Bill Text: IL SB2853 | 2017-2018 | 100th General Assembly | Enrolled

NOTE: There are more recent revisions of this legislation. Read Latest Draft

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Bill Title: Amends the Department of Professional Regulation Law of the Civil Administrative Code of Illinois. Requires the Department of Financial and Professional Regulation to make available on its website general information on how the Department uses criminal history information in its decisions on licensure applications, including a list of enumerated offenses that bar licensure (rather than requiring the Department to have rules on how a person with criminal history would apply for a non-binding, advisory opinion from the Department as to whether his or her criminal history would bar licensure). Effective immediately.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 2-0)

Status: (Passed) 2018-08-14 - Public Act . . . . . . . . . 100-0883 [SB2853 Detail]

Download: Illinois-2017-SB2853-Enrolled.html

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SB2853 Enrolled LRB100 16063 SMS 31182 b
AN ACT concerning State government.
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
represented in the General Assembly:
Section 5. The Department of Professional Regulation Law of
the Civil Administrative Code of Illinois is amended by
changing Section 2105-15 as follows:
(20 ILCS 2105/2105-15)
Sec. 2105-15. General powers and duties.
(a) The Department has, subject to the provisions of the
Civil Administrative Code of Illinois, the following powers and
duties:
(1) To authorize examinations in English to ascertain
the qualifications and fitness of applicants to exercise
the profession, trade, or occupation for which the
examination is held.
(2) To prescribe rules and regulations for a fair and
wholly impartial method of examination of candidates to
exercise the respective professions, trades, or
occupations.
(3) To pass upon the qualifications of applicants for
licenses, certificates, and authorities, whether by
examination, by reciprocity, or by endorsement.
(4) To prescribe rules and regulations defining, for

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the respective professions, trades, and occupations, what
shall constitute a school, college, or university, or
department of a university, or other institution,
reputable and in good standing, and to determine the
reputability and good standing of a school, college, or
university, or department of a university, or other
institution, reputable and in good standing, by reference
to a compliance with those rules and regulations; provided,
that no school, college, or university, or department of a
university, or other institution that refuses admittance
to applicants solely on account of race, color, creed, sex,
sexual orientation, or national origin shall be considered
reputable and in good standing.
(5) To conduct hearings on proceedings to revoke,
suspend, refuse to renew, place on probationary status, or
take other disciplinary action as authorized in any
licensing Act administered by the Department with regard to
licenses, certificates, or authorities of persons
exercising the respective professions, trades, or
occupations and to revoke, suspend, refuse to renew, place
on probationary status, or take other disciplinary action
as authorized in any licensing Act administered by the
Department with regard to those licenses, certificates, or
authorities.
The Department shall issue a monthly disciplinary
report.

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The Department shall deny any license or renewal
authorized by the Civil Administrative Code of Illinois to
any person who has defaulted on an educational loan or
scholarship provided by or guaranteed by the Illinois
Student Assistance Commission or any governmental agency
of this State; however, the Department may issue a license
or renewal if the aforementioned persons have established a
satisfactory repayment record as determined by the
Illinois Student Assistance Commission or other
appropriate governmental agency of this State.
Additionally, beginning June 1, 1996, any license issued by
the Department may be suspended or revoked if the
Department, after the opportunity for a hearing under the
appropriate licensing Act, finds that the licensee has
failed to make satisfactory repayment to the Illinois
Student Assistance Commission for a delinquent or
defaulted loan. For the purposes of this Section,
"satisfactory repayment record" shall be defined by rule.
The Department shall refuse to issue or renew a license
to, or shall suspend or revoke a license of, any person
who, after receiving notice, fails to comply with a
subpoena or warrant relating to a paternity or child
support proceeding. However, the Department may issue a
license or renewal upon compliance with the subpoena or
warrant.
The Department, without further process or hearings,

