Illinois House Bill HB2945

Illinois 2025-2026 Regular Session

• Introduced: 2/5/25
• Refer: 2/6/25
• Refer: 3/4/25
• Refer: 3/21/25

Caption

DCFS-CRIM CHECKS-SSN BAN

Summary

HB2945 amends the Children and Family Services Act and the Juvenile Court Act of 1987 to prohibit the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) and courts from requiring certain volunteers to provide their Social Security numbers on forms used to authorize criminal history record checks or background checks. The bill applies to DCFS volunteers and to court appointed special advocates (CASAs), and it also directs DCFS to revise its rules to conform to the new requirement. In addition, the bill amends the statutory definition of “background information” so that a DCFS volunteer’s Social Security number is excluded from that term. The measure is narrow in scope and focused on privacy and identity protection for volunteers who work with children and families. It does not change the underlying authority of DCFS or the courts to conduct criminal background checks, fingerprint-based checks, sex offender registry checks, or child abuse and neglect registry checks; it only limits the collection of Social Security numbers on the authorization forms used for those checks. The bill also preserves existing screening standards for volunteers and CASAs, including disqualification rules tied to certain criminal or child abuse findings.

Impact

If enacted, HB2945 would require DCFS to update its authorization forms and administrative rules, and it would amend the Juvenile Court Act to bar courts from requiring Social Security numbers from CASA appointees on background-check forms. The bill would therefore affect DCFS volunteer onboarding and CASA screening procedures, but would not alter the substantive background-check process itself or the eligibility criteria for service. The main legal effect is a privacy-related limitation on what personal identifying information may be collected from these volunteers in connection with criminal history screening.

Sentiment

No committee transcripts or recorded votes were provided, so there is no documented debate or roll-call history to indicate broad support or opposition. Based on the bill text and caption, the measure appears administrative and noncontroversial on its face, with a privacy-protection rationale rather than a policy shift in child welfare or court practice. The absence of recorded opposition or amendments in the provided materials suggests the bill was introduced as a targeted technical change.

Contention

The most likely point of contention is whether DCFS and the courts should be restricted from collecting Social Security numbers when conducting background checks, since agencies sometimes use that information to help verify identity and avoid mismatched records. Supporters would likely emphasize volunteer privacy, identity-theft prevention, and reducing barriers to service for DCFS volunteers and CASAs. Any concern would likely come from administrators or screening officials focused on whether removing SSNs could make background-check processing less efficient or more error-prone, though the bill leaves the actual criminal-history screening authority intact.