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1 | AN ACT concerning ethics.
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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 State Officials and Employees Ethics Act is | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
5 | amended by changing Section 20-50 as follows: | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
6 | (5 ILCS 430/20-50)
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7 | Sec. 20-50. Investigation reports; complaint procedure.
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8 | (a) If an Executive Inspector General, upon the conclusion | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
9 | of an
investigation, determines that reasonable cause exists to | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
10 | believe that a
violation
has occurred, then
the Executive | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
11 | Inspector General shall issue a summary report of the
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12 | investigation. The report shall be delivered to the
appropriate | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
13 | ultimate jurisdictional
authority and to the head of each State
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14 | agency
affected by or involved in the investigation, if | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
15 | appropriate. In the event that the head of the State agency or | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
16 | the ultimate jurisdictional authority agrees with the | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
17 | Executive Inspector General, on the basis of the investigation, | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
18 | to impose discipline of any kind on a State employee, including | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
19 | but not limited to reprimand, discharge, suspension, demotion, | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
20 | change in duties or job description, or denial of promotion or | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
21 | transfer, then within 30 days after that agreement the | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
22 | Executive Inspector General shall deliver to the Executive | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
23 | Ethics Commission the summary report of the investigation, | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
24 | provided that all confidential information has been redacted. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
25 | Within 5 days, the Commission shall provide the State employee | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
26 | subject to the agreed discipline with the redacted report and | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
27 | allow the State employee 30 days in which to provide in writing | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
28 | any reason why the redacted report should not be released to | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
29 | the public. Within the same period, the Executive Inspector | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
30 | General who issued the report may also provide in writing a | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
31 | recommendation to the Commission about whether or not the | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
32 | redacted report should be released to the public. Within 21 |
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1 | days after the expiration of the 30-day period for response by | ||||||
2 | the State employee and Executive Inspector General, the | ||||||
3 | Commission shall either: (1) make a written finding that | ||||||
4 | release of the redacted report is fair and in the public | ||||||
5 | interest and release the report; or (2) make a written finding | ||||||
6 | that release of the report is not fair, or not in the public | ||||||
7 | interest, and return the redacted report to the Executive | ||||||
8 | Inspector General. The Commission may also require further | ||||||
9 | redactions prior to the release of the report or may delay its | ||||||
10 | finding pending the conclusion of related judicial or | ||||||
11 | administrative proceedings.
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12 | (b) The summary report of the investigation shall include | ||||||
13 | the following:
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14 | (1) A description of any allegations or other | ||||||
15 | information
received by the Executive Inspector General | ||||||
16 | pertinent to the
investigation.
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17 | (2) A description of any alleged misconduct discovered | ||||||
18 | in the
course of the investigation.
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19 | (3) Recommendations for any corrective or disciplinary
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20 | action to be taken in response to any alleged misconduct | ||||||
21 | described in the
report, including but not limited to | ||||||
22 | discharge.
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23 | (4) Other information the Executive Inspector General
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24 | deems relevant to the investigation or resulting | ||||||
25 | recommendations.
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26 | (c) Not less than 30 days after delivery of the summary | ||||||
27 | report of
an
investigation under subsection (a),
if the | ||||||
28 | Executive Inspector General desires to file a petition for | ||||||
29 | leave to file
a
complaint, the Executive Inspector General | ||||||
30 | shall notify the Commission and the
Attorney General.
If the | ||||||
31 | Attorney General determines
that reasonable cause exists to | ||||||
32 | believe that a violation has occurred, then the
Executive | ||||||
33 | Inspector
General, represented by the Attorney
General, may | ||||||
34 | file with the Executive Ethics Commission a petition for
leave | ||||||
35 | to file a complaint.
