SB2552eng 95TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SB2552 Engrossed LRB095 19700 DRJ 46060 b

AN ACT concerning State government.

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

Section 2. The Department of Public Health Powers and Duties Law of the Civil Administrative Code of Illinois is amended by adding Section 2310-186 as follows:

(20 ILCS 2310/2310-186 new)

Sec. 2310-186. Criminal history record checks; task force. The Department shall create a task force to examine the process used by State and local governmental agencies to conduct criminal history record checks as a condition of employment or approval to render provider services to such an agency. The task force shall be comprised of representatives from State and local agencies that require an applicant to undergo a fingerprint-based criminal history record check pursuant to State law or agencies that are contemplating such a requirement. The task force shall include but need not be limited to representatives from the Department of State Police, the Department of Children and Family Services, the Department of Financial and Professional Regulation, the Department of Public Health, the Department of Human Services, the Office of the Secretary of State, and the Illinois State Board of Education, and representatives from large regional school districts. The task force shall review and make recommendations to create a more centralized and coordinated process for conducting criminal history record checks in order to reduce duplication of effort and make better use of resources and more efficient use of taxpayer dollars.

The task force shall provide a plan to revise the criminal history record check process to the General Assembly by February 1, 2009. The plan shall address the following issues:

(1) Identification of any areas of concern that have been identified by stakeholders and task force members regarding State-mandated criminal history record checks.

(2) Evaluation of the feasibility of using an applicant's initial criminal history record information results for subsequent employment or licensing screening purposes.

(3) Evaluation of the feasibility of centralizing the screening of criminal history record information inquiry responses.

(4) Identification and evaluation of existing technologies that could be utilized to eliminate the need for a subsequent fingerprint inquiry each time an applicant changes employment or seeks a license requiring a criminal history record inquiry.

(5) Evaluation of what other states are doing to address similar concerns.

(6) Identification of programs serving vulnerable populations that do not currently require criminal history record information to determine whether those programs should be included in a centralized screening of criminal history record information.

(7) Preparation of a report for the General Assembly proposing solutions that can be adopted to eliminate the duplication of applicant fingerprint submissions and the duplication of criminal records check response screening efforts and to minimize the costs of conducting State and FBI fingerprint-based inquiries in Illinois.

Section 5. The Illinois Public Aid Code is amended by changing Section 9A-11.5 as follows:

(305 ILCS 5/9A-11.5)

Sec. 9A-11.5. Investigate child care providers. Any child care provider receiving funds from the child care assistance program under this Code who is not required to be licensed under the Child Care Act of 1969 shall, as a condition of eligibility to participate in the child care assistance program under this Code, do the following:

(1) Authorize authorize in writing on a form prescribed by the Department of Children and Family Services, periodic investigations of the Central Register, as defined in the Abused and Neglected Child Reporting Act, to ascertain if the child care provider has been determined to be a perpetrator in an indicated report of child abuse or neglect. The Department of Children and Family Services shall conduct an investigation of the Central Register at the request of the Department. The Department shall request the Department of Children and Family Services to conduct periodic investigations of the Central Register.

(2) Authorize in writing an investigation to determine if the child care provider has ever been charged with a crime and, if so, the disposition of those charges. Upon this authorization, the Department shall request and receive information and assistance from any federal, State, or local governmental agency as part of the authorized investigation. The Department of State Police shall provide information concerning any criminal charges, and their disposition, whether filed before or on or after the effective date of this amendatory Act of the 95th General Assembly, against a child care provider upon the request of the Department when the request is made in the form and manner required by the Department of State Police. Any information concerning criminal charges and the disposition of those charges obtained by the Department is confidential and may not be transmitted (i) outside the Department except as required in this Section or (ii) to anyone within the Department except as needed for the purposes of determining participation in the child care assistance program.

The Department shall by rule determine when payment to an unlicensed child care provider may be withheld if there is an indicated finding against the provider based on the results of the Central Register search and the criminal background information obtained by the Department in the Central Register.

(Source: P.A. 92-825, eff. 8-21-02.)

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