Rep. Carol Ammons

Amends the Labor Dispute Act. Makes a technical change in a Section concerning the short title.

Amends the Cannabis Regulation and Tax Act. Makes a technical change in a Section concerning the short title.

Amends the Grant Accountability and Transparency Act. Provides that a local government may submit a request to the Grant Accountability and Transparency Unit to be exempt from certain audit requirements if the local government is unable to meet the audit requirements due to circumstances beyond the local government's control, including, but not limited to, a natural disaster in which financial records of the local government are destroyed or alleged employee misconduct involving the destruction or withholding of financial records. Effective immediately.

Declares February 28, 2023 as Black Women's History Day in the State of Illinois to honor the accomplishments, power, beauty, courage, intelligence, ingenuity, stewardship, and leadership of Black women. Encourages all Illinoisans and their families to acknowledge, in word and in deed, the accomplishments of Black women in places where they live, work, and play, because doing so recognizes Black women's history as American history.

Urges the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) to support the state goal of increasing the number and diversity of Illinois' educator workforce by collaborating with the Illinois Board of Higher Education (IBHE), the Illinois Community College Board (ICCB), and the Illinois Student Assistance Commission (ISAC) to develop and launch a state-wide teacher recruitment system internally, possibly with the support from an outside vendor, that will be available to the public by July 1, 2024 and will support interested candidates statewide to apply to, enroll in, and complete Illinois' Teacher Preparation Programs and succeed in their eventual job placement.

Amends the Election Code. Allows the State Board of Elections to receive voter registration information provided by applicants using electronic voter registration portals (rather than the Board's website). Provides that notwithstanding any other provision of law, a person who is otherwise qualified to vote may preregister to vote on or after that person's 16th birthday, with the registration held in abeyance by the appropriate election authority until that individual attains the required age to vote. Requires preregistration to be completed using the online voter registration system or an electronic voter registration portal. Provides that for the purposes of the Code, an individual who is 16 years of age or older (rather than who is 17 years of age and who will be 18 years of age on the date of the general or consolidated election) shall be deemed competent to execute and attest to any voter registration forms.

Amends the Unified Code of Corrections. Provides that, on or after the effective date of the amendatory Act, when a person commits an offense and the person is under 21 years of age at the time of the commission of the offense, the court, at the sentencing hearing, shall consider certain additional factors in mitigation in determining the appropriate sentence. Provides, that notwithstanding any other provision of law, if the defendant is under 18 at the time of the commission of the offense and convicted of first degree murder and would otherwise be subject to sentencing under certain provisions, the court shall impose a sentence of not less than 40 years of imprisonment. Provides that, in addition, the court may, in its discretion, decline to impose the sentencing enhancements based upon the possession or use of a firearm during the commission of the offense.

Amends the Child Death Review Team Act. Provides that members of the General Assembly shall serve on the Illinois Child Death Review Teams Executive Council and attend all Executive Council meetings. Provides that members of the General Assembly shall be permitted to attend all Executive meetings, meetings between the Director and the Executive Council, and Child Death Review regional team meetings. Provides that in addition to other specified purposes, a child death review team's purpose in conducting reviews of child deaths is to share with the General Assembly the specific recommendations the review team makes to the Director and the Inspector General of the Department of Children and Family Services concerning the prevention of child deaths due to abuse or neglect and the establishment of protocols for investigating child deaths.

Amends the School Code. Provides that the dyslexia handbook developed by the State Board of Education shall include guidelines on the administration of a universal screener and dyslexia screening, the interpretation of data from these screeners, and the resulting appropriate instruction within a multi-tiered system of support framework. Provides that the State Board of Education shall adopt any rules necessary to ensure that a student will be screened for the risk factors of dyslexia using a universal screener. Sets forth which students are required to be screened. Provides that no later than January 1, 2024, the State Board of Education shall employ at least 5 dyslexia specialists or dyslexia therapists with a minimum of 5 years of field experience in screening, identifying, and treating dyslexia and related disorders. Provides that beginning with the 2023-2024 school year, each school district must screen students in grades kindergarten through 2 for the risk factors of dyslexia using a universal screener approved by the State Board of Education. Provides that if a student is determined to be either at risk or at some risk for dyslexia after the universal screener has been administered, the school district must administer a dyslexia screening of the student. Provides that if a student's dyslexia screening indicates that the student has characteristics of dyslexia, the dyslexia intervention services provided to the student must utilize a structured literacy approach as outlined in the State Board of Education's handbook. Makes other changes.

Creates the Second Chance Public Health and Safety Act and amends the Freedom of Information Act, the Civil Administrative Code of Illinois, and the Unified Code of Corrections. Contains declarations and findings. Creates the Department of Returning Resident Affairs and sets forth its powers in relation to returning residents (residents who have been detained, are defendants in criminal prosecutions, are incarcerated, or have been incarcerated) and other matters. Provides that the Department shall develop and administer the Second Chance State Program for returning residents and provides for the establishment of hub sites to provide specified services to eligible individuals and other elements of the Program. Provides for the appointment of a Director of Returning Resident Affairs who has experience working with or for a community-based organization and was incarcerated in an Illinois Department of Corrections facility for not less than one year, as well as an Assistant Director and a General Counsel. Contains provisions regarding other matters. Provides that the provisions of the Act are severable. Effective immediately.