Public Act 096-0494
 		





HB0562 Enrolled
LRB096 04824 DRJ 14889 b






    AN ACT concerning abuse.

 
    Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
 
represented in the General Assembly:



 
    Section 5. The Humane Care for Animals Act is amended  by 
adding Section 18 as follows:
 
    (510 ILCS 70/18  new)
    Sec. 18. Cross-reporting.
    (a) An animal control officer, Department investigator, or 
approved humane investigator who has reasonable cause to 
suspect or believe that a child is being abused or neglected or 
is in danger of being abused or neglected must immediately make 
a written or oral report to the Department of Children and 
Family Services.
    (b) Investigation Specialists, Intact Family Specialists, 
and Placement Specialists employed by the Department of 
Children and Family Services who reasonably believe that an 
animal observed by them when in their professional or official 
capacity is being abused or neglected in violation of this Act 
must immediately make a written or oral report to the 
Department of Agriculture's Bureau of Animal Health and 
Welfare. However, the Department of Children and Family 
Services may not discipline an Investigation Specialist, an 
Intact Family Specialist, or a Placement Specialist for failing 
to make such a report if the Specialist determines that  making 
the report would interfere with the performance of his or her 
child welfare protection duties.
    (c) Except for willful and wanton misconduct, any person, 
institution, or agency described in subsection (a) or (b), 
participating in good faith in the making of a report or 
referral, or in the investigation of such a report or referral, 
or in making a disclosure of information concerning reports of 
abuse or neglect under this Act, shall have immunity from any 
liability, civil, criminal, or otherwise, that might result by 
reason of such actions.
    (d) The identity of any person who reports animal abuse or 
neglect under subsection (a) or (b) shall be confidential and 
shall not be disclosed except as specifically authorized by 
this Act or other applicable law.
    (e) A home rule unit may not regulate the reporting of 
child abuse or neglect in a manner inconsistent with the 
provisions of this Section. This Section is a limitation under 
subsection (i) of Section 6 of Article VII of the Illinois 
Constitution on the concurrent exercise by home rule units of 
powers and functions exercised by the State.
 
    Section 10. The Abused and Neglected Child Reporting Act is 
amended  by changing Section 4 and  by adding Section 11.8 as 
follows:
 



    (325 ILCS 5/4)  (from Ch. 23, par. 2054)


    Sec. 4. Persons required to report; privileged 
communications;
transmitting false report.   Any physician, 
resident, intern, hospital,
hospital administrator
and 
personnel engaged in examination, care and treatment of 
persons, surgeon,
dentist, dentist hygienist, osteopath, 
chiropractor, podiatrist, physician
assistant, substance abuse 
treatment personnel, funeral home
director or employee, 
coroner, medical examiner, emergency medical technician,

acupuncturist, crisis line or hotline personnel, school 
personnel (including administrators and both certified and 
non-certified school employees), educational
advocate assigned 
to a child pursuant to the School Code, member of a school 
board or the Chicago Board of Education or the governing body 
of a private school (but only to the extent required in 
accordance with other provisions of this Section expressly  
concerning the duty of school board members to report suspected 
child abuse), truant officers,
social worker, social services 
administrator,
domestic violence program personnel, registered 
nurse, licensed
practical nurse, genetic counselor,

respiratory care practitioner, advanced practice nurse, home

health aide, director or staff
assistant of a nursery school or 
a child day care center, recreational program
or facility 
personnel, law enforcement officer, licensed professional

counselor, licensed clinical professional counselor, 
registered psychologist
and
assistants working under the 
direct supervision of a psychologist,
psychiatrist, or field 
personnel of the Department of Healthcare and Family Services,

Juvenile Justice, Public Health, Human Services (acting as 
successor to the Department of Mental
Health and Developmental 
Disabilities, Rehabilitation Services, or Public Aid),

Corrections, Human Rights, or Children and Family Services, 
supervisor and
administrator of general assistance under the 
Illinois Public Aid Code,
probation officer, animal control 
officer or Illinois Department of Agriculture Bureau of Animal 
Health and Welfare field  investigator, or any other foster 
parent, homemaker or child care worker
having reasonable cause 
to believe a child known to them in their professional
or 
official capacity may be an abused child or a neglected child 
shall
immediately report or cause a report to be made to the 
Department.

