State of Illinois
91st General Assembly
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Public Act 91-0558

HB1860 Enrolled                                LRB9104975ACtm

    AN  ACT  to  amend  the  Illinois   Certified   Shorthand
Reporters  Act  of  1984  by  changing  Section 23 and adding
Section 26.1.

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

    Section   5.   The Illinois Certified Shorthand Reporters
Act of 1984 is amended by  changing  Section  23  and  adding
Section 26.1 as follows:

    (225 ILCS 415/23) (from Ch. 111, par. 6223)
    Sec. 23. Grounds for disciplinary action.
    (a) The  Department  may refuse to issue or renew, or may
revoke, suspend, place on probation, reprimand or take  other
disciplinary  action  as the Department may deem appropriate,
including fines not to exceed $5,000 for each violation, with
regard to any license for  any  one  or  combination  of  the
following:
         (1)  Material misstatement in furnishing information
    to the Department;
         (2)  Violations   of  this  Act,  or  of  the  rules
    promulgated thereunder;
         (3)  Conviction of any crime under the laws  of  the
    United  States or any state or territory thereof which is
    a felony or which is a misdemeanor, an essential  element
    of which is dishonesty, or of any crime which is directly
    related to the practice of shorthand reporting;
         (4)  Making any misrepresentation for the purpose of
    obtaining  certification,  or  violating any provision of
    this Act or the rules promulgated  thereunder  pertaining
    to advertising;
         (5)  Having     demonstrated     unworthiness,    or
    incompetency to act as a certified shorthand reporter  in
    such manner as to safeguard the interest of the public;
         (6)  Aiding   or  assisting  another  person,  firm,
    partnership or corporation in violating any provision  of
    this Act or rules;
         (7)  Failing, within 60 days, to provide information
    in response to a written request made by the Department;
         (8)  Engaging    in   dishonorable,   unethical   or
    unprofessional conduct of a character likely to  deceive,
    defraud or harm the public;
         (9)  Habitual  intoxication  or addiction to the use
    of drugs;
         (10)  Discipline by another state, the  District  of
    Columbia, a territory, or foreign nation, if at least one
    of  the  grounds  for  the  discipline  is  the  same  or
    substantially equivalent to those set forth herein;
         (11)  Directly  or indirectly giving to or receiving
    from  any  person,  firm,  corporation,  partnership   or
    association  any fee, commission, rebate or other form of
    compensation for professional services  not  actually  or
    personally rendered;
         (12)  A  finding  by  the Board that the certificate
    holder,  after   having   his   certificate   placed   on
    probationary status, has violated the terms of probation;
         (13)  Willfully  making  or  filing false records or
    reports in the practice of shorthand reporting, including
    but  not  limited  to  false  records  filed  with  State
    agencies or departments;
         (14)  Physical illness, including  but  not  limited
    to,  deterioration  through the aging process, or loss of
    motor skill which results in the  inability  to  practice
    the profession with reasonable judgment, skill or safety;
         (15)  Solicitation  of  professional  services other
    than by permitted advertising;
         (16)  Willful failure  to  take  full  and  accurate
    stenographic notes of any proceeding;
         (17)  Willful  alteration  of any stenographic notes
    taken at any proceeding;
         (18)  Willful  failure  to   accurately   transcribe
    verbatim any stenographic notes taken at any proceeding;
         (19)  Willful   alteration   of   a   transcript  of
    stenographic notes taken at any proceeding;
         (20)  Affixing one's signature to any transcript  of
    his  stenographic  notes or certifying to its correctness
    unless the transcript has been prepared by him  or  under
    his immediate supervision;
         (21)  Willful   failure   to  systematically  retain
    stenographic notes, recordings or transcripts on paper or
    any electronic media for 5 years from the date  that  the
    notes  or  transcripts were taken or for 5 years from the
    end of litigation for time periods required by law;
         (22)  Failure to deliver  transcripts  in  a  timely
    manner or in accordance with contractual agreements;
         (23)  Establishing  contingent  fees  as  a basis of
    compensation.
    (b)  The  determination  by  a  circuit  court   that   a
certificate  holder  is  subject  to involuntary admission or
judicial admission as  provided  in  the  Mental  Health  and
Developmental  Disabilities  Code,  operates  as an automatic
suspension.  Such suspension will end only upon a finding  by
a  court that the patient is no longer subject to involuntary
admission or judicial admission, an order  by  the  court  so
finding  and  discharging the patient, and the recommendation
of the Board to the Director that the certificate  holder  be
allowed to resume his practice.
(Source: P.A. 86-615; 87-481; 87-576.)

    (225 ILCS 415/26.1 new)
    Sec. 26.1. Responsibility for notes. It is the licensee's
responsibility  to  preserve his or her shorthand notes for a
period of no less than 5 years from the  end  of  litigation,
except as otherwise prescribed by law, through storage of the
original  paper  notes  or  an  electronic copy of either the
shorthand notes or the English transcript  of  the  notes  on
computer disks, cassettes, backup tape systems, or optical or
laser disk systems.

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

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