HB2787eng 98TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HB2787 Engrossed LRB098 06185 DRJ 36226 b

AN ACT concerning children.

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

Section 5. The Abused and Neglected Child Reporting Act is amended by changing Sections 7.7, 7.14, 7.16, and 7.21 and by adding Section 7.22 as follows:

(325 ILCS 5/7.7) (from Ch. 23, par. 2057.7)

Sec. 7.7. There shall be a central register of all cases of suspected child abuse or neglect reported and maintained by the Department under this Act. Through the recording of initial, preliminary, and final reports, the central register shall be operated in such a manner as to enable the Department to: (1) immediately identify and locate prior reports of child abuse or neglect; (2) continuously monitor the current status of all reports of child abuse or neglect being provided services under this Act; and (3) regularly evaluate the effectiveness of existing laws and programs through the development and analysis of statistical and other information.

The Department shall maintain in the central register a listing of unfounded reports where the subject of the unfounded report requests that the record not be expunged because the subject alleges an intentional false report was made. Such a request must be made by the subject in writing to the Department, within 10 days of the investigation. By January 1, 2014, the Department shall promulgate rules establishing criteria and standards for labeling an unfounded report as an intentional false report in the central register. The rules shall permit the reporter to submit a statement regarding the report unless the reporter has been convicted of knowingly transmitting a false report to the Department under paragraph (7) of subsection (a) of Section 26-1 of the Criminal Code of 2012.

The Department shall also maintain in the central register a listing of unfounded reports where the report was classified as a priority one or priority two report in accordance with the Department's rules or the report was made by a person mandated to report suspected abuse or neglect under this Act.

The Department shall maintain in the central register for 3 years a listing of unfounded reports involving the death of a child, the sexual abuse of a child, or serious physical injury to a child as defined by the Department in rules.

If an individual is the subject of a subsequent investigation that is pending, the Department shall maintain all prior unfounded reports pertaining to that individual until the pending investigation has been completed or for 12 months, whichever time period ends later.

The Department shall maintain all other unfounded reports for 12 months following the date of the final finding.

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

(Source: P.A. 96-1164, eff. 7-21-10; 96-1446, eff. 8-20-10; 97-333, eff. 8-12-11; 97-1089, eff. 8-24-12.)

(325 ILCS 5/7.14) (from Ch. 23, par. 2057.14)

Sec. 7.14. All reports in the central register shall be classified in one of three categories: "indicated", "unfounded" or "undetermined", as the case may be. After the report is classified, the person making the classification shall determine whether the child named in the report is the subject of an action under Article II of the Juvenile Court Act of 1987. If the child is the subject of an action under Article II of the Juvenile Court Act, the Department shall, within 45 days of classification of the report, transmit a copy of the report to the guardian ad litem appointed for the child under Section 2-17 of the Juvenile Court Act. All information identifying the subjects of an unfounded report shall be expunged from the register forthwith, except as provided in Section 7.7. Unfounded reports may only be made available to the Child Protective Service Unit when investigating a subsequent report of suspected abuse or maltreatment involving a child named in the unfounded report; and to the subject of the report, provided the Department has not expunged the file in accordance with Section 7.7. The Child Protective Service Unit shall not indicate the subsequent report solely based upon the existence of the prior unfounded report or reports. Notwithstanding any other provision of law to the contrary, an unfounded report shall not be admissible in any judicial or administrative proceeding or action. Identifying information on all other records shall be removed from the register no later than 5 years after the report is indicated. However, if another report is received involving the same child, his sibling or offspring, or a child in the care of the persons responsible for the child's welfare, or involving the same alleged offender, the identifying information may be maintained in the register until 5 years after the subsequent case or report is closed.

Notwithstanding any other provision of this Section, identifying information in indicated reports involving serious physical injury to a child as defined by the Department in rules, may be retained longer than 5 years after the report is indicated or after the subsequent case or report is closed, and may not be removed from the register except as provided by the Department in rules. Identifying information in indicated reports involving sexual penetration of a child, sexual molestation of a child, sexual exploitation of a child, torture of a child, or the death of a child, as defined by the Department in rules, shall be retained for a period of not less than 50 years after the report is indicated or after the subsequent case or report is closed.

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

(Source: P.A. 96-1164, eff. 7-21-10; 96-1446, eff. 8-20-10; 97-333, eff. 8-12-11.)

