HB1739eng 102ND GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HB1739 Engrossed LRB102 11380 KMF 16713 b

AN ACT concerning criminal law.

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

Section 5. The Sexual Assault Evidence Submission Act is amended by changing Section 50 as follows:

(725 ILCS 202/50)

Sec. 50. Sexual assault evidence tracking system.

(a) On June 26, 2018, the Sexual Assault Evidence Tracking and Reporting Commission issued its report as required under Section 43. It is the intention of the General Assembly in enacting the provisions of this amendatory Act of the 101st General Assembly to implement the recommendations of the Sexual Assault Evidence Tracking and Reporting Commission set forth in that report in a manner that utilizes the current resources of law enforcement agencies whenever possible and that is adaptable to changing technologies and circumstances.

(a-1) Due to the complex nature of a statewide tracking system for sexual assault evidence and to ensure all stakeholders, including, but not limited to, victims and their designees, health care facilities, law enforcement agencies, forensic labs, and State's Attorneys offices are integrated, the Commission recommended the purchase of an electronic off-the-shelf tracking system. The system must be able to communicate with all stakeholders and provide real-time information to a victim or his or her designee on the status of the evidence that was collected. The sexual assault evidence tracking system must:

(1) be electronic and web-based;

(2) be administered by the Department of State Police;

(3) have help desk availability at all times;

(4) ensure the law enforcement agency contact information is accessible to the victim or his or her designee through the tracking system, so there is contact information for questions;

(5) have the option for external connectivity to evidence management systems, laboratory information management systems, or other electronic data systems already in existence by any of the stakeholders to minimize additional burdens or tasks on stakeholders;

(6) allow for the victim to opt in for automatic notifications when status updates are entered in the system, if the system allows;

(7) include at each step in the process, a brief explanation of the general purpose of that step and a general indication of how long the step may take to complete;

(8) contain minimum fields for tracking and reporting, as follows:

(A) for sexual assault evidence kit vendor fields:

(i) each sexual evidence kit identification number provided to each health care facility; and

(ii) the date the sexual evidence kit was sent to the health care facility.

(B) for health care facility fields:

(i) the date sexual assault evidence was collected; and

(ii) the date notification was made to the law enforcement agency that the sexual assault evidence was collected.

(C) for law enforcement agency fields:

(i) the date the law enforcement agency took possession of the sexual assault evidence from the health care facility, another law enforcement agency, or victim if he or she did not go through a health care facility;

(ii) the law enforcement agency complaint number;

(iii) if the law enforcement agency that takes possession of the sexual assault evidence from a health care facility is not the law enforcement agency with jurisdiction in which the offense occurred, the date when the law enforcement agency notified the law enforcement agency having jurisdiction that the agency has sexual assault evidence required under subsection (c) of Section 20 of the Sexual Assault Incident Procedure Act;

(iv) an indication if the victim consented for analysis of the sexual assault evidence;

(v) if the victim did not consent for analysis of the sexual assault evidence, the date on which the law enforcement agency is no longer required to store the sexual assault evidence;

(vi) a mechanism for the law enforcement agency to document why the sexual assault evidence was not submitted to the laboratory for analysis, if applicable;

(vii) the date the law enforcement agency received the sexual assault evidence results back from the laboratory;

(viii) the date statutory notifications were made to the victim or documentation of why notification was not made; and

(ix) the date the law enforcement agency turned over the case information to the State's Attorney office, if applicable.

(D) for forensic lab fields:

(i) the date the sexual assault evidence is received from the law enforcement agency by the forensic lab for analysis;

(ii) the laboratory case number, visible to the law enforcement agency and State's Attorney office; and

(iii) the date the laboratory completes the analysis of the sexual assault evidence.

(E) for State's Attorney office fields:

(i) the date the State's Attorney office received the sexual assault evidence results from the laboratory, if applicable; and

(ii) the disposition or status of the case.

