Rep. Kevin Schmidt

Amends the Criminal Code of 2012. Changes the statute of limitations for grooming to provide that when the victim is under 17 years of age at the time of the offense, a prosecution for grooming may be commenced within 10 years after the victim or the person with a disability attains 17 years of age. Changes the name of the offenses of child sexual abuse material to child sexual abuse material. Changes the penalty for grooming from a Class 4 to a Class 3 felony. Deletes references to criminal transmission of HIV in various statutes. In the Sex Offenses Article of the Criminal Code of 2012, provides a definition for "unable to give knowing consent". Provides that a person commits sexual exploitation of a child if in the presence or virtual presence, or both, of a child and with knowledge that a child or one whom he or she believes to be a child would view his or her acts, that person knowingly entices, coerces, or persuades a child to participate in the production of the recording or memorializing a sexual act of persons ages 18 or older. Provides that a violation of this provision of sexual exploitation of a child is a Class 4 felony for a first offense; and a Class 3 felony for a second or subsequent offense, or if the person has been previously convicted of a sex offense. Amends the Code of Criminal Procedure of 1963. Provides that the court may set any conditions it finds just and appropriate on the taking of testimony of a victim or witness who is under 18 years of age or an intellectually disabled person or a person affected by a developmental disability (rather than a victim who is a child under the age of 18 years or a moderately, severely, or profoundly intellectually disabled person or a person affected by a developmental disability) involving the use of a facility dog in any criminal proceeding. Makes other changes concerning the admissibility of evidence in cases involving involuntary servitude, involuntary sexual servitude of a minor, and trafficking in persons. Amends various Acts to change references from "child pornography" to "child sexual abuse material".

Amends the Property Tax Code. Makes changes concerning the amount required to be paid under protest for the 2024 or 2025 tax year. Effective immediately.

Mourns the death of Cook County Clerk Karen Yarbrough.

Amends the School Code. Provides that the State Board of Education shall establish and administer a program to award property tax relief grants to school districts in this State. Provides that, in exchange for receiving a grant, a school district's maximum aggregate property tax extension for the taxable year that begins on January 1 of the fiscal year for which the grant is awarded may not exceed an adjusted maximum aggregate property tax extension for that taxable year. Creates the Education Property Tax Relief Fund as a special fund in the State treasury for the purpose of awarding grants. Sets forth provisions concerning the Education Property Tax Relief Fund. Amends the State Finance Act to make conforming changes. Effective immediately.

Amends the Illinois Income Tax Act. Provides that, if the amount of the credit for residential real property taxes exceeds the taxpayer's liability, that amount shall be refunded if the taxpayer is 65 years or older and has a federal adjusted gross income of not more than $50,000. Provides that the credit is exempt from the Act's automatic sunset provision. Effective immediately.

Amends the Department of Revenue Law of the Civil Administrative Code of Illinois. Requires eligible school districts to report to the Department of Revenue (i) the total amount of veterans' homestead exemptions granted for the 2022 levy year for property located in the eligible school district and (ii) the total amount of veterans' homestead exemptions granted for the current levy year for property located in the eligible school district. Provides that the Department shall certify the difference, if any, between the current levy year exemption amount and the levy year 2022 exemption amount for each eligible school district. Provides that those amounts shall be transferred from the General Revenue Fund to the Support our Veterans and Neighbors Fund. Provides that an "eligible school district" is a school district that contains residential property that is located within 45 miles of a United States military base. Creates the Support our Veterans and Neighbors Fund. Provides that moneys in the Support our Veterans and Neighbors Fund shall be used to make grants to eligible school districts.

Amends the Community-Integrated Living Arrangements Licensure and Certification Act. Removes provisions allowing the Department of Human Services to conduct site visits to an agency licensed under the Act, or to any program or placement certified by the agency, and inspect the records or premises, or both, of such agency, program or placement as it deems appropriate, for the purpose of determining compliance with the Act, the Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities Code, and applicable Department rules and regulations. Requires the Department to establish a system of regular and ongoing on-site inspections, that shall occur at least annually, of each agency licensed under the Act or any program or placement certified by an agency licensed under the Act under the Department's jurisdiction. Provides that the inspections shall be conducted by the Department's central office to achieve specified goals.

Amends the Code of Criminal Procedure of 1963. Provides that, if a person has 3 or more pending charges for misdemeanor domestic battery, battery, violation of an order of protection, or criminal damage to property when the property belongs to a family or household member as defined in the Illinois Domestic Violence Act of 1986, the defendant may be charged as a habitual misdemeanant offender. Provides that the 3 or more charges alleged do not have to be for the same offense. Provides that any offense that results from or is connected with the same transaction, or results from an offense committed at the same time, shall be counted for the purposes of this provision as one offense. Provides that: (1) the third offense must have occurred after the second offense; (2) the second offense must have occurred after the first offense; and (3) all of the charged offenses must be proved at trial in order for the person to be adjudged a habitual misdemeanant offender. Provides that, once a person has been adjudged a habitual misdemeanant offender, any of the following charges for domestic battery, battery, violation of an order of protection, or criminal damage to property in which the property belongs to a family or household member as defined in the Illinois Domestic Violence Act of 1986 shall be charged as a Class 4 felony. Provides that a habitual misdemeanant offender shall be sentenced as a Class 4 felony offender for which the person shall be sentenced to a term of imprisonment of not less than one year and not more than 3 years. Provides that the court may deny pretrial release to a person charged as a habitual misdemeanant offender. Amends the Unified Code of Corrections to make conforming changes.

Amends the Illinois Estate and Generation-Skipping Transfer Tax Act. Provides that, for persons dying on or after January 1, 2024, the exclusion amount shall be the applicable exclusion amount calculated under Section 2010 of the Internal Revenue Code, including any deceased spousal unused exclusion amount (currently, the exclusion amount for Illinois estate tax purposes is $4,000,000). Effective immediately.

Amends the General Assembly Operations Act. Provides that all witness slips filed in either house of the General Assembly concerning proposed legislation during the General Assembly committee hearing process shall track along with the legislation for which it was filed should such legislation be removed on to another bill, by amendment, for purposes of legislative action. Provides that the General Assembly, in consultation with the Legislative Information System, shall provide for such witness slip tracking on the Illinois General Assembly website. Amends the Legislative Information System Act. Provides that the Legislative Information System shall provide for electronic tracking of all witness slips to track along with the legislation for which it was filed should such legislation be removed on to another bill.