093_SB0123
LRB093 03429 RLC 06605 b
1 AN ACT concerning the judiciary.
2 Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
3 represented in the General Assembly:
4 Section 1. Short title. This Act may be cited as the
5 Judicial Advisory Council Act.
6 Section 5. Creation; membership; tenure; vacancies.
7 (a) The Judicial Advisory Council is created consisting
8 of 16 members. Ten members of the Council shall be members of
9 the General Assembly chosen as follows: 5 Senators appointed
10 3 by the President of the Senate and 2 by the Senate Minority
11 Leader and 5 Representatives appointed 3 by the Speaker of
12 the House of Representatives and 2 by the House Minority
13 Leader. Six members of the Council shall be chosen by the
14 Supreme Court of Illinois.
15 (b) Council members shall be appointed before July 1
16 each odd-numbered year for a 2-year term commencing July 1,
17 and until their respective successors are appointed and
18 qualified, except that General Assembly members shall serve
19 that term or until the termination of their legislative
20 service, whichever first occurs. Vacancies shall be filled by
21 the appropriate appointing authority for the unexpired term.
22 All appointments must be in writing and filed with the
23 Secretary of State as a public record.
24 Section 10. Compensation. Members of the Council shall
25 receive no compensation but shall be reimbursed for expenses
26 necessarily required in the performance of their duties.
27 Section 15. Meetings; selection of chair and vice-chair;
28 quorum.
29 (a) The Council shall meet 3 times per calendar year and
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1 at other times on call of the chair or any 9 members at a
2 place designated by the chair. Notice of the time and place
3 of each meeting shall be given by the secretary of the
4 Council to each member at least 7 days before the date of the
5 meeting.
6 (b) The Council at its first meeting in each year shall
7 select the chair and vice-chair from among its membership to
8 serve until their successors are selected.
9 (c) Nine members of the Council constitute a quorum, and
10 a majority of a quorum has authority to act in any matter
11 within the jurisdiction of the Council.
12 Section 20. Employees. The Council may employ an
13 executive director, office staff, and other assistants, as it
14 deems necessary.
15 Section 25. Duties. The Council shall, by continuous
16 study of the problems involved, devise means (i) to effect
17 the improvement of the administration of justice in and with
18 relation to the State and (ii) to formulate all proper
19 suggestions and recommendations concerning legislation and
20 other measures designed to bring about that improvement.
21 Within the scope of its study shall be the laws of this State
22 relating to judicial organization, criminal law, criminal
23 procedure, and civil procedure; the functioning of the courts
24 of the State, both internally and in relation to all other
25 public agencies in the State whose work connects with that of
26 the courts; the rules of the courts; and the administrative
27 methods employed by the courts. The suggestions and
28 recommendations resulting from the study shall from time to
29 time be reported in writing to the Supreme Court and, so far
30 as they relate to legislation, shall also be laid before the
31 Judicial Advisory Council of the County of Cook. The Council
32 shall further co-operate with the Judicial Advisory Council
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1 of the County of Cook in such manner as is or may be
2 prescribed by law in relation to that body.
3 Section 30. Powers. The Council may prepare drafts of
4 legislation intended to carry out its recommendations, as
5 well as reports, memoranda, and other papers necessary or
6 incident to the performance of its tasks. Its members, with a
7 view to obtaining information and suggestions that will aid
8 in the attainment of its objects, are authorized to visit and
9 observe the courts of other jurisdictions and to attend
10 meetings of professional bodies and of associations and
11 groups engaged in study or research or other work
12 contributing to the modernization of law or procedure or
13 otherwise looking to better standards of civil or criminal
14 justice.
15 Section 35. Reports. The Council shall submit a report of
16 the results of its study together with its recommendations
17 and drafts of legislation to each General Assembly within 30
18 days after the convening of the General Assembly and
19 contemporaneously to the Supreme Court.