Creates the Relieve College Costs Pilot Program Act. Creates a pilot program for a 4-year degree pathway based on texts that served as the core foundational basis for western civilization and the Enlightenment, under which one public high school, one public community college, and one public university shall develop a competency-based baccalaureate degree program for a Fundamental Issues and Texts Humanities Degree. Includes as goals of the program: (1) preparing students with skills relating to critical thinking, problem solving, rational inquiry, and oral and written communication needed for employment or further graduate study; (2) using open educational resources if available; (3) using online course options if available to reduce costs; (4) identifying pathway courses to promote dual credit course enrollment in the participating high school; and (5) having a $20,000 maximum tuition rate for the entirety of the degree pathway. Contains provisions concerning a program director, the curriculum, open educational resources, reporting, and rulemaking. Effective immediately. House Floor Amendment No. 1 In provisions concerning the panel created by the State Board of Education, Illinois Community College Board, and Board of Higher Education, requires the panel to seek and identify initiatives to support the use of foundational materials and original sources that reside in the public domain or open educational resource materials in support of the degree program (rather than only to seek and identify initiatives to support the use of open educational resource materials). Provides that the panel is dissolved on January 31, 2023. Provides that a public institution, at the request of its board of trustees, must highlight the courses that use low-cost digital or print options for students (rather than courses that may have a lost-cost option for print versions).
Sponsored bills
Amends the Cannabis Regulation and Tax Act. Provides that the Department of Financial and Professional Regulation's rules for the issuance of Conditional Adult Use Dispensing Organization Licenses on or after January 1, 2022 may include a preference for an applicant that is 51% or more owned and controlled by at least one qualified individual with a disability. Effective immediately.
Amends the Chicago School District Article of the School Code. Provides that a local school council shall be established for each public small school, contract school, and military school within the school district. Provides that in each attendance center enrolling students in 7th or 8th grade, one full-time student member shall be appointed, although no attendance center shall have more than one student member. Requires a supermajority of 8 votes by the local school council to veto any action proposed or approved regarding certain schools placed on probation and intervention actions by the Chicago Schools Academic Accountability Council. Makes other changes. Effective immediately. Senate Floor Amendment No. 2 Deletes reference to: 105 ILCS 5/34-8.4 Replaces everything after the enacting clause. Amends the Chicago School District Article of the School Code. Provides that a local school council shall be established for each public small school within the school district. Provides that in each attendance center enrolling students in 7th or 8th grade, one full-time student member shall be appointed, although no attendance center shall have more than one student member. With respect to the appointment of teacher members to local schools councils by the Chicago Board of Education, requires the Board to make public the vetting process of teacher candidates. Allows any member of the school community to make an inquiry to the Board to determine if the Board may challenge a teacher's candidacy. Provides for binding elections (rather than non-binding, advisory polls) for the appointment of student members to local school councils. Allows the Board to establish criteria for students to be considered eligible to serve as a student member. Makes changes concerning limitations upon applicability and remediation and probation of attendance centers. Effective immediately. Senate Floor Amendment No. 3 Requires the Chicago Board of Education to make public the vetting process of staff member candidates (rather than teacher candidates). Allows any member of the school community to inquire if the Board may challenge a staff member's (rather than a teacher's) candidacy; requires an inquiry to be made in writing in accordance with Board rules. Specifies that a local school council retains the right to reject or modify any school improvement plan or implementation thereof, as long as the rejection or modification of the school improvement plan or implementation thereof is consistent with State and federal requirements.
Amends the Property Tax Code. Provides that property that is used as a qualified residence by a police officer or firefighter with a duty-related disability is exempt from taxation under the Code. Effective immediately.
