Rep. Carol Ammons

Amends the Election Code. Removes language allowing a candidate or public official who has filed a Notification of Self-Funding to accept contributions in excess of any contribution limit. Removes language allowing all candidates for an office to accept contributions in excess of any contribution limit when one of the candidates for that office filed a Notification of Self-Funding. Removes language allowing all candidates for an office to accept contributions in excess of any contribution limit when one of the candidates for that office benefited from independent expenditures in excess of certain amounts. Effective immediately.

Amends the State University Certificates of Participation Act. Provides that the Act applies until December 31, 2023 (rather than December 31, 2014). Amends the University of Illinois Act and the Northern Illinois University Law. Under an Investment, Performance, and Accountability Commitment at each University, requires each University to comply with certain tuition and mandatory fee, financial aid, and performance goal provisions if the University is appropriated a certain amount of money each fiscal year. Provides for an annual report, and repeals the Commitment on June 30, 2024. Subject to appropriation (greater than or equal to 1% of the faculty salary pool for Northern Illinois University), provides for an Excellence Program at each University to recruit and retain promising faculty throughout the University through capital investments; amends the State Finance Act to create a special fund. Effective immediately.

Amends the College Campus Press Act. Makes a technical change in a Section concerning the short title.

Amends the Environmental Protection Act. Makes a technical change in a Section concerning the short title.

Creates the 2020 Census Grant Program Act. Creates the 2020 Census Grant Program for the purpose of issuing matching grants to local governments and nonprofit organizations to support the accurate counting of the population of the State and its local jurisdictions, and the collection of basic demographic and housing information of the population of this State for the 2020 Census. Creates the 2020 Census Grant Program Panel and provides for its membership. Provides administrative support for the Grant Panel. Provides for the awarding of funds under the Grant Program. Requires notice to be given to units of local government and nonprofit organizations concerning the Grant Program. Provides that for fiscal year 2020, the Governor shall include in the annual State budget for the 2020 Census Grant Program an appropriation of $33,000,000. Provides legislative findings. Defines terms. Repeals the Act on January 1, 2022. Effective immediately.

Amends the Criminal Identification Act. Provides that a petitioner may petition the circuit court to expunge the records of his or her arrests and charges not initiated by arrest when each arrest or charge not initiated by arrest sought to be expunged resulted in the underlying conduct being later decriminalized.

Amends the Code of Criminal Procedure of 1963. Provides that in no event shall the amount retained by the clerk as bail bond costs exceed $100 (currently, this requirement is applicable only to counties with a population of 3,000,000 or more).

Amends the Election Code. Changes signature requirements for new political parties and independent candidates so the amounts are equal to those required for established political parties, irrespective of party affiliation.

Amends the Property Tax Code. With respect to the Senior Citizens Assessment Freeze Homestead Exemption, provides that, beginning in assessment year 2019, the taxpayer's household income shall be reduced by any amounts paid as Medicare premiums. Effective immediately.

Amends the Illinois Human Rights Act. Provides that it is a civil rights violation for an owner or any other person engaging in a real estate transaction because of, among other things, source of income, to: refuse to engage in a real estate transaction or to discriminate in making available such a transaction; alter the terms, conditions, or privileges of a real estate transaction; refuse to receive or to fail to transmit a bona fide offer to engage in a real estate transaction from a person; refuse to negotiate for a real estate transaction; represent to a person that real property is not available for inspection, sale, rental, or lease when it is available, or fail to bring a property listing to his or her attention, or refuse to permit him or her to inspect real property; make, print, circulate, post, mail, publish, or cause to be made, printed, circulated, posted, mailed, or published, any notice, statement, advertisement, or sign that indicates any preference, limitation, or discrimination based on unlawful discrimination based on source of income, or an intention to make any such preference, limitation, or discrimination; or offer, solicit, accept, use, or retain a listing of real property with knowledge that unlawful discrimination on the basis of source of income in a real estate transaction is intended. Defines "source of income" as the lawful manner by which an individual supports himself or herself and his or her dependents.