SB0186eng 99TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SB0186 Engrossed LRB099 03362 RLC 23370 b

AN ACT concerning courts.

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

Section 5. The Court of Claims Act is amended by changing Sections 8, 16, 18, 21, and 24 as follows:

(705 ILCS 505/8) (from Ch. 37, par. 439.8)

Sec. 8. Court of Claims jurisdiction; deliberation periods. The court shall have exclusive jurisdiction to hear and determine the following matters:

(a) All claims against the State founded upon any law of the State of Illinois or upon any regulation adopted thereunder by an executive or administrative officer or agency; provided, however, the court shall not have jurisdiction (i) to hear or determine claims arising under the Workers' Compensation Act or the Workers' Occupational Diseases Act, or claims for expenses in civil litigation, or (ii) to review administrative decisions for which a statute provides that review shall be in the circuit or appellate court.

(b) All claims against the State founded upon any contract entered into with the State of Illinois.

(c) All claims against the State for time unjustly served in prisons of this State when the person imprisoned received a pardon from the governor stating that such pardon is issued on the ground of innocence of the crime for which he or she was imprisoned or he or she received a certificate of innocence from the Circuit Court as provided in Section 2-702 of the Code of Civil Procedure; provided, the amount of the award is at the discretion of the court; and provided, the court shall make no award in excess of the following amounts: for imprisonment of 5 years or less, not more than $85,350; for imprisonment of 14 years or less but over 5 years, not more than $170,000; for imprisonment of over 14 years, not more than $199,150; and provided further, the court shall fix attorney's fees not to exceed 25% of the award granted. On or after the effective date of this amendatory Act of the 95th General Assembly, the court shall annually adjust the maximum awards authorized by this subsection (c) to reflect the increase, if any, in the Consumer Price Index For All Urban Consumers for the previous calendar year, as determined by the United States Department of Labor, except that no annual increment may exceed 5%. For the annual adjustments, if the Consumer Price Index decreases during a calendar year, there shall be no adjustment for that calendar year. The transmission by the Prisoner Review Board or the clerk of the circuit court of the information described in Section 11(b) to the clerk of the Court of Claims is conclusive evidence of the validity of the claim. The changes made by this amendatory Act of the 95th General Assembly apply to all claims pending on or filed on or after the effective date.

(d) All claims against the State for damages in cases sounding in tort, if a like cause of action would lie against a private person or corporation in a civil suit, and all like claims sounding in tort against the Medical Center Commission, the Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois, the Board of Trustees of Southern Illinois University, the Board of Trustees of Chicago State University, the Board of Trustees of Eastern Illinois University, the Board of Trustees of Governors State University, the Board of Trustees of Illinois State University, the Board of Trustees of Northeastern Illinois University, the Board of Trustees of Northern Illinois University, the Board of Trustees of Western Illinois University, or the Board of Trustees of the Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy; provided, that an award for damages in a case sounding in tort, other than certain cases involving the operation of a State vehicle described in this paragraph, shall not exceed the sum of $500,000 $100,000 to or for the benefit of any claimant. The $500,000 $100,000 limit prescribed by this Section does not apply to an award of damages in any case sounding in tort arising out of the operation by a State employee of a vehicle owned, leased, or controlled by the State. An award for damages in any case sounding in tort arising out of the operation by a State employee of a vehicle owned, leased, or controlled by the State shall not exceed the sum of $2,000,000. The defense that the State or the Medical Center Commission or the Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois, the Board of Trustees of Southern Illinois University, the Board of Trustees of Chicago State University, the Board of Trustees of Eastern Illinois University, the Board of Trustees of Governors State University, the Board of Trustees of Illinois State University, the Board of Trustees of Northeastern Illinois University, the Board of Trustees of Northern Illinois University, the Board of Trustees of Western Illinois University, or the Board of Trustees of the Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy is not liable for the negligence of its officers, agents, and employees in the course of their employment is not applicable to the hearing and determination of such claims.

