Creates the Supreme Court Campaign Reform Act. Provides that candidates for the Supreme Court may apply for a public financing benefit in connection with their campaign. Sets the amount of the public financing benefit at $750,000 for the general primary and general election cycle. Sets requirements for qualifying for the public financing benefits. Limits the amount of private contributions qualified candidates may accept. Limits the amounts that non-participating candidates may accept from private sources during campaign periods to $1,000 in the aggregate. Provides that qualified candidates must be distributed a line of credit from the Illinois Supreme Court Democracy Trust Fund to be used for lawful political expenditures. Provides for the increase of the line of credit if non-complying candidates make certain expenditures. Sets penalties for violations of the Act. Provides that the Illinois Supreme Court may require attorneys to contribute money to the Fund not to exceed $25 annually. Contains other provisions. Amends the Election Code. Provides that a payment for electioneering communications is an "expenditure". Provides that a group that "accepts contributions or makes expenditures during any 12-month period in an aggregate amount exceeding $3,000 for the purpose of electioneering communications" is a political committee. Allows the Board of Elections to impose a fine against a committee that fails to report expenditures that could trigger matching funds under the Supreme Court Campaign Reform Act. Amends the State Finance Act. Creates the Illinois Supreme Court Democracy Trust Fund. Amends the Illinois Income Tax Act. Requires the Department of Revenue to print on its standard individual income tax form a provision by which the taxpayer may make a contribution (not less than $1) to the Illinois Supreme Court Democracy Trust Fund. Amends the Clerk of the Courts Act. Requires circuit court clerks to transfer $1 from each appearance fee paid to the State Treasurer for deposit into the Supreme Court Democracy Trust Fund and, to defray that expense, the county board may, by resolution, require the clerk of the circuit court in the county to charge and collect a Supreme Court Democracy Trust Fund fee of not more than $1, which shall be paid at the time that any appearance fee is paid. Effective immediately.
Sponsored bills
Amends the Public Utilities Act. Establishes the Universal Service Fund to provide a basic set of essential telecommunications services and access to advanced service capabilities to all customers in Illinois. Provides for an assessment upon telecommunications providers operating in Illinois. Provides for the Commerce Commission to administer the universal service programs. Requires the Commission to appoint a Universal Support Fund Council to advise the Commission concerning the administration of the universal service programs. Amends the State Finance Act to create the Universal Service Fund, a special fund in the State treasury. Effective January 1, 2006.
Amends the Abused and Neglected Child Reporting Act and the Juvenile Court Act of 1987. Provides that a law enforcement officer, DCFS employee, or physician may take or retain temporary protective custody of a child without the consent of the person responsible for the child's welfare if he or she has reason to believe that the child is in imminent danger of injury or death (instead of if he or she has reason to believe that the child cannot be cared for at home or in the custody of the person responsible for the child's welfare without endangering the child' s health or safety and there is not time to apply for a temporary custody order). If there is no such imminent danger, requires a warrant to take the child into temporary protective custody. Provides that the DCFS Guardianship Administrator has no authority to consent to an HIV test for a child or obtain and disclose HIV test information if the child has not been taken into temporary protective custody as provided by law. Provides that a person seeking to take photographs or x-rays of a child must first obtain the consent of the parent, guardian, or other person responsible for the child's welfare, unless the person has reason to believe that the child is in imminent danger of injury or death. Provides that if the DCFS Child Protective Service Unit is denied reasonable access to a child, it shall seek law enforcement intervention for the purpose of examining and interviewing the child if it has reason to believe that the child is in imminent danger of injury or death; otherwise, it must seek a court order. Authorizes a law enforcement officer to take custody of a minor without a warrant under the Juvenile Court Act of 1987 if the officer has reasonable cause to believe the minor is an abused, neglected, or dependent minor, but only if the officer also has reasonable cause to believe that the minor is in imminent danger of injury or death.
Amends the Chicago School District Article of the School Code. Provides that under the Chicago Board of Education's policies and rules concerning infectious disease, the Board shall require that all students wash their hands with an antiseptic soap or detergent before consuming any meal at school and shall establish nationally accepted standards and provide the facilities, materials, and supervision necessary to implement the handwashing requirement. Amends the State Mandates Act to require implementation without reimbursement.
Amends the Illinois Vehicle Code. Provides for the issuance of Iraqi Freedom license plates at an additional initial charge of $40 and an additional renewal charge of $27 with eligibility requirements to be determined by the Secretary of State. Provides that $15 of the initial charge and $2 of the renewal charge shall be paid into the Secretary of State Special License Plate Fund and $25 of the initial charge and $25 of the renewal charge shall be paid into the Illinois Veterans Assistance Fund. Amends the Illinois Lottery Law. Provides that the moneys deposited into the Illinois Veterans Assistance Fund from the sale of Iraqi Freedom license plates may, subject to appropriation, be used by the Department of Veterans' Affairs to provide grants to assist in the financial and educational support of minor and dependent children of veterans who died or were disabled in the line of duty.
