Rep. Naomi D. Jakobsson

Amends the Illinois Income Tax Act. Allows an income tax credit for each individual taxpayer who is a teacher teaching in a school in Illinois. Provides that the amount of the credit is equal to the eligible classroom expenses made by the taxpayer during the taxable year, but the credit may not exceed $500. Defines "eligible classroom expenses" as the aggregate amount of nonreimbursed classroom expenses made by the taxpayer during the taxable year less $250. Provides that the credit may not be carried forward or back and may not reduce the taxpayer's liability to less than zero. Effective immediately.

Creates the Supreme Court Campaign Reform Act. Provides that candidates for the Supreme Court may apply for a public financing benefit in connection with their campaign. Sets the amount of the public financing benefit at $750,000 for the general primary and general election cycle. Sets requirements for qualifying for the public financing benefits. Limits the amount of private contributions qualified candidates may accept. Limits the amounts that non-participating candidates may accept from private sources during campaign periods to $1,000 in the aggregate. Provides that qualified candidates must be distributed a line of credit from the Illinois Supreme Court Democracy Trust Fund to be used for lawful political expenditures. Provides for the increase of the line of credit if non-complying candidates make certain expenditures. Sets penalties for violations of the Act. Provides that the Illinois Supreme Court may require attorneys to contribute money to the Fund not to exceed $25 annually. Contains other provisions. Amends the Election Code. Provides that a payment for electioneering communications is an "expenditure". Provides that a group that "accepts contributions or makes expenditures during any 12-month period in an aggregate amount exceeding $3,000 for the purpose of electioneering communications" is a political committee. Allows the Board of Elections to impose a fine against a committee that fails to report expenditures that could trigger matching funds under the Supreme Court Campaign Reform Act. Amends the State Finance Act. Creates the Illinois Supreme Court Democracy Trust Fund. Amends the Illinois Income Tax Act. Requires the Department of Revenue to print on its standard individual income tax form a provision by which the taxpayer may make a contribution (not less than $1) to the Illinois Supreme Court Democracy Trust Fund. Amends the Clerk of the Courts Act. Requires circuit court clerks to transfer $1 from each appearance fee paid to the State Treasurer for deposit into the Supreme Court Democracy Trust Fund and, to defray that expense, the county board may, by resolution, require the clerk of the circuit court in the county to charge and collect a Supreme Court Democracy Trust Fund fee of not more than $1, which shall be paid at the time that any appearance fee is paid. Effective immediately.

Amends the Illinois Vehicle Code. Provides that any person who causes damage to the property of another person while driving a vehicle not covered by liability insurance is guilty of a Class 4 felony. Provides that the person is guilty of a Class 3 felony if he or she causes injury to another person. Provides that the person is guilty of a Class 2 felony if he or she causes the death of another person.

Amends the Illinois Vehicle Code. Provides for the issuance of Iraqi Freedom license plates at an additional initial charge of $40 and an additional renewal charge of $27 with eligibility requirements to be determined by the Secretary of State. Provides that $15 of the initial charge and $2 of the renewal charge shall be paid into the Secretary of State Special License Plate Fund and $25 of the initial charge and $25 of the renewal charge shall be paid into the Illinois Veterans Assistance Fund. Amends the Illinois Lottery Law. Provides that the moneys deposited into the Illinois Veterans Assistance Fund from the sale of Iraqi Freedom license plates may, subject to appropriation, be used by the Department of Veterans' Affairs to provide grants to assist in the financial and educational support of minor and dependent children of veterans who died or were disabled in the line of duty.

Amends the Criminal Code of 1961. Provides that a person does not commit criminal trespass to real property if he or she enters into the public area of (rather than being in) a building which is open to the public while the building is open to the public during its normal hours of operation; nor does a person commit criminal trespass to real property if he or she enters the public area of a public building under the reasonable belief that the building is still open to the public.

