HB4156 96TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

LRB096 08926 JAM 19063 b

96TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2009 and 2010
HB4156

Introduced 2/27/2009, by Rep. Elizabeth Coulson

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:

See Index

Amends the State Officials and Employees Ethics Act. Makes changes with respect to (i) executive branch ethics training and (ii) investigations and reports by Executive Inspectors General.

CORRECTIONAL BUDGET AND IMPACT NOTE ACT MAY APPLY

A BILL FOR

AN ACT concerning government.

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 5-10, 20-50, 20-90, 20-95, and 50-5 as follows:

(5 ILCS 430/5-10)

Sec. 5-10. Ethics training.

(a) Each officer, member, and employee must complete, at least annually beginning in 2004, an ethics training program conducted by the appropriate State agency. Each ultimate jurisdictional authority must implement an ethics training program for its officers, members, and employees.

(b) Each ultimate jurisdictional authority subject to the Executive Ethics Commission shall submit to the Executive Ethics Commission, at least annually, or more frequently as required by that Commission, an annual report that (1) summarizes ethics training that was completed during the previous year, and (2) lays out the plan for the ethics training programs in the coming year.

(c) These ethics training programs shall be overseen by the appropriate Ethics Commission and Inspector General appointed pursuant to this Act in consultation with the Office of the Attorney General.

(d) Each Inspector General, or the Executive Ethics Commission with respect to the ethics training of persons subject to the Executive Ethics Commission, shall set standards and determine the hours and frequency of training necessary for each position or category of positions. A person who fills a vacancy in an elective or appointed position that requires training and a person employed in a position that requires training must complete his or her initial ethics training within 6 months after commencement of his or her office or employment.

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

(5 ILCS 430/20-50)

Sec. 20-50. Investigation reports; complaint procedure.

(a) With respect to complaints received by an Executive Inspector General prior to July 1, 2012, within 10 days after an Executive Inspector General begins an investigation, the Executive Inspector General shall provide the Executive Ethics Commission with (1) a summary of allegations and alleged violations, the reason for opening the investigation, and the unique tracking number assigned to the investigation and (2) any additional information requested by the Executive Ethics Commission. At any time, if If an Executive Inspector General, upon the conclusion of an investigation, determines that reasonable cause exists to believe that a violation has occurred, then the Executive Inspector General shall issue a summary report of the investigation. The report shall be delivered to the appropriate ultimate jurisdictional authority and to the head of each State agency affected by or involved in the investigation, if appropriate.

(a-5) With respect to complaints received by an Executive Inspector General prior to July 1, 2012, not more than 60 days after delivering a summary report to the appropriate ultimate jurisdictional authority and to the head of each State agency, the Executive Inspector General shall deliver the summary report to the Executive Ethics Commission. The Executive Inspector General shall also provide the Executive Ethics Commission with a report detailing the discipline related to the summary report, if any, that the ultimate jurisdictional authority or head of the State agency has imposed or intends to impose. The Executive Inspector General shall provide any additional information requested by the Executive Ethics Commission. In the event the Executive Inspector General seeks to file a petition for leave to file a complaint with the Executive Ethics Commission pursuant to subsection (c), the Executive Inspector General shall not deliver the summary report to the Executive Ethics Commission and instead shall notify the Commission and the Attorney General. If the Attorney General does not file a petition for leave to file a complaint with the Executive Ethics Commission within the time permitted by statute, the Executive Inspector General must deliver a summary report to the Executive Ethics Commission within 30 days.

Any report delivered to the Executive Ethics Commission under this subsection shall not contain the name, office, or position title of any individual person.

(b) The summary report of the investigation shall include the following:

(1) A description of any allegations or other information received by the Executive Inspector General pertinent to the investigation.

(2) A description of any alleged misconduct discovered in the course of the investigation.

(2.5) With respect to complaints received by an Executive Inspector General prior to July 1, 2012, a specific recommendation for any corrective or disciplinary action to be taken in response to any alleged misconduct described in the report, including but not limited to suspension or discharge.

(3) With respect to complaints received by an Executive Inspector General on or after July 1, 2012, recommendations Recommendations for any corrective or disciplinary action to be taken in response to any alleged misconduct described in the report, including but not limited to discharge.