Amends the Juvenile Court Act of 1987. Provides that in unfitness proceedings alleging that a minor is abused, neglected, or dependent, if documents, assessments, and evaluations are directly used to prove an unfitness ground as alleged in the petition or at the best interest portion, relating to parent child bonding, and a party objects to the introduction of the documents into evidence, the author of those documents shall testify, if available, as to the recommendations and findings. Provides that if the author is unavailable, the documents are admissible without such testimony. Provides that the court shall determine the proper weight accorded to the documents. Provides that a supplemental petition to reinstate parentage may be filed regarding any minor who is presently a ward of the court under the Abused, Neglected, or Dependent Minors Article of the Act. Establishes procedures for filing such supplemental petition. Effective August 1, 2006.
Amends the Illinois Renewable Fuels Development Program Act. Provides that a recipient of Program grants must be constructing, modifying, altering, or retrofitting an (i) ethanol plant (now, just plant) that has annual production capacity of no less than 30,000,000 gallons of renewable fuel per year or a (ii) biodiesel plant. Requires the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity to establish and administer grant programs including: the Illinois Renewable Fuels Majority Blended Ethanol Program, the Illinois Corn Grain to Fuel Research Consortium Assistance Program, the Illinois Renewable Fuels Corn-to-Hydrogen Fuel Cell Research Program, the Illinois Renewable Fuels Biodiesel Infrastructure Grant Program, the Illinois Renewable Fuels Ethanol Development Intergovernmental Assistance Program. Sets forth the purposes and conditions for these grant programs. Provides that subject to appropriation (now, subject to appropriation from the Build Illinois Bond Fund), the Director is authorized to award Renewable Fuels Development Program Fund grants. Sets forth that the annual aggregate amount for these grants shall not exceed $25,000,000 in Fiscal year 2007 and 2008 and $15,000,000 thereafter (now, may not exceed $15,000,000). Specifies how these grant funds shall be allocated. Sets forth certain limitations on spending on the various Program grants including for research conducted at the National Corn-to-Ethanol Research Facility at SIU-Edwardsville not to exceed $1,000,000 annually, and a one-time grant in FY 2007 not to exceed $3,000,000 for construction, remodeling, and expansion of the National Corn-to-Ethanol Research Facility at SIU-Edwardsville. Provides that normal operating and execution of renewable fuels programs in existence on January 1, 2006 within the Department from the Renewable Fuels Development Program Fund shall not exceed $5,000,000 annually. Amends the State Finance Act to create the Renewable Fuels Development Program Fund as a special fund in the State treasury to fund these grant programs. Sets forth certain conditions for the operation of this Fund. Provides for certain annual payments from the General Revenue Fund to the Renewable Fuels Development Program Fund. Amends the Use Tax Act, the Service Use Tax Act, the Service Occupation Tax Act, and the Retailers' Occupation Tax Act, to provide that on or after July 1, 2006 and on or before June 30, 2016, those tax rates apply to 90% of the proceeds of sales made on gasohol (now, apply to 80% of the proceeds of sales made on gasohol). Amends the Motor Fuel and Petroleum Standards Act to provide that beginning January 1, 2008 a minimum of 10% of all motor fuel sold or offered for sale in Illinois must be denatured ethanol and that beginning January 1, 2012 a minimum of 15% of all motor fuel sold or offered for sale in Illinois must be denatured ethanol. Effective July 1, 2006.
Calls upon the U.S. Congress to pass legislation for the future award of Social Security retirement benefits to begin on each beneficiary's birth date in the year the beneficiary is eligible.
Amends the Cook County Article of the Illinois Pension Code. Creates an alternative retirement annuity and survivor's benefit for sworn sheriff's personnel. Amends the State Mandates Act to require implementation without reimbursement. Effective immediately.
Creates the Nursing Care and Quality Improvement Act. Provides that each hospital shall implement a staffing plan that (i) provides adequate, appropriate, and quality delivery of health care services, (ii) protects patient safety, and (iii) is consistent with the requirements of the Act. Sets forth the minimum direct care registered nurse-to-patient ratios required in a unit of a hospital during each shift in that unit. Sets forth development and reevaluation requirements for the staffing plan. Prohibits a hospital from discharging, discriminating, or retaliating in any manner with respect to any aspect of employment against a nurse based on the nurses refusal of a work assignment under certain conditions or against a nurse or any individual, who, in good faith, reports a violation of the Act, initiates, cooperates, or otherwise participates in an investigation or proceeding under the Act, or informs or discusses with other individuals or with representatives of hospital employees a violation or suspected violation of the Act. Sets forth penalties for violation of the Act.