    Any member of the clergy having reasonable cause to believe 
that a child
known to that member of the clergy in his or her 
professional capacity may be
an abused child as defined in item 
(c) of the definition of "abused child" in
Section 3 of this 
Act shall immediately report or cause a report to be made to

the Department.

    If an allegation is raised to a school board member during 
the course of an open or closed school board meeting that a 
child who is enrolled in the school district of which he or she 
is a board member is an abused child as defined in Section 3 of 
this Act, the member shall direct or cause the school board to 
direct the superintendent of the school district or other 
equivalent school administrator to comply with the 
requirements of this Act concerning the reporting of child 
abuse. For purposes of this paragraph, a school board member is 
granted the authority in his or her individual capacity to 
direct the superintendent of the school district or other 
equivalent school administrator to comply with the 
requirements of this Act concerning the reporting of child 
abuse.

    Notwithstanding any other provision of this Act, if an 
employee of a school district has made a report or caused a 
report to be made to the Department under this Act involving 
the conduct of a current or former employee of the school 
district and a request is made by another school district for 
the provision of information concerning the job performance or 
qualifications of the current or former employee because he or 
she is an applicant for employment with the requesting school 
district, the general superintendent of the school district to 
which the request is being made must disclose to the requesting 
school district the fact that an employee of the school 
district has made a report involving the conduct of the 
applicant or caused a report to be made to the Department, as 
required under this Act. Only the fact that an employee of the 
school district has made a report involving the conduct of the 
applicant or caused a report to be made to the Department may 
be disclosed by the general superintendent of the school 
district to which the request for information concerning the 
applicant is made, and this fact may be disclosed only in cases 
where the employee and the general superintendent have not been 
informed by the Department that the allegations were unfounded. 
An employee of a school district who is or has been the subject 
of a report made pursuant to this Act during his or her 
employment with the school district must be informed by that 
school district that if he or she applies for employment with 
another school district, the general superintendent of the 
former school district, upon the request of the school district 
to which the employee applies, shall notify that requesting 
school district that the employee is or was the subject of such 
a report.

    Whenever
such person is required to report under this Act 
in his capacity as a member of
the staff of a medical or other 
public or private institution, school, facility
or agency, or 
as a member of the clergy, he shall
make report immediately to 
the Department in accordance
with the provisions of this Act 
and may also notify the person in charge of
such institution, 
school, facility or agency, or church, synagogue, temple,

mosque, or other religious institution, or his
designated agent 
that such
report has been made.  Under no circumstances shall 
any person in charge of
such institution, school, facility or 
agency, or church, synagogue, temple,
mosque, or other 
religious institution, or his
designated agent to whom
such 
notification has been made, exercise any control, restraint, 
modification
or other change in the report or the forwarding of 
such report to the
Department.

    The privileged quality of communication between any 
professional
person required to report
and his patient or 
client shall not apply to situations involving abused or

neglected children and shall not constitute grounds for failure 
to report
as required by this Act.

    A member of the clergy may claim the privilege under 
Section 8-803 of the
Code of Civil Procedure.

    In addition to the above persons required to
report 
suspected cases of abused or neglected children, any other 
person
may make a report if such person has reasonable cause to 
believe a child
may be an abused child or a neglected child.

    Any person who enters into
employment on and after July 1, 
1986 and is mandated by virtue of that
employment to report 
under this Act, shall sign a statement on a form
prescribed by 
the Department, to the effect that the employee has knowledge

and understanding of the reporting requirements of this Act.  
The statement
shall be signed prior to commencement of the 
employment.  The signed
statement shall be retained by the 
employer.  The cost of printing,
distribution, and filing of the 
statement shall be borne by the employer.

