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1 | AN ACT concerning safety.
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2 | Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
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3 | represented in the General Assembly:
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4 | Section 5. The Firearm Concealed Carry Act is amended by | |||||||||||||||||||||
5 | changing Section 15 and 20 as follows:
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6 | (430 ILCS 66/15)
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7 | Sec. 15. Objections by law enforcement agencies. | |||||||||||||||||||||
8 | (a) Any law enforcement agency may submit an objection to a | |||||||||||||||||||||
9 | license applicant based upon a reasonable suspicion that the | |||||||||||||||||||||
10 | applicant is a danger to himself or herself or others, or a | |||||||||||||||||||||
11 | threat to public safety. The objection shall be made by the | |||||||||||||||||||||
12 | chief law enforcement officer of the law enforcement agency, or | |||||||||||||||||||||
13 | his or her designee, and must include any information relevant | |||||||||||||||||||||
14 | to the objection. If a law enforcement agency submits an | |||||||||||||||||||||
15 | objection within 30 days after the entry of an applicant into | |||||||||||||||||||||
16 | the database, the Department shall submit the objection and all | |||||||||||||||||||||
17 | information available to the Board under State and federal law | |||||||||||||||||||||
18 | related to the application to the Board within 10 days of | |||||||||||||||||||||
19 | completing all necessary background checks. | |||||||||||||||||||||
20 | (b) If an applicant has 5 or more arrests for any reason, | |||||||||||||||||||||
21 | that have been entered into the Criminal History Records | |||||||||||||||||||||
22 | Information (CHRI) System, within the 7 years preceding the | |||||||||||||||||||||
23 | date of application for a license, or has 3 or more arrests |
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1 | within the 7 years preceding the date of application for a | ||||||
2 | license for any combination of gang-related offenses, the | ||||||
3 | Department shall object and submit the applicant's arrest | ||||||
4 | record to the extent the Board is allowed to receive that | ||||||
5 | information under State and federal law, the application | ||||||
6 | materials, and any additional information submitted by a law | ||||||
7 | enforcement agency to the Board. For purposes of this | ||||||
8 | subsection, "gang-related offense" is an offense described in | ||||||
9 | Section 12-6.4, Section 24-1.8, Section 25-5, Section 33-4, or | ||||||
10 | Section 33G-4, or in paragraph (1) of subsection (a) of Section | ||||||
11 | 12-6.2, paragraph (2) of subsection (b) of Section 16-30, | ||||||
12 | paragraph (2) of subsection (b) of Section 31-4, or item (iii) | ||||||
13 | of paragraph (1.5) of subsection (i) of Section 48-1 of the | ||||||
14 | Criminal Code of 2012. | ||||||
15 | (c) The referral of an objection under this Section to the | ||||||
16 | Board shall toll the 90-day period for not more than 60 days | ||||||
17 | for the Department to issue or deny the applicant a license | ||||||
18 | under subsection (e) of Section 10 of this Act, during the | ||||||
19 | period of review and until the Board issues its decision. | ||||||
20 | (d) If no objection is made by a law enforcement agency or | ||||||
21 | the Department under this Section, the Department shall process | ||||||
22 | the application in accordance with this Act.
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23 | (Source: P.A. 98-63, eff. 7-9-13; 98-600, eff. 12-6-13.)
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24 | (430 ILCS 66/20)
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25 | Sec. 20. Concealed Carry Licensing Review Board. |
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1 | (a) There is hereby created within the Department of State | ||||||
2 | Police a Concealed Carry Licensing Review Board to consider any | ||||||
3 | objection to an applicant's eligibility to obtain a license | ||||||
4 | under this Act submitted by a law enforcement agency or the | ||||||
5 | Department under Section 15 of this Act. The Board shall | ||||||
6 | consist of 7 commissioners to be appointed by the Governor, | ||||||
7 | with the advice and consent of the Senate, with 3 commissioners | ||||||
8 | residing within the First Judicial District and one | ||||||
9 | commissioner residing within each of the 4 remaining Judicial | ||||||
10 | Districts. No more than 4 commissioners shall be members of the | ||||||
11 | same political party. The Governor shall designate one | ||||||
12 | commissioner as the Chairperson. The Board shall consist of: | ||||||
13 | (1) one commissioner with at least 5 years of service | ||||||
14 | as a federal judge; | ||||||
15 | (2) 2 commissioners with at least 5 years of experience | ||||||
16 | serving as an attorney with the United States Department of | ||||||
17 | Justice; | ||||||
18 | (3) 3 commissioners with at least 5 years of experience | ||||||
19 | as a federal agent or employee with investigative | ||||||
20 | experience or duties related to criminal justice under the | ||||||
21 | United States Department of Justice, Drug Enforcement | ||||||
22 | Administration, Department of Homeland Security, or | ||||||
23 | Federal Bureau of Investigation; and | ||||||
24 | (4) one member with at least 5 years of experience as a | ||||||
25 | licensed physician or clinical psychologist with expertise | ||||||
26 | in the diagnosis and treatment of mental illness. |
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1 | (b) The initial terms of the commissioners shall end on | ||||||
