Creates the Consumer Protections for Small Business Act. Provides that the Act applies to any person that offers or provides commercial financing in Illinois or is otherwise a provider, to any person that seeks to evade its applicability by any device, subterfuge, or pretense whatsoever, and to any person that aids or facilitates a violation of the Act. Provides that the Act shall be administered by the Division of Financial Institutions of the Department of Financial and Professional Regulation. Prohibits a person from providing commercial financing without the license required by the Act and shall be guilty of a Class 4 felony for practicing without a license. Sets forth provisions concerning investigation of a person that may require licensure pursuant to the Act; licensure requirements for persons providing commercial financing; applying for licensing under the Act; license application and issuance; refusal to issue a license; license issuance and renewal; fees; functions, power, and duties; examination and prohibited activities; subpoena power of the Secretary of Financial and Professional Regulation; reports required; suspension of licenses, revocation of licenses, civil penalties, and other discipline; investigation of complaints; confidentiality; appeal and review; licensure fees; injunctions; exemptions; complaint disclosure; rules; violations; severability; severability; and a commercial financing database. Amends the Freedom of Information Act to make a conforming change. Effective immediately.
Sponsored bills
Creates the Build Illinois Homes Tax Credit Act. Provides that owners of qualified low-income housing developments are eligible for credits against the taxes imposed by the Illinois Income Tax Act or taxes, penalties, fees, charges, and payments imposed by the Illinois Insurance Code. Amends the Illinois Income Tax Act and the Illinois Insurance Code to make conforming changes. Effective immediately.
Urges CDOT and IDOT to transform Du Sable Lake Shore Drive into a true boulevard and to be creative and forward-thinking in their redesign of Du Sable Lake Shore Drive, to incorporate safe and efficient multimodal transportation throughout Du Sable Lake Shore Drive for pedestrians, cyclists, public transit users, and drivers, to emphasize green urban mobility, to ensure that any proposed changes are considered as part of a comprehensive plan for efficient traffic management and movement of people, including during special events and weather challenges, to create more green space and recreational opportunities for Chicagoans, as well as visitors, and to repurpose, where possible, existing infrastructure as part of expanded recreational opportunities.
Creates the Wetlands and Small Streams Protection Act to restore protections for wetlands and small streams that were formerly protected from pollution and destruction by the Clean Water Act. Includes provisions concerning: exemptions; wetlands delineation, classification, notification, permits and veto; general permits; appeal of final decisions made by the Department of Natural Resources and judicial review; investigation and enforcement; and county authority. Creates the Wetlands and Small Streams Advisory Committee and establishes duties and rules for the Committee. Creates the Wetlands and Small Streams Protection Fund. Provides for permit review fees. Defines terms. Makes conforming changes in the State Finance Act and the Illinois Environmental Protection Act. Effective immediately.
Creates the Illinois Rust Belt to Green Belt Pilot Program Act. Creates the Illinois Rust Belt to Green Belt Fund as a special fund in the State treasury and makes a conforming change in the State Finance Act. Provides that the Fund shall be used by the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity to encourage and facilitate the employment of construction workforces located in underrepresented populations. Provides that applicants that are applying for a new utility-scale offshore wind project with the Illinois Power Agency shall file with the Department, as part of the applicant's application, an equity and inclusion plan. Amends the Illinois Power Agency Act. In provisions concerning the procurement of renewable energy credits, provides that in addition to the amount of renewable energy credits to be procured from wind projects, the Illinois Power Agency shall procure at least 700,000 renewable energy credits, delivered annually for at least 20 years, from one new utility-scale offshore wind project. In provisions concerning the development of a long-term renewable resources procurement plan, provides that the total of renewable energy resources procured under the procurement plan shall be reduced for all retail customers based on the amount necessary to limit the annual estimated average net increase due to the costs of these resources included in the amounts paid by eligible retail customers in connection with electric service to no more than 4.25% of the amount paid per kilowatthour by those customers during the year ending May 31, 2009, and to no more than 4.5% of that amount as of the billing month following the expected date that a new utility-scale offshore wind project commences commercial operations and is expected to begin delivering power to the PJM Interconnection, LLC transmission grid. Provides that the Agency shall conduct at least one new utility-scale offshore wind procurement within 360 days after the effective date of the amendatory Act. Defines terms. Makes other changes. Effective immediately.
