State of Illinois
92nd General Assembly
Legislation

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92_HB0130

 
                                               LRB9201556ARsb

 1        AN ACT concerning health care facilities.

 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    Interference with Access to Health Care Facilities Act.

 6        Section 5.  Cause of action.  Any person  who,  with  the
 7    intent  to  prevent another person from entering or exiting a
 8    health care facility, violates Section 10-3, 10-3.1, 12-2, or
 9    12-6 of the Criminal Code of 1961 or commits the  offense  of
10    unlawful  interference  with  access to health care under the
11    Criminal Code of 1961 is liable to any  person  aggrieved  by
12    that  conduct,  including  but  not  limited  to  the owners,
13    employees, officers, or agents of the health  care  facility,
14    as  well  as  to  any person whose lawful efforts to enter or
15    leave the facility are obstructed, impeded, or hindered.

16        Section 10.   Damages;  injunctive  relief;  costs.   The
17    aggrieved  person may bring a civil action under this Act and
18    obtain the greater of actual damages or  liquidated  damages,
19    injunctive relief, and reasonable attorney's fees and costs.

20        Section 15.  Definitions.  As used in this Act:
21        (1)  "Actual  damages"  shall  be  treble  the  amount of
22    damages proved by the plaintiff.  Proof of actual damages may
23    include evidence of pain, suffering, and emotional distress.
24        (2)  "Liquidated damages" shall be $5,000.
25        (3)  "Injunctive relief" may include, but is not  limited
26    to:  (i)  the  imposition of a buffer zone of no more than 50
27    feet around the health care  facility  in  which  individuals
28    shall be prohibited from congregating, picketing, patrolling,
29    demonstrating, or entering with the intent to obstruct access
 
                            -2-                LRB9201556ARsb
 1    to   the   clinic,  block  vehicular  traffic,  or  otherwise
 2    unlawfully interfere with the clinic's  operation;  and  (ii)
 3    the  imposition  of  a noise restriction in which individuals
 4    shall  be  prohibited  from  singing,  chanting,   whistling,
 5    shouting,  or using bullhorns, sound amplification equipment,
 6    or making or causing other sounds within hearing of  patients
 7    inside  the  clinic  with  the intent to unlawfully interfere
 8    with the clinic's operation.

 9        Section 900. The Criminal Code  of  1961  is  amended  by
10    adding Article 21.4 as follows:

11        (720 ILCS 5/Article 21.4 heading new)
12        ARTICLE 21.4. INTERFERENCE WITH ACCESS TO HEALTH CARE

13        (720 ILCS 5/21.4-1 new)
14        Sec. 21.4-1.  Unlawful interference with access to health
15    care.   A person commits the offense of unlawful interference
16    with access to health  care  when  he  or  she  intentionally
17    prevents  or  attempts to prevent an individual from entering
18    or exiting a health care facility by physically detaining the
19    individual or physically obstructing, hindering, or  impeding
20    the individual's passage.

21        (720 ILCS 5/21.4-2 new)
22        Sec.  21.4-2.  Definition.   As  used  in  this  Article,
23    "health  care  facility"  means  a private or public facility
24    that provides health care services directly  to  any  person,
25    including  but  not  limited to, a hospital, clinic, licensed
26    health    practitioner's    office,    health     maintenance
27    organization, or diagnostic or treatment center.

28        (720 ILCS 5/21.4-3 new)
29        Sec.  21.4-3.  Penalty. Unlawful interference with access
 
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 1    to health care is a Class A misdemeanor.

 2        (720 ILCS 5/21.4-4 new)
 3        Sec. 21.4-4. Exemptions.  This Article does not  prohibit
 4    any of the following:
 5        (1)  Lawful  conduct  protected by the First Amendment to
 6    the United States Constitution  or  by  Section  4  or  5  of
 7    Article I of the Illinois Constitution.
 8        (2)  Lawful  conduct by an officer, employee, or agent of
 9    the health care facility.
10        (3)  Lawful conduct by a peace officer  while  performing
11    his or her official duties.
12        (4)  Lawful  conduct  by  a  party  to a labor dispute in
13    furtherance  of  labor  or  management  objectives  in   that
14    dispute.

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