HB2260ham001 94TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

Rep. Cynthia Soto

Filed: 4/11/2005

09400HB2260ham001 LRB094 03292 JAM 44506 a

AMENDMENT TO HOUSE BILL 2260

AMENDMENT NO. ______. Amend House Bill 2260 by replacing everything after the enacting clause with the following:

"Section 5. The Illinois Public Labor Relations Act is amended by changing Sections 3 and 4 and adding Section 2.5 as follows:

(5 ILCS 315/2.5 new)

Sec. 2.5. Findings and declarations; court reporters. The General Assembly finds and declares:

(1) It is the public policy of the State of Illinois and the intent of the General Assembly that State employees, including the Illinois official certified court reporters, are granted collective bargaining rights as provided in this Act.

(2) The Illinois Supreme Court in the case of AOIC v. Teamsters 726 ruled that the Illinois Public Labor Relations Board could not assert jurisdiction over the Illinois official certified court reporters because the Supreme Court is their co-employer together with the Chief Judges of each judicial circuit.

(3) As a result of the Supreme Court's decision, the Illinois official certified court reporters have been denied the labor rights afforded all other State employees, including the rights to organize, to obtain recognition of their chosen collective bargaining representative, and to negotiate with respect to the wages, terms, and conditions of their employment.

(4) The General Assembly intends to create a statutory framework to allow Illinois official court reporters to enjoy the same collective bargaining and other labor rights granted to other public employees.

(5) Senate Resolution 431 and House Resolution 706, both of the 92nd General Assembly, were adopted, and in enacting this amendatory Act of the 94th General Assembly, the General Assembly is implementing the intent of those resolutions.

(5 ILCS 315/3) (from Ch. 48, par. 1603)

Sec. 3. Definitions. As used in this Act, unless the context otherwise requires:

(a) "Board" means the Illinois Labor Relations Board or, with respect to a matter over which the jurisdiction of the Board is assigned to the State Panel or the Local Panel under Section 5, the panel having jurisdiction over the matter.

(b) "Collective bargaining" means bargaining over terms and conditions of employment, including hours, wages, and other conditions of employment, as detailed in Section 7 and which are not excluded by Section 4.

(c) "Confidential employee" means an employee who, in the regular course of his or her duties, assists and acts in a confidential capacity to persons who formulate, determine, and effectuate management policies with regard to labor relations or who, in the regular course of his or her duties, has authorized access to information relating to the effectuation or review of the employer's collective bargaining policies.

(d) "Craft employees" means skilled journeymen, crafts persons, and their apprentices and helpers.

(e) "Essential services employees" means those public employees performing functions so essential that the interruption or termination of the function will constitute a clear and present danger to the health and safety of the persons in the affected community.

(f) "Exclusive representative", except with respect to non-State fire fighters and paramedics employed by fire departments and fire protection districts, non-State peace officers, and peace officers in the Department of State Police, means the labor organization that has been (i) designated by the Board as the representative of a majority of public employees in an appropriate bargaining unit in accordance with the procedures contained in this Act, (ii) historically recognized by the State of Illinois or any political subdivision of the State before July 1, 1984 (the effective date of this Act) as the exclusive representative of the employees in an appropriate bargaining unit, (iii) after July 1, 1984 (the effective date of this Act) recognized by an employer upon evidence, acceptable to the Board, that the labor organization has been designated as the exclusive representative by a majority of the employees in an appropriate bargaining unit; or (iv) recognized as the exclusive representative of personal care attendants or personal assistants under Executive Order 2003-8 prior to the effective date of this amendatory Act of the 93rd General Assembly, and the organization shall be considered to be the exclusive representative of the personal care attendants or personal assistants as defined in this Section.