(e) All claims for recoupment made by the State of Illinois against any claimant.

(f) All claims pursuant to the Line of Duty Compensation Act. A claim under that Act must be heard and determined within one year after the application for that claim is filed with the Court as provided in that Act.

(g) All claims filed pursuant to the Crime Victims Compensation Act.

(h) All claims pursuant to the Illinois National Guardsman's Compensation Act. A claim under that Act must be heard and determined within one year after the application for that claim is filed with the Court as provided in that Act.

(i) All claims authorized by subsection (a) of Section 10-55 of the Illinois Administrative Procedure Act for the expenses incurred by a party in a contested case on the administrative level.

(j) The changes made to this Section by this amendatory Act of the 99th General Assembly apply only to claims filed on or after the effective date of this amendatory Act of the 99th General Assembly.

(Source: P.A. 95-970, eff. 9-22-08; 96-80, eff. 7-27-09.)

(705 ILCS 505/16) (from Ch. 37, par. 439.16)

Sec. 16. Concurrence of judges. Concurrence of 4 judges is necessary to the decision of any case, except that the signature of one judge is binding if a decision is entered in a lapsed appropriation claim in which a motion or stipulation has been filed or a decision is entered on a Crime Victims Compensation Act claim. The ; provided, however, the court in its discretion may assign any case to a commissioner for hearing and final decision, subject to whatever right of review the court by rule may choose to exercise. In matters involving the award of emergency funds under the Crime Victims Compensation Act, the decision of one judge is necessary to award emergency funds.

The changes made to this Section by this amendatory Act of the 99th General Assembly apply only to claims filed on or after the effective date of this amendatory Act of the 99th General Assembly.

(Source: P.A. 92-286, eff. 1-1-02.)

(705 ILCS 505/18) (from Ch. 37, par. 439.18)

Sec. 18. The court shall provide, by rule, for the maintenance of separate records of claims which arise solely due to lapsed appropriations and for claims for which amount of recovery sought is less than $50,000 $5,000. In all other cases, the court or Commissioner as the case may be, shall file with its clerk a written opinion in each case upon final disposition thereof. All opinions shall be compiled and published annually by the clerk of the court. The changes made to this Section by this amendatory Act of the 99th General Assembly apply only to claims filed on or after the effective date of this amendatory Act of the 99th General Assembly.

(Source: P.A. 90-492, eff. 8-17-97.)

(705 ILCS 505/21) (from Ch. 37, par. 439.21)

Sec. 21. The court is authorized to impose, by uniform rules, a fee of $15 for the filing of a petition in any case in which the award sought is more than $50 and less than $1,000 and $35 in any case in which the award sought is $1,000 or more; and to charge and collect for copies of opinions or other documents filed in the Court of Claims such fees as may be prescribed by the rules of the Court. All fees and charges so collected shall be forthwith paid into the State Treasury.

A petitioner who is a prisoner in an Illinois Department of Corrections facility who files a pleading, motion, or other filing that purports to be a legal document against the State, the Illinois Department of Corrections, the Prisoner Review Board, or any of their officers or employees in which the court makes a specific finding that it is frivolous shall pay all filing fees and court costs in the manner provided in Article XXII of the Code of Civil Procedure.

In claims based upon lapsed appropriations or lost warrant or in claims filed under the Line of Duty Compensation Act, the Illinois National Guardsman's Compensation Act, or the Crime Victims Compensation Act or in claims filed by medical vendors for medical services rendered by the claimant to persons eligible for Medical Assistance under programs administered by the Department of Healthcare and Family Services, no filing fee shall be required.

The changes made to this Section by this amendatory Act of the 99th General Assembly apply only to claims filed on or after the effective date of this amendatory Act of the 99th General Assembly.

(Source: P.A. 95-331, eff. 8-21-07.)

(705 ILCS 505/24) (from Ch. 37, par. 439.24)

Sec. 24. Payment of awards.

