98TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2013 and 2014
HB2771

 

Introduced 2/21/2013, by Rep. Dwight Kay

 

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
 
325 ILCS 5/4  from Ch. 23, par. 2054

    Amends the Abused and Neglected Child Reporting Act. In a provision stating that the privileged quality of communication between a professional person required to report suspected child abuse or neglect and his or her patient or client shall not apply to situations involving abused or neglected children and shall not constitute grounds for failure to report as required by the Act or constitute grounds for failure to share information or documents with the Department of Children and Family Services during the course of a child abuse or neglect investigation, creates an exception for privileged communication between an attorney and his or her client. Effective immediately.


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A BILL FOR

 

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1    AN ACT concerning children.
 
2    Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
3represented in the General Assembly:
 
4    Section 5. The Abused and Neglected Child Reporting Act is
5amended by changing Section 4 as follows:
 
6    (325 ILCS 5/4)  (from Ch. 23, par. 2054)
7    Sec. 4. Persons required to report; privileged
8communications; transmitting false report. Any physician,
9resident, intern, hospital, hospital administrator and
10personnel engaged in examination, care and treatment of
11persons, surgeon, dentist, dentist hygienist, osteopath,
12chiropractor, podiatrist, physician assistant, substance abuse
13treatment personnel, funeral home director or employee,
14coroner, medical examiner, emergency medical technician,
15acupuncturist, crisis line or hotline personnel, school
16personnel (including administrators and both certified and
17non-certified school employees), personnel of institutions of
18higher education, educational advocate assigned to a child
19pursuant to the School Code, member of a school board or the
20Chicago Board of Education or the governing body of a private
21school (but only to the extent required in accordance with
22other provisions of this Section expressly concerning the duty
23of school board members to report suspected child abuse),

 

 

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1truant officers, social worker, social services administrator,
2domestic violence program personnel, registered nurse,
3licensed practical nurse, genetic counselor, respiratory care
4practitioner, advanced practice nurse, home health aide,
5director or staff assistant of a nursery school or a child day
6care center, recreational or athletic program or facility
7personnel, early intervention provider as defined in the Early
8Intervention Services System Act, law enforcement officer,
9licensed professional counselor, licensed clinical
10professional counselor, registered psychologist and assistants
11working under the direct supervision of a psychologist,
12psychiatrist, or field personnel of the Department of
13Healthcare and Family Services, Juvenile Justice, Public
14Health, Human Services (acting as successor to the Department
15of Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities,
16Rehabilitation Services, or Public Aid), Corrections, Human
17Rights, or Children and Family Services, supervisor and
18administrator of general assistance under the Illinois Public
19Aid Code, probation officer, animal control officer or Illinois
20Department of Agriculture Bureau of Animal Health and Welfare
21field investigator, or any other foster parent, homemaker or
22child care worker having reasonable cause to believe a child
23known to them in their professional or official capacity may be
24an abused child or a neglected child shall immediately report
25or cause a report to be made to the Department.
26    Any member of the clergy having reasonable cause to believe

 

 

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1that a child known to that member of the clergy in his or her
2professional capacity may be an abused child as defined in item
3(c) of the definition of "abused child" in Section 3 of this
4Act shall immediately report or cause a report to be made to
5the Department.
6    Any physician, physician's assistant, registered nurse,
7licensed practical nurse, medical technician, certified
8nursing assistant, social worker, or licensed professional
9counselor of any office, clinic, or any other physical location
10that provides abortions, abortion referrals, or contraceptives
11having reasonable cause to believe a child known to him or her
12in his or her professional or official capacity may be an
13abused child or a neglected child shall immediately report or
14cause a report to be made to the Department.
15    If an allegation is raised to a school board member during
16the course of an open or closed school board meeting that a
17child who is enrolled in the school district of which he or she
18is a board member is an abused child as defined in Section 3 of
19this Act, the member shall direct or cause the school board to
20direct the superintendent of the school district or other
21equivalent school administrator to comply with the
22requirements of this Act concerning the reporting of child
23abuse. For purposes of this paragraph, a school board member is
24granted the authority in his or her individual capacity to
25direct the superintendent of the school district or other
26equivalent school administrator to comply with the

 

 

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1requirements of this Act concerning the reporting of child
2abuse.
3    Notwithstanding any other provision of this Act, if an
4employee of a school district has made a report or caused a
5report to be made to the Department under this Act involving
6the conduct of a current or former employee of the school
7district and a request is made by another school district for
8the provision of information concerning the job performance or
9qualifications of the current or former employee because he or
10she is an applicant for employment with the requesting school
11district, the general superintendent of the school district to
12which the request is being made must disclose to the requesting
13school district the fact that an employee of the school
14district has made a report involving the conduct of the
15applicant or caused a report to be made to the Department, as
16required under this Act. Only the fact that an employee of the
17school district has made a report involving the conduct of the
18applicant or caused a report to be made to the Department may
19be disclosed by the general superintendent of the school
20district to which the request for information concerning the
21applicant is made, and this fact may be disclosed only in cases
22where the employee and the general superintendent have not been
23informed by the Department that the allegations were unfounded.
24An employee of a school district who is or has been the subject
25of a report made pursuant to this Act during his or her
26employment with the school district must be informed by that

