Designates June 19th as "Juneteenth Day of Remembrance" in Illinois to recall the end of slavery.
Amends the School Code. Makes a technical change in a Section concerning regional superintendents of schools.
Supports the Short Term Borrowing Act and urges the Illinois Development Finance Authority and the Illinois Health Facilities Authority to sell short-term notes to buy the accounts receivables of providers.
Provides that the amendatory Act may be referred to as the Chicago Education Reform Act of 2003. Amends the School Code and the Illinois Educational Labor Relations Act. Requires the Chicago Board of Education and the chief executive officer to enter into a partnership agreement with the Chicago Teachers Union with regard to advancing student achievement. Makes changes concerning permissive and mandatory subjects of bargaining, adoption of a grievance resolution procedure for the discharge or suspension of employees, and establishment of a Labor Management Council. Amends the Charter Schools Law of the School Code. Makes changes concerning the City of Chicago with respect to increasing the number of schools that may operate, limiting operation of a school to one campus, prohibiting a for-profit entity from operating or managing a school, requiring the administration of nationally recognized standardized tests, requiring a certain percentage of employees in instructional positions to hold teaching certificates, and obtaining alternative teacher certification. Amends the State Mandates Act to require implementation without reimbursement. Effective immediately.
Names Tuesday, April 15, 2003 as 4-H Day at the Illinois State Capitol and salutes 4-H work and accomplishments.
Urges the Illinois State Library be renamed the Gwendolyn Brooks Illinois State Library in honor of the late Gwendolyn Brooks, poet laureate of the State of Illinois.
Urges the Illinois Supreme Court to adopt recommendation no. 37 of the Governor's Commission On Capital Punishment relating to the development of a digest of applicable law by the Supreme Court and wider publication of the outline of issues developed by the State Appellate Defender or the State Appellate Prosecutor and/or the Attorney General.
Urges the Illinois Supreme Court to adopt Recommendation No. 38 of the Governor's Commission on Capital Punishment relating to the certification of trial judges to hear capital cases.
Urges the Illinois Supreme Court to adopt Recommendation No. 39 of the Governor's Commission on Capital Punishment that requests the Court appoint a standing committee of judges familiar with capital case management to provide resources to trial judges who are responsible for trying capital cases.
Urges the Illinois Supreme Court to adopt Recommendation No. 55 of the Governor's Commission on Capital Punishment relating to expert testimony on eyewitness reliability.
Urges the Illinois Supreme Court to adopt Recommendation No. 51 of the Governor's Commission on Capital Punishment requiring the State to promptly inform the defense as to the identification and background of a witness who is an in-custody informant.
Urges the Illinois Supreme Court to adopt Recommendation No. 71 of the Governor's Commission on Capital Punishment that urges the court to amend the Illinois Rules of Professional Conduct to provide that a prosecutor, after conviction, has a continuing obligation to disclose evidence to the defendant that negates the defendant's guilt or mitigates the defendant's capital sentence.