With respect to non-State fire fighters and paramedics employed by fire departments and fire protection districts, non-State peace officers, and peace officers in the Department of State Police, "exclusive representative" means the labor organization that has been (i) designated by the Board as the representative of a majority of peace officers or fire fighters in an appropriate bargaining unit in accordance with the procedures contained in this Act, (ii) historically recognized by the State of Illinois or any political subdivision of the State before January 1, 1986 (the effective date of this amendatory Act of 1985) as the exclusive representative by a majority of the peace officers or fire fighters in an appropriate bargaining unit, or (iii) after January 1, 1986 (the effective date of this amendatory Act of 1985) recognized by an employer upon evidence, acceptable to the Board, that the labor organization has been designated as the exclusive representative by a majority of the peace officers or fire fighters in an appropriate bargaining unit.

(g) "Fair share agreement" means an agreement between the employer and an employee organization under which all or any of the employees in a collective bargaining unit are required to pay their proportionate share of the costs of the collective bargaining process, contract administration, and pursuing matters affecting wages, hours, and other conditions of employment, but not to exceed the amount of dues uniformly required of members. The amount certified by the exclusive representative shall not include any fees for contributions related to the election or support of any candidate for political office. Nothing in this subsection (g) shall preclude an employee from making voluntary political contributions in conjunction with his or her fair share payment.

(g-1) "Fire fighter" means, for the purposes of this Act only, any person who has been or is hereafter appointed to a fire department or fire protection district or employed by a state university and sworn or commissioned to perform fire fighter duties or paramedic duties, except that the following persons are not included: part-time fire fighters, auxiliary, reserve or voluntary fire fighters, including paid on-call fire fighters, clerks and dispatchers or other civilian employees of a fire department or fire protection district who are not routinely expected to perform fire fighter duties, or elected officials.

(g-2) "General Assembly of the State of Illinois" means the legislative branch of the government of the State of Illinois, as provided for under Article IV of the Constitution of the State of Illinois, and includes but is not limited to the House of Representatives, the Senate, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, the Minority Leader of the House of Representatives, the President of the Senate, the Minority Leader of the Senate, the Joint Committee on Legislative Support Services and any legislative support services agency listed in the Legislative Commission Reorganization Act of 1984.

(h) "Governing body" means, in the case of the State, the State Panel of the Illinois Labor Relations Board, the Director of the Department of Central Management Services, and the Director of the Department of Labor; the county board in the case of a county; the corporate authorities in the case of a municipality; and the appropriate body authorized to provide for expenditures of its funds in the case of any other unit of government.

(i) "Labor organization" means any organization in which public employees participate and that exists for the purpose, in whole or in part, of dealing with a public employer concerning wages, hours, and other terms and conditions of employment, including the settlement of grievances.

(j) "Managerial employee" means an individual who is engaged predominantly in executive and management functions and is charged with the responsibility of directing the effectuation of management policies and practices.

(k) "Peace officer" means, for the purposes of this Act only, any persons who have been or are hereafter appointed to a police force, department, or agency and sworn or commissioned to perform police duties, except that the following persons are not included: part-time police officers, special police officers, auxiliary police as defined by Section 3.1-30-20 of the Illinois Municipal Code, night watchmen, "merchant police", court security officers as defined by Section 3-6012.1 of the Counties Code, temporary employees, traffic guards or wardens, civilian parking meter and parking facilities personnel or other individuals specially appointed to aid or direct traffic at or near schools or public functions or to aid in civil defense or disaster, parking enforcement employees who are not commissioned as peace officers and who are not armed and who are not routinely expected to effect arrests, parking lot attendants, clerks and dispatchers or other civilian employees of a police department who are not routinely expected to effect arrests, or elected officials.

(l) "Person" includes one or more individuals, labor organizations, public employees, associations, corporations, legal representatives, trustees, trustees in bankruptcy, receivers, or the State of Illinois or any political subdivision of the State or governing body, but does not include the General Assembly of the State of Illinois or any individual employed by the General Assembly of the State of Illinois.

