Bill Text: IL HB4245 | 2017-2018 | 100th General Assembly | Introduced

---

Bill Title: Amends the State Officials and Employees Ethics Act. Requires the Executive Inspectors General appointed under the Act to establish and maintain an Internet website to which all residents of Illinois shall have free access, including a prominent statement of notification to the public. Requires the Executive Inspectors General appointed under the Act to immediately disclose all detailed findings resulting from investigations entered into under Act, and to post those findings on their respective Internet websites. Effective immediately.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 2-0)

Status: (Failed) 2019-01-08 - Session Sine Die [HB4245 Detail]

Download: Illinois-2017-HB4245-Introduced.html

---

100TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY State of Illinois 2017 and 2018 HB4245 Introduced , by Rep. David McSweeney SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
5 ILCS 430/20-20
Amends the State Officials and Employees Ethics Act. Requires the Executive Inspectors General appointed under the Act to establish and maintain an Internet website to which all residents of Illinois shall have free access, including a prominent statement of notification to the public. Requires the Executive Inspectors General appointed under the Act to immediately disclose all detailed findings resulting from investigations entered into under Act, and to post those findings on their respective Internet websites. Effective immediately.
LRB100 16274 RJF 31397 b
A BILL FOR
HB4245 LRB100 16274 RJF 31397 b
AN ACT concerning government.
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
represented in the General Assembly:
Section 5. The State Officials and Employees Ethics Act is
amended by changing Section 20-20 as follows:
(5 ILCS 430/20-20)
Sec. 20-20. Duties of the Executive Inspectors General. In
addition to duties otherwise assigned by law, each Executive
Inspector General shall have the following duties:
(1) To receive and investigate allegations of
violations of this Act. An investigation may not be
initiated more than one year after the most recent act of
the alleged violation or of a series of alleged violations
except where there is reasonable cause to believe that
fraudulent concealment has occurred. To constitute
fraudulent concealment sufficient to toll this limitations
period, there must be an affirmative act or representation
calculated to prevent discovery of the fact that a
violation has occurred. The Executive Inspector General
shall have the discretion to determine the appropriate
means of investigation as permitted by law.
(2) To request information relating to an
investigation from any person when the Executive Inspector

HB4245 - 2 - LRB100 16274 RJF 31397 b
General deems that information necessary in conducting an
investigation.
(3) To issue subpoenas to compel the attendance of
witnesses for the purposes of testimony and production of
documents and other items for inspection and copying and to
make service of those subpoenas and subpoenas issued under
item (7) of Section 20-15.
(4) To submit reports as required by this Act.
(5) To file pleadings in the name of the Executive
Inspector General with the Executive Ethics Commission,
through the Attorney General, as provided in this Article
if the Attorney General finds that reasonable cause exists
to believe that a violation has occurred.
(6) To assist and coordinate the ethics officers for
State agencies under the jurisdiction of the Executive
Inspector General and to work with those ethics officers.
(7) To participate in or conduct, when appropriate,
multi-jurisdictional investigations.
(8) To request, as the Executive Inspector General
deems appropriate, from ethics officers of State agencies
under his or her jurisdiction, reports or information on
(i) the content of a State agency's ethics training program
and (ii) the percentage of new officers and employees who
have completed ethics training.
(9) To review hiring and employment files of each State
agency within the Executive Inspector General's

HB4245 - 3 - LRB100 16274 RJF 31397 b
jurisdiction to ensure compliance with Rutan v. Republican
Party of Illinois, 497 U.S. 62 (1990), and with all
applicable employment laws.
(10) To establish a policy that ensures the appropriate
handling and correct recording of all investigations
conducted by the Office, and to ensure that the policy is
accessible via the Internet in order that those seeking to
report those allegations are familiar with the process and
that the subjects of those allegations are treated fairly.
(11) To establish and maintain an Internet website to
which all residents of Illinois shall have free access. In
addition to any other information required by law or
information the Executive Inspector General deems
necessary and appropriate, the website shall also contain a
prominent statement of notification to the public that
shall read as follows:
"NOTICE TO THE PUBLIC
The Office of the Executive Inspector General
appointed by [name of elected/appointed official] is an
independent office. The Office receives a separate
appropriation from the General Assembly and operates this
independent website. Findings published on this website
are independent findings based upon facts analyzed by this
Office.".
(12) To immediately disclose all detailed findings
resulting from investigations under this Act, except that

HB4245 - 4 - LRB100 16274 RJF 31397 b
details need not be disclosed if confidentiality is
requested by law enforcement. The disclosure of findings
required under this paragraph (12) shall be posted on the
Internet website of the disclosing Executive Inspector
General, and may be posted in any other medium at the
discretion of that Executive Inspector General.
(Source: P.A. 96-555, eff. 8-18-09.)
Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon
becoming law.