HB4098 97TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

LRB097 16359 AJO 61517 b

97TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2011 and 2012
HB4098

Introduced , by Rep. Dwight Kay - Paul Evans

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:

705 ILCS 5/20 new

Amends the Supreme Court Act. Provides that the Supreme Court shall establish rules requiring that immediately upon the assignment of a matter to a judge, an attorney in the matter must disclose to the court and parties to the matter any campaign contribution made to that judge by the attorney or the attorney's law firm. Provides that the rules shall provide that in the event that the aggregate of any campaign contributions in excess of $500 was made in the past 5 years to the judge's campaign by the attorney or the attorney's law firm, the judge shall disqualify himself or herself upon timely application made by a party to the matter who has not made any contribution to the judge's campaign. Provides that the rules shall not preclude disqualification due to any other rule or with respect to contributions under $500 or made more than 5 years before the assignment of the matter to the judge. Provides that the rules shall apply to contributions to a person who becomes a judge and who received contributions to the person's campaign for a nomination for election to any judicial office, an election of a judicial candidate, and a judicial retention election. Effective immediately.

FISCAL NOTE ACT MAY APPLY

A BILL FOR

AN ACT concerning civil law.

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

Section 5. The Supreme Court Act is amended by adding Section 20 as follows:

(705 ILCS 5/20 new)

Sec. 20. Campaign contribution disclosure. The Supreme Court shall establish rules requiring that immediately upon the assignment of a matter to a judge, an attorney in that matter must disclose to the judge and any party to the matter any campaign contribution made to that judge by that attorney or the attorney's law firm. The rules shall provide that in the event that the aggregate of any such campaign contributions in excess of $500 was made in the past 5 years to a judge's campaign by the attorney or the attorney's law firm, the judge shall disqualify himself or herself upon timely application made by a party to the matter who has not made any contribution to the judge's campaign. The rules shall not preclude disqualification due to any other rule or with respect to contributions less than $500 or made more than 5 years before the assignment of the matter to the judge. The rules shall apply to any campaign contribution to a person who becomes a judge and who received contributions to the person's campaign for the nomination for election to any judicial office, the election to any judicial office, or a judicial retention election.

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