Rep. Carol Ammons

Amends the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity Law of the Civil Administrative Code of Illinois. Requires the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity to establish and support, subject to appropriation, entrepreneurship assistance centers, including the issuance of grants, at career education agencies and not-for-profit corporations. Provides criteria for the selection and designation of centers. Provides requirements for the establishment and operation of each center. Provides requirements for grant applicants. Provides reporting requirements. Defines terms.

Amends the School Code. Provides that a guidance counselor may not intentionally solicit or accept any gift from any prohibited source or solicit or accept a gift that would be in violation of any federal or State statute or rule, with exceptions; defines terms. Provides that a guidance counselor is not in violation of the prohibition if he or she promptly takes reasonable action to return the gift to the prohibited source or donates the gift or an amount equal to its value to an appropriate charity that is exempt from income taxation under the Internal Revenue Code of 1986. Provides that a guidance counselor or prohibited source who intentionally violates the prohibition is guilty of a business offense and is subject to a fine of at least $1,001 and up to $5,000. Senate Floor Amendment No. 1 Adds promotional materials as an exception to the prohibition.

Amends the Property Tax Code. Provides that any taxing district that has an aggregate property tax levy of more than $5,000,000 for the applicable levy year shall make a good faith effort to collect and electronically publish data from all vendors and subcontractors doing business with the taxing district as to whether the vendor or subcontractor is a minority-owned, women-owned, or veteran-owned business or whether the vendor or subcontractor is a small business. Preempts the concurrent exercise of home rule powers. Amends the State Mandates Act to require implementation without reimbursement. Effective immediately.

Creates the Water and Sewer Financial Assistance Act. Provides that the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity is authorized to institute the water and sewer assistance program. Provides that any person who is a resident of the State of Illinois and whose household income is not greater than an amount determined annually by the Department may apply for assistance. Provides that in determining the amounts of assistance to be provided to or on behalf of a qualified applicant, the Department shall ensure that the highest amounts of assistance go to households with the greatest need for financial assistance in relation to household income by considering specified factors. Provides that each water or sewer provider shall assess each of its customer accounts a monthly Water and Sewer Assistance Charge to be deposited into the Water and Sewer Low-Income Assistance Fund. Amends the State Finance Act. Creates the Water and Sewer Low-Income Assistance Fund. Amends the Public Utilities Act. Provides that specified water or sewer utilities shall be allowed to offer a financial assistance program designed for bill payment assistance for low-income customers in accordance with the Water and Sewer Financial Assistance Act. Provides that the costs of a financial assistance program offered by a water or sewer utility shall be reimbursed from the Water and Sewer Low-Income Assistance Fund. Effective immediately. House Floor Amendment No. 1 Provides that, in its use of federal funds under the Act, the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity may not cause a disproportionate share of those federal funds to benefit customers of water or sewer providers that do not assess the Water and Sewer Assistance Charge. Senate Committee Amendment No. 1 Replaces everything after the enacting clause. Reinserts the provisions of the introduced bill with the following changes: In provisions creating the Water and Sewer Financial Assistance Act, provides that in setting the annual eligibility level to receive financial assistance under the Act, the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity may not set a limit higher than the eligibility limit for assistance under the Energy Assistance Act (rather than 150% of the poverty guidelines updated periodically in the Federal Register by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services). Provides that the process to allow a water or sewer provider to discontinue imposing assessments shall include review by the Illinois Commerce Commission of any water or sewer provider subject to the Public Utilities Act. Removes provisions concerning program eligibility for residents of rental properties. In provisions amending the Public Utilities Act, provides that the Commission shall render its decision within 90 days (rather than 60 days) after receiving a petition from a water or sewer utility to offer a financial assistance program. Removes language requiring the Commission to annually review and reconcile any amounts collected through tariffs to recover the costs of the financial assistance program. Makes corresponding changes.

Amends the Lodging Services Human Trafficking Recognition Training Act. Requires restaurants and truck stops to provide employees with training in the recognition of human trafficking and protocols for reporting observed human trafficking to the appropriate authority.

Amends the Business Corporation Act of 1983. Provides that if the board of directors is authorized to determine the place of a meeting of shareholders, the board of directors may determine that the meeting shall not be held at any place, but may instead be held solely by means of remote communication. Provides that a corporation may allow shareholders to participate in and act at any meeting of the shareholders through the use of remote connection; however, the corporation shall implement reasonable measures to provide the shareholders a reasonable opportunity to participate in the meeting and to vote on matters submitted to the shareholders. Provides that the corporation may implement reasonable measures to verify that each person deemed present and entitled to vote at the meeting by means of remote communication is a shareholder. Makes corresponding changes. Effective immediately. House Committee Amendment No. 1 Adds reference to: 805 ILCS 5/11.39 805 ILCS 5/14.13 new 805 ILCS 5/15.10 from Ch. 32, par. 15.10 805 ILCS 5/15.35 from Ch. 32, par. 15.35 805 ILCS 5/15.97 from Ch. 32, par. 15.97 805 ILCS 40/1.10 805 ILCS 40/2.01 805 ILCS 180/35-22 new 805 ILCS 180/45-70 new 805 ILCS 215/1308 Replaces everything after the enacting clause. Amends the Business Corporation Act of 1983. Authorizes shareholder meetings to be held by means of remote communication. Provides for the combination of corporations and limited liability entities rather than limited liability companies and partnerships. Provides for reports of interim changes of corporations. Accelerates the repeal of provisions relating to franchise taxes from 2025 to 2024. Delays repeal of the corporate franchise tax refund fund from 2022 to 2024. Amends the Benefit Corporation Act to provide that a benefit corporation may be organized under the laws of another state. Amends the Limited Liability Company Act. Provides that a limited liability company may revoke its termination within 90 days after the effective date of the termination, or longer if the limited liability company pays a penalty, if it has not begun to distribute its assets. Requires the limited liability company to file articles of revocation of termination. Sets forth the contents of the articles of termination. Provides that after filing the articles of revocation, the limited liability company may resume business as if the termination had never occurred. Provides that a limited liability company may be reinstated following its termination. Requires the filing of an application for reinstatement, the payment of fees, and the filing of reports. Provides that upon reinstatement the existence of the limited liability company shall be deemed to have continued without interruption. Amends the Uniform Limited Partnership Act to provide that a request submitted by electronics means may not be considered a request for expedited service.

