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1 | AN ACT concerning courts.
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2 | Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
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3 | represented in the General Assembly:
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4 | Section 5. The Access to Justice Act is amended by changing | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
5 | Sections 5, 10, 15, and 20 and by adding Section 7 as follows: | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
6 | (705 ILCS 95/5)
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7 | Sec. 5. Findings. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
8 | (a) The justice system in this State can only function | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
9 | fairly and effectively when there is meaningful access to legal | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
10 | information, resources, and assistance for all litigants, | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
11 | regardless of their income or circumstances.
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12 | (b) Increasing numbers of people throughout this State , | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
13 | including an increasing number of active duty service members | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
14 | and veterans, are coming into the courts without legal | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
15 | representation for cases involving important legal matters | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
16 | impacting the basics of life such as health, safety, and | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
17 | shelter. In order for the courts to provide fair and efficient | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
18 | administration of justice in these cases, it is critical that | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
19 | people , and active duty service members and veterans in | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
20 | particular, have better access to varying levels of legal | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
21 | assistance appropriate for their individual circumstances , | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
22 | which will reduce the number of cases the courts must manage | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
23 | and reduce unnecessary backlogs and delays in the court system |
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1 | for the benefit of all litigants .
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2 | (c) An increasing number of active duty service members and | ||||||
3 | veterans in this State have a need for legal information and | ||||||
4 | assistance in a variety of matters that are often critical to | ||||||
5 | their safety and independence, yet they are often unable to | ||||||
6 | access that assistance. Providing access to legal advice and a | ||||||
7 | referral system of attorneys for veterans and active duty | ||||||
8 | service members, who often have underlying issues relating to | ||||||
9 | their military service, increases the efficiency of the court | ||||||
10 | system and advances access to justice for everyone in this | ||||||
11 | State.
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12 | (Source: P.A. 98-351, eff. 8-15-13.) | ||||||
13 | (705 ILCS 95/7 new) | ||||||
14 | Sec. 7. Definitions. As used in this Act: | ||||||
15 | (a)
"Foundation" means the Illinois Equal Justice | ||||||
16 | Foundation, a not-for-profit corporation created by the | ||||||
17 | Illinois State Bar Association and the Chicago Bar Association | ||||||
18 | and recognized under the Illinois Equal Justice Act. | ||||||
19 | (b) "Illinois Access to Civil Justice Council" or "Council" | ||||||
20 | means a special advisory body created by the Foundation. The | ||||||
21 | Council consists of 7 members, appointed as follows: one by the | ||||||
22 | Lawyers Trust Fund of Illinois, one by the Chicago Bar | ||||||
23 | Foundation, one by the Illinois Bar Foundation, one by the | ||||||
24 | Illinois Department of Veterans' Affairs, one by the Illinois | ||||||
25 | Attorney General, and 2 by the Foundation or any successor |
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1 | entities or agencies as designated by the Council. | ||||||
2 | (705 ILCS 95/10)
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3 | Sec. 10. Pilot programs. | ||||||
4 | (a) The Illinois Access to Civil Justice Council shall | ||||||
5 | General Assembly encourages the Supreme Court to develop: (i) a | ||||||
6 | pilot program to create a statewide military personnel and | ||||||
7 | veterans' legal assistance hotline and coordinated network of | ||||||
8 | legal support resources; and (ii) a pilot program to provide | ||||||
9 | court-based legal assistance within a circuit court in each | ||||||
10 | appellate district of this State. | ||||||
11 | (b) The General Assembly recommends that the rules | ||||||
12 | developing the pilot programs: | ||||||
13 | (1) provide intake, screening, and varying levels of | ||||||
14 | legal assistance to ensure that the parties served by these | ||||||
15 | programs have meaningful access to justice; | ||||||
16 | (2) gather information on the outcomes associated with | ||||||
17 | providing the services described in paragraph (1) of this | ||||||
18 | subsection; and | ||||||
19 | (3) guard against the involuntary waiver of rights or | ||||||
20 | disposition by default.