2 | January 12, 2015. Thereafter, the commissioners shall hold | ||||||
3 | office for 4 years, with terms expiring on the second Monday in | ||||||
4 | January of the fourth year. Commissioners may be reappointed. | ||||||
5 | Vacancies in the office of commissioner shall be filled in the | ||||||
6 | same manner as the original appointment, for the remainder of | ||||||
7 | the unexpired term. The Governor may remove a commissioner for | ||||||
8 | incompetence, neglect of duty, malfeasance, or inability to | ||||||
9 | serve. Commissioners shall receive compensation in an amount | ||||||
10 | equal to the compensation of members of the Executive Ethics | ||||||
11 | Commission and may be reimbursed for reasonable expenses | ||||||
12 | actually incurred in the performance of their Board duties, | ||||||
13 | from funds appropriated for that purpose. | ||||||
14 | (c) The Board shall meet at the call of the chairperson as | ||||||
15 | often as necessary to consider objections to applications for a | ||||||
16 | license under this Act. If necessary to ensure the | ||||||
17 | participation of a commissioner, the Board shall allow a | ||||||
18 | commissioner to participate in a Board meeting by electronic | ||||||
19 | communication. Any commissioner participating electronically | ||||||
20 | shall be deemed present for purposes of establishing a quorum | ||||||
21 | and voting. | ||||||
22 | (d) The Board shall adopt rules for the review of | ||||||
23 | objections and the conduct of hearings. The Board shall | ||||||
24 | maintain a record of its decisions and all materials considered | ||||||
25 | in making its decisions. All Board decisions and voting records | ||||||
26 | shall be kept confidential and all materials considered by the |
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1 | Board shall be exempt from inspection except upon order of a | ||||||
2 | court. | ||||||
3 | (e) In considering an objection of a law enforcement agency | ||||||
4 | or the Department, the Board shall review the materials | ||||||
5 | received with the objection from the law enforcement agency or | ||||||
6 | the Department. By a vote of at least 4 commissioners, the | ||||||
7 | Board may request additional information from the law | ||||||
8 | enforcement agency, Department, or the applicant, or the | ||||||
9 | testimony of the law enforcement agency, Department, or the | ||||||
10 | applicant. The Board may require that the applicant submit | ||||||
11 | electronic fingerprints to the Department for an updated | ||||||
12 | background check where the Board determines it lacks sufficient | ||||||
13 | information to determine eligibility. The Board may only | ||||||
14 | consider information submitted by the Department, a law | ||||||
15 | enforcement agency, or the applicant. The Board shall review | ||||||
16 | each objection and determine by a majority of commissioners | ||||||
17 | whether an applicant is eligible for a license. If an objection | ||||||
18 | of a law enforcement agency or the Department is not supported | ||||||
19 | by clear and convincing evidence, the Board shall dismiss the | ||||||
20 | objection and notify the Department that the applicant is | ||||||
21 | eligible for a license. | ||||||
22 | (f) The Board shall issue a decision within 30 days of | ||||||
23 | receipt of the objection from the Department. However, the | ||||||
24 | Board need not issue a decision within 30 days if: | ||||||
25 | (1) the Board requests information from the applicant, | ||||||
26 | including but not limited to electronic fingerprints to be |
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1 | submitted to the Department, in accordance with subsection | ||||||
2 | (e) of this Section, in which case the Board shall make a | ||||||
3 | decision within 30 days of receipt of the required | ||||||
4 | information from the applicant; | ||||||
5 | (2) the applicant agrees, in writing, to allow the | ||||||
6 | Board additional time to consider an objection; or | ||||||
7 | (3) the Board notifies the applicant and the Department | ||||||
8 | that the Board needs an additional 30 days to issue a | ||||||
9 | decision. | ||||||
10 | (g) If the Board determines by a preponderance of the | ||||||
11 | evidence that the applicant poses a danger to himself or | ||||||
12 | herself or others, or is a threat to public safety, then the | ||||||
13 | Board shall affirm the objection of the law enforcement agency | ||||||
14 | or the Department and shall notify the Department that the | ||||||
15 | applicant is ineligible for a license. If the Board does not | ||||||
16 | determine by a preponderance of the evidence that the applicant | ||||||
17 | poses a danger to himself or herself or others, or is a threat | ||||||
18 | to public safety, then the Board shall notify the Department | ||||||
19 | that the applicant is eligible for a license. | ||||||
20 | (h) Meetings of the Board shall not be subject to the Open | ||||||
21 | Meetings Act and records of the Board shall not be subject to | ||||||
22 | the Freedom of Information Act. | ||||||
23 | (i) The Board shall report monthly to the Governor and the | ||||||
24 | General Assembly on the number of objections received and | ||||||
25 | provide details of the circumstances in which the Board has | ||||||
26 | determined to deny licensure based on law enforcement or |
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1 | Department objections under Section 15 of this Act. The report | ||||||
2 | shall not contain any identifying information about the | ||||||
3 | applicants.
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4 | (Source: P.A. 98-63, eff. 7-9-13; 98-600, eff. 12-6-13.)
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5 | Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon | ||||||
6 | becoming law.
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