Rep. Mike Bost

Amends the Local Governmental Employees Political Rights Act. Provides that a firefighter who is elected to the Illinois General Assembly shall be granted leave by the employer, without loss of pay or benefits and without being required to make up for lost time, for work hours devoted to performing the responsibilities as a legislator; provided that the elected officer has arranged for a firefighter from the same municipality who is qualified to perform the absent firefighter's duties to work for those hours, or, a firefighter who is elected to the Illinois General Assembly shall, upon written application to the employer, be granted a leave of absence without pay. Effective immediately.

Amends the Illinois Vehicle Code. Provides for the issuance of Fallen Veteran plates to surviving relatives of a military veteran who died in a combat zone. Provides that one set of these plates shall be issued, without charge, to the surviving widow or widower, or a surviving child, parent, or sibling of the fallen veteran, in that order of preference. Provides that only one set of these plates shall be issued without charge. Provides that if any other eligible member of the family of the fallen veteran wishes to obtain a set of these plates, he or she shall be charged the appropriate registration fee.

Amends the Election Code. When a local election authority submits information to the State Board of Elections for the centralized statewide voter registration list, requires that all information provided in the registration application process must be submitted with respect to registrants who have been verified as qualified to register. Effective immediately.

Amends the Illinois Enterprise Zone Act. In a Section concerning the requirements for altering the boundaries of an Enterprise Zone, provides that, during the period ending one year after the effective date of this amendatory Act, the Jackson County-Carbondale-Murphysboro Enterprise Zone may expand the boundaries of the current Enterprise Zone for a one-time, multiple property expansion to attract and retain regional business. Requires the Jackson County Board to approve this expansion if it contains property outside the city limits of Carbondale. Provides that the termination date of this Enterprise Zone shall be extended until January 1, 2020. Effective immediately.

Amends the Firearm Owners Identification Card Act. Provides that when the Department of State Police fails to act upon an application for a Firearm Owner's Identification Card within 30 days after receipt, or if the application was wrongfully denied, the applicant may seek relief from the circuit court in writing in the county of his or her residence. Provides that the applicant is entitled to recover any costs, attorney's fees, damages, and not less than $500 per day nor more than $1,000 per day for every day past the 30th day in which the Department failed to act. Effective immediately.

Amends the State Finance Act. Excludes moneys received by the Department of Financial and Professional Regulation under the Illinois Credit Union Act from those moneys required to be deposited into the Financial Institution Fund. Makes certain provisions concerning transfers to the General Revenue Fund inapplicable to (i) any fund established under the Illinois Credit Union Act, the Illinois Banking Act, the Illinois Savings and Loan Act of 1985, or the Savings Bank Act and (ii) the Professions Indirect Cost Fund. Limits transfers and expenditures from those funds to specified purposes. Prohibits the allocation or transfer of additional amounts generated by certain fee increases with respect to or from the Credit Union Fund. Amends the Illinois Banking Act, the Illinois Savings and Loan Act of 1985, and the Savings Bank Act. With respect to the moneys in each of the Bank and Trust Company Fund, the Savings and Residential Finance Regulatory Fund, and the Credit Union Fund, (i) exempts those moneys from assignment or transfer except for unappropriated administrative expenses and (ii) provides that the moneys remain the property of and must be held in trust for the financial institutions from which they were collected. For FY08, requires the Commissioner of Banks and Real Estate (now, the Director of the Division of Banks and Real Estate) to adopt rules to adjust regulatory fee rates in the specified manner. Amends the Illinois Credit Union Act. Provides that the regulatory fee paid by a credit union to the Department of Financial and Professional Regulation shall be the lesser of (i) the rate pursuant to the regulatory fee schedule or (ii) a rate established in a manner proportionately consistent with the rates in the regulatory fee schedule and that would fund the actual administrative and operational expenses of the Credit Union Section. Increases rates in the regulatory fee schedule for credit unions with total assets over $5,000,000. Requires the Director of Financial and Professional Regulation to adjust the fee schedule for the next fiscal year. Provides that the fee schedule may be increased by no more than 5% annually if necessary to defray the actual (now, estimated) administrative and operational expenses of the Credit Union Section (now, the Department). Prohibits any increase in the fee schedule if the amount remaining in the Credit Union Fund at the end of the fiscal year is equal to or greater than 25% of the actual administrative and operational expenses for the preceding fiscal year. Requires the Director to base the regulatory fee for the next fiscal year on the credit union's total assets as of December 31 of the preceding calendar year. Beginning on July 1, 2005, requires a credit union to pay the regulatory fee in quarterly installments due and payable on the due date for the call report for the preceding quarter (now, a credit union is required to pay the regulatory fee in full no later than March 1 of each calendar year). Provides for a regulatory fee cap of $125,000 (now, $187,500). Effective immediately.

