Animal Law

The Access to Justice Act created the Statutory Court Fee Task Force to study the current system of fees, fines, and other court costs and propose recommendations to the Illinois General Assembly and Illinois Supreme Court. Its report may be found at the URL below. 

(Drury, D-Highwood) makes it perjury if a person knowingly under oath makes contradictory statements to the degree that one of them is necessarily false in the same or in different proceedings in which an oath or affirmation is required if: (1) each statement was material to the issue or point in question; and (2) each statement was made within the period of the statute of limitations for the offense charged. Makes it a defense if the defendant at the time he or she made each declaration believed the declaration to be true. Just introduced.

(Morrison, D-Lake Forest; Yingling, D-Hainesville) allows a county board for counties more than 300,000 but less than two million population to adopt a code of conduct regarding the fiscal responsibility and procurement authority, as required by State law, local ordinance, or county board policy It may also include additional provisions for the accountability, transparency, and ethical conduct of county appointees. Allows appointees appointed by a county board chairman or county executive, with or without the consent of the county board, to be removed from office for violating the code of conduct by the county board chairman or county executive with concurrence by a 2/3 majority vote of the county board. It requires that reasonable notice of the violation and a hearing before the county board or its designee be provided to the appointee before the vote. Makes similar provisions for appointees appointed by the county board on the process of removal for violation of the code of conduct. But the Act exempts the removal of county superintendent of highways and county engineer from these provisions. Effective January 1, 2015.

(Brauer, R-Springfield) lifts the cap on the $25 court-services fee that a county may charge civil litigants and convicted defendants for courthouse security if there is an acceptable cost study prepared that justifies it. Scheduled for House Judiciary Committee Wednesday morning.

(Sandack, R-Lombard) amends the Code of Civil Procedure statute of repose for attorneys by tolling the six-year statute of repose if the client is still represented by the attorney or the attorney knowingly conceals the act or omission. The period of limitations will not begin to run until the person is no longer represented by the attorney or until the client should have known of the injury. Introduced and referred to House Rules Committee.