Amends the Abused and Neglected Child Reporting Act. Adds members of a school board, the Chicago Board of Education, or the governing body of a private school as mandated reporters. Provides that any person who knowingly and willfully violates any mandated-reporter provision of the Act other than a second or subsequent violation of transmitting a false report is guilty of a Class 4 felony (instead of a Class A misdemeanor) for a first violation and a Class 3 (instead of Class 4) felony for a second or subsequent violation. Effective immediately.

Amends the Criminal Code of 1961. Provides that it is unlawful for an employer that has business on or makes deliveries to a school or child day care facility to send an employee, who is a child sex offender as defined in Section 11-9.3 of the Criminal Code of 1961, onto the school or child day care facility property for delivery or business-related purposes. Provides that any employer that has business on or makes deliveries to a school or child day care facility shall, as part of the hiring process for any employees who will deliver to or do business at a school or day care facility, ask on the employment application if the applicant has ever been convicted of a sex offense. Provides that an employer who violates this Section is guilty of a Class 4 felony.

Amends the Illinois Renewable Fuels Development Program Act. Provides that a recipient of Program grants must be constructing, modifying, altering, or retrofitting an (i) ethanol plant (now, just plant) that has annual production capacity of no less than 30,000,000 gallons of renewable fuel per year or a (ii) biodiesel plant. Requires the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity to establish and administer grant programs including: the Illinois Renewable Fuels Majority Blended Ethanol Program, the Illinois Corn Grain to Fuel Research Consortium Assistance Program, the Illinois Renewable Fuels Corn-to-Hydrogen Fuel Cell Research Program, the Illinois Renewable Fuels Biodiesel Infrastructure Grant Program, the Illinois Renewable Fuels Ethanol Development Intergovernmental Assistance Program. Sets forth the purposes and conditions for these grant programs. Provides that subject to appropriation (now, subject to appropriation from the Build Illinois Bond Fund), the Director is authorized to award Renewable Fuels Development Program Fund grants. Sets forth that the annual aggregate amount for these grants shall not exceed $25,000,000 in Fiscal year 2007 and 2008 and $15,000,000 thereafter (now, may not exceed $15,000,000). Specifies how these grant funds shall be allocated. Sets forth certain limitations on spending on the various Program grants including for research conducted at the National Corn-to-Ethanol Research Facility at SIU-Edwardsville not to exceed $1,000,000 annually, and a one-time grant in FY 2007 not to exceed $3,000,000 for construction, remodeling, and expansion of the National Corn-to-Ethanol Research Facility at SIU-Edwardsville. Provides that normal operating and execution of renewable fuels programs in existence on January 1, 2006 within the Department from the Renewable Fuels Development Program Fund shall not exceed $5,000,000 annually. Amends the State Finance Act to create the Renewable Fuels Development Program Fund as a special fund in the State treasury to fund these grant programs. Sets forth certain conditions for the operation of this Fund. Provides for certain annual payments from the General Revenue Fund to the Renewable Fuels Development Program Fund. Amends the Use Tax Act, the Service Use Tax Act, the Service Occupation Tax Act, and the Retailers' Occupation Tax Act, to provide that on or after July 1, 2006 and on or before June 30, 2016, those tax rates apply to 90% of the proceeds of sales made on gasohol (now, apply to 80% of the proceeds of sales made on gasohol). Amends the Motor Fuel and Petroleum Standards Act to provide that beginning January 1, 2008 a minimum of 10% of all motor fuel sold or offered for sale in Illinois must be denatured ethanol and that beginning January 1, 2012 a minimum of 15% of all motor fuel sold or offered for sale in Illinois must be denatured ethanol. Effective July 1, 2006.

Amends the Illinois Horse Racing Act of 1975. Provides that, beginning on the effective date, payments to the Urbana Park District shall be made from the General Revenue Fund at the funding level determined by amounts paid to the Champaign Park District for museum purposes under the Act in calendar year 2005. Effective immediately.

Amends the State Universities Article of the Illinois Pension Code. Makes a technical change in a Section concerning employer contributions.