(325 ILCS 5/7.16) (from Ch. 23, par. 2057.16)

Sec. 7.16. For any investigation or appeal initiated on or after, or pending on July 1, 1998, the following time frames shall apply. Within 60 days after the notification of the completion of the Child Protective Service Unit investigation, determined by the date of the notification sent by the Department, a subject of a report may request the Department to amend the record or remove the record of the report from the register. Such request shall be in writing and directed to such person as the Department designates in the notification. If the Department disregards any request to do so or does not act within 10 days, the subject shall have the right to a hearing within the Department to determine whether the record of the report should be amended or removed on the grounds that it is inaccurate or it is being maintained in a manner inconsistent with this Act, except that there shall be no such right to a hearing on the ground of the report's inaccuracy if there has been a court finding of child abuse or neglect, the report's accuracy being conclusively presumed on such finding. Such hearing shall be held within a reasonable time after the subject's request and at a reasonable place and hour. The appropriate Child Protective Service Unit shall be given notice of the hearing. If the minor, who is the subject of an action under Article II of the Juvenile Court Act of 1987, is also the victim named in the report sought to be amended or removed from the central register, the minor shall, through the minor's attorney or guardian ad litem appointed under Section 2-17 of the Juvenile Court Act of 1987, have the right to participate and be heard in such hearing as defined under Department rules. In such hearings, the burden of proving the accuracy and consistency of the record shall be on the Department and the appropriate Child Protective Service Unit. The hearing shall be conducted by the Director or his designee, who is hereby authorized and empowered to order the amendment or removal of the record to make it accurate and consistent with this Act. The decision shall be made, in writing, at the close of the hearing, or within 45 days thereof, and shall state the reasons upon which it is based. Decisions of the Department under this Section are administrative decisions subject to judicial review under the Administrative Review Law.

Should the Department grant the request of the subject of the report pursuant to this Section either on administrative review or after administrative hearing to amend an indicated report to an unfounded report, the report shall be released and expunged in accordance with the standards set forth in Section 7.14 of this Act.

(Source: P.A. 90-15, eff. 6-13-97; 90-608, eff. 6-30-98.)

(325 ILCS 5/7.21)

Sec. 7.21. Multidisciplinary Review Committee.

(a) The Department may establish multidisciplinary review committees in each region of the State to assure that mandated reporters have the ability to have a review conducted on any situation where a child abuse or neglect report made by them was "unfounded", and they have concerns about the adequacy of the investigation. These committees shall draw upon the expertise of the Child Death Review Teams as necessary and practicable. Each committee will be composed of the following: a health care professional, a Department employee, a law enforcement official, a licensed social worker, and a representative of the State's attorney's office. In appointing members of a committee, primary consideration shall be given to a prospective member's prior experience in dealing with cases of suspected child abuse or neglect.

(b) Whenever the Department determines that a reported incident of child abuse or neglect from a mandated reporter is "unfounded", the mandated reporter may request a review of the investigation within 10 days of the notification of the final finding. Whenever the Department determines that a reported incident of child abuse or neglect from a mandated reporter or any other reporter is "unfounded", the minor's guardian ad litem appointed under the Juvenile Court Act of 1987 may request a review of the investigation within 10 days of the notification of the final finding if the subject of the report is also the minor for whom the guardian ad litem has been appointed. The review of the investigation requested by the guardian ad litem may be conducted by the Regional Child Protection Manager.

A review under this subsection will be conducted by the committee, except those requests for review that are made by the guardian ad litem, which shall be conducted by the Regional Child Protection Manager. The Department shall make available to the committee all information in the Department's possession concerning the case. The committee shall make recommendations to the Department as to the adequacy of the investigation and of the accuracy of the final finding determination. These findings shall be forwarded to the Regional Child Protection Manager.

(c) The Department shall provide complete records of these investigations to the committee. Records provided to the committee and recommendation reports generated by the committee shall not be public record.

(c-5) On or before October 1 of each year, the Department shall prepare a report setting forth (i) the number of investigations reviewed by each committee during the previous fiscal year and (ii) the number of those investigations that the committee found to be inadequate. The report shall also include a summary of the committee's comments and a summary of the corrective action, if any, that was taken in response to the committee's recommendations. The report shall be a public record. The Department shall submit the report to the General Assembly and shall make the report available to the public upon request.

(d) The Department shall adopt rules to implement this Section.

(Source: P.A. 90-239, eff. 7-28-97; 91-812, eff. 6-13-00.)

(325 ILCS 5/7.22 new)

Sec. 7.22. Reviews of unfounded reports.

(a) Whenever the Department determines that a reported incident of child abuse or neglect is "unfounded", the minor's attorney or guardian ad litem appointed under the Juvenile Court Act of 1987 may request a review of the investigation within 10 days of the notification of the final finding and receipt of the report, as provided in Section 7.14 of this Act, if the subject of the report is also the minor for whom the attorney or guardian ad litem has been appointed.

(b) Reviews requested under subsection (a) may be requested by sending a request via U.S. Mail, postmarked within 10 days after notice of the final finding, or by faxing a request within 10 days after notice of the final finding. The date of notification of the final finding is the date the attorney or guardian ad litem received a copy of the report from the Department.

(c) By January 1, 2014, the Department shall promulgate rules addressing reviews requested under subsection (a). The rules shall provide that a review requested under subsection (a) must occur before the report is classified and a final finding is entered in the central register and that the review must be conducted by a Department employee outside the supervisory chain of the assigned investigator.

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