625 ILCS 5/6-106.1a

(625 ILCS 5/6-106.1a)

Sec. 6-106.1a. Cancellation of school bus driver permit; trace of alcohol.

(a) A person who has been issued a school bus driver permit by the Secretary of State in accordance with Section 6-106.1 of this Code and who drives or is in actual physical control of a school bus or any other vehicle owned or operated by or for a public or private school, or a school operated by a religious institution, when the vehicle is being used over a regularly scheduled route for the transportation of persons enrolled as students in grade 12 or below, in connection with any activity of the entities listed, upon the public highways of this State shall be deemed to have given consent to a chemical test or tests of blood, breath, other bodily substance, or urine for the purpose of determining the alcohol content of the person's blood if arrested, as evidenced by the issuance of a Uniform Traffic Ticket for any violation of this Code or a similar provision of a local ordinance, if a police officer has probable cause to believe that the driver has consumed any amount of an alcoholic beverage based upon evidence of the driver's physical condition or other first hand knowledge of the police officer. The test or tests shall be administered at the direction of the arresting officer. The law enforcement agency employing the officer shall designate which of the aforesaid tests shall be administered. A urine or other bodily substance test may be administered even after a blood or breath test or both has been administered.

(b) A person who is dead, unconscious, or who is otherwise in a condition rendering that person incapable of refusal, shall be deemed not to have withdrawn the consent provided by paragraph (a) of this Section and the test or tests may be administered subject to the following provisions:

(1) Chemical analysis of the person's blood, urine, breath, or other bodily substance, to be considered valid under the provisions of this Section, shall have been performed according to standards promulgated by the Illinois State Police by an individual possessing a valid permit issued by the Illinois State Police for this purpose. The Director of the Illinois State Police is authorized to approve satisfactory techniques or methods, to ascertain the qualifications and competence of individuals to conduct analyses, to issue permits that shall be subject to termination or revocation at the direction of the Illinois State Police, and to certify the accuracy of breath testing equipment. The Illinois State Police shall prescribe rules as necessary.

(2) When a person submits to a blood test at the request of a law enforcement officer under the provisions of this Section, only a physician authorized to practice medicine, a licensed physician assistant, a licensed advanced practice registered nurse, a registered nurse, or other qualified person trained in venipuncture and acting under the direction of a licensed physician may withdraw blood for the purpose of determining the alcohol content. This limitation does not apply to the taking of breath, other bodily substance, or urine specimens.

(3) The person tested may have a physician, qualified technician, chemist, registered nurse, or other qualified person of his or her own choosing administer a chemical test or tests in addition to any test or tests administered at the direction of a law enforcement officer. The test administered at the request of the person may be admissible into evidence at a hearing conducted in accordance with Section 2-118 of this Code. The failure or inability to obtain an additional test by a person shall not preclude the consideration of the previously performed chemical test.

(4) Upon a request of the person who submits to a chemical test or tests at the request of a law enforcement officer, full information concerning the test or tests shall be made available to the person or that person's attorney by the requesting law enforcement agency within 72 hours of receipt of the test result.

(5) Alcohol concentration means either grams of alcohol per 100 milliliters of blood or grams of alcohol per 210 liters of breath.

(6) If a driver is receiving medical treatment as a result of a motor vehicle crash, a physician licensed to practice medicine, licensed physician assistant, licensed advanced practice registered nurse, registered nurse, or other qualified person trained in venipuncture and acting under the direction of a licensed physician shall withdraw blood for testing purposes to ascertain the presence of alcohol upon the specific request of a law enforcement officer. However, that testing shall not be performed until, in the opinion of the medical personnel on scene, the withdrawal can be made without interfering with or endangering the well-being of the patient.

(c) A person requested to submit to a test as provided in this Section shall be warned by the law enforcement officer requesting the test that a refusal to submit to the test, or submission to the test resulting in an alcohol concentration of more than 0.00, may result in the loss of that person's privilege to possess a school bus driver permit. The loss of the individual's privilege to possess a school bus driver permit shall be imposed in accordance with Section 6-106.1b of this Code. A person requested to submit to a test under this Section shall also acknowledge, in writing, receipt of the warning required under this subsection (c). If the person refuses to acknowledge receipt of the warning, the law enforcement officer shall make a written notation on the warning that the person refused to sign the warning. A person's refusal to sign the warning shall not be evidence that the person was not read the warning.

(d) If the person refuses testing or submits to a test that discloses an alcohol concentration of more than 0.00, the law enforcement officer shall immediately submit a sworn report to the Secretary of State on a form prescribed by the Secretary of State certifying that the test or tests were requested under subsection (a) and the person refused to submit to a test or tests or submitted to testing which disclosed an alcohol concentration of more than 0.00. The law enforcement officer shall submit the same sworn report when a person who has been issued a school bus driver permit and who was operating a school bus or any other vehicle owned or operated by or for a public or private school, or a school operated by a religious institution, when the vehicle is being used over a regularly scheduled route for the transportation of persons enrolled as students in grade 12 or below, in connection with any activity of the entities listed, submits to testing under Section 11-501.1 of this Code and the testing discloses an alcohol concentration of more than 0.00 and less than the alcohol concentration at which driving or being in actual physical control of a motor vehicle is prohibited under paragraph (1) of subsection (a) of Section 11-501.