Amends the Criminal Code of 2012. Makes a technical change in a Section concerning conspiracy. House Floor Amendment No. 2 Deletes reference to: 720 ILCS 5/8-2 from Ch. 38, par. 7-1 Adds reference to: 20 ILCS 3930/7.10 new 20 ILCS 4005/1 from Ch. 95 1/2, par. 1301 20 ILCS 4005/2 from Ch. 95 1/2, par. 1302 20 ILCS 4005/3 from Ch. 95 1/2, par. 1303 20 ILCS 4005/4 from Ch. 95 1/2, par. 1304 20 ILCS 4005/7 from Ch. 95 1/2, par. 1307 20 ILCS 4005/8 from Ch. 95 1/2, par. 1308 20 ILCS 4005/8.5 20 ILCS 4005/12 rep. 30 ILCS 105/5 from Ch. 127, par. 141 30 ILCS 105/5.295 from Ch. 127, par. 141.295 30 ILCS 105/6z-125 30 ILCS 105/6z-126 625 ILCS 5/4-109 720 ILCS 5/12C-36 new 740 ILCS 45/2 from Ch. 70, par. 72 Replaces everything after the enacting clause. Amends the Illinois Criminal Justice Information Act. Provides that subject to appropriation, the Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority shall establish a program by which grants are administered for the purpose of preventing predatory vehicular hijacking. Provides that the Authority shall determine eligible recipients for the grants. Provides that grants shall be made of money appropriated from the General Revenue Fund to eligible recipients to provide street-level intervention services for at-risk youth in danger of being recruited for the purpose of predatory vehicular hijacking. Provides that the Authority shall adopt rules to determine eligibility standards for grants. Amends the Illinois Motor Vehicle Theft Prevention and Insurance Verification Act. Changes the short title of the Act to the Illinois Vehicle Hijacking and Motor Vehicle Theft Prevention and Insurance Verification Act. Specifies that it is the purpose of the Act to, among other things, reduce vehicle hijacking, to improve and support vehicle hijacking law enforcement, and to support the prosecution and administration of vehicle hijacking laws. Changes the name of the Illinois Motor Vehicle Theft Prevention and Insurance Verification Council to the Illinois Vehicle Hijacking and Motor Vehicle Theft Prevention and Insurance Verification Council. Provides that the Council is responsible for providing grants and financial support to assist in the identification, apprehension, and prosecution of hijackers, and the recovery of hijacked and stolen motor vehicles. Authorizes the Council to assess the scope of the vehicle hijacking problem. Provides that the Council is responsible for developing and sponsoring the implementation of plans and strategies for combating vehicle hijacking, and to improve the administration of vehicle hijacking laws. Changes the name of the Motor Vehicle Theft prevention and Insurance Verification Trust Fund to the Vehicle Hijacking and Motor Vehicle Theft Prevention and Insurance Verification Trust Fund. Provides that money in the Trust Fund may be used to provide financial support for law enforcement, prosecutors, and the judiciary for programs designed to reduce vehicle hijacking. Renames the State Police Motor Vehicle Theft Prevention Trust Fund to the Vehicle Hijacking and Motor Vehicle Theft Prevention Trust Fund. Repeals a provision that repeals specific Sections of the Act on January 1, 2025. Makes corresponding changes in various Acts. Amends the Criminal Code of 2012. Creates the offense of predatory vehicular hijacking, a Class 1 felony. Repeals the offense on January 1, 2026. Amends the Crime Victims Compensation Act. Provides that "pecuniary loss" includes expenses incurred for the towing a victim's vehicle in connection with a crime of violence. House Floor Amendment No. 4 Adds reference to: 740 ILCS 45/7.1 from Ch. 70, par. 77.1 740 ILCS 45/10.1 from Ch. 70, par. 80.1 Further amends the Crime Victims Compensation Act. Limits the amount of towing fees that may be reimbursed to a maximum of $1,000. Provides that an application for compensation shall set out the amount of benefits, payments, or awards, if any, payable under vehicle or towing insurance. Provides that, in order to be reimbursed, the applicant must show that he or she has exhausted the benefits reasonably available under full vehicle coverage insurance (including towing insurance, if available).
