Rep. Carol Ammons

Amends the Election Code. Provides that an election authority establishing a vote center (where a voter in its jurisdiction is allowed to vote on election day regardless of the precinct in which they are registered) under the Section shall identify the location, hours of operation, and any health and safety requirements by the 40th day preceding an election (rather than the 2022 general primary election and the 2022 general election) and certify such to the State Board of Elections. Removes a repeal date of January 1, 2023 for the vote center provisions. Effective immediately.

Creates the Right to Counsel in Immigration Proceedings Act. Establishes the Task Force on Counsel in Immigration Proceedings. Provides for members, compensation, and support staff. Provides that the Task Force shall investigate the implementation of universal representation for covered individuals in immigration removal proceedings. Provides that the Task Force shall submit a report of its findings in the investigation and its recommendations for how to fully provide legal representation for covered individuals facing immigration proceedings no later than July 1, 2022. Repeals the Act July 1, 2023. Effective immediately. Senate Committee Amendment No. 1 Deletes the list of members of the Task Force on Counsel in Immigration Proceedings. Provides instead that the Governor shall appoint the 7 members of the Task Force with the advice and consent of the Senate, in consultation with the President of the Senate, the Minority Leader of the Senate, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, the Minority Leader of the House of Representatives, the Attorney General, and the Secretary of Human Services.

Amends the School Code. With respect to accelerated placement, provides that for a student entering grade 12, the next most rigorous level of advanced coursework in English language arts or mathematics shall be a dual credit course if the student meets the institution of higher learning's dual credit placement standards (instead of only a dual credit course) or specified other courses. Makes a conforming change. Effective immediately.

Amends the Unified Code of Corrections. Deletes provision that no person serving a term of natural life imprisonment may be paroled or released except through executive clemency. Provides that a person serving a term of natural life imprisonment is eligible for parole or mandatory supervised release. Provides that a committed person who has attained the age of 60 years and served at least 20 consecutive years of imprisonment or a committed person who has served 25 consecutive years of imprisonment may submit a petition to the Prisoner Review Board seeking parole. Provides for the requirements of the petition. Provides that victims' families shall be notified in a timely manner and provided opportunity to participate at the parole hearing concerning the petitioner's application for parole under this provision in accordance with the Rights of Crime Victims and Witnesses Act, the Open Parole Hearings Act, and this Code. Provides that Prisoner Review Board hearings under this provision shall be conducted by a panel of at least 8 members of the Board and a majority vote of the panel is required to grant the petition and release the petitioner on parole. Provides that if parole is denied, the petitioner shall be eligible to reapply for parole no later than 3 years after denial. Effective immediately. Fiscal Note, House Floor Amendment No. 1 (Prisoner Review Board) HB 2399 (H-AM 1) will have an increased cost to the Prisoner Review Board of over $4.0 Million in first 10 years of program.

Amends the Business Enterprise for Minorities, Women, and Persons with Disabilities Act. Defines "good faith effort" for purposes of the Act. Provides factors for determining whether a good faith effort has been made for purposes of granting a waiver under the Act. Provides for a uniform standard of contract goals for State agencies, public institutions of higher education, and other departments. Specifies further requirements concerning the uniform standard of contract goals. Provides that the terms of every contract entered into by a State agency or public institution of higher education for purposes of the Act shall include a provision requiring vendors who fail to comply with a utilization plan to return all funds paid to that vendor with an expectation of compliance. Provides that the Business Enterprise Council may (rather than shall) grant a waiver under specified circumstances. Makes conforming changes. House Floor Amendment No. 1 Adds reference to: 30 ILCS 575/5 from Ch. 127, par. 132.605 Replaces everything after the enacting clause. Reinserts the provisions of the introduced bill with changes. Modifies requirements concerning the establishment of a uniform standard of contract goals by the Business Enterprise Program. Provides that the Secretary of the Business Enterprise Council for Minorities, Women, and Persons with Disabilities shall have the duty to establish an enforcement procedure whereby the Council may recommend to the appropriate State legal officer that the State exercise its legal remedies which shall include, among other legal remedies, the imposition of a penalty in the amount of the discrepancy between the commitment contained in a utilization plan, as such amount may be amended over the term of the contract, and the qualifying payments made to the eligible certified vendors listed in the utilization plan. Specifies further requirements concerning exemptions and requests for waivers from specified requirements under the Act. Makes further changes concerning enforcement procedures under the Act. Modifies and adds defined terms for purposes of the Act. Makes conforming and other changes.

