Abstract
Veteran Treatment Courts in Illinois - The VTC Mandate In Illinois, several VTCs already exist. These courts have seemingly been successful in achieving the outcomes that matter to veterans and communities. Because of the preliminary success of these courts, Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner signed House Bill 5003 (HB 5003) into law on August 14, 2016, which amends the Veterans and Servicemembers Court Treatment Act of 2010 by providing that each judicial circuit shall—rather than may—implement a VTC by January of 2018 (Public Act 099-0807). In addition to this legislation, in November of 2015, the Administrative Office of the Illinois Courts (AOIC) initiated an application and certification process requiring all problem-solving courts (PSCs), which include VTCs, to obtain certification prior to hearing cases. These two state actions—HB 5003 and AOIC’s certification process— together mean that every judicial circuit in the state is required to execute a thorough and comprehensive plan for implementing a VTC by January of 2018. 3 Until
Comments
This is Simon Review Paper #48
All three authors are from John Marshall Law School: Veteran Legal Support Center and Clinic