a. Fees for automated record keeping and State
8Police operations.
9    1. The expense of establishing and maintaining automated
10record keeping systems in the offices of the clerks of the
11circuit court shall be borne by the county. To defray such
12expense in any county having established such an automated
13system or which elects to establish such a system, the county
14board may require the clerk of the circuit court in their
15county to charge and collect a court automation fee of not less
16than $1 nor more than $15 to be charged and collected by the
17clerk of the court. Such fee shall be paid at the time of
18filing the first pleading, paper or other appearance filed by
19each party in all civil cases or by the defendant in any
20felony, traffic, misdemeanor, municipal ordinance, or
21conservation case upon a judgment of guilty or grant of
22supervision, provided that the record keeping system which
23processes the case category for which the fee is charged is

 

 

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1automated or has been approved for automation by the county
2board, and provided further that no additional fee shall be
3required if more than one party is presented in a single
4pleading, paper or other appearance. Such fee shall be
5collected in the manner in which all other fees or costs are
6collected.
7    1.5. Starting on the effective date of this amendatory Act
8of the 96th General Assembly, a clerk of the circuit court in
9any county that imposes a fee pursuant to subsection 1 of this
10Section, shall charge and collect an additional fee in an
11amount equal to the amount of the fee imposed pursuant to
12subsection 1 of this Section. This additional fee shall be paid
13by the defendant in any felony, traffic, misdemeanor, local
14ordinance, or conservation case upon a judgment of guilty or
15grant of supervision.
16    2. With respect to the fee imposed under subsection 1 of
17this Section, each clerk shall commence such charges and
18collections upon receipt of written notice from the chairman of
19the county board together with a certified copy of the board's
20resolution, which the clerk shall file of record in his office.
21    3. With respect to the fee imposed under subsection 1 of
22this Section, such fees shall be in addition to all other fees
23and charges of such clerks, and assessable as costs, and may be
24waived only if the judge specifically provides for the waiver
25of the court automation fee. The fees shall be remitted monthly
26by such clerk to the county treasurer, to be retained by him in

 

 

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1a special fund designated as the court automation fund,
2provided that all amounts over $250,000 on November 30th of
3each year are to be turned over to the county treasurer for
4deposit in the county's general fund to offset departmental
5related expenses. Should the need arise to complete a project
6that will require more than the $250,000 limit, an agreement
7may be entered into among the circuit clerk, the chief judge of
8the circuit, and the county board chairperson to allow for a
9larger sum to be retained in the fund. The fund shall be
10audited by the county auditor, and the board shall make
11expenditure from the fund in payment of any cost related to the
12automation of court records, including hardware, software,
13research and development costs and personnel related thereto,
14provided that the expenditure is approved by the clerk of the
15court and by the chief judge of the circuit court or his
16designate.
17    4. With respect to the fee imposed under subsection 1 of
18this Section, such fees shall not be charged in any matter
19coming to any such clerk on change of venue, nor in any
20proceeding to review the decision of any administrative
21officer, agency or body.
22    5. With respect to the additional fee imposed under
23subsection 1.5 of this Section, the fee shall be remitted by
24the circuit clerk to the State Treasurer within one month after
25receipt for deposit into the State Police Operations Assistance
26Fund.

 

 

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1(Source: P.A. 96-1029, eff. 7-13-10.)
 
2    (705 ILCS 105/27.3c)  (from Ch. 25, par. 27.3c)
3    Sec. 27.3c. Document storage system.
4    (a) The expense of establishing and maintaining a document
5storage system in the offices of the circuit court clerks in
6the several counties of this State shall be borne by the
7county. To defray the expense in any county that elects to
8establish a document storage system and convert the records of
9the circuit court clerk to electronic or micrographic storage,
10the county board may require the clerk of the circuit court in
11its county to collect a court document fee of not less than $1
12nor more than $15, to be charged and collected by the clerk of
13the court. The fee shall be paid at the time of filing the
14first pleading, paper, or other appearance filed by each party
15in all civil cases or by the defendant in any felony,
16misdemeanor, traffic, ordinance, or conservation matter on a
17judgment of guilty or grant of supervision, provided that the
18document storage system is in place or has been authorized by
19the county board and further that no additional fee shall be
20required if more than one party is presented in a single
21pleading, paper, or other appearance. The fee shall be
22collected in the manner in which all other fees or costs are
23collected.
24    (b) Each clerk shall commence charges and collections of a
25court document fee upon receipt of written notice from the

 

 

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1chairman of the county board together with a certified copy of
2the board's resolution, which the clerk shall file of record in
3his or her office.
4    (c) Court document fees shall be in addition to other fees
5and charges of the clerk, shall be assessable as costs, and may
6be waived only if the judge specifically provides for the
7waiver of the court document storage fee. The fees shall be
8remitted monthly by the clerk to the county treasurer, to be
9retained by the treasurer in a special fund designated as the
10Court Document Storage Fund, provided that all amounts over
11$250,000 on November 30th of each year are to be turned over to
12the county treasurer for deposit in the county's general fund
13to offset departmental related expenses. Should the need arise
14to complete a project that will require more than the $250,000
15limit, an agreement may be entered into among the circuit
16clerk, the chief judge of the circuit, and the county board
17chairperson to allow for a larger sum to be retained in the
18fund. The fund shall be audited by the county auditor, and the
19board shall make expenditures from the fund in payment of any
20costs relative to the storage of court records, including
21hardware, software, research and development costs, and
22related personnel, provided that the expenditure is approved by
23the clerk of the circuit court.
24    (d) A court document fee shall not be charged in any matter
25coming to the clerk on change of venue or in any proceeding to
26review the decision of any administrative officer, agency, or

 

 

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1body.
2(Source: P.A. 94-596, eff. 1-1-06.)
 