Creates the Home Modification Program Act. Provides that the purpose of the Act is to establish a home modification funding system that is streamlined, effective, and administered by experts within the disability community. Provides that, subject to appropriation, the Department of Human Services shall establish a Home Modification Program to provide financial assistance to persons with disabilities for home modification projects. Requires the Department to designate a statewide association that represents centers for independent living to serve as the lead agency to administer the Program. Requires the Department to provide funding for the Program. Requires the lead agency to distribute any moneys it receives from the Department to the State's 22 centers for independent living, covering all 102 counties. Provides that the lead agency shall ensure that each center for independent living has access to at least $105,000 to use for home modification projects, with the excess funds subject to reallocation during the 4th fiscal quarter of each year. Contains provisions concerning eligibility requirements for applicants under the Program; standards and qualifications for home modification projects; the lead agency's establishment of a Home Modification Subcommittee to provide additional oversight of the home modification projects; and an administrative fee to the lead agency.
Amends the Illinois Insurance Code. Requires insurance policies to be written in language easily readable and understandable by a person of average intelligence and education. Provides the factors the Director of Insurance shall consider in making the determination that the policy is easily readable and understandable by a person of average intelligence and education.
Amends the Medical Assistance Article of the Illinois Public Aid Code. Provides that beginning on January 1, 2025, rates for psychiatric evaluations performed by community mental health centers and substance use disorder treatment providers and practitioners as set forth on the Department of Healthcare and Family Services' Practitioner Fee Schedule shall be increased to $237.57. Provides that beginning on January 1, 2025, rates for medication monitoring performed by community mental health centers and substance use disorder treatment providers and practitioners as set forth on the Department's Practitioner Fee Schedule shall be increased to $140.77 per quarter hour. Provides that no existing or future reimbursement rates or add-ons shall be reduced or changed to address these rate increases. Provides that no later than October 1, 2024, the Department shall submit any necessary application to the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services for a waiver or State Plan amendment to implement the requirements of the amendatory Act. Provides that beginning in State Fiscal Year 2025, and every State fiscal year thereafter, reimbursement rates for those community-based mental health and substance use disorder services shall be adjusted upward by an amount equal to the Consumer Price Index-U from the previous year, not to exceed 5% in any State fiscal year. Effective immediately.
Amends the Preventing Sexual Violence in Higher Education Act. Provides that all higher education institutions shall include in the comprehensive policy concerning sexual violence, domestic violence, dating violence, and stalking, information about how the higher education institution protects individuals who report from retaliation. Provides that the higher education institutions procedure for responding to a report shall also include protecting the survivor from retaliation, including a policy and process for early dismissal of any retaliatory claim by a respondent against a survivor, including, but not limited to, claims of defamation, harassment, bullying, and any other violation of policy claims where the actions alleged by the respondent are related to the survivor's report. Makes related changes in provisions concerning student notification of rights and options, confidential advisors, complaint resolution procedures, and campus training. Amends the Citizen Participation Act. Provides that a court shall not permit any person to pursue a defamation action to silence or retaliate against, a person reporting gender-based violence, including cases where the alleged perpetrator is publicly named. Provides that the exception to motions under this Act are when the acts are not genuinely aimed at procuring favorable government action, result, or outcome or when the plaintiff presents clear and convincing evidence that the reporting of gender-based violence constituted speaking with actual malice. Makes related changes.
Amends the Property Tax Code. In provisions concerning charitable exemptions granted to limited liability companies, removes a requirement that the limited liability company must be a disregarded entity for federal and Illinois income tax purposes.