(1) From funds appropriated by the General Assembly for the purposes of this Section the Court may direct immediate payment of:

(a) All claims arising solely as a result of the lapsing of an appropriation out of which the obligation could have been paid.

(b) All claims pursuant to the Line of Duty Compensation Act.

(c) All claims pursuant to the "Illinois National Guardsman's and Naval Militiaman's Compensation Act", approved August 12, 1971, as amended.

(d) All claims pursuant to the "Crime Victims Compensation Act", approved August 23, 1973, as amended.

(d-5) All claims against the State for unjust imprisonment as provided in subsection (c) of Section 8 of this Act.

(e) All other claims wherein the amount of the award of the Court is less than $50,000 $5,000.

(1.5) The court may direct payment of claims founded upon a contract entered into with the State without regard to whether sufficient funds remained available in the appropriation by which the contract was originally to be paid. This subsection does not apply to claims arising solely as a result of the lapsing of an appropriation out of which the obligation could have been paid.

(2) The court may, from funds specifically appropriated from the General Revenue Fund for this purpose, direct the payment of awards less than $50,000 solely as a result of the lapsing of an appropriation originally made from any fund held by the State Treasurer. For any such award paid from the General Revenue Fund, the court shall thereafter seek an appropriation from the fund from which the liability originally accrued in reimbursement of the General Revenue Fund.

(3) In directing payment of a claim pursuant to the Line of Duty Compensation Act, the Court must direct the Comptroller to add an interest penalty if payment of a claim is not made within 6 months after a claim is filed in accordance with Section 3 of the Line of Duty Compensation Act and all information has been submitted as required under Section 4 of the Line of Duty Compensation Act. If payment is not issued within the 6-month period, an interest penalty of 1% of the amount of the award shall be added for each month or fraction thereof after the end of the 6-month period, until final payment is made. This interest penalty shall be added regardless of whether the payment is not issued within the 6-month period because of the appropriation process, the consideration of the matter by the Court, or any other reason.

(3.5) The interest penalty payment provided for in subsection (3) shall be added to all claims for which benefits were not paid as of the effective date of P.A. 95-928. The interest penalty shall be calculated starting from the effective date of P.A. 95-928, provided that the effective date of P.A. 95-928 is at least 6 months after the date on which the claim was filed in accordance with Section 3 of the Line of Duty Compensation Act. In the event that the date 6 months after the date on which the claim was filed is later than the effective date of P.A. 95-928, the Court shall calculate the interest payment penalty starting from the date 6 months after the date on which the claim was filed in accordance with Section 3 of the Line of Duty Compensation Act. This subsection (3.5) of this amendatory Act of the 96th General Assembly is declarative of existing law.

(3.6) In addition to the interest payments provided for in subsections (3) and (3.5), the Court shall direct the Comptroller to add a "catch-up" payment to the claims of eligible claimants. For the purposes of this subsection (3.6), an "eligible claimant" is a claimant whose claim is not paid in the year in which it was filed. For purposes of this subsection (3.6), "'catch-up' payment" is defined as the difference between the amount paid to claimants whose claims were filed in the year in which the eligible claimant's claim is paid and the amount paid to claimants whose claims were filed in the year in which the eligible claimant filed his or her claim. The "catch-up" payment is payable simultaneously with the claim award.

(4) From funds appropriated by the General Assembly for the purposes of paying claims under paragraph (c) of Section 8, the court must direct payment of each claim and the payment must be received by the claimant within 60 days after the date that the funds are appropriated for that purpose.

(5) The changes made to this Section by this amendatory Act of the 99th General Assembly apply only to claims filed on or after the effective date of this amendatory Act of the 99th General Assembly.

(Source: P.A. 95-928, eff. 8-26-08; 95-970, eff. 9-22-08; 96-328, eff. 8-11-09; 96-539, eff. 1-1-10.)