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Full Text of SB2116  102nd General Assembly

SB2116 102ND GENERAL ASSEMBLY

  
  

 


 
102ND GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2021 and 2022
SB2116

 

Introduced 2/26/2021, by Sen. Robert Peters

 

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
 
730 ILCS 200/5
730 ILCS 200/10
730 ILCS 200/15
730 ILCS 200/20
730 ILCS 200/21 new
730 ILCS 200/25
730 ILCS 200/30
730 ILCS 200/35

    Amends the Re-Entering Citizens Civics Education Act. Expands the program to persons committed to a Department of Juvenile Justice facility. Provides that the workshop held at the Department of Juvenile Justice shall consist of 270 minutes of instruction. Provides that the civil education program in the Department of Juvenile Justice shall be taught by 2 co-facilitators. Provides that one of the co-facilitators shall be a member of an established nonpartisan civil organization and the other a committed person at the Department of Juvenile Justice who is specifically trained in voting rights education and who has been trained by an established nonpartisan civil organization. Effective January 1, 2022.


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A BILL FOR

 

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1    AN ACT concerning criminal law.
 
2    Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
3represented in the General Assembly:
 
4    Section 5. The Re-Entering Citizens Civics Education Act
5is amended by changing Sections 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, and 35
6and by adding Section 21 as follows:
 
7    (730 ILCS 200/5)
8    Sec. 5. Definitions. In this Act:
9    "Co-facilitators" means a committed person at the
10Department of Juvenile Justice who is specifically trained in
11voting rights education, who shall assist in conducting voting
12and civics education workshops for committed persons at the
13Department of Juvenile Justice who are scheduled for discharge
14within 12 months.
15    "Committed person" means a person committed and confined
16to and in the physical custody of the Department of
17Corrections or the Department of Juvenile Justice.
18    "Commitment" means a judicially determined placement in
19the physical custody of the Department of Corrections or the
20Department of Juvenile Justice on the basis of conviction or
21delinquency.
22    "Correctional institution or facility" means a Department
23of Corrections or Department of Juvenile Justice building or

 

 

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1part of a Department of Corrections or Department of Juvenile
2Justice building where committed persons are detained in a
3secure manner.
4    "Department" includes the Department of Corrections and
5the Department of Juvenile Justice, unless the text solely
6specifies a particular Department.
7    "Detainee" means a committed person in the physical
8custody of the Department of Corrections or the Department of
9Juvenile Justice.
10    "Director" includes the Directors Director of the
11Department of Corrections and the Department of Juvenile
12Justice unless the text solely specifies a particular
13Director.
14    "Discharge" means the end of a sentence or the final
15termination of a committed person's detainee's physical
16commitment to and confinement in the Department of
17Corrections. Discharge means the end of a sentence or the
18final termination of a committed person's physical commitment
19to and confinement in the or Department of Juvenile Justice.
20    "Peer educator" means an incarcerated citizen at the
21Department of Corrections who is specifically trained in
22voting rights education, who shall conduct voting and civics
23education workshops for committed persons at the Department of
24Corrections who are detainees scheduled for discharge within
2512 months.
26    "Program" means the nonpartisan peer education and

 

 

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1information instruction established by this Act.
2    "Re-entering citizen" means any United States citizen who
3is: 17 years of age or older; in the physical custody of the
4Department of Corrections or Department of Juvenile Justice;
5and scheduled to be re-entering society within 12 months.
6(Source: P.A. 101-441, eff. 1-1-20; revised 8-19-20.)
 
7    (730 ILCS 200/10)
8    Sec. 10. Purpose; program. The Department of Corrections
9and the Department of Juvenile Justice shall provide a
10nonpartisan peer-led civics program throughout the
11correctional institutions of this State to teach civics to
12soon-to-be released citizens who will be re-entering society.
13The goal of the program is to promote the successful
14integration of re-entering citizens, promote democracy, and
15reduce rates of recidivism within this State. For young people
16in particular, the study of civics helps people acquire and
17learn to use the skills, knowledge, and attitudes that will
18prepare them to be engaged citizens throughout their lives.
19This program shall coincide with and enhance existing laws to
20ensure that re-entering citizens understand their civic
21responsibility and know how to secure or, if applicable,
22regain their right to vote as part of the exit process.
23(Source: P.A. 101-441, eff. 1-1-20.)
 
24    (730 ILCS 200/15)

 

 

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1    Sec. 15. Curriculum and eligibility. The civics peer
2education program shall consist of a rigorous curriculum, and
3participants shall be instructed on subjects including, but
4not limited to, voting rights, governmental institutions,
5current affairs, and simulations of voter registration,
6election, and democratic processes. Each workshop held at the
7Department of Corrections shall consist of 3 sessions that are
890 minutes each and that do not need to be taken consecutively.
9The workshops held at the Department of Juvenile Justice shall
10consist of 270 minutes of instruction. The Department of
11Corrections and the Department of Juvenile Justice The
12Department must offer re-entering citizens scheduled to be
13discharged within 12 months with the civics peer education
14program, and each re-entering citizen must enroll in the
15program one to 12 months prior to his or her expected date of
16release. This workshop must be included in the standard exit
17process. The Department of Corrections and the Department of
18Juvenile Justice The Department should aim to include this
19workshop in conjunction with other pre-release procedures and
20movements. Delays in a workshop being provided shall not cause
21delays in discharge. Committed persons Detainees may not be
22prevented from attending workshops due to staffing shortages,
23lockdowns, or to conflicts with family or legal visits, court
24dates, medical appointments, commissary visits, recreational
25sessions, dining, work, class, or bathing schedules. In case
26of conflict or staffing shortages, re-entering citizens must

 

 

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1be given full opportunity to attend a workshop at a later time.
2(Source: P.A. 101-441, eff. 1-1-20.)
 