(m) "Professional employee" means any employee engaged in work predominantly intellectual and varied in character rather than routine mental, manual, mechanical or physical work; involving the consistent exercise of discretion and adjustment in its performance; of such a character that the output produced or the result accomplished cannot be standardized in relation to a given period of time; and requiring advanced knowledge in a field of science or learning customarily acquired by a prolonged course of specialized intellectual instruction and study in an institution of higher learning or a hospital, as distinguished from a general academic education or from apprenticeship or from training in the performance of routine mental, manual, or physical processes; or any employee who has completed the courses of specialized intellectual instruction and study prescribed in this subsection (m) and is performing related work under the supervision of a professional person to qualify to become a professional employee as defined in this subsection (m).

(n) "Public employee" or "employee", for the purposes of this Act, means any individual employed by a public employer, including interns and residents at public hospitals and, as of the effective date of this amendatory Act of the 93rd General Assembly, but not before, personal care attendants and personal assistants working under the Home Services Program under Section 3 of the Disabled Persons Rehabilitation Act, subject to the limitations set forth in this Act and in the Disabled Persons Rehabilitation Act, but excluding all of the following: employees of the General Assembly of the State of Illinois; elected officials; executive heads of a department; members of boards or commissions; the Executive Inspectors General; any special Executive Inspectors General; employees of each Office of an Executive Inspector General; commissioners and employees of the Executive Ethics Commission; the Auditor General's Inspector General; employees of the Office of the Auditor General's Inspector General; the Legislative Inspector General; any special Legislative Inspectors General; employees of the Office of the Legislative Inspector General; commissioners and employees of the Legislative Ethics Commission; employees of any agency, board or commission created by this Act; employees appointed to State positions of a temporary or emergency nature; all employees of school districts and higher education institutions except firefighters and peace officers employed by a state university; managerial employees; short-term employees; confidential employees; independent contractors; and supervisors except as provided in this Act.

Personal care attendants and personal assistants shall not be considered public employees for any purposes not specifically provided for in this amendatory Act of the 93rd General Assembly, including but not limited to, purposes of vicarious liability in tort and purposes of statutory retirement or health insurance benefits. Personal care attendants and personal assistants shall not be covered by the State Employees Group Insurance Act of 1971 (5 ILCS 375/).

Notwithstanding Section 9, subsection (c), or any other provisions of this Act, all peace officers above the rank of captain in municipalities with more than 1,000,000 inhabitants shall be excluded from this Act.

(o) Except as otherwise in subsection (o-5), "public Public employer" or "employer" means the State of Illinois; any political subdivision of the State, unit of local government or school district; authorities including departments, divisions, bureaus, boards, commissions, or other agencies of the foregoing entities; and any person acting within the scope of his or her authority, express or implied, on behalf of those entities in dealing with its employees. As of the effective date of this amendatory Act of the 93rd General Assembly, but not before, the State of Illinois shall be considered the employer of the personal care attendants and personal assistants working under the Home Services Program under Section 3 of the Disabled Persons Rehabilitation Act, subject to the limitations set forth in this Act and in the Disabled Persons Rehabilitation Act. The State shall not be considered to be the employer of personal care attendants and personal assistants for any purposes not specifically provided for in this amendatory Act of the 93rd General Assembly, including but not limited to, purposes of vicarious liability in tort and purposes of statutory retirement or health insurance benefits. Personal care attendants and personal assistants shall not be covered by the State Employees Group Insurance Act of 1971 (5 ILCS 375/). "Public employer" or "employer" as used in this Act, however, does not mean and shall not include the General Assembly of the State of Illinois, the Executive Ethics Commission, the Offices of the Executive Inspectors General, the Legislative Ethics Commission, the Office of the Legislative Inspector General, the Office of the Auditor General's Inspector General, and educational employers or employers as defined in the Illinois Educational Labor Relations Act, except with respect to a state university in its employment of firefighters and peace officers. County boards and county sheriffs shall be designated as joint or co-employers of county peace officers appointed under the authority of a county sheriff. Nothing in this subsection (o) shall be construed to prevent the State Panel or the Local Panel from determining that employers are joint or co-employers.

