State of Illinois
92nd General Assembly
Legislation

   [ Search ]   [ PDF text ]   [ Legislation ]   
[ Home ]   [ Back ]   [ Bottom ]



92_HB2231

 
                                               LRB9207431TAtm

 1        AN ACT concerning children and family services.

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

 4        Section 5.  The  Children  and  Family  Services  Act  is
 5    amended  by adding Section 4b and by changing Section 35.5 as
 6    follows:

 7        (20 ILCS 505/4b new)
 8        Sec. 4b.  Required investigations.  The  Department  must
 9    investigate  any  complaint  of  alleged  neglect or abuse to
10    minors or group care residents ages 17 through 21 who are  in
11    any  home  or child care institution licensed by or under the
12    jurisdiction of  the  Department.   In  connection  with  the
13    investigations  required by this Section, the Department must
14    make any initial, preliminary,  and  final  reports  required
15    under the Abused and Neglected Child Reporting Act.

16        (20 ILCS 505/35.5)
17        Sec. 35.5.  Inspector General.
18        (a)  The  Governor  shall  appoint,  and the Senate shall
19    confirm, an Inspector General who shall have the authority to
20    conduct investigations into allegations of  or  incidents  of
21    possible  misconduct, misfeasance, malfeasance, or violations
22    of rules, procedures, or laws by any employee, foster parent,
23    service provider, or contractor of the Department of Children
24    and Family Services. The Inspector General is  authorized  to
25    investigate  any  complaint  of  alleged  neglect or abuse to
26    minors or group care residents ages 17 through 21 who are  in
27    any  home  or child care institution licensed by or under the
28    jurisdiction of the Department. The Inspector  General  shall
29    make  recommendations  to the Director of Children and Family
30    Services concerning sanctions or disciplinary actions against
 
                            -2-                LRB9207431TAtm
 1    Department employees or providers of service  under  contract
 2    to  the  Department.   Any  investigation  conducted  by  the
 3    Inspector  General shall be independent and separate from the
 4    investigation mandated by  the  Abused  and  Neglected  Child
 5    Reporting  Act.  The Inspector General shall be appointed for
 6    a  term  of  4  years.   The  Inspector  General   shall   be
 7    independent  of  the  operations  of the Department and shall
 8    report to the Director of Children and  Family  Services  and
 9    the  Governor  and  perform  other  duties  the  Director may
10    designate.   The  Inspector  General  shall  adopt  rules  as
11    necessary to carry out the functions, purposes, and duties of
12    the office of Inspector General in the Department of Children
13    and  Family  Services,  in  accordance  with   the   Illinois
14    Administrative Procedure Act and any other applicable law.
15        (b)  The  Inspector  General  shall  have  access  to all
16    information and personnel necessary to perform the duties  of
17    the  office.   To  minimize  duplication  of  efforts, and to
18    assure consistency and conformance with the requirements  and
19    procedures  established  in  the B.H. v. Suter consent decree
20    and  to  share  resources  when  appropriate,  the  Inspector
21    General shall coordinate  his  or  her  activities  with  the
22    Bureau of Quality Assurance within the Department.
23        (c)  The  Inspector  General shall be the primary liaison
24    between the Department and the  Department  of  State  Police
25    with  regard  to investigations conducted under the Inspector
26    General's auspices. If the Inspector General determines  that
27    a  possible  criminal act has been committed, or that special
28    expertise is required in the investigation, he or  she  shall
29    immediately  notify  the  Department  of  State  Police.  All
30    investigations  conducted  by  the Inspector General shall be
31    conducted in a manner designed to ensure the preservation  of
32    evidence for possible use in a criminal prosecution.
33        (d)  The   Inspector   General   may   recommend  to  the
34    Department of Children and Family Services, the Department of
 
                            -3-                LRB9207431TAtm
 1    Public Health, or any other appropriate agency, sanctions  to
 2    be  imposed  against service providers under the jurisdiction
 3    of or under contract with the Department for  the  protection
 4    of  children  in the custody or under the guardianship of the
 5    Department who received services from those  providers.   The
 6    Inspector  General  may  seek  the assistance of the Attorney
 7    General or any of the several State's Attorneys  in  imposing
 8    sanctions.
 9        (e)  The  Inspector General shall at all times be granted
10    access to any foster home, facility, or program operated  for
11    or licensed or funded by the Department.
12        (f)  Nothing  in  this Section shall limit investigations
13    by the Department of Children and Family  Services  that  may
14    otherwise be required by law or that may be necessary in that
15    Department's capacity as the central administrative authority
16    for child welfare.
17        (g)  The  Inspector  General  shall  have  the  power  to
18    subpoena  witnesses  and  compel  the production of books and
19    papers pertinent to an investigation authorized by this  Act.
20    The  power  to  subpoena or to compel the production of books
21    and papers, however,  shall  not  extend  to  the  person  or
22    documents  of  a  labor  organization  or its representatives
23    insofar as the person or documents of  a  labor  organization
24    relate to the function of representing an employee subject to
25    investigation under this Act.  Any person who fails to appear
26    in  response  to  a  subpoena  or  to  answer any question or
27    produce any books or papers  pertinent  to  an  investigation
28    under this Act, except as otherwise provided in this Section,
29    or  who  knowingly  gives  false  testimony in relation to an
30    investigation  under  this  Act  is  guilty  of  a  Class   A
31    misdemeanor.
32        (h)  The  Inspector  General shall provide to the General
33    Assembly and the Governor, no later than January  1  of  each
34    year, a summary of reports and investigations made under this
 
                            -4-                LRB9207431TAtm
 1    Section  for  the  prior  fiscal  year.   The summaries shall
 2    detail the imposition of sanctions and the final  disposition
 3    of  those  recommendations.   The summaries shall not contain
 4    any confidential or identifying  information  concerning  the
 5    subjects  of  the  reports and investigations.  The summaries
 6    also  shall  include  detailed   recommended   administrative
 7    actions   and   matters  for  consideration  by  the  General
 8    Assembly.
 9    (Source: P.A. 90-512, eff. 8-22-97.)

[ Top ]