 

 

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1school district that if he or she applies for employment with
2another school district, the general superintendent of the
3former school district, upon the request of the school district
4to which the employee applies, shall notify that requesting
5school district that the employee is or was the subject of such
6a report.
7    Whenever such person is required to report under this Act
8in his capacity as a member of the staff of a medical or other
9public or private institution, school, facility or agency, or
10as a member of the clergy, he shall make report immediately to
11the Department in accordance with the provisions of this Act
12and may also notify the person in charge of such institution,
13school, facility or agency, or church, synagogue, temple,
14mosque, or other religious institution, or his designated agent
15that such report has been made. Under no circumstances shall
16any person in charge of such institution, school, facility or
17agency, or church, synagogue, temple, mosque, or other
18religious institution, or his designated agent to whom such
19notification has been made, exercise any control, restraint,
20modification or other change in the report or the forwarding of
21such report to the Department.
22    With the exception of privileged communications between an
23attorney and his or her client, the The privileged quality of
24communication between any professional person required to
25report and his or her patient or client shall not apply to
26situations involving abused or neglected children and shall not

 

 

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1constitute grounds for failure to report as required by this
2Act or constitute grounds for failure to share information or
3documents with the Department during the course of a child
4abuse or neglect investigation. If requested by the
5professional, the Department shall confirm in writing that the
6information or documents disclosed by the professional were
7gathered in the course of a child abuse or neglect
8investigation.
9    A member of the clergy may claim the privilege under
10Section 8-803 of the Code of Civil Procedure.
11    Any office, clinic, or any other physical location that
12provides abortions, abortion referrals, or contraceptives
13shall provide to all office personnel copies of written
14information and training materials about abuse and neglect and
15the requirements of this Act that are provided to employees of
16the office, clinic, or physical location who are required to
17make reports to the Department under this Act, and instruct
18such office personnel to bring to the attention of an employee
19of the office, clinic, or physical location who is required to
20make reports to the Department under this Act any reasonable
21suspicion that a child known to him or her in his or her
22professional or official capacity may be an abused child or a
23neglected child. In addition to the above persons required to
24report suspected cases of abused or neglected children, any
25other person may make a report if such person has reasonable
26cause to believe a child may be an abused child or a neglected

 

 

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1child.
2    Any person who enters into employment on and after July 1,
31986 and is mandated by virtue of that employment to report
4under this Act, shall sign a statement on a form prescribed by
5the Department, to the effect that the employee has knowledge
6and understanding of the reporting requirements of this Act.
7The statement shall be signed prior to commencement of the
8employment. The signed statement shall be retained by the
9employer. The cost of printing, distribution, and filing of the
10statement shall be borne by the employer.
11    The Department shall provide copies of this Act, upon
12request, to all employers employing persons who shall be
13required under the provisions of this Section to report under
14this Act.
15    Any person who knowingly transmits a false report to the
16Department commits the offense of disorderly conduct under
17subsection (a)(7) of Section 26-1 of the Criminal Code of 2012.
18A violation of this provision is a Class 4 felony.
19    Any person who knowingly and willfully violates any
20provision of this Section other than a second or subsequent
21violation of transmitting a false report as described in the
22preceding paragraph, is guilty of a Class A misdemeanor for a
23first violation and a Class 4 felony for a second or subsequent
24violation; except that if the person acted as part of a plan or
25scheme having as its object the prevention of discovery of an
26abused or neglected child by lawful authorities for the purpose

 

 

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1of protecting or insulating any person or entity from arrest or
2prosecution, the person is guilty of a Class 4 felony for a
3first offense and a Class 3 felony for a second or subsequent
4offense (regardless of whether the second or subsequent offense
5involves any of the same facts or persons as the first or other
6prior offense).
7    A child whose parent, guardian or custodian in good faith
8selects and depends upon spiritual means through prayer alone
9for the treatment or cure of disease or remedial care may be
10considered neglected or abused, but not for the sole reason
11that his parent, guardian or custodian accepts and practices
12such beliefs.
13    A child shall not be considered neglected or abused solely
14because the child is not attending school in accordance with
15the requirements of Article 26 of the School Code, as amended.
16    Nothing in this Act prohibits a mandated reporter who
17reasonably believes that an animal is being abused or neglected
18in violation of the Humane Care for Animals Act from reporting
19animal abuse or neglect to the Department of Agriculture's
20Bureau of Animal Health and Welfare.
21    A home rule unit may not regulate the reporting of child
22abuse or neglect in a manner inconsistent with the provisions
23of this Section. This Section is a limitation under subsection
24(i) of Section 6 of Article VII of the Illinois Constitution on
25the concurrent exercise by home rule units of powers and
26functions exercised by the State.

 

 

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1    For purposes of this Section "child abuse or neglect"
2includes abuse or neglect of an adult resident as defined in
3this Act.
4(Source: P.A. 96-494, eff. 8-14-09; 96-1446, eff. 8-20-10;
597-189, eff. 7-22-11; 97-254, eff. 1-1-12; 97-387, eff.
68-15-11; 97-711, eff. 6-27-12; 97-813, eff. 7-13-12; 97-1150,
7eff. 1-25-13.)
 
8    Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon
9becoming law.