DCFS-INDICATED RPT-EXPUNGEMENT

Amends the Abused and Neglected Child Reporting Act. Provides that the Department of Children and Family Services shall, by rule, establish conditions under which an indicated finding that is properly appealed may be expunged upon completion of a course of services prescribed by the Department. Provides that notwithstanding the expiration of the deadline for appealing an indicated report and notwithstanding the previous issuance of a non-appealable final administrative decision denying a request to expunge an indicated report, and pursuant to the Child Protective Service Unit's authority to amend reports, the Director of the Department or his or her designee shall have the exclusive discretion, on the ground of manifest injustice, to expunge from the central register either an indicated report or the name of a specified perpetrator or to reduce the length of time for which the specified perpetrator's name is to remain registered on the central register. Further provides that in the alternative, the Director or his or her designee shall have the exclusive discretion to direct that the issue of expungement of an indicated report or of expungement of the name of a specified perpetrator be re-opened for an evidentiary hearing on the merits. Effective immediately.