3    (705 ILCS 105/27.3d)
4    Sec. 27.3d. Circuit Court Clerk Operation and
5Administrative Fund. Each Circuit Court Clerk shall create a
6Circuit Court Clerk Operation and Administrative Fund, to be
7used to offset the costs incurred by the Circuit Court Clerk in
8performing the additional duties required to collect and
9disburse funds to entities of State and local government as
10provided by law. The Circuit Court Clerk shall be the
11custodian, ex officio, of this Fund and shall use the Fund to
12perform the duties required by the office, provided that all
13amounts over $250,000 on November 30th of each year are to be
14turned over to the county treasurer for deposit in the county's
15general fund to offset departmental related expenses. Should
16the need arise to complete a project that will require more
17than the $250,000 limit, an agreement may be entered into among
18the circuit clerk, the chief judge of the circuit, and the
19county board chairperson to allow for a larger sum to be
20retained in the fund. The Fund shall be audited by the auditor
21retained by the Clerk for the purpose of conducting the Annual
22Circuit Court Clerk Audit. Expenditures shall be made from the
23Fund by the Circuit Court Clerk for expenses related to the
24cost of collection for and disbursement to entities of State
25and local government.

 

 

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1(Source: P.A. 94-980, eff. 6-30-06; 94-1009, eff. 1-1-07;
295-331, eff. 8-21-07.)
 
3    Section 10. The Probation and Probation Officers Act is
4amended by changing Section 15.1 as follows:
 
5    (730 ILCS 110/15.1)  (from Ch. 38, par. 204-7.1)
6    Sec. 15.1. Probation and Court Services Fund.
7    (a) The county treasurer in each county shall establish a
8probation and court services fund consisting of fees collected
9pursuant to subsection (i) of Section 5-6-3 and subsection (i)
10of Section 5-6-3.1 of the Unified Code of Corrections,
11subsection (10) of Section 5-615 and subsection (5) of Section
125-715 of the Juvenile Court Act of 1987, and paragraph 14.3 of
13subsection (b) of Section 110-10 of the Code of Criminal
14Procedure of 1963. The county treasurer shall disburse monies
15from the fund only at the direction of the chief judge of the
16circuit court in such circuit where the county is located,
17provided that all amounts over $250,000 on November 30th of
18each year are to be turned over to the county treasurer for
19deposit in the county's general fund to offset departmental
20related expenses. Should the need arise to complete a project
21that will require more than the $250,000 limit, an agreement
22may be entered into among the circuit clerk, the chief judge of
23the circuit, and the county board chairperson to allow for a
24larger sum to be retained in the fund. The county treasurer of

 

 

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1each county shall, on or before January 10 of each year, submit
2an annual report to the Supreme Court.
3    (b) Monies in the probation and court services fund shall
4be appropriated by the county board to be used within the
5county or jurisdiction where collected in accordance with
6policies and guidelines approved by the Supreme Court for the
7costs of operating the probation and court services department
8or departments; however, except as provided in subparagraph
9(g), monies in the probation and court services fund shall not
10be used for the payment of salaries of probation and court
11services personnel.
12    (c) Monies expended from the probation and court services
13fund shall be used to supplement, not supplant, county
14appropriations for probation and court services.
15    (d) Interest earned on monies deposited in a probation and
16court services fund may be used by the county for its ordinary
17and contingent expenditures.
18    (e) The county board may appropriate moneys from the
19probation and court services fund, upon the direction of the
20chief judge, to support programs that are part of the continuum
21of juvenile delinquency intervention programs which are or may
22be developed within the county. The grants from the probation
23and court services fund shall be for no more than one year and
24may be used for any expenses attributable to the program
25including administration and oversight of the program by the
26probation department.

 

 

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1    (f) The county board may appropriate moneys from the
2probation and court services fund, upon the direction of the
3chief judge, to support practices endorsed or required under
4the Sex Offender Management Board Act, including but not
5limited to sex offender evaluation, treatment, and monitoring
6programs that are or may be developed within the county.
7    (g) For the State Fiscal Years 2005, 2006, and 2007 only,
8the Administrative Office of the Illinois Courts may permit a
9county or circuit to use its probation and court services fund
10for the payment of salaries of probation officers and other
11court services personnel whose salaries are reimbursed under
12this Act if the State's FY2005, FY2006, or FY2007 appropriation
13to the Supreme Court for reimbursement to counties for
14probation salaries and services is less than the amount
15appropriated to the Supreme Court for these purposes for State
16Fiscal Year 2004. The Administrative Office of the Illinois
17Courts shall take into account each county's or circuit's
18probation fee collections and expenditures when apportioning
19the total reimbursement for each county or circuit.
20    (h) The Administrative Office of the Illinois Courts may
21permit a county or circuit to use its probation and court
22services fund for the payment of salaries of probation officers
23and other court services personnel whose salaries are
24reimbursed under this Act in any State fiscal year that the
25appropriation for reimbursement to counties for probation
26salaries and services is less than the amount appropriated to

 

 

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1the Supreme Court for these purposes for State Fiscal Year
22002. The Administrative Office of the Illinois Courts shall
3take into account each county's or circuit's probation fee
4collections and expenditures when appropriating the total
5reimbursement for each county or circuit. Any amount
6appropriated to the Supreme Court in any State fiscal year for
7the purpose of reimbursing Cook County for the salaries and
8operations of the Cook County Juvenile Temporary Detention
9Center shall not be counted in the total appropriation to the
10Supreme Court in that State fiscal year for reimbursement to
11counties for probation salaries and services, for the purposes
12of this paragraph (h).
13(Source: P.A. 94-91, eff. 7-1-05; 94-839, eff. 6-6-06; 95-707,
14eff. 1-11-08.)