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21 | (Source: P.A. 98-351, eff. 8-15-13.) | ||||||
22 | (705 ILCS 95/15)
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23 | Sec. 15. Access to Justice Fund. | ||||||
24 | (a) The Access to Justice Fund is created as a special fund |
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1 | in the State treasury. The Fund shall consist of fees collected | ||||||
2 | under Section 27.3g of the Clerks of Courts Act. Moneys Subject | ||||||
3 | to appropriation, moneys in the Access to Justice Fund shall be | ||||||
4 | directed to and used by the Attorney General for grants to the | ||||||
5 | Foundation Supreme Court for the administration of the pilot | ||||||
6 | programs created under this Act. Grants made under this Act to | ||||||
7 | the Foundation are subject to the requirements of the Illinois | ||||||
8 | Grant Funds Recovery Act. | ||||||
9 | (b) In accordance with the requirements of the Illinois | ||||||
10 | Equal Justice Act, the Foundation may make grants, enter into | ||||||
11 | contracts, and take other actions recommended by the Council to | ||||||
12 | effectuate the pilot programs and comply with the other | ||||||
13 | requirements of this Act. | ||||||
14 | (c) The governing board of the Foundation must prepare and | ||||||
15 | submit an annual report to the Governor, the President of the | ||||||
16 | Senate, the Minority Leader of the Senate, the Speaker of the | ||||||
17 | House of Representatives, the Minority Leader of the House of | ||||||
18 | Representatives, and the Justices of the Illinois Supreme | ||||||
19 | Court. The report must include: (i) a statement of the total | ||||||
20 | receipts and a breakdown by source during each of the previous | ||||||
21 | 2 calendar years; (ii) a list of the names and addresses of the | ||||||
22 | recipients that are currently receiving funds and that received | ||||||
23 | funds in the previous year and the amounts committed to | ||||||
24 | recipients for the current year and paid in the previous year; | ||||||
25 | (iii) a breakdown of the amounts paid during the previous year | ||||||
26 | to recipients and the amounts committed to each recipient for |
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1 | the current year; (iv) a breakdown of the Foundation's costs in | ||||||
2 | administering the Fund; (v) a statement of the Fund balance at | ||||||
3 | the start and at the close of the previous year and the | ||||||
4 | interest earned during the previous year; and (vi) any notices | ||||||
5 | the Foundation issued denying applications for moneys under | ||||||
6 | this Act. The report, in its entirety, is a public record, and | ||||||
7 | the Foundation and the Governor shall make the report available | ||||||
8 | for inspection upon request. | ||||||
9 | (d) The Foundation may annually retain a portion of the | ||||||
10 | amounts it receives under this Section to reimburse the | ||||||
11 | Foundation for the actual cost of administering the Council and | ||||||
12 | for making the grants and distributions pursuant to this Act | ||||||
13 | during that year. | ||||||
14 | (e) No moneys distributed from the Access to Justice Fund | ||||||
15 | may be directly or indirectly used for lobbying activities, as | ||||||
16 | defined in Section 2 of the Lobbyist Registration Act or as | ||||||
17 | defined in any ordinance or resolution of a municipality, | ||||||
18 | county, or other unit of local government in Illinois.
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19 | (f) The Foundation may make, enter into, and execute | ||||||
20 | contracts, agreements, leases, and other instruments with any | ||||||
21 | person, including without limitation any federal, State, or | ||||||
22 | local governmental agency, and may take other actions that may | ||||||
23 | be necessary or convenient to accomplish any purpose authorized | ||||||
24 | by this Act. | ||||||
25 | (g) The Foundation has the authority to receive and accept | ||||||
26 | any and all grants, loans, subsidies, matching funds, |
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1 | reimbursements, federal grant moneys, fees for services, and | ||||||
2 | other things of value from the federal or State government or | ||||||
3 | any agency of any other state or from any institution, person, | ||||||
4 | firm, or corporation, public or private, to be used to carry | ||||||
5 | out the purposes of this Act. | ||||||
6 | (Source: P.A. 98-351, eff. 8-15-13.) | ||||||
7 | (705 ILCS 95/20)
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8 | Sec. 20. Evaluation. The Council Supreme Court shall study | ||||||
9 | the effectiveness of the pilot programs implemented under this | ||||||
10 | Act and submit a report to the Governor and General Assembly by | ||||||
11 | June 1, 2021 2017 . The report shall include the number of | ||||||
12 | people served in each pilot program and data on the impact of | ||||||
13 | varying levels of legal assistance on access to justice, the | ||||||
14 | effect on fair and efficient court administration, and the | ||||||
15 | impact on government programs and community resources. This | ||||||
16 | report shall describe the benefits of providing legal | ||||||
17 | assistance to those who were previously unrepresented, both for | ||||||
18 | the clients and the courts, and shall describe strategies and | ||||||
19 | recommendations for maximizing the benefit of that | ||||||
20 | representation in the future. The report shall include an | ||||||
21 | assessment of the continuing unmet needs and, if available, | ||||||
22 | data regarding those unmet needs.
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23 | (Source: P.A. 98-351, eff. 8-15-13.) | ||||||
24 | Section 10. The Clerks of Courts Act is amended by changing |
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1 | Section 27.3g as follows: | ||||||
2 | (705 ILCS 105/27.3g) | ||||||
3 | (Section scheduled to be repealed on August 15, 2018) | ||||||
4 | Sec. 27.3g. Pilot program; Access to Justice Act. | ||||||
5 | (a) On and after September 1, 2015 If the Supreme Court | ||||||
6 | develops a pilot program to provide court-based legal | ||||||
7 | assistance in accordance with Section 10 of the Access to | ||||||
8 | Justice Act , all clerks of the circuit court shall charge and | ||||||
9 | collect at the time of filing the first pleading, paper, or | ||||||
10 | other appearance filed by each party in all civil cases, in | ||||||
11 | addition to any other fees, a fee of $10, but no additional fee | ||||||
12 | shall be required if more than one party is represented in a | ||||||
13 | single pleading, paper, or other appearance. Fees received by | ||||||
14 | the clerk of the circuit court under this Section shall be | ||||||
15 | remitted by the clerk of the circuit court to the Attorney | ||||||
16 | General , within one month after receipt, to the Supreme Court | ||||||
17 | for deposit into the Access to Justice Fund created under | ||||||
18 | Section 15 of the Access to Justice Act. | ||||||
19 | (b) This Section is repealed on September 1, 2020 5 years | ||||||
20 | after the effective date of this amendatory Act of the 98th | ||||||
21 | General Assembly .
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22 | (Source: P.A. 98-351, eff. 8-15-13.)
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23 | Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon | ||||||
24 | becoming law.
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