Rep. Wyvetter H. Younge

Recognizes the dedication of the O'Fallon Veterans Memorial.

Recognizes the 20th anniversary of the Eugene B. Redmond Writers Club.

Amends the IMRF Article of the Illinois Pension Code. Prohibits a person convicted of a felony relating to or arising out of or in connection with his or her service as an employee who is an employee of more than one employer that participates in the Fund from receiving benefits based on any of his or her service as an employee for all employers that participate in the Fund. Provides that, if, as a result of the felony, the employee is ordered by the court to pay restitution to the employer, then (i) the employer may apply for a refund of employee contributions on the employee's behalf and (ii) pursuant to appropriate documentation from the employer and the court, the Fund shall pay to the employer all or a portion of the refund in a sum sufficient to satisfy the court-ordered restitution. Effective immediately.

Amends the School Code with respect to special education classes for children from orphanages, foster family homes, children's homes, or in-State housing units. In a provision that allows reimbursement for the costs of educating a disabled student who is placed residentially by a State agency or the courts for care or custody, welfare, medical or mental health treatment, rehabilitation, and protection, provides that it is the intent of that provision that school districts be reimbursed for the eligible costs of educating all students residentially placed by a State agency or the courts for any of the reasons listed whether such placement was made on, before, or after the effective date of the amendatory Act. Effective immediately.

Creates the Southern Illinois Economic Development Authority Act. Establishes the Southern Illinois Economic Development Authority in Franklin, Perry, Randolph, Jackson, Williamson, Saline, Gallatin, Union, Johnson, Pope, Hardin, Alexander, Pulaski, and Massac counties in order to promote economic development within those counties. Contains provisions concerning the powers and duties of the Authority. Allows the Authority to acquire, own, sell, lease, or otherwise dispose of interests in real property and to issue bonds, notes, or other evidences of indebtedness for certain purposes in an aggregate amount not to exceed $250,000,000. Provides that the Authority shall be governed by a 21-member board. Contains other provisions. Effective immediately.

Amends the Health Care Workplace Violence Prevention Act. Increases the membership of the pilot project task force from 6 to 10, adding one representative of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees; one representative of the Illinois Federation of Public Employees; and 2 representatives of the Department of Human Services, one representing the Division of Mental Health and the other representing the Division of Developmental Disabilities. Effective immediately.

Amends the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity Law of the Civil Administrative Code of Illinois. Authorizes the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity to establish and maintain a pilot program to provide for and test the use of lifelong learning accounts for workers in the State's healthcare sector. Sets forth requirements for the program, including matching grants for employer and employee contributions into an employee's lifelong learning account. Provides that the program is discretionary on the part of the Department and is subject to appropriation. Effective immediately.

Amends the Illinois Vehicle Code. Provides that any person 61 years of age or older applying at a driver services facility for renewal of his or her driver's license shall be provided, without charge, with a brochure warning the person of the dangers of financial identity theft. Provides that the Secretary of State shall prepare these brochures in consultation with the Department of Financial and Professional Regulation. Establishes requirements for the content of the brochures. Provides that the Secretary shall adopt rules for implementing the new provision.

Amends the Public Utilities Act. Requires each electric utility to file, on or before February 1, 2006, a tariff or tariffs which allow residential retail customers in the electric utility's service area to elect real-time pricing beginning January 1, 2007. Sets forth information required to be included in the tariff. Requires an electric utility providing real-time pricing to install an appropriate meter for customers who elect to use real-time pricing and in all new service locations unless the customer requests a watt-hour meter. Requires the electric utility to contract with an Illinois nonprofit corporation to develop a program of consumer outreach, education, and enrollment concerning real-time pricing and to establish and administer information and technical and customer assistance for management of electricity use. Authorizes the electric utility to impose a uniform charge on all residential customers in order to recover its reasonable costs in complying with the real-time pricing provisions. Defines "real-time pricing" to mean tariffed retail charges for delivered electric power and energy that vary hour-to-hour (now, that vary on an hour-to-hour basis for non-residential retail customers and that vary on a periodic basis during the day for residential retail customers) and that are determined from prices posted by the Independent System Operator or by a comparable methodology approved by the Illinois Commerce Commission. Effective immediately.

Amends the Grow Our Own Teacher Education Act. Changes the name of the Act to the Grow Your Own Teacher Act. Defines "developmental classes" and makes changes to the definition of "parent and community leaders" and "schools serving a substantial percentage of low-income students". Replaces references to "student" and "participant" with "candidate" throughout the Act. Provides that the State Board shall establish criteria that address the inclusion in the planned program of strategies derived from community organizing that will help candidates develop tools for working with parents and other community members. Provides for partial loan forgiveness for shortened periods of service in hard-to-staff schools or hard-to-staff teaching positions. Provides that school districts may use those portions of the grant money designated for the expenses of supporting the work experiences of candidates and providing mentors for graduates or other applicable public funds to pay participants in programs under the initiative for student teaching required by an accredited teacher preparation program. Provides that one member of the consortium may expend funds to cover the salary of a site-based cohort coordinator and that grant funds may be expended to pay directly for required developmental classes for candidates beginning a program. Makes other changes. Effective January 1, 2007.