(a-2) The Commission also developed guidelines for secure electronic access to a tracking system for a victim, or his or her designee to access information on the status of the evidence collected. The Commission recommended minimum guidelines in order to safeguard confidentiality of the information contained within this statewide tracking system. These recommendations are that the sexual assault evidence tracking system must:

(1) allow for secure access, controlled by an administering body who can restrict user access and allow different permissions based on the need of that particular user and health care facility users may include out-of-state border hospitals, if authorized by the Department of State Police to obtain this State's kits from vendor;

(2) provide for users, other than victims, the ability to provide for any individual who is granted access to the program their own unique user ID and password;

(3) provide for a mechanism for a victim to enter the system and only access his or her own information;

(4) enable a sexual assault evidence to be tracked and identified through the unique sexual assault evidence kit identification number or barcode that the vendor applies to each sexual assault evidence kit per the Department of State Police's contract;

(5) have a mechanism to inventory unused kits provided to a health care facility from the vendor;

(6) provide users the option to either scan the bar code or manually enter the sexual assault evidence kit number into the tracking program;

(7) provide a mechanism to create a separate unique identification number for cases in which a sexual evidence kit was not collected, but other evidence was collected;

(8) provide the ability to record date, time, and user ID whenever any user accesses the system;

(9) provide for real-time entry and update of data;

(10) contain report functions including:

(A) health care facility compliance with applicable laws;

(B) law enforcement agency compliance with applicable laws;

(C) law enforcement agency annual inventory of cases to each State's Attorney office; and

(D) forensic lab compliance with applicable laws; and

(11) provide automatic notifications to the law enforcement agency when:

(A) a health care facility has collected sexual assault evidence;

(B) unreleased sexual assault evidence that is being stored by the law enforcement agency has met the minimum storage requirement by law; and

(C) timelines as required by law are not met for a particular case, if not otherwise documented.

(b) The Department may shall develop rules to implement a sexual assault evidence tracking system that conforms with subsections (a-1) and (a-2) of this Section. The Department shall design the criteria for the sexual assault evidence tracking system so that, to the extent reasonably possible, the system can use existing technologies and products, including, but not limited to, currently available tracking systems. The sexual assault evidence tracking system shall be operational and shall begin tracking and reporting sexual assault evidence no later than one year after the effective date of this amendatory Act of the 101st General Assembly. The Department may adopt additional rules as it deems necessary to ensure that the sexual assault evidence tracking system continues to be a useful tool for law enforcement.

(c) A treatment hospital, a treatment hospital with approved pediatric transfer, an out-of-state hospital approved by the Department of Public Health to receive transfers of Illinois sexual assault survivors, or an approved pediatric health care facility defined in Section 1a of the Sexual Assault Survivors Emergency Treatment Act shall participate in the sexual assault evidence tracking system created under this Section and in accordance with rules adopted under subsection (b), including, but not limited to, the collection of sexual assault evidence and providing information regarding that evidence, including, but not limited to, providing notice to law enforcement that the evidence has been collected.

(d) The operations of the sexual assault evidence tracking system shall be funded by moneys appropriated for that purpose from the State Crime Laboratory Fund and funds provided to the Department through asset forfeiture, together with such other funds as the General Assembly may appropriate.

(e) To ensure that the sexual assault evidence tracking system is operational, the Department may adopt emergency rules to implement the provisions of this Section under subsection (ff) of Section 5-45 of the Illinois Administrative Procedure Act.

(f) Information, including, but not limited to, evidence and records in the sexual assault evidence tracking system is exempt from disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act.

(Source: P.A. 101-377, eff. 8-16-19.)

Section 10. The Sexual Assault Incident Procedure Act is amended by changing Sections 25 and 35 and by adding Section 11 as follows:

(725 ILCS 203/11 new)

Sec. 11. Victim Notification. The health care provider must provide information to victims about the tracking system at the time when information pertaining to the collection of sexual assault evidence is provided. Using the contact information provided, a local law enforcement agency must take reasonable steps to notify victims about the tracking system after sexual assault evidence has been collected.

(725 ILCS 203/25)

Sec. 25. Report; victim notice.