Amends the Illinois Vehicle Code. Provides that, if an owner or other person in lawful possession or control of private property has contracted with a third-party vendor to issue permission to park on the private property through an online service vendor, and a vehicle has been removed from the property associated with the address prior to the time allocated according to the receipt provided to the vehicle owner or authorized user of the vehicle from the online service vendor, then the online service vendor, within 10 business days after presentation of the towing invoice and receipt from the vehicle owner or authorized user, shall remit to the vehicle owner or authorized user of the vehicle all costs charged to the vehicle owner or authorized user of a vehicle for towing costs, invoice fees, and fees for 24 hours of storage, plus $25 for reimbursement to travel to the vehicle location held by the towing company. Provides that if the online service vendor fails to comply, the online service vendor commits an unlawful practice within the meaning of the Consumer Fraud and Deceptive Business Practices Act. Makes a corresponding change in the Consumer Fraud and Deceptive Business Practices Act.

Amends the School Code. With regard to the 21st Century Community Learning Center Grant Program, provides that for Fiscal Year 2022 only, the State Board of Education must award grants to eligible applicants under the Program to establish 50 after-school programs in 50 disadvantaged communities where the household income is greater than 95% of the poverty guidelines updated periodically in the Federal Register by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Effective immediately.

Amends the Election Code. Allows the election authority in Champaign County to establish a pilot program that creates one or more vote centers for an election. Provides that if a vote center is used in a political subdivision, precinct polling places shall not also be used in the election in that political subdivision, unless each precinct polling place has a secure electronic connection to provide voting information to and receive voting information from the online voter registration system maintained by the election authority. Requires each vote center used to have a secure electronic connection to the online voter registration system maintained by the election authority permitting all voting information processed by any computer at a vote center to be immediately accessible to all other computers at all vote centers in the county and the ability for each voter to securely cast their ballot in a tabulation machine designed and programmed to accept all ballot styles for the current election. Provides for the number, location, and manner of operation and location of vote centers. Provides that vote centers shall receive and return all election supplies and ballots as a single entity, not by individual precinct requirements. Includes provisions concerning minimum requirements for operation of vote centers, early voting, and election judge requirements. Defines "vote center" to mean a polling place at which any registered elector or eligible elector in the political subdivision holding the election may vote, regardless of the precinct in which the elector resides. Repeals the provisions on January 1, 2025.

Creates the Freedom to Subscribe Directly Act. Provides that a provider of a digital application distribution platform for which cumulative downloads of software applications from the digital application distribution platform to Illinois users exceed 1,000,000 downloads in the previous or current calendar year may not: (i) require a software application developer that is domiciled in the State to use a particular in-application payment system as the exclusive mode of accepting payments from a user for software application downloads or digital purchases; (ii) require use of a particular in-application payment system for accepting payments from Illinois users to download a software application or purchase a digital or physical copy; or (iii) retaliate against a developer that is domiciled in the State or an Illinois user for using an in-application payment system or digital application distribution platform that is not owned by, operated by, or affiliated with the provider. Exempts special-purpose digital application distribution platforms from the Act. Provides that the Attorney General may receive complaints and investigate violations of the Act. Provides that any person aggrieved by a violation of the Act may commence a civil action. Defines terms.

Appropriates $3,000,000 from the Road Fund to the Rail Division of the Illinois Department of Transportation for the hiring of additional employees. Appropriates $5,000,000 from the Road Fund to the Illinois Department of Transportation High Speed Rail Commission for support and planning purposes. Appropriates $10,000,000 from the Road Fund to the Illinois Department of Transportation for engineering support. Effective July 1, 2022.