3    (730 ILCS 200/20)
4    Sec. 20. Peer educator training. The civics peer
5education program shall be taught by peer educators who are
6citizens incarcerated in Department of Corrections and
7Department of Juvenile Justice facilities and specially
8trained by experienced peer educators and established
9nonpartisan civic organizations. Established nonpartisan civic
10organizations may be assisted by area political science or
11civics educators at colleges, universities, and high schools
12and by nonpartisan organizations providing re-entry services.
13The nonpartisan civic organizations shall provide adequate
14training to peer educators on matters including, but not
15limited to, voting rights, governmental institutions, current
16affairs, and simulations of voter registration, election, and
17democratic processes, and shall provide periodic updates to
18program content and to peer educators.
19(Source: P.A. 101-441, eff. 1-1-20.)
 
20    (730 ILCS 200/21 new)
21    Sec. 21. Co-facilitator training. The civics education
22program in the Department of Juvenile Justice shall be taught
23using 2 co-facilitators. One of the co-facilitators shall be a
24member of an established nonpartisan civic organization and

 

 

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1the other co-facilitator shall be a committed person at the
2Department of Juvenile Justice who is specifically trained in
3voting rights education and who has been trained by an
4established nonpartisan civic organization. The organization
5providing training may be assisted by area political science
6or civics educators at colleges, universities, and high
7schools and by nonpartisan organizations providing re-entry
8services. The nonpartisan civic organizations shall provide
9adequate training to both co-facilitators on the civics and
10voting rights curriculum.
 
11    (730 ILCS 200/25)
12    Sec. 25. Voter and civic education program; content.
13    (a) Program content shall provide the following:
14        (1) nonpartisan information on voting history
15    procedures;
16        (2) nonpartisan definitions of local, State, and
17    federal governmental institutions and offices; and
18        (3) examples and simulations of registration and
19    voting processes, and access to voter registration and
20    voting processes for those individuals who are eligible to
21    vote.
22    (b) Established nonpartisan civic organizations shall
23provide periodic updates to program content and, if
24applicable, peer educators and co-facilitators. Updates shall
25reflect major relevant changes to election laws and processes

 

 

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1in Illinois.
2    (c) Program content shall be delivered in the following
3manners:
4        (1) verbally via peer educators and co-facilitators;
5        (2) broadcasts via Department of Corrections and
6    Department of Juvenile Justice internal television
7    channels; or
8        (3) printed information packets.
9    (d) Peer educators and co-facilitators shall disseminate
10printed information for voting in the releasee's county,
11including, but not limited to, election authorities'
12addresses, all applicable Internet websites, and public
13contact information for all election authorities. This
14information shall be compiled into a civics handbook. The
15handbook shall also include key information condensed into a
16pocket information card.
17    (e) This information shall also be compiled electronically
18and posted on Department of Corrections' and Department of
19Juvenile Justice's website along with the Department of
20Corrections' Community Support Advisory Councils websites.
21    (f) Department Directors shall ensure that the wardens or
22superintendents of all correctional institutions and
23facilities visibly post this information on all common areas
24of their respective institutions, and shall broadcast the same
25via in-house institutional information television channels.
26Directors shall ensure that updated information is distributed

 

 

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1in a timely, visible, and accessible manner.
2    (g) The Director of Corrections shall order, in a clearly
3visible area of each parole office within this State, the
4posting of a notice stipulating voter eligibility and that
5contains the current Internet website address and voter
6registration information provided by State Board of Elections
7regarding voting rights for citizens released from the
8physical custody of the Department of Corrections and the
9Department of Juvenile Justice.
10    (h) All program content and materials shall be distributed
11annually to the Community Support Advisory Councils of the
12Department of Corrections for use in re-entry programs across
13this State.
14(Source: P.A. 101-441, eff. 1-1-20.)
 
15    (730 ILCS 200/30)
16    Sec. 30. Power of the Departments Department. The
17Department of Corrections and the Department of Juvenile
18Justice shall adopt rules to carry out this Act within 6 months
19after the effective date of this Act.
20(Source: P.A. 101-441, eff. 1-1-20.)
 
21    (730 ILCS 200/35)
22    Sec. 35. Funding. The funding for the voting rights and
23registration peer education program shall be subject to
24appropriation by the General Assembly. The Department of

 

 

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1Corrections and the Department of Juvenile Justice may use
2private or federal funding to administer the program,
3including, but not limited to, funds from the United States
4Department of Justice.
5(Source: P.A. 101-441, eff. 1-1-20.)
 
6    Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect January
71, 2022.