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1 | AN ACT concerning government.
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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 | ARTICLE 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
5 | Section 1-1. Short title. This Article may be cited as the | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
6 | Burden of Proof Act. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
7 | Section 1-5. Burden of proof. In all civil proceedings in | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
8 | the circuit courts of this State in which the State or any of | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
9 | its agencies is an adversary of a citizen or legal resident of | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
10 | the United States, the burden of proof shall be upon the State, | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
11 | notwithstanding any law to the contrary.
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12 | ARTICLE 5 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
13 | Section 5-1. Short title. This Article may be cited as the | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
14 | Illinois Citizens' Grievance Panel Act of 2008. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
15 | Section 5-5. Definitions.
As used in this Article: | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
16 | "Panel" means the Illinois Citizens' Grievance Panel. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
17 | "State agency" has the meaning of that term in Section 1-5 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
18 | of the State Officials and Employees Ethics Act. |
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1 | Section 5-10. Panel established. The Illinois Citizens' | ||||||
2 | Grievance Panel is created as a separate and independent agency | ||||||
3 | within State government. | ||||||
4 | Section 5-15. Panelists. | ||||||
5 | (a) The Panel shall consist of 9 citizen members. Four of | ||||||
6 | the members shall be appointed one each by the Speaker and | ||||||
7 | Minority Leader of the House of Representatives and the | ||||||
8 | President and Minority Leader of the Senate. Five members shall | ||||||
9 | be appointed one each by the Lieutenant Governor, Attorney | ||||||
10 | General, Secretary of State, State Comptroller, and State | ||||||
11 | Treasurer. | ||||||
12 | (b) Panelists shall serve 2-year terms and may be | ||||||
13 | reappointed. A vacancy shall be filled by the appointing | ||||||
14 | authority for the remainder of the term. | ||||||
15 | (c) The Panel shall annually elect, by majority vote, one | ||||||
16 | of its members to serve as chairperson. Five panelists | ||||||
17 | constitute a quorum, and the affirmative vote of a majority of | ||||||
18 | panelists is necessary to take action. | ||||||
19 | (d) Panelists, other than the chairperson, appointed by a | ||||||
20 | legislative leader shall receive annual compensation equal to | ||||||
21 | the annual base compensation of a State Representative. The | ||||||
22 | other panelists, including the chairperson, shall receive | ||||||
23 | annual compensation equal to the annual base compensation of a | ||||||
24 | circuit judge. |
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1 | Section 5-20. Executive director; staff.
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2 | (a) The Panel, by majority vote, shall appoint an executive | ||||||
3 | director who shall receive annual compensation equal to the | ||||||
4 | annual base compensation of a circuit judge. | ||||||
5 | (b) The executive director may employ and determine the | ||||||
6 | compensation of staff necessary for the Panel to perform its | ||||||
7 | functions. | ||||||
8 | Section 5-25. Hearing of grievances. | ||||||
9 | (a) The Panel is authorized to hear all grievances brought | ||||||
10 | before it by citizens of the United States against the State | ||||||
11 | and its agencies. Decisions of the Panel may be introduced as | ||||||
12 | evidence at a subsequent administrative or judicial action, and | ||||||
13 | the Panel may negotiate with State agencies in an effort to | ||||||
14 | redress grievances; should those negotiations fail with | ||||||
15 | respect to any grievance, the Panel may make its decision | ||||||
16 | public. | ||||||
17 | (b) The Panel may hear a citizen grievance as a whole or | ||||||
18 | may delegate that responsibility to individual panelists or to | ||||||
19 | sub panels composed of panelists. More than half of the | ||||||
20 | hearings conducted by any of these means annually must be | ||||||
21 | conducted in the State outside of the cities of Springfield and | ||||||
22 | Chicago. | ||||||
23 | Section 5-30. Website. Under the direction of the Panel, | ||||||
24 | the Panel staff shall establish and maintain an Internet |
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1 | website that describes the Panel's work, the process of filing | ||||||
2 | a grievance, and a schedule of dates, times, and locations of | ||||||
3 | upcoming Panel hearings. The website shall not be under the | ||||||
4 | control or supervision of any other State officer or agency, | ||||||
5 | including without limitation the Governor and the Department of | ||||||
6 | Central Management Services. | ||||||
7 | Section 5-35. Freedom of Information Act. The books, | ||||||
8 | papers, and records of the Panel are specifically exempt from | ||||||
9 | the requirements of the Freedom of Information Act. The Panel | ||||||
10 | may make any record public upon its own initiative. | ||||||
11 | Section 5-40. Rules. The Panel shall adopt rules for its | ||||||
12 | operations in accordance with the Illinois Administrative | ||||||
13 | Procedure Act. | ||||||
14 | Section 5-45. Reports. By January 1 of each year, the Panel | ||||||
15 | shall report to the Governor and General Assembly upon its | ||||||
16 | operations and activities.
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17 | ARTICLE 95 | ||||||
18 | Section 95-5. The Illinois Administrative Procedure Act is | ||||||
19 | amended by adding Section 10-42 as follows: | ||||||
20 | (5 ILCS 100/10-42 new) |
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1 | Sec. 10-42. Burden of proof. In all administrative | ||||||
2 | adjudications in which the State of Illinois or any of its | ||||||
3 | agencies is an adversary of a citizen or legal resident of the | ||||||
4 | United States, including but not limited to tax adjudications | ||||||
5 | within the Department of Revenue, the burden of proof shall be | ||||||
6 | upon the State, notwithstanding any law to the contrary.
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