Rep. Larry McKeon

Amends the Illinois Housing Development Act. Authorizes the Illinois Housing Development Authority to develop and implement a program of financial assistance to recently hired Illinois teachers purchasing their first primary residence. Limits the program to teachers employed by school districts defined by the State Board of Education as financially needy or experiencing a teacher shortage. Limits eligibility to public school teachers with no more than 2 years of employment as teachers who commit to teach in their school district for at least 3 years after their closing date. Effective July 1, 2003.

Amends the Consumer Fraud and Deceptive Business Practices Act. Defines "call center" as "a physical or electronic operation that utilizes telecommunication services or electronic mail in one or more of the following activities: customer services; soliciting sales; reactivating dormant accounts; conducting surveys or research; collection of receivables; receiving reservations; receiving orders; or taking orders". Provides that a United States corporation, business entity, or other person or its subsidiary that utilizes a call center to receive telephone calls from individuals located in the State of Illinois shall require each call center that it utilizes to comply with the following requirements: an employee of the call center shall identify himself or herself by stating his or her name, the name of his or her employer, the location of the municipality, state, and country in which he or she is located, and, if applicable, the name and telephone number of a customer service representative of the entity utilizing the services of his or her employer; a telephone call to a call center located in a foreign country shall be rerouted to a call center located in the United States if such a request is made by the caller; an employee at a call center operating in a foreign country may not solicit any personal information, whether by telephone or by an electronic mail message, unless the employee first informs the caller that disclosing the information is optional and receives the affirmative consent of the caller to whom the information relates and, in the case of communication by telephone, an audio recording of the telephone call is made and retained; and an employee of a call center who responds to an electronic mail message from a person shall identify himself or herself by stating his or her name, the name of his or her employer, the location of the municipality, state, and country in which he or she is located, and, if applicable, the name and telephone number of a customer service representative of the entity utilizing the services of his or her employer. Provides that a violation is an unlawful practice within the meaning of the Act.

Amends the Uniform Peace Officers' Disciplinary Act. Provides that any party wishing to conduct an interrogation pursuant to the Uniform Peace Officers' Disciplinary Act must provide all required notices at least 72 hours prior to conducting the interrogation.

Amends the Prevailing Wage Act. Makes technical changes in a Section concerning State policy.

Amends the State Finance Act and the Medicaid Article of the Illinois Public Aid Code. Provides for a minimum monthly personal needs allowance for institutionalized persons who are eligible for Medicaid. Provides that the State shall pay an amount in addition to the minimum monthly personal needs allowance authorized under the Social Security Act, so that the person's total monthly personal needs allowance from both State and federal sources equals $75. Provides that the additional amount is to be paid from amounts appropriated for that purpose from the Tobacco Settlement Recovery Fund. Effective immediately.

Creates the Joint Committee on Property Tax Reform and School Funding Reform composed of House and Senate members to study the issue of reforming the State's fiscal system to ensure it is fundamentally sound, fair, and capable of funding a quality education for all Illinois children and to report its findings by December 31, 2004.

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 January 1, 2004 and through December 31, 2008, a retailer or serviceman is allowed to take the 1.75% or $5 discount, as appropriate, for the first $1,000,000 in taxes collected in the aggregate in a calendar year under each of the 4 Acts to reimburse himself or herself for expenses incurred in collecting the tax, keeping records, preparing and filing returns, remitting the tax, and supplying data to the Department of Revenue on request. No discount may be taken during that period for taxes collected above $1,000,000 in the aggregate in a calendar year under the 4 Acts. Effective immediately.

Amends the Illinois Act on the Aging by providing that vendors of homemaker and chore housekeeper services shall receive a rate increase equal to the percent increase in the federal or State minimum wage each time the federal or State minimum wage is increased. Amends the Disabled Persons Rehabilitation Act by providing that personal care attendants shall receive a percentage increase in wages equal to the percent increase in the federal or State minimum wage each time the federal or State minimum wage is increased. Effective July 1, 2003.

Amends the Illinois Public Labor Relations Act. Provides that submission of all disciplinary matters to the grievance and arbitration procedure is a mandatory subject of bargaining notwithstanding the existence of any other applicable statute.

Amends the Workers' Compensation Act. Makes a technical change in a Section concerning the Industrial Commission's annual report to the Governor.