| 
 |  | 99TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2015 and 2016
SB0121   Introduced 1/28/2015, by Sen. John J. Cullerton  SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
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 |   320 ILCS 20/4 |  from Ch. 23, par. 6604 |   
  |   Amends the Adult Protective Services Act. Makes a technical change in a Section concerning reports of abuse or neglect.
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 |   |      A BILL FOR |  
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 |  | SB0121 |  | LRB099 03270 KTG 23278 b |  
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| 1 |  |  AN ACT concerning aging.
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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 Adult Protective Services Act is amended by  | 
| 5 |  | changing Section 4 as follows:
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| 6 |  |  (320 ILCS 20/4) (from Ch. 23, par. 6604)
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| 7 |  |  Sec. 4. Reports of abuse or neglect. 
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| 8 |  |  (a) Any person who suspects the
the abuse,
neglect,
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| 9 |  | financial exploitation, or self-neglect of an eligible adult  | 
| 10 |  | may
report
this suspicion to an agency designated to receive  | 
| 11 |  | such
reports under this Act or to the Department. | 
| 12 |  |  (a-5) If any mandated reporter has reason to believe that  | 
| 13 |  | an eligible
adult,
who because of a disability or other  | 
| 14 |  | condition or impairment is unable to seek assistance for  | 
| 15 |  | himself or herself,
has, within the previous 12 months, been  | 
| 16 |  | subjected to abuse, neglect, or
financial exploitation, the  | 
| 17 |  | mandated reporter shall, within 24 hours after
developing
such  | 
| 18 |  | belief, report this suspicion to an agency designated to  | 
| 19 |  | receive such
reports under this Act or
to the Department. The  | 
| 20 |  | agency designated to receive such reports under this Act or the  | 
| 21 |  | Department may establish a manner in which a mandated reporter  | 
| 22 |  | can make the required report through an Internet reporting  | 
| 23 |  | tool. Information sent and received through the Internet  | 
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| 1 |  | reporting tool is subject to the same rules in this Act as  | 
| 2 |  | other types of confidential reporting established by the  | 
| 3 |  | designated agency or the Department. Whenever a mandated  | 
| 4 |  | reporter
is required to report under this Act in his or her  | 
| 5 |  | capacity as a member of
the staff of a medical or other public  | 
| 6 |  | or private institution, facility,
or agency, he or she shall  | 
| 7 |  | make a report
to an agency designated to receive such
reports  | 
| 8 |  | under this Act or
to the Department in accordance
with the  | 
| 9 |  | provisions of this Act and may also notify the person in charge  | 
| 10 |  | of
the institution, facility, or agency or his or her
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| 11 |  | designated agent that the
report has been made. Under no  | 
| 12 |  | circumstances shall any person in charge of
such institution,  | 
| 13 |  | facility, or agency, or his or her
designated agent to whom
the  | 
| 14 |  | notification has been made, exercise any control, restraint,
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| 15 |  | modification, or other change in the report or the forwarding  | 
| 16 |  | of the report
to an agency designated to receive such
reports  | 
| 17 |  | under this Act or
to the Department. The privileged quality of  | 
| 18 |  | communication between any
professional
person required to  | 
| 19 |  | report
and his or her patient or client shall not apply to  | 
| 20 |  | situations involving
abused, neglected, or financially  | 
| 21 |  | exploited eligible adults and shall not
constitute
grounds for  | 
| 22 |  | failure to
report
as required by this Act.
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| 23 |  |  (a-7) A person making a report
under this Act in the belief  | 
| 24 |  | that it is in the alleged victim's best
interest shall be  | 
| 25 |  | immune from criminal or civil liability or professional
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| 26 |  | disciplinary action on account of making the report,  | 
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| 1 |  | notwithstanding any
requirements concerning the  | 
| 2 |  | confidentiality of information with respect to
such eligible  | 
| 3 |  | adult which might otherwise be applicable.
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| 4 |  |  (a-9) Law enforcement officers
shall continue to report  | 
| 5 |  | incidents of alleged abuse pursuant to the
Illinois Domestic  | 
| 6 |  | Violence Act of 1986, notwithstanding any requirements
under  | 
| 7 |  | this Act.
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| 8 |  |  (b) Any person, institution or agency participating in the  | 
| 9 |  | making of
a report, providing
information or records related to  | 
| 10 |  | a report, assessment, or services, or
participating in the  | 
| 11 |  | investigation of a report under
this Act in good faith, or  | 
| 12 |  | taking photographs or x-rays as a result of an
authorized  | 
| 13 |  | assessment, shall have immunity from any civil, criminal or
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| 14 |  | other liability in any civil, criminal or other proceeding  | 
| 15 |  | brought in
consequence of making such report or assessment or  | 
| 16 |  | on account of submitting
or otherwise disclosing such  | 
| 17 |  | photographs or x-rays to any agency designated
to receive  | 
| 18 |  | reports of alleged or suspected abuse or neglect. Any person,
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| 19 |  | institution or agency authorized by the Department to provide  | 
| 20 |  | assessment,
intervention, or administrative services under  | 
| 21 |  | this Act shall, in the good
faith performance of those  | 
| 22 |  | services, have immunity from any civil, criminal
or other  | 
| 23 |  | liability in any civil, criminal, or other proceeding brought  | 
| 24 |  | as a
consequence of the performance of those services.
For the  | 
| 25 |  | purposes of any civil, criminal, or other proceeding, the good  | 
| 26 |  | faith
of any person required to report, permitted to report, or  | 
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| 1 |  | participating in an
investigation of a report of alleged or  | 
| 2 |  | suspected abuse, neglect,
financial exploitation, or  | 
| 3 |  | self-neglect shall be
presumed.
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| 4 |  |  (c) The identity of a person making a report of alleged or  | 
| 5 |  | suspected
abuse, neglect, financial exploitation, or  | 
| 6 |  | self-neglect under this Act may be disclosed by the Department
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| 7 |  | or other agency provided for in this Act only with such  | 
| 8 |  | person's written
consent or by court order, but is otherwise  | 
| 9 |  | confidential.
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| 10 |  |  (d) The Department shall by rule establish a system for  | 
| 11 |  | filing and
compiling reports made under this Act.
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| 12 |  |  (e) Any physician who willfully fails to report as required  | 
| 13 |  | by this Act
shall be referred to the Illinois State Medical  | 
| 14 |  | Disciplinary Board for action
in accordance with subdivision  | 
| 15 |  | (A)(22) of Section 22 of the Medical Practice
Act of 1987. Any  | 
| 16 |  | dentist or dental hygienist who willfully fails to report as
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| 17 |  | required by this Act shall be referred to the Department of  | 
| 18 |  | Professional
Regulation for action in accordance with  | 
| 19 |  | paragraph 19 of Section 23 of the
Illinois Dental Practice Act.  | 
| 20 |  | Any optometrist who willfully fails to report as required by  | 
| 21 |  | this Act shall be referred to the Department of Financial and  | 
| 22 |  | Professional Regulation for action in accordance with  | 
| 23 |  | paragraph (15) of subsection (a) of Section 24 of the Illinois  | 
| 24 |  | Optometric Practice Act of 1987. Any other mandated reporter  | 
| 25 |  | required by
this Act to report suspected abuse, neglect, or  | 
| 26 |  | financial exploitation who
willfully fails to report the same  |