(4) Other information the Executive Inspector General deems relevant to the investigation or resulting recommendations.

(c) Not less than 30 days after delivery, under subsection (a), of the summary report of an investigation to the appropriate ultimate jurisdictional authority and to the head of each State agency affected by or involved in the investigation under subsection (a), if the Executive Inspector General desires to file a petition for leave to file a complaint, the Executive Inspector General shall notify the Commission and the Attorney General. If the Attorney General determines that reasonable cause exists to believe that a violation has occurred, then the Executive Inspector General, represented by the Attorney General, may file with the Executive Ethics Commission a petition for leave to file a complaint. The petition shall set forth the alleged violation and the grounds that exist to support the petition. The petition for leave to file a complaint must be filed with the Commission within 18 months after the most recent act of the alleged violation or of a series of alleged violations except where there is reasonable cause to believe that fraudulent concealment has occurred. To constitute fraudulent concealment sufficient to toll this limitations period, there must be an affirmative act or representation calculated to prevent discovery of the fact that a violation has occurred. If a petition for leave to file a complaint is not filed with the Commission within 6 months after notice by the Inspector General to the Commission and the Attorney General, then the Commission may set a meeting of the Commission at which the Attorney General shall appear and provide a status report to the Commission.

(d) A copy of the petition must be served on all respondents named in the complaint and on each respondent's ultimate jurisdictional authority in the same manner as process is served under the Code of Civil Procedure.

(e) A respondent may file objections to the petition for leave to file a complaint within 30 days after notice of the petition has been served on the respondent.

(f) The Commission shall meet, either in person or by telephone, in a closed session to review the sufficiency of the complaint. If the Commission finds that complaint is sufficient, the Commission shall grant the petition for leave to file the complaint. The Commission shall issue notice to the Executive Inspector General and all respondents of the Commission's ruling on the sufficiency of the complaint. If the complaint is deemed to sufficiently allege a violation of this Act, then the Commission shall notify the parties and shall include a hearing date scheduled within 4 weeks after the date of the notice, unless all of the parties consent to a later date. If the complaint is deemed not to sufficiently allege a violation, then the Commission shall send by certified mail, return receipt requested, a notice to the parties of the decision to dismiss the complaint.

(g) On the scheduled date the Commission shall conduct a closed meeting, either in person or, if the parties consent, by telephone, on the complaint and allow all parties the opportunity to present testimony and evidence. All such proceedings shall be transcribed.

(h) Within an appropriate time limit set by rules of the Executive Ethics Commission, the Commission shall (i) dismiss the complaint or (ii) issue a recommendation of discipline to the respondent and the respondent's ultimate jurisdictional authority or impose an administrative fine upon the respondent, or both.

(i) The proceedings on any complaint filed with the Commission shall be conducted pursuant to rules promulgated by the Commission.

(j) The Commission may designate hearing officers to conduct proceedings as determined by rule of the Commission.

(k) In all proceedings before the Commission, the standard of proof is by a preponderance of the evidence.

(l) When the Inspector General concludes that there is insufficient evidence that a violation has occurred, the Inspector General shall close the investigation. At the request of the subject of the investigation, the Inspector General shall provide a written statement to the subject of the investigation and to the Commission of the Inspector General's decision to close the investigation. Closure by the Inspector General does not bar the Inspector General from resuming the investigation if circumstances warrant.

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

(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 identity of a person in any capacity other than as the source of an allegation.

(a-5) Each summary provided to the Executive Ethics Commission by an Executive Inspector General within 10 days after beginning an investigation, as required by subsection (a) of Section 20-50, and each report provided to the Executive Ethics Commission by an Executive Inspector General under subsection (a-5) of Section 20-50 shall be kept confidential and may not be disclosed.

(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. Investigatory reports, including summary reports of investigations, and quarterly reports of the Office of an Executive Inspector General 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.

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

(5 ILCS 430/50-5)

Sec. 50-5. Penalties.

(a) A person is guilty of a Class A misdemeanor if that person intentionally violates (i) subsection (a-5) of Section 20-90 or (ii) 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.

(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.)