705 ILCS 70/ Court Reporters Act.
(705 ILCS 70/1) (from Ch. 37, par. 651)
Sec. 1. Definitions. In this Act:
"Court reporter" means any person appointed by the chief judge of any circuit to perform the duties prescribed in Section 5 of this Act.
"Employer representative" means, with respect to wages, fringe benefits, hours, holidays, vacation, proficiency examinations, sick leave, and other conditions of employment:
(1) For court reporters employed by the Cook County
| Judicial Circuit, the chief judge of the Cook County Circuit Court. | |
(2) For court reporters employed by the 12th, 18th, |
| 19th, and, on and after December 4, 2006, the 22nd judicial circuits, a group consisting of the chief judges of those circuits, acting jointly by majority vote. | |
(3) For court reporters employed by all other |
| judicial circuits, the chief judges of those circuits, acting jointly by majority vote. | |
The chief judge of the judicial circuit that employs a public employee who is a court reporter, as defined in the Court Reporters Act, has the authority to hire, appoint, promote, evaluate, discipline, and discharge court reporters within that judicial circuit.
(Source: P.A. 94‑98, eff. 7‑1‑05.) |
(705 ILCS 70/2) (from Ch. 37, par. 652)
Sec. 2. This Act shall be known and may be cited as the Court Reporters Act.
(Source: Laws 1965, p. 2616.) |
(705 ILCS 70/3) (from Ch. 37, par. 653)
Sec. 3. Number; determination and certification. The number of full‑time and part‑time court reporters that may be appointed in each circuit shall be determined by the employer representative. In determining how many court reporters are needed in each circuit the employer representative shall consider the following factors: (1) case loads in the circuit; (2) the number of associate judges and circuit judges in the circuit; (3) the number and location in the circuit of major federal and state highways; (4) the location in the circuit of state police highway truck weighing stations; (5) the relationship of urban population to large metropolitan centers in the various counties of the circuit; (6) the location in the circuit of state institutions including, but not limited to, universities, colleges, mental health facilities, penitentiaries; (7) the number of cities and towns within each circuit in which regular court sessions are held and the distance in road miles between each; and (8) any other factor deemed relevant by the employer representative.
The employer representative may, as the need arises, increase or lower the number of such court reporters so authorized.
The Chief Judge of each circuit may designate any number of approved full‑time court reporter positions as time share positions. For the purposes of this Act, "time share position" means a full‑time court reporter position that is divided among 2 or more court reporters with the full‑time salary and benefits being apportioned among the court reporters in the same percentage as the duties of the full‑time position are apportioned.
(Source: P.A. 94‑98, eff. 7‑1‑05.)
(705 ILCS 70/4) (from Ch. 37, par. 654)
Sec. 4. Appointment; oath. The chief judge may appoint all or any of the number of court reporters authorized by Section 3 of this Act. The court reporters so appointed shall serve at the direction of the chief judge and may be removed by the chief judge.
Each court reporter appointed shall, before entering upon the duties of his office, take the official oath to faithfully discharge the duties of his office to the best of his knowledge and ability.
The appointments shall be in writing and shall be filed with the Clerk of the Circuit Court of the circuit in which the court reporters are employed and shall continue in force until revoked by the chief judge of the circuit in which the court reporter is appointed.
(Source: P.A. 94‑98, eff. 7‑1‑05.)
(705 ILCS 70/4.1) (from Ch. 37, par. 654.1)
Sec. 4.1. Appointment and salary of administrative personnel.
(a) The employer representative may authorize the chief judge of any single county circuit in which official court reporting services are centrally administered, (1) to appoint from among the court reporters appointed in the circuit an Administrator of Court Reporters, a Deputy Administrator of Court Reporters and 2 Assistant Administrators of Court Reporters, (2) to designate from among the court reporters appointed in the circuit one Reporter Supervisor and one Assistant Reporter Supervisor for each Department and Division of the circuit court, and (3) to appoint secretarial and other support staff to assist the Administrator. Each Administrator, Deputy Administrator, Assistant Administrator, Reporter Supervisor, and Assistant Reporter Supervisor shall have an "A" proficiency rating, by examination, as provided in Section 7.
(b) Administrative personnel appointed under this Section shall be paid by the State.
(1) In addition to their regular salary as official
| court reporters, the administrative personnel appointed under this Section shall be paid such additional sums as the employer representative specifies. Such sums shall be included in the pay schedule adopted pursuant to Section 8. The additional amounts paid shall reflect the burden of administrative responsibility borne by the administrative personnel and the consequent lack of opportunity to produce transcripts of testimony. The additional amounts paid to such personnel shall not exceed the following: | |
(A) Administrator of Court Reporters: $20,000 per |
| |
(B) Deputy Administrator of Court Reporters: |
| |
(C) Assistant Administrators of Court Reporters: |
| |
(D) Reporter Supervisors: $10,000 per year.
(E) Assistant Reporter Supervisors: $5,000 per |
| |
(2) Each of the secretarial and other support staff |
| authorized under this Section shall be paid a salary as determined per year by the employer representative. | |
(Source: P.A. 94‑98, eff. 7‑1‑05.) |
(705 ILCS 70/5) (from Ch. 37, par. 655)
Sec. 5. Means of reporting; transcripts. The court reporter shall make a full reporting by means of stenographic hand or machine notes, or a combination thereof, of the evidence and such other proceedings in trials and judicial proceedings to which he is assigned by the chief judge, and the court reporter may use an electronic instrument as a supplementary device. In the event that the court utilizes an audio or video recording system to record the proceedings, a court reporter shall be in charge of such system; however, the appointment of a court reporter to be in charge of an audio or video recording system shall not be required where such system is the judge's personal property or has been supplied by a party or such party's attorney. To the extent that it does not substantially interfere with the court reporter's other official duties, the judge to whom, or a judge of the division to which, a reporter is assigned may assign a reporter to secretarial or clerical duties arising out of official court operations.
Unless and until otherwise provided in a Uniform Schedule of Charges which may hereafter be provided by rule or order of the employer representative, a court reporter may charge not to exceed 25