(o-5) With respect to wages, fringe benefits, hours, holidays, vacations, proficiency examinations, sick leave, and other conditions of employment, the public employer of public employees who are court reporters, as defined in the Court Reporters Act, shall be determined as follows:

(1) For court reporters employed by the Cook County Judicial Circuit, the chief judge of the Cook County Circuit Court is the public employer and employer representative.

(2) For court reporters employed by the 12th, 18th, 19th, and, on and after December 4, 2006, the 22nd judicial circuits, a group consisting of the chief judges of those circuits, acting jointly by majority vote, is the public employer and employer representative.

(3) For court reporters employed by all other judicial circuits, a group consisting of the chief judges of those circuits, acting jointly by majority vote, is the public employer and employer representative.

(p) "Security employee" means an employee who is responsible for the supervision and control of inmates at correctional facilities. The term also includes other non-security employees in bargaining units having the majority of employees being responsible for the supervision and control of inmates at correctional facilities.

(q) "Short-term employee" means an employee who is employed for less than 2 consecutive calendar quarters during a calendar year and who does not have a reasonable assurance that he or she will be rehired by the same employer for the same service in a subsequent calendar year.

(r) "Supervisor" is an employee whose principal work is substantially different from that of his or her subordinates and who has authority, in the interest of the employer, to hire, transfer, suspend, lay off, recall, promote, discharge, direct, reward, or discipline employees, to adjust their grievances, or to effectively recommend any of those actions, if the exercise of that authority is not of a merely routine or clerical nature, but requires the consistent use of independent judgment. Except with respect to police employment, the term "supervisor" includes only those individuals who devote a preponderance of their employment time to exercising that authority, State supervisors notwithstanding. In addition, in determining supervisory status in police employment, rank shall not be determinative. The Board shall consider, as evidence of bargaining unit inclusion or exclusion, the common law enforcement policies and relationships between police officer ranks and certification under applicable civil service law, ordinances, personnel codes, or Division 2.1 of Article 10 of the Illinois Municipal Code, but these factors shall not be the sole or predominant factors considered by the Board in determining police supervisory status.

Notwithstanding the provisions of the preceding paragraph, in determining supervisory status in fire fighter employment, no fire fighter shall be excluded as a supervisor who has established representation rights under Section 9 of this Act. Further, in new fire fighter units, employees shall consist of fire fighters of the rank of company officer and below. If a company officer otherwise qualifies as a supervisor under the preceding paragraph, however, he or she shall not be included in the fire fighter unit. If there is no rank between that of chief and the highest company officer, the employer may designate a position on each shift as a Shift Commander, and the persons occupying those positions shall be supervisors. All other ranks above that of company officer shall be supervisors.

(s) (1) "Unit" means a class of jobs or positions that are held by employees whose collective interests may suitably be represented by a labor organization for collective bargaining. Except with respect to non-State fire fighters and paramedics employed by fire departments and fire protection districts, non-State peace officers, and peace officers in the Department of State Police, a bargaining unit determined by the Board shall not include both employees and supervisors, or supervisors only, except as provided in paragraph (2) of this subsection (s) and except for bargaining units in existence on July 1, 1984 (the effective date of this Act). With respect to non-State fire fighters and paramedics employed by fire departments and fire protection districts, non-State peace officers, and peace officers in the Department of State Police, a bargaining unit determined by the Board shall not include both supervisors and nonsupervisors, or supervisors only, except as provided in paragraph (2) of this subsection (s) and except for bargaining units in existence on January 1, 1986 (the effective date of this amendatory Act of 1985). A bargaining unit determined by the Board to contain peace officers shall contain no employees other than peace officers unless otherwise agreed to by the employer and the labor organization or labor organizations involved. Notwithstanding any other provision of this Act, a bargaining unit, including a historical bargaining unit, containing sworn peace officers of the Department of Natural Resources (formerly designated the Department of Conservation) shall contain no employees other than such sworn peace officers upon the effective date of this amendatory Act of 1990 or upon the expiration date of any collective bargaining agreement in effect upon the effective date of this amendatory Act of 1990 covering both such sworn peace officers and other employees.

