Creates the Mental Health Graduate Education Scholarship Act. Establishes the Mental Health Graduate Scholarship Program, to be administered by the Department of Human Services. Requires the Department to provide scholarships to qualified individuals who are enrolled in or accepted into a mental health graduate program at a public or private college or university in this State and who agree to being employed in this State as a licensed professional counselor, licensed clinical professional counselor, licensed clinical psychologist, licensed social worker, or licensed clinical social worker in direct patient care in a human services capacity in a designated shortage area for at least one year for each year of scholarship assistance received. Sets forth provisions concerning the functions of the Department, the award and amount of a scholarship, requirements for scholarship recipients, a Mental Health Consortium Advisory Council, student enrollment and the obligations of institutions, and program funding. Effective immediately.
Sponsored bills
Amends the Firearm Owner Identification Card Act. Requires (instead of permits) the Department of State Police to deny an application or to revoke and seize a Firearm Owner's Identification Card previously issued under the Act if the Department finds that the applicant or person to whom such card was issued is or was at the time of issuance the subject to an existing order of protection. Amends the Domestic Violence Article of the Code of Criminal Procedure of 1963 and the Illinois Domestic Violence Act of 1986. Provides that if the court is satisfied that there is any danger of the illegal use of firearms, it shall include in the order of protection the requirement that any Firearm Owner's Identification Card of the respondent be turned over to the local law enforcement agency for safekeeping.
Amends the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity Law of the Civil Administrative Code of Illinois, the State Finance Act, the School Code, and the Public Community College Act. Creates the School Wind and Solar Generation Program to fund wind generation projects and solar generation projects for school districts and community college districts. Requires the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity to implement and administer the program; allows the Department to award full or partial grants for, without limitation, engineering studies, feasibility studies, research studies, and construction costs. For each of the fiscal years 2010 through 2014, requires the State Comptroller to order transferred and the State Treasurer to transfer $5,000,000 from the General Revenue Fund to the School Wind and Solar Generation Fund, a special fund in the State treasury. Provides that all money in the Fund must be used for the purposes of the program. Allows school districts and community college districts to own and operate solar generation turbine farms (not just wind generation turbine farms) that directly or indirectly reduce energy or other operating costs. Effective immediately.
Amends the Environmental Health Practitioner Licensing Act. Requires the Department of Professional Regulation to issue a license as a licensed environmental health practitioner to any applicant who holds a Registered Environmental Health Specialist/Registered Sanitarian credential in good standing with the National Environmental Health Association. Effective July 1, 2009.
Creates the Blind Vendors Act. Creates the Business Enterprise Program for the Blind and provides that the Secretary of Human Services, through the Bureau Director of the Bureau for the Blind in the Department of Human Services, shall continue, maintain, and promote the Program. Provides that the Program must provide that: priority is given to blind vendors in the operation of vending facilities on State property; tie bid preference is given to blind vendors in the operation of cafeterias on State property unless the cafeteria operations are operated by employees of a State agency; vending machine income from all vending machines on State property is assigned as provided in the Act; no State agency may impose a commission, service charge, rent, or utility charge on a licensed blind vendor who is operating a vending facility on State property; and vending facilities operated by the Program use reasonable and necessary means and methods to maintain fair market pricing in relation to each facility's given demographic, geographic, and other circumstances. Contains provisions concerning: intent; compliance with federal law; rules; establishment of vending facilities on State property; other vending facilities; creation of a Blind Vendors Trust Fund as a separate account managed by the Department of Human Services for the State's blind vendors; set-aside funds; vending machine income; issuance of licenses; creation of a Committee of Blind Vendors to participate in the development and implementation of all policies, plans, program development, and major administrative and management decisions affecting the Program; hearings; arbitration; reports and surveys; and other matters. Repeals the Blind Persons Operating Vending Facilities Act.
Amends the Department of Public Aid Law of the Civil Administrative Code of Illinois and the State Finance Act. Creates the Hunger Relief Fund as a special fund in the State treasury. Provides that, from appropriations to the Department of Healthcare and Family Services from the Fund, the Department shall make grants to members of the Illinois Food Bank Association for the purpose of making capital improvements, purchasing food, or acquiring other assets. Amends the Illinois Income Tax Act. Creates a tax checkoff for the Hunger Relief Fund. Amends the State Finance Act to create the Fund. Effective immediately.
Amends the School Code. Requires every public elementary school and high school to include in its curriculum a unit of instruction studying the events related to the forceful removal and illegal deportation of almost 2,000,000 Mexican-American U.S. citizens during the Great Depression, beginning in 1929 and ending in the mid-1940's. Allows the State Superintendent of Education to prepare and make available to all school boards instructional materials. Provides that each school board shall itself determine the minimum amount of instruction time that shall qualify as a unit of instruction. Effective January 1, 2010.
Amends the Victims' Economic Security and Safety Act. Makes a technical change in a Section concerning posting of certain notices.
Creates the 2-1-1 Service Act. Sets forth the findings of the General Assembly. Provides that "2-1-1" is created as the official State dialing code for public access to information and referral for health and human services and information about access to services after a natural or non-natural disaster. Contains provisions concerning the designation of a lead entity for 2-1-1. Contains provisions concerning the establishment or prohibition of new information services by specified parties. Contains provisions concerning 2-1-1 services, including the promotion of 2-1-1. Requires participants in 2-1-1 service to meet certain guidelines. Contains provisions concerning the liability of 2-1-1 providers. Amends the State Finance Act to create the 2-1-1 Account Fund in the State treasury to hold moneys from specified sources. Contains provisions concerning the use of moneys for projects and activities in support of 2-1-1-eligible activities. Provides that the lead entity shall provide an annual report to the General Assembly and the Illinois Commerce Commission beginning in calendar year 2010. Contains a severability clause.
Amends the State Officials and Employees Ethics Act. With respect to an executive branch State employee who is the subject of an Executive Inspector General's investigation and whose agency head or ultimate jurisdictional authority agrees with the Inspector General as to disciplinary action against the employee, establishes procedures for providing a redacted version of the Inspector General's summary investigation report to the Executive Ethics Commission, to the employee, and to the public, under certain circumstances.