Illinois General Assembly - Illinois Compiled Statutes

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70 ILCS 1205/8-23

(70 ILCS 1205/8-23)

Sec. 8-23. Criminal background investigations.

(a) An applicant for employment with a park district is required as
a condition of employment to authorize an investigation to determine if
the applicant has been convicted of any of the enumerated criminal or drug offenses in subsection (c) or (d) of this Section, or adjudicated a delinquent minor for any of the enumerated criminal or drug
offenses in subsection (c) or (d) of this Section, or has been
convicted, within 7 years of the application for employment with the
park district, of any other felony under the laws of this State or of any
offense committed or attempted in any other state or against the laws of
the United States that, if committed or attempted in this State, would
have been punishable as a felony under the laws of this State.  Authorization
for the
investigation shall be furnished by the applicant to the park district.
Upon receipt of this authorization, the park district shall submit the
applicant's name, sex, race, date of birth, and social security number to
the Illinois State Police on forms prescribed by the Illinois State Police.  The Illinois State Police shall conduct a search of the
Illinois criminal history records database to ascertain if the applicant being considered for
employment has been convicted of any of the enumerated criminal or drug offenses in subsection (c) or (d) of this Section, or adjudicated a delinquent minor for committing or attempting to commit any of
the enumerated criminal or drug
offenses
in subsection (c) or (d) of this Section, or
has been convicted of committing or attempting to commit, within 7 years of
the application for employment with
the
park district, any other felony under the laws of this State.  The
Illinois 
State Police shall charge the park district a fee for conducting the
investigation, which fee shall be deposited in the State Police Services
Fund and shall not exceed the cost of the inquiry.  The applicant shall
not be charged a fee by the park district for the investigation.

(b) If the search of the Illinois criminal history record database
indicates that the applicant has been convicted of any of the enumerated criminal or drug offenses in subsection (c) or (d), or adjudicated a delinquent minor for committing or attempting to
commit any of the enumerated criminal or drug offenses in subsection (c) or (d), or has
been convicted of committing or attempting to commit, within 7 years of the
application for employment with the park district, any other felony under the
laws of this State, the Illinois State Police and the Federal Bureau
of
Investigation shall furnish, pursuant to
a fingerprint based background check, records
of convictions or adjudications as  a delinquent minor, until expunged, to the
president of the park district.  Any information concerning the record of
convictions or adjudications as a delinquent minor obtained by the president shall be confidential and may only
be transmitted to those persons who are necessary to the decision on whether to
hire the
applicant for employment.  A copy of the record of convictions or adjudications as a delinquent minor  obtained
from the Illinois State Police shall be provided to the applicant for
employment.  Any person who releases any confidential information
concerning any criminal convictions or adjudications as a delinquent minor of an applicant for employment shall
be guilty of a Class A misdemeanor, unless the release of such
information is authorized by this Section.

(c) No park district shall knowingly employ a person who has been
convicted, or adjudicated a delinquent minor, for committing attempted first degree murder or
for committing
or attempting to commit first degree murder, a Class X felony, or any
one or more of the following criminal offenses:  (i) those defined in Sections 11-1.20, 11-1.30, 11-1.40, 11-1.50, 11-1.60, 11-6,
11-9, 11-14.3, 11-14.4, 11-15, 11-15.1, 11-16, 11-17, 11-18, 11-19, 11-19.1, 11-19.2,
11-20, 11-20.1, 11-20.1B, 11-20.3, 11-21, 11-30 (if convicted of a Class 4 felony), 12-7.3, 12-7.4, 12-7.5, 12-13, 12-14, 12-14.1, 12-15, and 12-16 of
the Criminal Code of 1961 or the Criminal Code of 2012; (ii) (blank); (iii) (blank); (iv) (blank); and (v) any offense
committed or attempted in any other state or against the laws of the
United States, which, if committed or attempted in this State, would have
been punishable as one or more of the foregoing offenses.  Further, no
park district shall knowingly employ a person who has been found to be
the perpetrator of sexual or physical abuse of any minor under 18 years
of age pursuant to proceedings under Article II of the Juvenile Court Act
of 1987.  No park district shall knowingly employ a person for whom a
criminal background investigation has not been initiated.

(d) No park district shall knowingly employ a person who has been convicted of the following drug offenses, other than an offense set forth in subsection (c), until 7 years following the end of the sentence imposed for any of the following offenses: (i) those defined in the Cannabis Control Act, except those defined in Sections 4(a), 4(b), 4(c), 5(a), and 5(b) of that Act; (ii) those defined in the Illinois Controlled Substances Act; (iii) those defined in the Methamphetamine Control and Community Protection Act; and (iv) any offense committed or attempted in any other state or against the laws of the United States, which, if committed or attempted in this State, would have been punishable as one or more of the foregoing offenses. For purposes of this paragraph, "sentence" includes any period of supervision or probation that was imposed either alone or in combination with a period of incarceration.

(e) Notwithstanding the provisions of subsections (c) and (d), a park district may, in its discretion, employ a person who has been granted a certificate of good conduct under Section 5-5.5-25 of the Unified Code of Corrections by the circuit court.

(Source: P.A. 102-538, eff. 8-20-21.)