(2) Notwithstanding the exclusion of supervisors from bargaining units as provided in paragraph (1) of this subsection (s), a public employer may agree to permit its supervisory employees to form bargaining units and may bargain with those units. This Act shall apply if the public employer chooses to bargain under this subsection.

(3) Public employees who are court reporters, as defined in the Court Reporters Act, shall be divided into 3 units for collective bargaining purposes. One unit shall be court reporters employed by the Cook County Judicial Circuit; one unit shall be court reporters employed by the 12th, 18th, 19th, and, on and after December 4, 2006, the 22nd judicial circuits; and one unit shall be court reporters employed by all other judicial circuits.

(Source: P.A. 93-204, eff. 7-16-03; 93-617, eff. 12-9-03.)

(5 ILCS 315/4) (from Ch. 48, par. 1604)

Sec. 4. Management Rights. Employers shall not be required to bargain over matters of inherent managerial policy, which shall include such areas of discretion or policy as the functions of the employer, standards of services, its overall budget, the organizational structure and selection of new employees, examination techniques and direction of employees. Employers, however, shall be required to bargain collectively with regard to policy matters directly affecting wages, hours and terms and conditions of employment as well as the impact thereon upon request by employee representatives.

To preserve the rights of employers and exclusive representatives which have established collective bargaining relationships or negotiated collective bargaining agreements prior to the effective date of this Act, employers shall be required to bargain collectively with regard to any matter concerning wages, hours or conditions of employment about which they have bargained for and agreed to in a collective bargaining agreement prior to the effective date of this Act.

The chief judge of the judicial circuit that employs a public employee who is a court reporter, as defined in the Court Reporters Act, has the authority to hire, appoint, promote, evaluate, discipline, and discharge court reporters within that judicial circuit.

Nothing in this amendatory Act of the 94th General Assembly shall be construed to intrude upon the judicial functions of any court. This amendatory Act of the 94th General Assembly applies only to nonjudicial administrative matters relating the collective bargaining rights of court reporters.

(Source: P.A. 83-1012.)

Section 10. The Court Reporters Act is amended by changing Sections 1, 3, 4, 4.1, 5, 6, 7, and 8 and adding Section 8.1 as follows:

(705 ILCS 70/1) (from Ch. 37, par. 651)

Sec. 1. Definitions. In this Act:

"Court reporter", for the purposes of this Act, means any person appointed by the chief judge of any circuit to perform the duties prescribed in Section 5 of this Act.

"Employer representative" means, with respect to wages, fringe benefits, hours, holidays, vacation, proficiency examinations, sick leave, and other conditions of employment:

(1) For court reporters employed by the Cook County Judicial Circuit, the chief judge of the Cook County Circuit Court.

(2) For court reporters employed by the 12th, 18th, 19th, and, on and after December 4, 2006, the 22nd judicial circuits, a group consisting of the chief judges of those circuits, acting jointly by majority vote.

(3) For court reporters employed by all other judicial circuits, the chief judges of those circuits, acting jointly by majority vote.

The chief judge of the judicial circuit that employs a public employee who is a court reporter, as defined in the Court Reporters Act, has the authority to hire, appoint, promote, evaluate, discipline, and discharge court reporters within that judicial circuit.

(Source: Laws 1965, p. 2616.)

(705 ILCS 70/3) (from Ch. 37, par. 653)

Sec. 3. Number; determination and certification by supreme court. The number of full-time and part-time court reporters that may be appointed in each circuit shall be determined by the employer representative Supreme Court. In determining how many court reporters are needed in each circuit the employer representative Supreme Court shall consider the following factors: (1) case loads in the circuit; (2) the number of associate judges and circuit judges in the circuit; (3) the number and location in the circuit of major federal and state highways; (4) the location in the circuit of state police highway truck weighing stations; (5) the relationship of urban population to large metropolitan centers in the various counties of the circuit; (6) the location in the circuit of state institutions including, but not limited to, universities, colleges, mental health facilities, penitentiaries; (7) the number of cities and towns within each circuit in which regular court sessions are held and the distance in road miles between each; and (8) any other factor deemed relevant by the employer representative Supreme Court.

