Amends the Property Tax Code. Provides that a veteran may submit an application for the homestead exemptions for veterans with disabilities to the chief county assessment officer with respect to a specific property before the veteran purchases the property. Effective immediately.
Amends the Unified Code of Corrections. Provides that notwithstanding to the contrary, any provision of the Code, the Post-Conviction Hearing Article of the Code of Criminal Procedure of 1963, or the Habeas Corpus Article or the relief from judgments provision of the Code of Civil Procedure, a person serving terms of imprisonment, including terms of natural life, in a Department of Corrections institution or facility is eligible for earned reentry if he or she has served a term of imprisonment specified as follows: (1) for the first year following the effective date of the amendatory Act, a person is eligible for earned reentry if he or she has served a term of imprisonment of at least 35 consecutive years: (2) for the second year following the effective date of the amendatory Act, a person is eligible for earned reentry if he or she has served a term of imprisonment of at least 25 consecutive years; and (3) for the third year following the effective date of the amendatory Act and each year thereafter, a person is eligible for earned reentry if he or she has served a term of imprisonment of at least 20 consecutive years. Establishes factors that the Prisoner Review Board shall consider in determining whether a candidate should obtain earned reentry. Provides that every incarcerated person may bring legal counsel or an advocate of his or her choice to the earned reentry hearing. Provides that an incarcerated person may not be barred from any programming because his or her maximum out date is not in the near future. Provides that every incarcerated person may attend and testify at his or her earned reentry hearing in person or by video-conference or may have counsel or an advocate read a statement. Provides that hearings for earned reentry shall be administered by the Prisoner Review Board. Effective January 1, 2024.
Amends the State Board of Education Article of the School Code. Provides that the Career and Technical Education Task Force is created within the State Board of Education to examine how to involve more students in technical education. Specifies the members of the Task Force. Provides that the Task Force shall meet once every 3 months at the call of the State Board of Education and shall receive administrative and other support from the State Board of Education. Provides that the Task Force shall prepare and deliver to the State Board of Education a report each year covering the Task Force's findings. Provides that the Task Force is dissolved and the provisions are repealed on January 1, 2026. Effective immediately.
Amends the Election Code. Provides that any person who carries or possess a firearm while present in a polling place, except a peace officer in the performance of his or her official duties, shall be guilty of a Class C misdemeanor.
Amends the Unified Code of Corrections. Eliminates provisions that a person must serve various percentages for particular offenses. Provides that the rules and regulations of the Department of Corrections shall provide that the individual in custody shall receive one day of sentence credit for each day of service in prison other than when a sentence of natural life imprisonment has been imposed. Provides that each day of sentence credit shall reduce by one day the incarcerated person's period of incarceration set by the court. Provides that within 6 months after the effective date of the amendatory Act, the Department of Corrections shall recalculate each incarcerated person's release date by crediting each person one day sentence credit for each day the incarcerated person has spent in prison on the current sentence. Provides that an incarcerated person serving a term of natural life imprisonment shall be eligible to accumulate sentence credit so that in the event that his or her sentence is reduced to something less than a sentence of natural life imprisonment, it can thereafter be credited toward his or her new sentence. Makes technical changes. Effective January 1, 2025.
Amends the Children and Family Services Act. Creates the Due Process for Youth Oversight Commission (Commission) to oversee the creation and implementation of a youth's statutory right to counsel in abuse and neglect proceedings conducted in accordance with the Juvenile Court Act of 1987. Requires the Commission to provide direction and operational phases for implementation statewide, provide status reports and recommendations to the General Assembly regarding implementation, and provide ongoing implementation and program oversight for 5 years after statewide transition is completed. Contains provisions concerning the Commission's membership; term limits; scheduled meetings; data support provided by the Department of Children and Family Services; Commission duties; and the date of the Commission's dissolution. Amends the Foster Children's Bill of Rights Act. Expands the rights afforded to every child placed in foster care to include the right to have a court appoint an attorney to represent the youth in any abuse or neglect case who will advocate for the youth's wishes and make recommendations to the court regarding the youth's care. Provides that this right applies to court proceedings pending or commenced on or after a date established by the Commission by administrative rule. Amends the Juvenile Court Act of 1987. Provides that immediately upon the filing of an abuse or neglect petition, the court shall appoint counsel for each minor who is the subject of that petition, unless the minor has already retained counsel. Provides that this requirement shall apply to court proceedings pending or commenced on or after a date established by the Commission by administrative rule. Provides that each respondent in any petition filed under the Act who is 8 years of age or older shall be furnished a written "Notice of Rights" at or before the first hearing at which the respondent appears. Provides that counsel appointed by a court to represent a minor in neglect or abuse proceedings shall have a minimum of one in-person contact with the minor prior to each hearing and at least one in-person contact every quarter. Effective immediately.
Amends the Hospital Licensing Act. Provides that "hospital worker" means any person who receives an hourly wage directly or indirectly via a subcontractor by a hospital licensed under the Act. Replaces references to "nurse" with "hospital worker". Provides for additional staffing transparency and reporting requirements. Provides that hospitals licensed under the Act must employ and schedule enough hospital workers to provide quality patient care and ensure patient safety. Provides that hospitals must make available, at the beginning of each calendar year and upon request, all staffing matrices and other staffing metrics, if any, used to assess and maintain safe staffing levels for hospital workers in each unit. Provides that the Department of Public Health shall produce an annual report based on staffing disclosures. Provides that the Department shall make recommendations for minimum staffing standards for hospital workers in each hospital unit. Provides that hospitals licensed under the Act shall conduct, within the first month of employment and at no cost, a competency validation for each hospital worker hired. Provides that a hospital must submit documentation of each hospital worker's competency validation to the Department within 4 weeks after the worker's start date. Provides that hospitals shall conduct ongoing verification for each hospital worker employed during a given calendar year to determine each worker's continued competency to perform the worker's job and shall submit documentation of each worker's ongoing verification to the Department within 2 weeks of completion. Provides that hospitals shall submit a list of all competent employees currently employed at the end of each calendar year. Provides for a public registry of all competent employees to be maintained by the Department. Provides for the imposition of civil penalties for specified violations of the Act. Describes an assignment despite objection resolution process to be implemented by each hospital that is licensed under the Act. Provides for a Hospital Safety Advocate role to be created within the Department.
Mourns the death of Cook County Clerk Karen Yarbrough.
Amends the Firearm Concealed Carry Act. Provides that nothing in the Act prohibits a forest preserve district from prohibiting persons from carrying a firearm into any botanic garden, campground, aquatic center, grounds of an aquatic center, boat launch, boating center, athletic venue, picnic grove, nature center, grounds of a nature center, pavilion, grounds of a pavilion, golf course, parking lot, driving range, adventure course, grounds of an adventure course, zipline building, grounds of a zipline, equestrian center, grounds of an equestrian center, exercise venue, grounds of an exercise venue, any Illinois nature preserve, land and water reserve, or any public or private gathering or special event conducted on property that requires the issuance of a permit. Defines "grounds".
Amends the Firearm Owners Identification Card Act concerning the Firearm Transfer Inquiry Program. Provides that the Illinois State Police may charge a fee not to exceed $10 and any processing fee. Provides that the processing fees shall be limited to charges by the State Treasurer for using the electronic online payment system. Provides that $4 from each fee collected under this provision shall be deposited into the State Police Revocation Enforcement Fund. Currently, the Illinois State Police may utilize existing technology which allows the caller to be charged a fee not to exceed $2.
