Rep. Justin Slaughter

Amends the Consumer Installment Loan Act. In provisions concerning consumer reporting service, changes the definition of "title-secured loan" to specify that the length of a title-secured loan is less than 12 months. Provides that licensees that do not submit information to at least one consumer reporting agency that compiles and maintains files on consumers on a nationwide basis shall enter information (instead of licensees shall enter information) regarding each loan into the certified database and shall follow the Department of Financial and Professional Regulation's related rules.

Amends the Charter Schools Law of the School Code. Provides that upon approval of a charter renewal by an authorizer, the charter operator shall execute the renewal agreement no later than 90 days after the date of the authorizer's final renewal approval. Provides that a charter school that is deemed nonrenewed is ineligible to receive any payments from a school district. Provides that a charter operator that fails to execute a renewal agreement within a specified period may not continue to operate the charter school beyond the expiration of the existing charter term and is subject to closure procedures. Requires every charter operator to maintain closure security. Provides that failure to maintain closure security is a basis for the authorizer to withhold a portion of per-pupil payments until compliance is achieved and for consideration in denying a charter renewal or revoking the charter or ineligibility to operate additional charter campuses. Provides that if the closure security is insufficient to cover the costs of a closure event, the authorizer or the State Board of Education may bring a civil action against the charter operator to recover the unpaid amounts and seek to impose a lien on any property owned by the charter operator to secure recovery. Provides that if an authorizer determines that a charter school is in financial distress, the authorizer may require the charter operator to submit a financial remediation plan within 30 days. Provides that if the authorizer determines that the charter school has failed to implement an approved remediation plan or the financial distress presents an immediate risk to students, employees, or public funds, the authorizer may initiate financial intervention by appointing an independent fiscal manager approved by the authorizer and the State Board. Allows the fiscal manager to exercise authority limited to financial matters. Provides that financial intervention is temporary and may not exceed 180 days, except that the authorizer may extend the intervention once for good cause. Makes other changes. Effective immediately.

Creates the Illinois Kratom Consumer Protection Act. Regulates the manufacture, processing, packaging, labeling, and retail sale of kratom products. Requires registration with the Department of Public Health and compliance with federal food safety laws. Sets standards for finished kratom products, including permitted delivery forms, age restrictions, packaging requirements, and warnings on labels. Requires certificates of analysis for each batch from accredited laboratories and mandates product liability insurance. Prohibits products attractive to children and mixing kratom with psychoactive substances. Provides reporting requirements for adverse health events and authorizes independent testing by the Department. Establishes enforcement provisions, including stop-sale orders, detention and destruction of products, civil penalties, and criminal offenses. Grants rulemaking authority to the Department.

Amends the Notice by Publication Act. Provides that when any notice is required by law, court order, or by any contract, to be published in a newspaper, it is considered to be in compliance with the publication requirements if published in an online news media or digital news media platform as long as the media or platform serves the locale in which the notice is required to be published. "Online news media" or "digital news platform" means any website or digital platform that is regularly updated with content at least 5 days per week, has maintained this frequency of publication for no less than one year, and serves the geographic area relevant to the notice. Provides that the provision applies to all notices required to be published on or after the effective date of the amendatory Act.

Amends the Code of Criminal Procedure of 1963. Deletes provision that there is a rebuttable presumption that the testimony of a victim who is a child under 13 years of age shall testify outside the courtroom and the child's testimony shall be shown in the courtroom by means of a closed circuit television. Deletes that the presumption may be overcome if the defendant can prove by clear and convincing evidence that the child victim will not suffer severe emotional distress. Provides that if the court denies the State's request for the child victim's testimony to be taken outside of the courtroom, the court shall toll the speedy trial requirements under the speedy trial provisions of the Code for 30 days to allow the State to present the motion to the court again before trial requesting the child's testimony to be taken outside the courtroom by means of a closed-circuit television.

Creates the Circuit Breaker Property Tax Relief Act. Provides that an individual: (i) who is domiciled in this State; (ii) who is eligible for and receives either the general homestead exemption or the general alternative homestead exemption; (iii) who has experienced property tax bill spikes; and (iv) who has an income that meets a specified income eligibility limitation is eligible for a grant of a portion of the person's property tax bill spike. Provides that the maximum amount of grant to which a claimant is entitled is 50% of the claimant's tax bill spike. Creates the Circuit Breaker Property Tax Relief Fund for the purpose of making grants to claimants. Amends the State Finance Act to make conforming changes. Effective immediately.