The petition shall set
forth the alleged | ||||||
36 | violation and the
grounds that exist to support the petition. |
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1 | The petition for leave to
file a complaint must be filed with | ||||||
2 | the Commission within 18 months
after the most recent act of | ||||||
3 | the
alleged violation or of a series of alleged violations
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4 | except where there is reasonable cause to believe
that | ||||||
5 | fraudulent concealment has occurred. To constitute fraudulent | ||||||
6 | concealment
sufficient to toll this limitations period, there | ||||||
7 | must be an affirmative act or
representation calculated to | ||||||
8 | prevent discovery of the fact that a violation has
occurred.
If | ||||||
9 | a petition for leave to file a complaint is not filed with the | ||||||
10 | Commission
within 6 months after notice by the Inspector | ||||||
11 | General to the Commission and the
Attorney General, then the | ||||||
12 | Commission may set a meeting of the Commission at
which the | ||||||
13 | Attorney General shall appear and provide a status
report to | ||||||
14 | the Commission.
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15 | (d) A copy of the petition must be served on all | ||||||
16 | respondents named in the
complaint and on each respondent's | ||||||
17 | ultimate jurisdictional authority in
the same manner as process | ||||||
18 | is served under the Code of Civil
Procedure.
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19 | (e) A respondent may file objections to the petition for | ||||||
20 | leave to
file a complaint within 30 days after notice of the | ||||||
21 | petition has been
served on the respondent.
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22 | (f) The Commission shall meet, either in person or by | ||||||
23 | telephone,
in a closed session to review the sufficiency of the | ||||||
24 | complaint.
If the Commission finds that complaint is | ||||||
25 | sufficient, the Commission shall
grant the petition for leave | ||||||
26 | to file the
complaint.
The Commission shall
issue notice to the | ||||||
27 | Executive Inspector General and all respondents of
the | ||||||
28 | Commission's ruling on the sufficiency of the complaint. If the | ||||||
29 | complaint
is deemed to
sufficiently allege a violation of this | ||||||
30 | Act, then the Commission shall notify
the parties and shall
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31 | include a hearing date scheduled within 4 weeks after the date | ||||||
32 | of the notice,
unless all of the parties consent to a later | ||||||
33 | date.
If the complaint is deemed not to sufficiently allege a
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34 | violation, then
the Commission shall send by certified mail, | ||||||
35 | return receipt requested,
a notice to the parties of the | ||||||
36 | decision to dismiss the complaint.
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1 | (g) On the scheduled date
the Commission shall conduct a | ||||||
2 | closed meeting,
either in person or, if the parties consent, by | ||||||
3 | telephone, on the complaint and
allow all
parties the | ||||||
4 | opportunity to present testimony and evidence.
All such | ||||||
5 | proceedings shall be transcribed.
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6 | (h) Within an appropriate time limit set by rules of the | ||||||
7 | Executive
Ethics Commission, the Commission shall (i) dismiss | ||||||
8 | the
complaint or (ii) issue a recommendation of discipline to | ||||||
9 | the
respondent and the respondent's ultimate jurisdictional | ||||||
10 | authority or
impose an administrative fine upon the respondent, | ||||||
11 | or both.
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12 | (i) The proceedings on any complaint filed with the | ||||||
13 | Commission
shall be conducted pursuant to rules promulgated by | ||||||
14 | the Commission.
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15 | (j) The Commission may designate hearing officers
to | ||||||
16 | conduct proceedings as determined by rule of the Commission.
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17 | (k) In all proceedings before the Commission, the standard | ||||||
18 | of
proof is by a preponderance of the evidence.
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19 | (l) When the Inspector General concludes that there is | ||||||
20 | insufficient
evidence that a violation has occurred, the | ||||||
21 | Inspector General shall close the
investigation. At the request | ||||||
22 | of the subject of the investigation, the
Inspector
General | ||||||
23 | shall provide a written statement to the subject of the | ||||||
24 | investigation
and to the Commission of
the Inspector General's | ||||||
25 | decision to close the investigation. Closure by the
Inspector | ||||||
26 | General does not bar the Inspector General from resuming the
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27 | investigation if circumstances warrant.
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28 | (Source: P.A. 93-617, eff. 12-9-03.)
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