The employer representative The Supreme Court shall certify in writing to each chief judge the number of full-time and part-time court reporters the chief judge may appoint in his circuit and may, as the need arises, increase or lower the number of such court reporters so authorized.

The Chief Judge of each circuit may designate any number of Supreme Court approved full-time court reporter positions as time share positions. For the purposes of this Act, "time share position" means a full-time court reporter position that is divided among 2 or more court reporters with the full-time salary and benefits being apportioned among the court reporters in the same percentage as the duties of the full-time position are apportioned.

(Source: P.A. 86-827.)

(705 ILCS 70/4) (from Ch. 37, par. 654)

Sec. 4. Appointment; oath. The chief judge may appoint all or any of the number of court reporters authorized by Section 3 of this Act certification of the Supreme Court. The court reporters so appointed shall serve at the direction pleasure of the chief judge and may be removed by the chief judge.

Each court reporter appointed shall, before entering upon the duties of his office, take the official oath to faithfully discharge the duties of his office to the best of his knowledge and ability.

The appointments shall be in writing and shall be filed with the Clerk of the Circuit Court of the circuit in which the court reporters are employed Supreme Court and shall continue in force until revoked by the chief judge of the circuit in which the court reporter is appointed.

(Source: P.A. 84-1395.)

(705 ILCS 70/4.1) (from Ch. 37, par. 654.1)

Sec. 4.1. Appointment and salary of administrative personnel.

(a) The employer representative Supreme Court may authorize the chief judge of any single county circuit in which official court reporting services are centrally administered, (1) to appoint from among the court reporters appointed in the circuit an Administrator of Court Reporters, a Deputy Administrator of Court Reporters and 2 Assistant Administrators of Court Reporters, (2) to designate from among the court reporters appointed in the circuit one Reporter Supervisor and one Assistant Reporter Supervisor for each Department and Division of the circuit court, and (3) to appoint secretarial and other support staff to assist the Administrator. Each Administrator, Deputy Administrator, Assistant Administrator, Reporter Supervisor, and Assistant Reporter Supervisor shall have an "A" proficiency rating, by examination, as provided in Section 7.

(b) Administrative personnel appointed under this Section shall be paid by the State.

(1) In addition to their regular salary as official court reporters, the administrative personnel appointed under this Section shall be paid such additional sums as the employer representative Supreme Court specifies. Such sums shall be included in the pay schedule adopted pursuant to Section 8. The additional amounts paid shall reflect the burden of administrative responsibility borne by the administrative personnel and the consequent lack of opportunity to produce transcripts of testimony. The additional amounts paid to such personnel shall not exceed the following:

(A) Administrator of Court Reporters: $20,000 per year;

(B) Deputy Administrator of Court Reporters: $15,000 per year;

(C) Assistant Administrators of Court Reporters: $13,000 per year;

(D) Reporter Supervisors: $10,000 per year.

(E) Assistant Reporter Supervisors: $5,000 per year.

(2) Each of the secretarial and other support staff authorized under this Section shall be paid a salary as determined per year by the employer representative Supreme Court.

(Source: P.A. 86-1378.)

(705 ILCS 70/5) (from Ch. 37, par. 655)

Sec. 5. Means of reporting; transcripts. The court reporter shall make a full reporting by means of stenographic hand or machine notes, or a combination thereof, of the evidence and such other proceedings in trials and judicial proceedings to which he is assigned by the chief judge, and the court reporter may use an electronic instrument as a supplementary device. In the event that the court utilizes an audio or video recording system to record the proceedings, a court reporter shall be in charge of such system; however, the appointment of a court reporter to be in charge of an audio or video recording system shall not be required where such system is the judge's personal property or has been supplied by a party or such party's attorney. To the extent that it does not substantially interfere with the court reporter's other official duties, the judge to whom, or a judge of the division to which, a reporter is assigned may assign a reporter to secretarial or clerical duties arising out of official court operations.

