Rep. Edgar González

Amends the School Visitation Rights Act. Provides that an employer that terminates an employee for absences to attend school conferences is liable in a civil action for damages resulting to the employee. Imposes upon the employer the burden of proof to demonstrate that termination is not related to an employee's absence for attendance at a school conference, behavioral meeting, or academic meeting. Effective August 1, 2021.

Amends the Election Code. Allows the State Board of Elections to receive voter registration information provided by applicants using electronic voter registration portals (rather than the Board's website). Provides that notwithstanding any other provision of law, a person who is otherwise qualified to vote may preregister to vote on or after that person's 16th birthday, with the registration held in abeyance by the appropriate election authority until that individual attains the required age to vote. Requires preregistration to be completed using the online voter registration system or an electronic voter registration portal. Provides that for the purposes of the Code, an individual who is 16 years of age or older (rather than who is 17 years of age and who will be 18 years of age on the date of the general or consolidated election) shall be deemed competent to execute and attest to any voter registration forms.

Amends the State Parks Act to require the Department of Natural Resources to make menstrual hygiene products available, at no cost to the public, in each restroom facility that is situated within a State park and under the jurisdiction and control of the Department of Natural Resources. Defines "menstrual hygiene products" and "restroom facility". Effective immediately.

Creates the Securing All Futures for Equitable Reinvestment in Communities Act. Provides legislative intent. Creates the Securing All Futures for Equitable Reinvestment Tax Credit Pilot Program Act. Provides that an applicant that hires certain formerly incarcerated individuals during the incentive period may apply for a tax credit against the applicant's withholding tax liability. Provides that the savings from the changes made to the Unified Code of Corrections shall be deposited into the Securing All Futures for Equitable Reinvestment (SAFER) Communities Fund for the purpose of funding the program. Amends the Unified Code of Corrections to reduce the sentencing ranges for all classes of felonies, and to remove minimum sentences for Class 4 felonies and Class A and Class B misdemeanors. Provides that the provisions of the Act apply to offenses committed before the effective date of this Act, and to offenses committed on or after the effective date of this amendatory Act. Provides for resentencing of currently incarcerated persons based on these changes. Effective immediately. Fiscal Note (Dept. of Revenue) Although the bill limits the credit to $1.5 billion over its 6-year life, the Department is unable to provide a fiscal impact estimate for House Bill 3215 because the legislation, as introduced, contains multiple drafting ambiguities, errors, and incomplete definitions. For example, the bill defines "participant" to mean, in part, a full-time employee who was formerly incarcerated between January 1, 2009 and December 31, 2019. The bill, however, provides later that the credit is limited to 10,000 participants "newly released" from prison and 10,000 participants that were released between January 1, 2009 and December 31, 2019. Additionally, the bill provides the credit amount awarded is to be between $10,000 and $15,000 each year per participant hired. The bill further provides a list of criteria to be considered in determining the amount of the credit, but no guidance is provided as to how that list of criteria computes to a given credit amount. These problems, among others in the bill as introduced, prevent the Department from making adequately precise determinations of who qualifies for the credit and of how to calculate the credit.

Amends the Criminal Identification Act. Provides that a petitioner may petition the circuit court to expunge the records of his or her arrests and charges not initiated by arrest when each arrest or charge not initiated by arrest sought to be expunged resulted in: (1) an order of misdemeanor diversion under the Unified Code of Corrections, and the diversion program was successfully completed by the petitioner; or (2) a conviction for possession of certain specified amounts of a controlled substance; (3) a conviction for possessing less than 5 grams of methamphetamine; or (4) a conviction where the statutory penalty changed as a result of a resentencing hearing under the Code of Criminal Procedure of 1963. Amends the Illinois Controlled Substances Act. Changes the penalties for the manufacture, delivery, or possession with intent to manufacture or deliver, or possession of a controlled substance. Amends the Methamphetamine Control and Community Protection Act. Changes the penalties for methamphetamine delivery or possession. Amends the Code of Criminal Procedure of 1963. Provides that a person serving a sentence, including a sentence of probation, for an offense for which the statutory penalty has been subsequently reduced under the amendatory Act to petition the trial court that entered the judgment of conviction to request resentencing in accordance with the statutory penalty in effect at the time of the filing of the petition. Amends the Unified Code of Corrections to create a Misdemeanor Diversion Program. Fiscal Note (Admin Office of the Illinois Courts) HB3447 amends the Criminal Identification Act regarding expungements. Based on a review of the bill, it has been determined that the proposed legislation would have no fiscal impact on the state appropriation to the judicial branch. It is not possible to determine what fiscal impact, if any, the bill would have on local judicial budgets.

Designates the section of Ogden Avenue in Chicago that runs from South Pulaski Road to South Kedzie Avenue as the "Pastor Victor Rodriguez Avenue".

Creates the Ensuring Essential Services Act. Provides that the purpose of the Act is to ensure the State meets its obligation to provide certain essential services for individuals with developmental disabilities at consistent quality levels in accordance with its waiver agreement with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, all while allocating scarce taxpayer resources. Provides that any contract entered into between the Department of Human Services and an agency shall include a provision assuring the State of the uninterrupted delivery of the contracted-for services. Provides that such assurance shall provide that the agency has entered into a binding labor peace agreement with any labor organization that is the exclusive representative of the agency's frontline and direct support staff or, where no exclusive representation has been established, that the agency has or will enter into an agreement with any labor organization that seeks to become the agency's frontline and direct support staff's exclusive representative. Provides that the assurance shall become a condition of any contract entered into, renewed, or amended on or after the effective date of the Act. Requires the Department of Healthcare and Family Services to, no later than 90 days after the effective date of the Act, apply to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services for a waiver or State Plan amendment to allow implementation of the contracting requirements. Requires the Department of Human Services, no later than 60 days after the effective date of the Act, to adopt rules implementing the requirements of the Act. Contains provisions on contract requirements for Department of Human Services' contracts; enforcement of contractual assurances; remedial actions for noncompliance; and other matters. Effective June 1, 2022.