Amends the Rental Housing Support Program Act. In a provision requiring the Illinois Housing Development Authority to adopt rules concerning grants awarded to local administering agencies to fund rent subsidies for low-income families, provides that the rules must limit eligibility for tenancy in the subsidized rental units to households with gross income that is at or below 40% (rather than 30%) of the family median income for the area in which the grant will be made. In a provision concerning rules on grants awarded to entities for the development of affordable rental housing, provides that the rules must require 50% of the units that are supported by any grant to be set aside for households whose income is at or below 25% (rather than 15%) of the median family income for the area in which the grant will be made. House Committee Amendment No. 1 Replaces everything after the enacting clause. Amends the Rental Housing Support Program Act. Provides that once a tenant has received assistance under the Rental Housing Support Program the tenant shall remain eligible for assistance under the Program until the tenant reaches an income level of 35% of area median family income and will then begin the transition out of the Program, as described in the rules governing the Program. Provides that local administering agencies should (rather than must) include 2-bedroom, 3-bedroom, and 4-bedroom units among those intended to be supported by grants under the Program.

Amends the Higher Education Veterans Service Act. With regard to the requirement to advertise the office location and phone number of and Internet access to the Coordinator of Veterans and Military Personnel and Student Services, provides that the advertisement must also include the website and any social media accounts of the public college or university. Requires each public college and university to annually report to the Board of Higher Education on the efforts of the public college or university in attracting, recruiting, and retaining veterans and military personnel. Effective immediately.

Amends the Debt Settlement Consumer Protection Act. Adds student loan borrowers to the definition of "consumer". Adds to the definition of "debt settlement provider" any person or entity engaging in, or holding itself out as engaging in, or any person who solicits for or acts on behalf of such person or entity engaging in or holding itself out as engaging in, the business of student loan debt relief services in exchange for any fee or compensation assessed against or charged to a consumer. Excludes institutions of higher education from the definition of "debt settlement provider". Defines other terms. Requires a specified notice and disclosure to student loan borrowers to be included in advertising and marketing communications concerning student loan debt relief services. Requires providers of student loan debt relief services to provide a specified notice and disclosure before a student loan borrower signs a contract. Provides that any fees charged to a student loan borrower in exchange for student loan debt relief shall comply with a provision concerning fees. Makes other changes. Effective immediately. Senate Committee Amendment No. 2 Adds reference to: 225 ILCS 429/145 Replaces everything after the enacting clause. Reinserts the provisions of the introduced bill with the following changes: Provides that "debt settlement service" does not include the services of any other originator, guarantor, or servicer of federal education loans or private education loans (rather than federal education loans). Provides that "student loan borrower" includes a parent, grandparent, or other family member who has received or agreed to pay a student loan for a family member receiving the education or any co-signer who has agreed to share responsibility for repaying a student loan with the person receiving the education. Further amends the Debt Settlement Consumer Protection Act. Provides that a debt settlement provider shall not advise or represent, expressly or by implication, that consumers should stop communicating with their creditors, lenders, loan servicers, loan guarantors, or attorneys or government entities (rather than creditors). Provides that a debt settlement provider shall not advise or represent, expressly or by implication, that consumers should stop making payments to their creditors, lenders, loan servicers, loan guarantors, or attorneys or government entities (rather than creditors). Provides that a debt settlement provider shall not access or obtain a consumer's or student loan borrower's federal student aid information in violation of federal law. Effective immediately.

Amends the Radon Industry Licensing Act. Provides that all electronic radon detection devices sold in this State to individuals licensed in accordance with the Act (currently, those sold to anyone) must be calibrated to ensure the accuracy and precision of their measurements of radon and radon progeny. Senate Committee Amendment No. 1 Replaces everything after the enacting clause. Amends the Radon Industry Licensing Act. Provides that no person shall sell a device in this State to a radon contractor for use in licensed activities (rather than sell a device in this State) to detect the presence of radon or radon progeny in the indoor atmosphere without prior approval of the device from the Environmental Protection Agency. Provides that all electronic radon detection devices sold to radon contractors for use in a licensed activity (rather than all electronic radon detection devices sold) in this State must be calibrated to ensure the accuracy and precision of their measurements of radon and radon progeny. Effective immediately.