Upon receipt of the sworn report of a law enforcement officer, the Secretary of State shall enter the school bus driver permit sanction on the individual's driving record and the sanction shall be effective on the 46th day following the date notice of the sanction was given to the person.

The law enforcement officer submitting the sworn report shall serve immediate notice of this school bus driver permit sanction on the person and the sanction shall be effective on the 46th day following the date notice was given.

In cases where the blood alcohol concentration of more than 0.00 is established by a subsequent analysis of blood, other bodily substance, or urine, the police officer or arresting agency shall give notice as provided in this Section or by deposit in the United States mail of that notice in an envelope with postage prepaid and addressed to that person at his or her last known address and the loss of the school bus driver permit shall be effective on the 46th day following the date notice was given.

Upon receipt of the sworn report of a law enforcement officer, the Secretary of State shall also give notice of the school bus driver permit sanction to the driver and the driver's current employer by mailing a notice of the effective date of the sanction to the individual. However, shall the sworn report be defective by not containing sufficient information or be completed in error, the notice of the school bus driver permit sanction may not be mailed to the person or his current employer or entered to the driving record, but rather the sworn report shall be returned to the issuing law enforcement agency.

(e) A driver may contest this school bus driver permit sanction by requesting an administrative hearing with the Secretary of State in accordance with Section 2-118 of this Code. An individual whose blood alcohol concentration is shown to be more than 0.00 is not subject to this Section if he or she consumed alcohol in the performance of a religious service or ceremony. An individual whose blood alcohol concentration is shown to be more than 0.00 shall not be subject to this Section if the individual's blood alcohol concentration resulted only from ingestion of the prescribed or recommended dosage of medicine that contained alcohol. The petition for that hearing shall not stay or delay the effective date of the impending suspension. The scope of this hearing shall be limited to the issues of:

(1) whether the police officer had probable cause to believe that the person was driving or in actual physical control of a school bus or any other vehicle owned or operated by or for a public or private school, or a school operated by a religious institution, when the vehicle is being used over a regularly scheduled route for the transportation of persons enrolled as students in grade 12 or below, in connection with any activity of the entities listed, upon the public highways of the State and the police officer had reason to believe that the person was in violation of any provision of this Code or a similar provision of a local ordinance; and

(2) whether the person was issued a Uniform Traffic Ticket for any violation of this Code or a similar provision of a local ordinance; and

(3) whether the police officer had probable cause to believe that the driver had consumed any amount of an alcoholic beverage based upon the driver's physical actions or other first-hand knowledge of the police officer; and

(4) whether the person, after being advised by the officer that the privilege to possess a school bus driver permit would be canceled if the person refused to submit to and complete the test or tests, did refuse to submit to or complete the test or tests to determine the person's alcohol concentration; and

(5) whether the person, after being advised by the officer that the privileges to possess a school bus driver permit would be canceled if the person submits to a chemical test or tests and the test or tests disclose an alcohol concentration of more than 0.00 and the person did submit to and complete the test or tests that determined an alcohol concentration of more than 0.00; and

(6) whether the test result of an alcohol concentration of more than 0.00 was based upon the person's consumption of alcohol in the performance of a religious service or ceremony; and

(7) whether the test result of an alcohol concentration of more than 0.00 was based upon the person's consumption of alcohol through ingestion of the prescribed or recommended dosage of medicine.

The Secretary of State may adopt administrative rules setting forth circumstances under which the holder of a school bus driver permit is not required to appear in person at the hearing.

Provided that the petitioner may subpoena the officer, the hearing may be conducted upon a review of the law enforcement officer's own official reports. Failure of the officer to answer the subpoena shall be grounds for a continuance if, in the hearing officer's discretion, the continuance is appropriate. At the conclusion of the hearing held under Section 2-118 of this Code, the Secretary of State may rescind, continue, or modify the school bus driver permit sanction.

(f) The results of any chemical testing performed in accordance with subsection (a) of this Section are not admissible in any civil or criminal proceeding, except that the results of the testing may be considered at a hearing held under Section 2-118 of this Code. However, the results of the testing may not be used to impose driver's license sanctions under Section 11-501.1 of this Code. A law enforcement officer may, however, pursue a statutory summary suspension or revocation of driving privileges under Section 11-501.1 of this Code if other physical evidence or first hand knowledge forms the basis of that suspension or revocation.

(g) This Section applies only to drivers who have been issued a school bus driver permit in accordance with Section 6-106.1 of this Code at the time of the issuance of the Uniform Traffic Ticket for a violation of this Code or a similar provision of a local ordinance, and a chemical test request is made under this Section.

(h) The action of the Secretary of State in suspending, revoking, canceling, or denying any license, permit, registration, or certificate of title shall be subject to judicial review in the Circuit Court of Sangamon County or in the Circuit Court of Cook County, and the provisions of the Administrative Review Law and its rules are hereby adopted and shall apply to and govern every action for the judicial review of final acts or decisions of the Secretary of State under this Section.

(Source: P.A. 102-538, eff. 8-20-21; 102-982, eff. 7-1-23.)