Creates the Local Legacy Act. Creates the Local Legacy Board and establishes its membership, powers, and duties. Provides that the Board must choose a chairperson, adopt rules necessary to implement the Act, and submit a report to the General Assembly and the Governor by January 1, 2005 and every 2 years thereafter. Creates the Local Legacy Program to fund county-municipal partnerships for the purpose of inventorying and protecting natural areas, farmland, and cultural resources. Requires counties interested in program funds to form a Local Steering Committee composed of county board members, municipal officers, and local residents and provides procedures for Committee oversight of grant requests. Authorizes the Committee to develop criteria and a Resource Protection Plan for prioritizing resources and the use of grant moneys under the Act. Allows a local municipality to object in writing to all or some of the Resource Protection Plan and provides that those counties, municipalities, and units of local government that have adopted a Resource Protection Plan shall receive preferential status for grant moneys under the Act. Creates the Local Legacy Fund as a special fund in the State treasury and specifies the purposes for which the Fund moneys may be used.
Amends the Illinois Police Training Act to provide instruction for the handling of domestic violence complaints with the guidelines developed by the Illinois Law Enforcement Training Standards Board and representatives from named State and private offices with an interest in preventing domestic violence. Amends the Illinois Domestic Violence Act of 1986 to mandate the implementation of a system for recording domestic violence calls and annually reporting the number of those calls. Provides that law enforcement officers shall also annotate signs of whether the alleged abuser was under the influence of alcohol or a controlled substance.
Amends the School Code. Provides that the State Board of Education shall accept, as qualifications for non-certified personnel, relevant life experiences as determined by the State Board by rule.
Amends the Telecommunications Article of the Public Utilities Act. Provides that only telecommunications carriers that provide local exchange service (rather than all carriers) are required to notify their end-users (rather than all customers) about contributions to fund the Program to Foster the Elimination of the Digital Divide. Provides that notice need not be given to end-users subscribing to cellular radio service, high-speed data transmission service, pay phone service, and certain other services.
Amends the Chicago Park District Act. Makes technical changes in a Section creating the Chicago Park District.
Amends the Criminal Code of 1961 relating to retail theft. Provides that a lessee of personal property is civilly liable to the owner of the property if the lessee fails to return the property to the owner or fails to pay the full retail value of the property to the lessor in violation of a contract provision to do so, within 10 days after written demand from the owner for the property's return. Effective immediately.
Amends the State Parks Act. Provides that, notwithstanding provisions declaring it a violation to cut, break, injure, destroy, take, or remove any tree, shrub, timber, plant, or natural object in any park or parkway, the Department of Natural Resources may, by administrative rule, authorize edible fungi, nut, and berry collection in those areas of Department owned, leased, or managed lands where the collecting would not be in conflict or incompatible with (i) Department of Natural Resources natural resource management or recreational programs for that area and (ii) the Natural Areas Preservation Act. Effective immediately.
Creates the Illinois Early Learning Council Act. Establishes the Illinois Early Learning Council to coordinate existing State programs and services for children from birth to 5 years of age in order to better meet the early learning needs of children and their families. Provides for the appointment of members to the Council who represent both public and private organizations and who shall serve on a voluntary, unpaid basis.
Amends the Illinois Streetgang Terrorism Omnibus Prevention Act. Includes in the definition of "course or pattern of criminal activity", acts of criminal defacement of property if the defacement includes a sign or other symbol intended to identify the streetgang.
Amends the Firearm Owners Identification Card Act. Provides that a minor subject to a delinquency petition filed under the Juvenile Court Act of 1987 alleging that the minor is a delinquent minor for the commission of an offense that if committed by an adult would be a felony is ineligible for a Firearm Owner's Identification Card. Provides that the ineligibility continues through adulthood.
Amends the Civic Center Code. Makes a technical change in a Section concerning a civic center authority's power to incur obligations.
Creates the Health Care Facility Insolvency Act. Contains only a short title provision.