Unless and until otherwise provided in a Uniform Schedule of Charges which may hereafter be provided by rule or order of the employer representative Supreme Court, a court reporter may charge not to exceed 25˘ per 100 words for making transcripts of his notes. The fees for making transcripts shall be paid in the first instance by the party in whose behalf such transcript is ordered and shall be taxed in the suit.

The transcripts shall be filed and remain with the papers of the case. When the judge trying the case shall, of his own motion, order a transcript of the court reporter's notes, the judge may direct the payment of the charges therefor, and the taxation of the charges as costs in such manner as to him may seem just. Provided, that the charges for making but one transcript shall be taxed as costs and the party first ordering the transcript shall have preference unless it shall be otherwise ordered by the court.

The change made to this Section by this amendatory Act of 1987 is intended to apply retroactively from and after January 1, 1987.

(Source: P.A. 85-981.)

(705 ILCS 70/6) (from Ch. 37, par. 656)

Sec. 6. Assignment to serve outside of county of appointment; Travel expenses.

The chief judge may assign a court reporter to serve anywhere within the circuit in which the court reporter is appointed. A court reporter shall be paid travel expenses incurred in connection with his official duties in his circuit of appointment outside the county wherein he resides. Subject to regulations which may be adopted by the Supreme Court, court reporters shall be allowed travel expenses when traveling within their county of residence in connection with their official duties.

The employer representative Supreme Court may assign a court reporter to temporary service outside his own circuit, but within the jurisdiction of the employer representative, with the consent of the chief judge of his circuit. A court reporter shall be paid travel expenses incurred in connection with his official duties during such periods of temporary assignment.

Expense vouchers shall be submitted to the employer representative Supreme Court for approval. The expense vouchers or claims submitted to the employer representative Supreme Court shall have endorsed thereon the signed approval of the chief judge of the circuit in which the court reporter incurred the expense for which claim is made.

(Source: P.A. 77-1685.)

(705 ILCS 70/7) (from Ch. 37, par. 657)

Sec. 7. Proficiency tests. Except as otherwise provided in this Section, each court reporter in office on January 1, 1966 or appointed on or after that date shall have taken or shall thereafter take a test to rate his proficiency. The test shall be prepared and administered by the employer representative in consultation with each of the other employer representatives Supreme Court. The test shall consist of three parts designated Part A, Part B and Part C. If the court reporter in office on January 1, 1966, or appointed on or after that date, successfully passes any Part he shall be given a certificate designating him as an official court reporter. If such court reporter fails to pass any part, the employer representative Supreme Court shall so inform the chief judge of the circuit in which the court reporter serves. Upon receipt of note that a court reporter has failed to pass any part of the test, the chief judge may discharge the court reporter or may allow him to continue until the test is next administered. If, when the test is next administered, the court reporter fails to pass any part of the test, he shall be discharged by the chief judge.

The test shall be administered at least every six months if there are candidates or applicants for the test. Any court reporter who has passed Part C of the test may apply to take the Part B or the Part A section of the test at the regular time such tests are given. If the court reporter successfully completes Part B or Part A of the test, his proficiency rating shall be adjusted to reflect passage of the more difficult Part.

Any court reporter who served as a court reporter in a circuit court for 5 years immediately preceding January 1, 1966 shall be certified as an official court reporter without examination, and shall be credited with an "A" proficiency rating, without examination.

(Source: P.A. 84-1395.)

(705 ILCS 70/8) (from Ch. 37, par. 658)

Sec. 8. Salaries.