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shall revoke, suspend, or deny any license or renewal
authorized by the Civil Administrative Code of Illinois to
a person who is certified by the Department of Healthcare
and Family Services (formerly Illinois Department of
Public Aid) as being more than 30 days delinquent in
complying with a child support order or who is certified by
a court as being in violation of the Non-Support Punishment
Act for more than 60 days. The Department may, however,
issue a license or renewal if the person has established a
satisfactory repayment record as determined by the
Department of Healthcare and Family Services (formerly
Illinois Department of Public Aid) or if the person is
determined by the court to be in compliance with the
Non-Support Punishment Act. The Department may implement
this paragraph as added by Public Act 89-6 through the use
of emergency rules in accordance with Section 5-45 of the
Illinois Administrative Procedure Act. For purposes of the
Illinois Administrative Procedure Act, the adoption of
rules to implement this paragraph shall be considered an
emergency and necessary for the public interest, safety,
and welfare.
(6) To transfer jurisdiction of any realty under the
control of the Department to any other department of the
State Government or to acquire or accept federal lands when
the transfer, acquisition, or acceptance is advantageous
to the State and is approved in writing by the Governor.

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(7) To formulate rules and regulations necessary for
the enforcement of any Act administered by the Department.
(8) To exchange with the Department of Healthcare and
Family Services information that may be necessary for the
enforcement of child support orders entered pursuant to the
Illinois Public Aid Code, the Illinois Marriage and
Dissolution of Marriage Act, the Non-Support of Spouse and
Children Act, the Non-Support Punishment Act, the Revised
Uniform Reciprocal Enforcement of Support Act, the Uniform
Interstate Family Support Act, the Illinois Parentage Act
of 1984, or the Illinois Parentage Act of 2015.
Notwithstanding any provisions in this Code to the
contrary, the Department of Professional Regulation shall
not be liable under any federal or State law to any person
for any disclosure of information to the Department of
Healthcare and Family Services (formerly Illinois
Department of Public Aid) under this paragraph (8) or for
any other action taken in good faith to comply with the
requirements of this paragraph (8).
(8.5) To accept continuing education credit for
mandated reporter training on how to recognize and report
child abuse offered by the Department of Children and
Family Services and completed by any person who holds a
professional license issued by the Department and who is a
mandated reporter under the Abused and Neglected Child
Reporting Act. The Department shall adopt any rules

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necessary to implement this paragraph.
(9) To perform other duties prescribed by law.
(a-5) Except in cases involving default on an educational
loan or scholarship provided by or guaranteed by the Illinois
Student Assistance Commission or any governmental agency of
this State or in cases involving delinquency in complying with
a child support order or violation of the Non-Support
Punishment Act and notwithstanding anything that may appear in
any individual licensing Act or administrative rule, no person
or entity whose license, certificate, or authority has been
revoked as authorized in any licensing Act administered by the
Department may apply for restoration of that license,
certification, or authority until 3 years after the effective
date of the revocation.
(b) (Blank).
(c) For the purpose of securing and preparing evidence, and
for the purchase of controlled substances, professional
services, and equipment necessary for enforcement activities,
recoupment of investigative costs, and other activities
directed at suppressing the misuse and abuse of controlled
substances, including those activities set forth in Sections
504 and 508 of the Illinois Controlled Substances Act, the
Director and agents appointed and authorized by the Director
may expend sums from the Professional Regulation Evidence Fund
that the Director deems necessary from the amounts appropriated
for that purpose. Those sums may be advanced to the agent when

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the Director deems that procedure to be in the public interest.
Sums for the purchase of controlled substances, professional
services, and equipment necessary for enforcement activities
and other activities as set forth in this Section shall be
advanced to the agent who is to make the purchase from the
Professional Regulation Evidence Fund on vouchers signed by the
Director. The Director and those agents are authorized to
maintain one or more commercial checking accounts with any
State banking corporation or corporations organized under or
subject to the Illinois Banking Act for the deposit and
withdrawal of moneys to be used for the purposes set forth in
this Section; provided, that no check may be written nor any
withdrawal made from any such account except upon the written
signatures of 2 persons designated by the Director to write
those checks and make those withdrawals. Vouchers for those
expenditures must be signed by the Director. All such
expenditures shall be audited by the Director, and the audit
shall be submitted to the Department of Central Management
Services for approval.
(d) Whenever the Department is authorized or required by
law to consider some aspect of criminal history record
information for the purpose of carrying out its statutory
powers and responsibilities, then, upon request and payment of
fees in conformance with the requirements of Section 2605-400
of the Department of State Police Law (20 ILCS 2605/2605-400),
the Department of State Police is authorized to furnish,