    The Department shall provide copies of this Act, upon 
request, to all
employers employing persons who shall be 
required under the provisions of
this Section to report under 
this Act.

    Any person who knowingly transmits a false report to the 
Department
commits the offense of disorderly conduct under 
subsection (a)(7) of
Section 26-1 of the "Criminal Code of 
1961". Any person who violates this
provision a second or 
subsequent time shall be guilty of a Class 3
felony.

    Any person who knowingly and willfully violates any 
provision of this
Section other than a second or subsequent 
violation of transmitting a
false report as described in the

preceding paragraph, is guilty of a
Class A misdemeanor for
a 
first violation and a Class
4 felony for a
second or subsequent 
violation; except that if the person acted as part
of a plan or 
scheme having as its object the
prevention of discovery of an 
abused or neglected child by lawful authorities
for the
purpose 
of protecting or insulating any person or entity from arrest or

prosecution, the
person is guilty of a Class 4 felony for a 
first offense and a Class 3 felony
for a second or
subsequent 
offense (regardless of whether the second or subsequent offense

involves any
of the same facts or persons as the first or other 
prior offense).

    A child whose parent, guardian or custodian in good faith 
selects and depends
upon spiritual means through prayer  alone 
for the treatment or cure of
disease or remedial care may be 
considered neglected or abused, but not for
the sole reason 
that his parent, guardian or custodian accepts and
practices 
such beliefs.

    A child shall not be considered neglected or abused solely 
because the
child is not attending school in accordance with 
the requirements of
Article 26 of the School Code, as amended.

    Nothing in this Act prohibits a mandated reporter who 
reasonably believes that an animal is being abused or neglected 
in violation of the Humane Care for Animals Act from reporting 
animal abuse or neglect to the Department of Agriculture's 
Bureau of Animal Health and Welfare.
    A home rule unit may not regulate the reporting of child 
abuse or neglect in a manner inconsistent with the provisions 
of this Section. This Section is a limitation under subsection 
(i) of Section 6 of Article VII of the Illinois Constitution on 
the concurrent exercise by home rule units of powers and 
functions exercised by the State. 
(Source: P.A. 94-888, eff. 6-20-06; 95-10, eff. 6-30-07; 
95-461, eff. 8-27-07; 95-876, eff. 8-21-08;  95-908, eff. 
8-26-08.)

 
    (325 ILCS 5/11.8  new)
    Sec. 11.8. Cross-reporting.
    (a) Investigation Specialists, Intact Family Specialists, 
and Placement Specialists employed by the Department of 
Children and Family Services who reasonably believe that an 
animal observed by them when in their professional or official 
capacity is being abused or neglected in violation of the 
Humane  Care for Animals Act must immediately make a written or 
oral report to the  Department of Agriculture's Bureau of Animal 
Health and Welfare. However, the Department of Children and 
Family Services may not discipline an Investigation 
Specialist, an Intact Family Specialist, or a Placement 
Specialist for failing to make such a report if the Specialist 
determines that  making the report would interfere with the 
performance of his or her child welfare protection duties.
    (b) A home rule unit may not regulate the reporting of 
child abuse or neglect in a manner inconsistent with the 
provisions of this Section. This Section is a limitation under 
subsection (i) of Section 6 of Article VII of the Illinois 
Constitution on the concurrent exercise by home rule units of 
powers and functions exercised by the State.
 
    Section 15. The State Mandates Act is amended  by adding 
Section 8.33 as follows:
 
    (30 ILCS 805/8.33  new)
    Sec. 8.33. Exempt mandate. Notwithstanding Sections 6 and 8 
of this Act, no reimbursement by the State is required for the 
implementation of any mandate created by this amendatory Act of 
the 96th General Assembly.
 

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