(a) The salaries of all court reporters shall be paid by the State. Full-time court reporters shall be paid not less than $6,000 nor more than $29,500 per year through June 30, 1984. Beginning July 1, 1984, full-time court reporters shall be paid not less than $6,000 nor more than $31,250 annually. Beginning July 1, 1985, full-time court reporters shall be paid not less than $6,000 nor more than $33,250 annually. Beginning July 1, 1986, full-time court reporters shall be paid not less than $6,000 nor more than $35,250 annually. Beginning July 1, 1987, full-time court reporters shall be paid not less than $6,000 nor more than $37,250 annually. Part-time court reporters shall be paid not less than $12 nor more than $60 per half-day. The salary of each individual court reporter shall be computed from a schedule adopted by the employer representative Supreme Court. The salary schedule shall reflect the following relevant factors: (1) proficiency rating; (2) experience; (3) population of the area to which a reporter is normally assigned; (3-1) court reporters shall receive the same annual percentage salary increase as provided to other State-paid non-judicial employees of the Judicial Branch with equivalent salaries, except that notwithstanding any other provision of law, salaries of full time court reporters shall be increased by at least a percentage increase equivalent to that of the "Employment Cost Index, Wages and Salaries, by Occupation and Industry Groups, State and Local Government Workers Public Administration", as published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor for the calendar year immediately preceding the year of the respective July 1st increase date. The increase shall be added to the then current annual salary and the adjusted salary so determined shall be the annual salary beginning July 1 of the increase year until July 1 of the next year; (4) other factors considered relevant by the Director.

(b) (Blank). Not less than 60 days before the effective date of this Act, the chief judge of each circuit shall submit to the Supreme Court, on forms to be provided by the Supreme Court, such information as may be necessary to implement the Provisions of this Act.

(c) A court reporter who has previously passed, or who hereafter passes, Part A or Part B of a proficiency test prepared and administered by the employer representative Supreme Court shall be credited with an "A" or "B" proficiency rating, as appropriate.

(d) A court reporter who has been credited with an "A" proficiency rating, without examination, as provided in Section 7 of this Act, shall receive a salary of $10,000 per annum. Any increase in the maximum salary payable to reporters shall not result in any increase for such reporter unless and until he has passed the proficiency test.

(e) The salaries of all official court reporters employed by the State shall be paid monthly, from moneys appropriated to the Comptroller for that purpose, on the voucher of the the chief judge of the circuit employing the court reporters Supreme Court. The Comptroller Supreme Court may require all salary claims by part-time reporters to be substantiated by certificates signed by the reporter and approved by the chief judge of the circuit.

(f) The salaries of time share court reporter positions may be apportioned in the manner provided in Section 3 of this Act.

(Source: P.A. 88-475.)

(705 ILCS 70/8.1 new)

Sec. 8.1. Appropriation request. Each employer representative shall make an annual appropriation request in January to the General Assembly to fund court reporters. When necessary, an employer representative may request supplemental appropriations to fund court reporters.

Section 15. The Court Reporter Transcript Act is amended by changing Section 4 as follows:

(705 ILCS 75/4) (from Ch. 37, par. 664)

Sec. 4. The reporter, in full for all his services in connection with the transcribing and filing or furnishing the transcripts referred to in this Act, shall be paid a fee as provided in Section 5 of the Court Reporters Act, approved August 5, 1965, as amended. All such fees shall be paid out of the State Treasury on the warrant of the chief judge of the circuit employing the court reporter Supreme Court, from appropriations made to the Comptroller for such purpose, upon presentation of a certificate signed by the presiding judge setting the amount due said reporter. Such certificate shall as to each original transcript (and a copy or copies where fee for a copy or copies is authorized by statute or Illinois Supreme Court Rule) set forth the title and number of the cause in which the transcript was required to be furnished, the nature of the proceedings transcribed (whether an arraignment, proceedings at criminal trial or proceedings at post-conviction hearing) and the fee approved therefor. The employer representative, as defined in the Court Reporters Act, Supreme Court may prescribe the form of the certificate and furnish same.

(Source: P.A. 90-505, eff. 8-19-97.)

Section 95. Liberal construction. This Act shall be liberally construed to effectuate its purpose of facilitating the equitable resolution of labor relations concerning court reporters.

Section 97. Severability. The provisions of this Act are severable under Section 1.31 of the Statute on Statutes.

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