Amends the State Finance Act. Exempts the State College and University Trust Fund and the University Grant Fund from the Act's administrative charge-back provisions. Effective immediately.
Amends the Electric Service Customer Choice and Rate Relief Law of 1997 of the Public Utilities Act. Imposes limits on rate increases by electric utilities that, on December 31, 2005, served at least 100,000 customers that the Illinois Commerce Commission may initiate, authorize, or order through calendar year 2009. Requires the Commission to include in residential electric rates between calendar years 2010 and 2012 the portion of the costs of procuring electricity of electric utilities that, on December 31, 2005, served at least 100,000 customers that was not recovered in calendar years 2007, 2008, and 2009. Effective immediately.
Amends the State Prompt Payment Act. Makes a technical change concerning interest penalties.
Amends the Use Tax Act, the Service Use Tax Act, the Service Occupation Tax Act, and the Retailers' Occupation Tax Act. Provides that, beginning on May 1, 2006 through May 31, 2006, with respect to motor fuel and gasohol, the tax under the Acts is imposed at the rate of 1.25% (now, 6.25%). Effective immediately.
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.
Urges the Illinois Commerce Commission to work in partnership with the Illinois electric utilities and other interested parties to develop and implement proposals to lessen the initial impact of rate increases on residential customers in a manner consistent with the continued financial health of the utilities.
Directs the Auditor General to conduct an audit of all State-owned executive aircraft and to examine the possibility of selling or leasing the executive air fleet as a means to save money for the State of Illinois and to make recommendations on rules and policies regarding the use of and cost improvement to the fleet.
Amends the Fire Protection District Act. Deletes a provision requiring publication of all ordinances making appropriations.
Amends the School Code. Increases the maximum number of new participants that may be in the Alternative Teacher Certification Program each year from 260 to 500. In the provision concerning the employment requirement, removes the minimum period of time that the person must have been employed. Effective July 1, 2005.
Amends the Mobile Home Local Services Tax Act. Defines "permanent foundation". Requires the Department of Revenue to adopt rules setting forth standards that county or township assessment officers must use in determining whether a dwelling is a mobile home or real property. Requires the Department to establish and administer a training program to train county or township assessment officers to use those standards. Effective immediately.