Amends the Illinois Criminal Justice Information Act. Provides that the Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority may apply for, receive, establish priorities for, allocate, disburse, and spend grants of funds and appropriations to assist drug task forces, drug squads, and Metropolitan Enforcement Groups throughout the State in the apprehension, prevention, and prosecution of persons who violate the laws relating to the manufacture, delivery, and possession of methamphetamine. The funds shall be specifically allocated to these law enforcement groups for the surveillance of sites used to manufacture methamphetamine, the interdiction of methamphetamine produced by these sites, and the prosecution of cases arising from these law enforcement activities. Effective July 1, 2005.

Amends the Liquor Control Act of 1934. Permits first-class wine-maker licensees to manufacture up to 100,000 (now, 50,000) gallons of wine per year and second-class wine-maker licensees to manufacture between 100,000 and 200,000 (now, 50,000 and 100,000) gallons of wine per year. Permits first-class wine-maker licensees to sell 25,000 (now, 5,000) gallons of the licensee's wine to retailers and second-class wine-maker licensees to sell 50,000 (now, 10,000) gallons of the licensee's wine to retailers. Removes provisions prohibiting (i) the issuance of more than one wine-maker's license to any person, firm, partnership, corporation, or other legal business entity and (ii) a subsidiary or affiliate, officer, associate, member, partner, representative, employee, agent, or shareholder of a first or second-class wine-maker licensee from being issued a wine-maker's license. Permits a special event retailer licensee to purchase up to $2,000 (now, $500) of alcoholic liquors from a licensed retailer. Permits a wine-maker's premises licensee that concurrently holds a first-class wine-maker's license to sell at retail on the licensed premises not more than 100,000 (now, 50,000) gallons of wine and a licensee holding a second-class wine-maker's license to sell at retail on the licensed premises not more than 200,000 (now, 100,000) gallons of wine. Permits a wine-maker's premises licensee to sell and offer for sale at up to 10 (now, 2) additional locations for use and consumption and not for resale. Creates an out-of-state shipper's license. Provides that an out-of-state shipper licensee may ship wine sold or manufactured by the licensee directly to a resident of Illinois who is 21 years of age or older for that resident's personal use and not for resale. Requires certain information to be collected and maintained and made available to the Illinois Liquor Control Commission by out-of-state shipper licensees. Provides an annual fee for the license. Provides that a first-class wine-maker licensee, second-class wine-maker licensee, or out-of-state shipper licensee (now, an adult resident or holder of an alcoholic beverage license in a state which affords Illinois licensees or adult residents an equal reciprocal shipping privilege) may ship up to 3 cases of wine per month (now, 2 cases per year) to residents of Illinois. Provides that delivery of a shipment by an out-of-state shipper licensee is deemed to constitute a sale in this State. Requires licensees to require transporters or common carriers who deliver the wine to obtain the signature of a person 21 years of age or older at the delivery address at the time of delivery. Permits wine-makers licensed in other states that ship or transport wine from a point outside of this State to a retailer in this State to ship or transport wine in the amount permitted for a wine-maker licensed in this State. Makes other changes. Effective immediately.

Amends the Jackson-Union Counties Regional Port District Act. Provides that a quorum of the Jackson-Union Counties Port District Board is a majority of the members appointed to the Board and holding office (now, 12 of 23 authorized members). Provides that the affirmative vote of at least a majority of the members appointed to the Board and holding office (now, 12 of 23 authorized members) is necessary for the adoption of any ordinance or resolution. Provides that the affirmative vote of at least two-thirds of the members appointed to the Board and holding office (now, 16 of 23 authorized members) is required to override a veto by the chairman of the Board. Effective immediately.

Amends the Juvenile Court Act of 1987. Makes a technical change in a Section concerning the short title.