HB4613 Enrolled

LRB095 16534 RLC 42565 b






1
    AN ACT concerning criminal law.

 
2
    Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
 
3
represented in the General Assembly:


 
4
    Section 1. Short title. This Act may be cited as the Access 
5
to Religious Ministry Act of 2008.

 
6
    Section 5. The County Jail Act is amended  by adding Section 
7
26 as follows:
 
8
    (730 ILCS 125/26  new)
9
    Sec. 26. Detainees in immigration custody; religious 
10
worker access to jails.
11
    (a) Any county jail in the State of Illinois for which an 
12
intergovernmental agreement has been entered into with United 
13
States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) for detention 
14
of immigration-related detainees shall be required to provide 
15
to religious workers reasonable access to such jail. Such 
16
access shall be consistent with the safety, security, and the 
17
orderly operation of the facility.
18
    (b) For purposes of this Section, "reasonable access" means 
19
the ability of the religious worker to enter the jail facility 
20
to be available to meet with immigration detainees who wish to 
21
consult with the religious worker regarding their spiritual 
22
needs. Such access shall be at times set by the sheriff or his 
 


 






HB4613 Enrolled
- 2 -
LRB095 16534 RLC 42565 b




1
or her designee. The facility shall provide advance notice to 
2
the immigration detainees of the times during which religious 
3
workers shall be available for consultation under this Section, 
4
and shall not limit the access of detainees  to such religious 
5
workers  without good cause. Consultations with religious 
6
workers under this Section shall not be counted against the 
7
visitation time or number of visits to which a detainee is 
8
otherwise entitled under the facility's visitation policies.
9
    (c) The sheriff or his or her designee shall have the right 
10
to screen and approve individuals seeking access to immigration 
11
detainees at the facility under this Act.
 
12
    Section 97. Severability. The provisions of this Act are 
13
severable under Section 1.31 of the Statute on Statutes.