Creates the Public Higher Education Act. Provides that the intent of the Act is for the requirements of the Act to apply equally to the governing board of each public institution of higher education in this State. Defines "governing board of each public institution of higher education" and "public institution of higher education". Requires that, beginning with the 2022-2023 academic year, all documents and forms, including applications for admission, issued by a public institution of higher education offer a student the option to select "non-binary" if the document or form asks the student to identify the student's gender or biological sex. Effective immediately. House Floor Amendment No. 2 Changes the starting date for non-binary options to be included on documents and forms from the 2022-2023 academic year to the 2023-2024 academic year. Pension Note, House Floor Amendment No. 2 (Government Forecasting & Accountability) HB 4265, as amended by HA 2, will not impact any public pension fund or retirement system in Illinois. State Debt Impact Note, House Floor Amendment No. 2 (Government Forecasting & Accountability) HB 4265, as amended by House Amendment 2, would not change the amount of authorization for any type of State-issued bond, and, therefore, would not affect the level of State indebtedness. Balanced Budget Note, House Floor Amendment No. 2 (Office of Management and Budget) Please be advised that the Balanced Budget Note Act does not apply to HB 4265 (H-AM1) as it is not a supplemental appropriation that increases or decreases appropriations. Under the Act, a balanced budget note must be prepared only for bills that change a general funds appropriation for the fiscal yeai· in which the new bill is enacted. State Mandates Fiscal Note, House Floor Amendment No. 2 (Dept. of Commerce & Economic Opportunity) This bill does not create a State mandate. Fiscal Note, House Floor Amendment No. 2 (Northeastern Illinois University) House Bill 4265 (H-AM 2) would require up to120 hours of staff time to identify, redesign update and replace electronic and paper forms that request this information, and would require replacement and reprinting of form made obsolete due to this change.The total one-time cost of compliance would be up to $10,000. Fiscal Note, House Floor Amendment No. 2 (Illinois State University) As required by House Bill 4265, HA-2, the application for admission to Illinois State University currently contains a non-binary gender choice; therefore, it is expected that the fiscal impact on the University will be nominal. Fiscal Note, House Floor Amendment No. 2 (Western Illinois University) House Bill 4265, as amended by House Amendment 2, will have nominal costs for Western Illinois University due to programming costs of electronic documents and update and replacement of certain paper forms. Fiscal Note, House Floor Amendment No. 2 (Governors State University) Governors State University estimates that compliance with this proposed amendment would cost approximately $10,000 to identify, redesign, update and replace electronic and paper forms that request this information, and would require replacement and reprinting of forms made obsolete due to this change. estimates that compliance with this proposed amendment would cost approximately $10,000 to identify, redesign, update and replace electronic and paper forms that request this information, and would require replacement and reprinting of forms made obsolete due to this change. Fiscal Note, House Floor Amendment No. 2 (Eastern Illinois University) The total cost is estimated to be between (100 hours x $50,00 per hour) $5,000.00 and (250 hours x $50.00 per hour) $12,500.00 depending on the amount of work required. Fiscal Note, House Floor Amendment No. 2 (Southern Illinois University) Compliance with HB 4265 (H-AM-2) would require staff time to identify, redesign and update web-based and paper-based forms and reports. As these would all be internally made changes, we estimate those costs to be nominal. Fiscal Note, House Floor Amendment No. 2 (University of Illinois) Compliance with HB 4265 (H-AM 2) would cost the University of Illinois System approximately $10,000 to add gender neutral responses to student documents currently in use across the U of I System. This will cover the costs to reprogram the existing electronic student record systems. Additional expenses for paper copies, etc. are considered negligible.

Creates the Ballistics Information Act. Provides that, whenever a law enforcement agency recovers any spent shell casing at a crime scene or has reason to believe that the recovered spent shell casing is related to or associated with the commission of a crime or the unlawful discharge of a firearm, the law enforcement agency shall, within a 24-hour period, submit the ballistics information to the National Integrated Ballistics Identification Network. Provides that, whenever a law enforcement agency seizes or recovers a semiautomatic firearm that is deemed suitable to be entered into the National Integrated Ballistics Identification Network system that was: unlawfully possessed, used for any unlawful purpose, recovered from the scene of a crime, is reasonably believed to have been used or associated with the commission of a crime, or is acquired by the law enforcement agency as an abandoned or discarded firearm, the law enforcement agency shall arrange for every such firearm to be test fired within 24 hours and the results of that test firing to be submitted to the National Integrated Ballistics Identification Network to determine whether the firearm is associated with or related to a crime, criminal event, or any individual associated with or related to a crime or criminal event or reasonably believed to be associated with or related to a crime or criminal event.

Amends the Illinois Income Tax Act. Creates an income tax credit for taxpayer-employers that offer health insurance to all of their full-time or full-time equivalent employees in an amount equal to a percentage of the premiums paid by the taxpayer. Effective immediately.