(a) At the time of first contact with the victim, law enforcement shall:

(1) Advise the victim about the following by providing a form, the contents of which shall be prepared by the Office of the Attorney General and posted on its website, written in a language appropriate for the victim or in Braille, or communicating in appropriate sign language that includes, but is not limited to:

(A) information about seeking medical attention and preserving evidence, including specifically, collection of evidence during a medical forensic examination at a hospital and photographs of injury and clothing;

(B) notice that the victim will not be charged for hospital emergency and medical forensic services;

(C) information advising the victim that evidence can be collected at the hospital up to 7 days after the sexual assault or sexual abuse but that the longer the victim waits the likelihood of obtaining evidence decreases;

(C-5) notice that the sexual assault forensic evidence collected will not be used to prosecute the victim for any offense related to the use of alcohol, cannabis, or a controlled substance;

(D) the location of nearby hospitals that provide emergency medical and forensic services and, if known, whether the hospitals employ any sexual assault nurse examiners;

(E) a summary of the procedures and relief available to victims of sexual assault or sexual abuse under the Civil No Contact Order Act or the Illinois Domestic Violence Act of 1986;

(F) the law enforcement officer's name and badge number;

(G) at least one referral to an accessible service agency and information advising the victim that rape crisis centers can assist with obtaining civil no contact orders and orders of protection; and

(H) if the sexual assault or sexual abuse occurred in another jurisdiction, provide in writing the address and phone number of a specific contact at the law enforcement agency having jurisdiction.

(2) Offer to provide or arrange accessible transportation for the victim to a hospital for emergency and forensic services, including contacting emergency medical services.

(2.5) Notify victims about the Illinois State Police sexual assault evidence tracking system.

(3) Offer to provide or arrange accessible transportation for the victim to the nearest available circuit judge or associate judge so the victim may file a petition for an emergency civil no contact order under the Civil No Contact Order Act or an order of protection under the Illinois Domestic Violence Act of 1986 after the close of court business hours, if a judge is available.

(b) At the time of the initial contact with a person making a third-party report under Section 22 of this Act, a law enforcement officer shall provide the written information prescribed under paragraph (1) of subsection (a) of this Section to the person making the report and request the person provide the written information to the victim of the sexual assault or sexual abuse.

(c) If the first contact with the victim occurs at a hospital, a law enforcement officer may request the hospital provide interpretive services.

(Source: P.A. 99-801, eff. 1-1-17; 100-1087, eff. 1-1-19.)

(725 ILCS 203/35)

Sec. 35. Release of information.

(a) Upon the request of the victim who has consented to the release of sexual assault evidence for testing, the law enforcement agency having jurisdiction shall notify the victim about the Illinois State Police sexual assault evidence tracking system and provide the following information in writing:

(1) the date the sexual assault evidence was sent to a Department of State Police forensic laboratory or designated laboratory;

(2) test results provided to the law enforcement agency by a Department of State Police forensic laboratory or designated laboratory, including, but not limited to:

(A) whether a DNA profile was obtained from the testing of the sexual assault evidence from the victim's case;

(B) whether the DNA profile developed from the sexual assault evidence has been searched against the DNA Index System or any state or federal DNA database;

(C) whether an association was made to an individual whose DNA profile is consistent with the sexual assault evidence DNA profile, provided that disclosure would not impede or compromise an ongoing investigation; and

(D) whether any drugs were detected in a urine or blood sample analyzed for drug facilitated sexual assault and information about any drugs detected.

(b) The information listed in paragraph (1) of subsection (a) of this Section shall be provided to the victim within 7 days of the transfer of the evidence to the laboratory. The information listed in paragraph (2) of subsection (a) of this Section shall be provided to the victim within 7 days of the receipt of the information by the law enforcement agency having jurisdiction.

(c) At the time the sexual assault evidence is released for testing, the victim shall be provided written information by the law enforcement agency having jurisdiction or the hospital providing emergency services and forensic services to the victim informing him or her of the right to request information under subsection (a) of this Section. A victim may designate another person or agency to receive this information.

(d) The victim or the victim's designee shall keep the law enforcement agency having jurisdiction informed of the name, address, telephone number, and email address of the person to whom the information should be provided, and any changes of the name, address, telephone number, and email address, if an email address is available.

(Source: P.A. 99-801, eff. 1-1-17.)