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pursuant to positive identification, the information contained
in State files that is necessary to fulfill the request.
(e) The provisions of this Section do not apply to private
business and vocational schools as defined by Section 15 of the
Private Business and Vocational Schools Act of 2012.
(f) (Blank).
(g) Notwithstanding anything that may appear in any
individual licensing statute or administrative rule, the
Department shall deny any license application or renewal
authorized under any licensing Act administered by the
Department to any person who has failed to file a return, or to
pay the tax, penalty, or interest shown in a filed return, or
to pay any final assessment of tax, penalty, or interest, as
required by any tax Act administered by the Illinois Department
of Revenue, until such time as the requirement of any such tax
Act are satisfied; however, the Department may issue a license
or renewal if the person has established a satisfactory
repayment record as determined by the Illinois Department of
Revenue. For the purpose of this Section, "satisfactory
repayment record" shall be defined by rule.
In addition, a complaint filed with the Department by the
Illinois Department of Revenue that includes a certification,
signed by its Director or designee, attesting to the amount of
the unpaid tax liability or the years for which a return was
not filed, or both, is prima facie evidence of the licensee's
failure to comply with the tax laws administered by the

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Illinois Department of Revenue. Upon receipt of that
certification, the Department shall, without a hearing,
immediately suspend all licenses held by the licensee.
Enforcement of the Department's order shall be stayed for 60
days. The Department shall provide notice of the suspension to
the licensee by mailing a copy of the Department's order to the
licensee's address of record or emailing a copy of the order to
the licensee's email address of record. The notice shall advise
the licensee that the suspension shall be effective 60 days
after the issuance of the Department's order unless the
Department receives, from the licensee, a request for a hearing
before the Department to dispute the matters contained in the
order.
Any suspension imposed under this subsection (g) shall be
terminated by the Department upon notification from the
Illinois Department of Revenue that the licensee is in
compliance with all tax laws administered by the Illinois
Department of Revenue.
The Department may promulgate rules for the administration
of this subsection (g).
(h) The Department may grant the title "Retired", to be
used immediately adjacent to the title of a profession
regulated by the Department, to eligible retirees. For
individuals licensed under the Medical Practice Act of 1987,
the title "Retired" may be used in the profile required by the
Patients' Right to Know Act. The use of the title "Retired"

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shall not constitute representation of current licensure,
registration, or certification. Any person without an active
license, registration, or certificate in a profession that
requires licensure, registration, or certification shall not
be permitted to practice that profession.
(i) The Department shall make available on its website
general information explaining how the Department utilizes
criminal history information in making licensure application
decisions, including a list of enumerated offenses that serve
as a statutory bar to licensure. Within 180 days after December
23, 2009 (the effective date of Public Act 96-852), the
Department shall promulgate rules which permit a person with a
criminal record, who seeks a license or certificate in an
occupation for which a criminal record is not expressly a per
se bar, to apply to the Department for a non-binding, advisory
opinion to be provided by the Board or body with the authority
to issue the license or certificate as to whether his or her
criminal record would bar the individual from the licensure or
certification sought, should the individual meet all other
licensure requirements including, but not limited to, the
successful completion of the relevant examinations.
(Source: P.A. 99-85, eff. 1-1-16; 99-227, eff. 8-3-15; 99-330,
eff. 8-10-15; 99-642, eff. 7-28-16; 99-933, eff. 1-27-17;
100-262, eff. 8-22-17; revised 10-4-17.)
Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon
becoming law.