Amends the Illinois Police Training Act. Creates the Certification Enforcement Unit within the Illinois Law Enforcement Training Standards Board. Removes the Review Committee created within the Board. Provides that the Certification Enforcement Unit shall be headed by the Deputy Director of the Certification Enforcement Unit. Provides that the Deputy Director of the Certification Enforcement Unit shall be appointed by the Board and must have (1) substantial experience in law enforcement, criminal law, civil-rights law, or government investigations and (2) demonstrated integrity, professionalism, sound judgment, and leadership. Provides that any investigator hired to serve in the Certification Enforcement Unit must have at least 2 years of prior investigative experience and may have previously served as a certified or licensed law enforcement officer. Changes the name of the Certification Review Panel to the Decertification Review Panel. In provisions concerning formal complaint hearings, provides that, at the hearing, the Certification Enforcement Unit bears the burden of proving that the officer committed the decertifying conduct by clear and convincing evidence. Provides that all hearings shall be open to the public. In provisions concerning certification review meetings, provides that the Panel shall vote to decertify the officer if a simple majority of the Panel finds that (1) any alleged decertification conduct has been proven by clear and convincing evidence; and (2) there is no mitigating factor or combination of mitigating factors that significantly outweigh the seriousness of the misconduct and the impact of the misconduct on the victim and the community. Provides that a law enforcement agency and the Illinois State Police shall notify the Board when an officer is discharged or dismissed because of a sustained violation of a department, agency, or Illinois State Police policy that includes assault, sexual assault, bribery, coercion, fraud, theft, untruthfulness, bias, excessive force, conduct that constitutes a significant abuse of the public trust, or reflects an unfitness to serve, or any other specified conduct. The agency shall provide information regarding the nature of the violation. The notification shall occur as soon as the officer is discharged or dismissed. Makes other changes. Effective immediately.

Amends the Property Tax Code. Provides that, in counties in which the county board so provides, by ordinance or resolution, owners of income-producing properties in the county shall file physical descriptions of their properties with the chief county assessment officer upon request of the chief county assessment officer. Sets forth the period of time during which those provisions apply. Provides that the request for information shall include an individualized statement specifying all physical description information that the assessor's office has on record or recorded against the property and shall contain a statement that the owner may confirm the information if no changes are required. Imposes certain penalties if the property owner fails to respond to a request for information. Amends the Freedom of Information Act to provide that financial records and data related to real estate income, expenses, and occupancy submitted by or on behalf of a property owner to a chief county assessment officer, except if submitted as part of an assessment appeal, are exempt from disclosure. Effective immediately.

Amends the Criminal Code of 2012. Provides that, in addition to any other disposition authorized by law, the court shall order any person arrested for patronizing a person engaged in the sex trade to participate in the Buyer Accountability Program and pay a fee of $1,000. Provides for the distribution of the fees. Establishes an education program to be known as the Buyer Accountability Program, which shall consist of an instructional program on prostitution and human trafficking schemes offered in one or more locations throughout the State. Establishes who may establish the program in various areas of the State. Provides that the program shall include information intended to increase the person's awareness of: (1) the causes of prostitution and its relationship to human trafficking; (2) the health and safety risks connected with prostitution, including its impact on the community; (3) the consequences of convictions for prostitution or human trafficking, including penalties for subsequent convictions on both patronizers and victims; and (4) the pervasiveness of human trafficking as well as the long-term physical and psychological harms of prostitution and human trafficking on its victims. Provides that a program must be approved by the Attorney General. Provides that the Attorney General shall notify the Administrative Office of the Illinois Courts that the program has been established and approved by the Attorney General.

Amends the Nursing Home Care Act. Replaces reporting requirement provisions for the Department of Public Health concerning nurse surveyors. Provides that, in addition to the listed information, the Department's annual report on all survey activity from the preceding fiscal year shall include: (i) the total number of authorized nursing home surveyor positions within the Department, (ii) the total number of filled and vacant nursing home surveyor positions, (iii) the average length of tenure for nursing home surveyors employed by the Department at the time the report is created, and (iv) any additional information the Department deems relevant regarding nursing home surveyor recruitment, retention, or workload.