Rep. Nick Smith

Amends the State Property Control Act. Provides that the moneys in the State Police Vehicle Fund shall also be used by the Illinois State Police for the equipment of vehicles for the Illinois State Police. Amends the Illinois Vehicle Code. Beginning with the 2024 registration year, changes the surcharge collected for deposit into the State Police Vehicle Fund from $1 to $2 for motor vehicles of the first division, autocycles, motorcycles, motor driven cycles, and pedalcycles and for vehicles of the second division registered in the 8,000 pounds and less flat weight plate category. Effective July 1, 2023.

Amends the Compassionate Use of Medical Cannabis Program Act. Makes a technical change in a Section concerning the short title.

Urges the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) to support the state goal of increasing the number and diversity of Illinois' educator workforce by collaborating with the Illinois Board of Higher Education (IBHE), the Illinois Community College Board (ICCB), and the Illinois Student Assistance Commission (ISAC) to develop and launch a state-wide teacher recruitment system internally, possibly with the support from an outside vendor, that will be available to the public by July 1, 2024 and will support interested candidates statewide to apply to, enroll in, and complete Illinois' Teacher Preparation Programs and succeed in their eventual job placement.

Amends the Cemetery Care Act. Defines "average fair market value", "total return percentage", and "net income". Provides that a trustee may apply to the Comptroller to establish a master trust fund in which deposits are made. Allows a cemetery authority to take distributions from its fund either by distributing ordinary income or total return distribution. Requires an application for the implementation of the total return distribution method to be submitted to the Comptroller at least 120 days before the effective date of the election to receive total return distribution. Allows, where no receiver is available, a circuit court to order a willing local municipality, township, county, or city to take over the cemetery. Repeals a provision regarding the use of care funds. Makes other changes.

Amends the Illinois Vehicle Code. Defines "digitized driver's license" and provides that a person may drive a motor vehicle if in possession of a digitized driver's license. Provides that a person shall not be issued a citation for driving a motor vehicle without a physical driver's license in his or her possession if the person presents a digitized driver's license to a law enforcement officer in connection with a traffic stop or checkpoint. Provides that the display of a digitized driver's license shall not serve as consent or authorization for a law enforcement officer, or any other person, to search, view, or access any other data or application on the mobile device, and that the fee to install the application to display a digitized driver's license shall not exceed $6. Effective immediately.

Creates the Second Chance Public Health and Safety Act and amends the Freedom of Information Act, the Civil Administrative Code of Illinois, and the Unified Code of Corrections. Contains declarations and findings. Creates the Department of Returning Resident Affairs and sets forth its powers in relation to returning residents (residents who have been detained, are defendants in criminal prosecutions, are incarcerated, or have been incarcerated) and other matters. Provides that the Department shall develop and administer the Second Chance State Program for returning residents and provides for the establishment of hub sites to provide specified services to eligible individuals and other elements of the Program. Provides for the appointment of a Director of Returning Resident Affairs who has experience working with or for a community-based organization and was incarcerated in an Illinois Department of Corrections facility for not less than one year, as well as an Assistant Director and a General Counsel. Contains provisions regarding other matters. Provides that the provisions of the Act are severable. Effective immediately.

Amends the Public Utilities Act. Provides that the utilities shall implement energy efficiency measures targeted at low-income households and the amount of expenditures in the utilities' annual energy efficiency program budget to implement these targeted measures shall be, at a minimum, proportional to the percentage of low-income customers within the utilities' service territory. Provides specified requirements for who qualifies as a low-income customer. Provides that a utility shall not disconnect service of: (1) low-income customers 65 years of age or older due to inability to afford the monthly bill; (2) low-income customers with children in the household under the age of 6 due to inability to afford the monthly bill; and (3) customers who have provided a medical certification exemption. Provides that if gas or electricity is used as the only source of space cooling, then a utility with over 100,000 residential customers may not terminate gas or electric utility service to the residential user, including all tenants of mastermetered apartment buildings: (1) on any day when the National Weather Service forecast for the following 24 hours covering the area of the utility in which the residence is located includes a forecast that the temperature or heat index will be 85 (rather than 95) degrees Fahrenheit or above; or (2) on any day preceding or during a holiday or weekend when a forecast indicates that the temperature or heat index will be 85 (rather than 95) degrees Fahrenheit or above during the holiday or weekend. Makes changes to provisions concerning: the Commission's annual report; notice of termination of service; utility credit reporting; consideration of attorney and expert compensation as an expense and intervenor compensation fund; prohibition against preference or prejudice to any corporation; proceedings, investigations, or hearings conducted by the Commission; complaints and notice; and automatic adjustment clause tariffs. Makes other and corresponding changes.

Mourns the death of Oscar Lawton Wilkerson Jr. of Markham.

Amends the Property Tax Code. Provides that each county treasurer in a county with 3,000,000 or more inhabitants shall operate an installment payment program to allow delinquent property taxes due from current and prior years to be paid in monthly installments. Provides that the taxpayer must enter into the installment payment agreement before the date of the annual tax sale at which the delinquent taxes are sold. Effective immediately.

Amends the Election Code. Creates the Rights of Voters Article. Prohibits the imposition or application of a voting qualification, prerequisite, standard, practice, or procedure by the State or any locality in a manner that results in a denial or abridgment of the right of any citizen of the United States to vote based on race, color, or membership in a language minority. Provides that an election authority must provide election materials in the language of a single language minority if the area or part of an area of the election authority has more than 5% of its eligible voters or 10,000 eligible voters who are members of the single language minority and are unable to speak or understand English adequately to participate in the electoral process. Requires notice of certain changes in the election process and allows for a public comment period. Alternatively, allows the county board or board of election commissioners to submit proposed changes to the Attorney General for implementation. Prohibits the use of an at-large method of election in a manner that impairs the ability of members of a protected class to elect candidates of its choice or its ability to influence the outcome of an election. Creates the Voter Education and Outreach Fund as a special fund in the State treasury to deposit all penalties and charges related to violations of the provisions. Allows the Attorney General or a member of a language minority to commence a civil action in response to a violation of the provisions. Makes other changes. Provides that the amendatory Act may be referred to as the Illinois Voting Protection Act.