Amends the State Finance Act. Creates the Crime Stoppers Fund as a special fund in the State treasury. Provides that moneys in the Fund shall be used by the Illinois State Police to make grants to Crime Stoppers programs. Amends the Illinois Income Tax Act to create a tax checkoff for the Crime Stoppers Fund. Effective immediately.
Amends the Consumer Installment Loan Act in relation to title-secured loans. Limits interest on title-secured loans to 36% per year. Provides that the term of a title-secured loan may not be less than 4, nor more than 12, months. Prohibits repossession of a vehicle securing a title-secured loan after an amount equal to 100% of the principal has been repaid. Requires a licensee under the Act to comply with the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act. Prohibits the debiting of bank accounts in connection with title-secured loans and prohibits the making of title-secured loans with respect to motor vehicles that are titled in a state other than Illinois or owned by an obligor who is not a resident of Illinois.
Amends the Illinois Groundwater Protection Act. Provides that, within 60 days after receiving notice from the Environmental Protection Agency that volatile organic compounds have been detected in excess of specified standards, the Department of Natural Resources must post a notice that identifies the contaminants of concern on its Internet website for at least 3 weeks.
Makes appropriations to the University of Illinois for various purposes, including for operational expenses. Effective July 1, 2012.
Amends the School Code. Requires the State Board of Education to establish a pilot project to provide early screening and intervention services for children with risk factors for dyslexia, subject to appropriation. Requires the State Superintendent of Education to select 3 school districts to participate in the pilot project. Sets forth provisions concerning district qualifications and requirements, the duration and goal of the pilot project, consultation, reporting, and rules. Beginning with the 2012-2013 school year, allows teachers institutes to include instruction on the indicators of dyslexia, which instruction must be provided by a dyslexia specialist. Effective immediately.
Amends the Environmental Protection Act. Specifies that any site or facility for the treatment, storage, or disposal of a hazardous waste is a pollution control facility. Provides that, if a new pollution control facility is to be located above an aquifer, then local siting approval must be obtained by the county board of each county located, in whole or part, within the aquifer's boundaries and the governing body of each municipality located, in whole or part, within the aquifer's boundaries
Amends the Illinois Oil and Gas Act. Provides that the Director of Natural Resources shall adopt rules that require, prior to such hydraulic fracturing, the owner or operator to perform a suitable mechanical integrity test of the casing or of the casing-tubing annulus or other mechanical integrity test methods using procedures that are established by administrative rule. Provides that each owner or operator that begins extracting natural gas from shale shall report to the Department of Natural Resources specified information within 30 days after the completion of all stages of the hydraulic fracturing stimulation. Requires that the owner or operator shall post the chemical disclosure information on certain specified websites. Provides that the owner or operator shall provide information to the Director as to the amounts, handling, and, if necessary, disposal at an identified appropriate disposal facility, or reuse of the well stimulation fluid load recovered during flow back, swabbing, or recovery from production facility vessels. Provides that the storage of the well stimulation fluid load shall be protective of an underground source of drinking water by the use of either tanks or lined pits. Provides that nothing in the provision shall be construed to require or allow disclosure of trade secrets or commercial information that is exempt from inspection or copying when provided to the Department together with a claim made pursuant to the Freedom of Information Act that such information is proprietary, privileged, or confidential and that disclosure may cause competitive harm to the person or business. Provides that the provision only applies to the extraction of natural gas from shale.
Amends the Public Utilities Act. Provides that an electric utility or an alternative retail electric supplier shall display the last day of the term of service on the customer's periodic billing statement when a term of service is established through a contract. Effective January 1, 2013.
Amends the Child Vision and Hearing Test Act. Provides that vision and hearing screening services may be administered to preschool children 3 years of age or older in any public or private educational program or licensed child-care facility only once every 2 years prior to entering kindergarten. Provides that vision screening services may be conducted and administered by a physician licensed to practice medicine in all of its branches, an optometrist licensed under the Illinois Optometric Practice Act of 1987, or a certified vision screening technician. Provides that hearing screening services may be conducted and administered by a physician licensed to practice medicine in all of its branches, an audiologist licensed under the Illinois Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology Practice Act, or a certified hearing screening technician.
Creates the Community Services Impact Note Act. Provides that every bill, except those making a direct appropriation, that creates a State mandate on privately owned or operated facilities and community service providers funded through the Department of Human Services for the purpose of serving individuals with developmental disabilities and mental illness, shall have prepared for it prior to second reading in the house of introduction a brief explanatory statement or note that shall include a reliable estimate of the probable impact of its provisions on those facilities and providers and the probable impact that the bill will have upon the Department's annual budget. Provides that these statements or notes shall be known as "community services impact notes". Sets forth provisions concerning the preparation of the written statements by the Department of Human Services, votes on the necessity of community services impact notes, contents of a note, note comments and worksheets, committee appearances, amendments, and confidentiality. Effective immediately.