Amends the Illinois Insurance Code. Makes a technical change in a Section concerning arbitration of medical malpractice disputes. House Floor Amendment No. 1 Deletes reference to: 215 ILCS 5/155.20 Adds reference to: New Act 215 ILCS 5/355 from Ch. 73, par. 967 215 ILCS 125/4-12 from Ch. 111 1/2, par. 1409.5 Replaces everything after the enacting clause. Creates the Health Insurance Coverage Premium Misalignment Study Act. Sets forth provisions concerning the purpose of the Act and findings. Provides that the Department of Insurance shall oversee a study to explore rate setting approaches that may yield a misalignment of premiums across different tiers of coverage in Illinois' individual health insurance market. Provides that the study shall produce cost estimates for Illinois residents addressing metal-level premium misalignment policy along with the impact of the policy on health insurance affordability and access and the uninsured rates for low-income and middle-income residents, with break-out data by geography, race, ethnicity, and income level. Provides that the study shall evaluate how premium realignment if implemented would affect costs and outcomes for Illinoisans. Provides that the Department shall develop and submit, no later than January 1, 2024, a report to the General Assembly and the Governor concerning the design, costs, benefits, and implementation of premium realignment to increase affordability and access to health care coverage that leverages existing State infrastructure. Amends the Illinois Insurance Code and the Health Maintenance Organization Act. Provides that all individual and small group accident and health policies written in compliance with the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act must file rates with the Department for approval. Provides that rate increases found to be unreasonable rate increases in relation to benefits under the policy provided shall be disapproved. Requires the Department to provide a report to the General Assembly after January 1, 2023 regarding both on and off exchange individual and small group rates in the Illinois market. Requires that the Department approve or deny rate increases within 60 calendar days after the rate increase is filed with the Department and that a rate increase that is not approved or denied by the Department on the 61st calendar day shall be automatically approved. Provides that no less than 30 days after the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has certified the plans described for the upcoming plan year, the Department shall publish on its website a report explaining the rates for the subsequent calendar year's certified policies.
Amends the Illinois Income Tax Act. Provides that an amount equal to the sum of (i) 8% of the net revenue realized from the tax imposed upon individuals, trusts, and estates and (ii) 9.11% of the net revenue realized from the tax imposed upon corporations shall be deposited into the Local Government Distributive Fund (currently, an amount equal to the sum of (i) 6.06% of the net revenue realized from the tax imposed upon individuals, trusts, and estates and (ii) 6.85% of the net revenue realized from the tax imposed upon corporations shall be deposited into the Local Government Distributive Fund). Amends the State Revenue Sharing Act to provide that amounts paid into the Local Government Distributive Fund are appropriated on a continuing basis. Effective July 1, 2022.
Amends the Illinois Public Aid Code. In provisions concerning the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program, provides that the child support collected on behalf of a family shall be passed through to the family and disregarded in determining the amount of the assistance grant provided to the family under the program (rather than the first $100 of child support collected on behalf of a family in a month for one child and the first $200 of child support collected on behalf of a family in a month for 2 or more children shall be passed through to the family and disregarded in determining the amount of the assistance grant provided to the family under the program). Provides that beginning October 1, 2022 (rather than October 1, 2018) the Department of Human Services shall increase TANF grant amounts in effect on September 30, 2022 (rather than September 30, 2018) to at least 50% (rather than 30%) of the most recent United States Department of Health and Human Services Federal Poverty Guidelines for each family size. Provides that beginning October 1, 2023 (rather than October 1, 2019), and each October 1 thereafter, the maximum benefit levels shall be annually adjusted to remain equal to at least 50% (rather than 30%) of the most recent poverty guidelines updated periodically in the Federal Register by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services for each family size. Effective October 1, 2022.
Amends the Illinois Income Tax Act. Provides that the earned income tax credit shall be: (i) 20% of the federal tax credit for each taxable year beginning on or after January 1, 2023 and prior to January 1, 2024; (ii) 22% of the federal tax credit for each taxable year beginning on or after January 1, 2024 and prior to January 1, 2025; and (iii) 25% of the federal tax credit for each taxable year beginning on or after January 1 2025. Provides that the earned income tax credit is available to persons who have attained the age of 18 but have not yet attained the age of 25 and to persons who are 65 years of age or older, without regard to any age requirements that would otherwise apply to individuals without a qualifying child under federal Internal Revenue Code. Extends the earned income tax credit to individuals filing a return using an individual taxpayer identification number. Creates a child dependent tax credit that shall be not less than $600 when combined with the taxpayer's earned income tax credit. Effective immediately.
Amends the Illinois Act on the Aging. Provides that rates for homemaker services shall be increased to $26.52 beginning July 1, 2022 to sustain a minimum wage of $16 per hour for direct service workers. Provides that rates in subsequent State fiscal years shall be no lower than the rates in effect on July 1, 2022. Provides that providers of in-home services shall be required to certify to the Department on Aging that they remain in compliance with the mandated wage increase for direct service workers. Provides that fringe benefits, including, but not limited to, paid time off and payment for training, health insurance, travel, or transportation, shall not be reduced in relation to the rate increases described in the amendatory Act. Effective July 1, 2022.