Amends the Illinois Public Labor Relations Act. Makes a technical change in a Section concerning definitions.
Creates the Local Government Consolidation Commission Act. Creates a 15 member commission on local government consisting of 5 Senators, 5 Representatives, and 5 citizens chosen by the Governor. Directs the Commission to study the organization and function of local governments within the State and to make recommendations to reduce the number of local governments and to increase their efficiency and economy. Requires the Commission to report its findings to the General Assembly by December 31, 2006. Effective immediately.
Amends the Higher Education Student Assistance Act. Requires the Illinois Student Assistance Commission to implement and administer a teacher scholarship program, to be known as the Teach Illinois Scholarship Program. Defines "area of identified staff shortage" as a school district in which the number of teachers is insufficient to meet student or school district demand or a subject area for which the number of teachers who are qualified to teach that subject area is insufficient to meet student or school district demand, as determined by the State Board of Education. Requires the Commission to annually award scholarships to persons preparing to teach in areas of identified staff shortages. Requires the recipient to accept employment to teach in an elementary or secondary school in Illinois in an area of identified staff shortage for a period of at least 5 years.
Amends the Code of Criminal Procedure of 1963. Provides that when the court receives a progress report from the supervisor of a defendant who is unfit to stand trial, the court shall set a first hearing within 21 days for a determination of whether the defendant has attained fitness to stand trial or to plead and if not whether the defendant is making progress under treatment toward attainment of fitness within one year from the date of the original finding of unfitness. Effective immediately.
Amends the Film Production Services Tax Credit Act. Makes a technical change in a Section concerning applications for certification.
Amends the Department of Public Health Powers and Duties Law of the Civil Administrative Code of Illinois and the State Finance Act. Creates the Vince Demuzio Memorial Colon Cancer Research Fund and provides that, from appropriations from the Fund, the Department of Public Health must make grants to public or private entities in Illinois for the purpose of funding research applicable to colon cancer patients. Amends the Illinois Income Tax Act to create a tax checkoff for the Fund.
Amends the Illinois Lottery Law. Requires the Department of Revenue to offer a special instant scratch-off game, with the title of "Ticket For The Cure", to commence on January 1, 2006 and to be discontinued on December 31, 2011. Provides that the net revenue from the game shall be deposited into the Ticket For The Cure Fund for appropriation by the General Assembly solely to the Department of Public Health, in consultation with the Ticket For The Cure Board, for the purpose of making grants to public or private entities in Illinois for the purpose of funding research concerning breast cancer and for funding services for breast cancer victims. Amends the Department of Public Health Powers and Duties Law of the Civil Administrative Code of Illinois to create the Ticket For The Cure Board as an advisory board within the Department of Public Health. Amends the State Finance Act to create the Ticket For The Cure Fund. Sets forth procedures for the appointment of Board members and for the operation of the Board. Effective immediately.
Amends the Children and Family Services Act. Provides that every child with a diagnosis of a mental illness who is placed under the Act shall receive mental health services. Requires DCFS, in cooperation with DHS, to file a proposed rule by January 1, 2006, regarding the mental health services to be provided to these children. Requires DCFS to assess each mental health community network in the State to determine what needs exist in each network for the required mental health services. Requires DCFS, by January 1, 2007, to submit a report describing the assessment of the mental health community networks and a plan to address the identified needs to the Governor and the General Assembly.
Amends the Code of Civil Procedure. Provides privilege protection against being compelled to disclose, in any court, administrative board, or agency proceeding, any conversation between a union agent and a bargaining unit member regarding information that the union agent may have acquired in attending to his or her professional duties or while acting in his or her representative capacity. Provides for exceptions to the privilege. Provides that, in the event of a conflict between the application of the privilege and any federal or State labor law, the provisions of the federal or State labor law shall control.
Creates a Task Force to study the use of steroids among young athletes.
