Rep. Nick Smith

Amends the Unified Code of Corrections. Provides that the Governor shall visit the institutions, facilities, and programs of the Department of Corrections as often as the Governor deems fit, for the purpose of enquiring (rather than examining) into the affairs and conditions of the Department. Provides that a member of the General Assembly may visit the institutions, facilities, and programs of the Department of Corrections, upon request of the member, for the purpose of enquiring into the affairs and conditions of the Department.

Amends the Public Utilities Act. Provides that the energy transition assistance charge shall not exceed 1.3% of the amount paid per kilowatthour by eligible retail customers during the year ending May 31, 2009.

Amends the Higher Education Student Assistance Act. Requires the Illinois Student Assistance Commission to annually include information about the Child Care Assistance Program and the federal dependent care allowance in the language that schools are required to provide to students eligible for Monetary Award Program grants. Specifies the information that must be included. Provides that an institution of higher learning that participates in the Monetary Award Program shall provide, at a minimum, the information to all students who are enrolled, or who are accepted for enrollment and are intending to enroll, and who have been identified by the Commission as Monetary Award Program-eligible at the institution. Provides that an institution of higher learning shall also provide the information to any student identified by the institution of higher learning as a student with dependents. Provides that an institution of higher learning may designate a public benefits liaison or single point person to assist students in taking the necessary steps to obtain public benefits if eligible. Requires the Commission to adopt rules to implement the provisions on or before October 1, 2022. Effective immediately.

Amends the State Finance Act. Modifies the allocation of moneys from the Cannabis Regulation Fund. Provides that 4% (currently 8%) of specified moneys shall be transferred to the Local Government Distributive Fund to be used for law enforcement training programs (currently, crime prevention programs, training, and interdiction efforts). Provides that 24% (currently, 20%) of specified moneys shall be transferred to the Department of Human Services Community Services Fund to be used for specified purposes. Makes conforming changes. House Floor Amendment No. 1 Replaces everything after the enacting clause. Reinserts the provisions of the introduced bill with changes. Further modifies the allocation of moneys from the Cannabis Regulation Fund. Restores provision specifying that 8% (rather than 4%) of specified moneys shall be transferred to the Local Government Distributive Fund to be used for specified purposes. Reallocates the use of the 8% of moneys for specified purposes. Restores provision specifying that 20% (rather than 24%) of specified moneys shall be transferred to the Department of Human Services Community Services Fund to be used for specified purposes. Makes conforming changes.

Amends the Illinois Police Training Act. Provides that the curriculum for certified training programs in crisis intervention shall be at least 40 hours for recruit law enforcement officers. Provides that Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) training programs shall be a collaboration between law enforcement professionals, mental health providers, families, and consumer advocates and must minimally include the following components: (1) basic information about mental illnesses and how to recognize them; (2) information about mental health laws and resources; (3) learning from family members of individuals with mental illness and their experiences, and (4) verbal de-escalation training and role-plays. Amends the Criminal and Traffic Assessment Act. Provides that a person who is convicted of any criminal or traffic law or ordinance, other than a conviction entered upon a plea of guilty, $5 to be distributed as follows: (1) $2.50 to the Illinois Law Enforcement Training Standards Board for implementing crisis intervention team training for recruit law enforcement officers under the Illinois Police Training Act; (2) $2.25 to the Illinois Law Enforcement Training Standards Board for grants to local law enforcement agencies for continued crisis intervention team training; and (3) 25 cents to be retained by the Clerk of the Circuit Court for administrative expenses. Effective July 1, 2021.

Amends the Illinois Power Agency Act. In provisions concerning the renewable portfolio standards, specifies the goals for procurement of renewable energy credits and cost-effective renewable energy resources that shall be included in the long-term renewable resources procurement plan and makes other changes concerning these procurements and provides for the calculation of the cost of equity for the purposes of recovering all reasonable and prudently incurred costs of energy efficiency measures from retail customers. Provides that savings of fuels other than electricity achieved by measures that educate about, incentivize, encourage, or otherwise support the use of electricity to power vehicles shall count towards the applicable annual incremental goal and shall not be included in determining certain limits. Amends the Public Utilities Act. Provides that an electric utility that serves less than 3,000,000 retail customers but more than 500,000 customers in this State may plan for, construct, install, control, own, manage, or operate photovoltaic electricity production facilities and any energy storage facilities that are planned for, constructed, installed, controlled, owned, managed, or operated in connection with photovoltaic electricity production facilities without obtaining a certificate of public convenience and necessity subject to specified terms and conditions. Provides that a public utility that provided electric service to at least 1,000,000 retail customers in Illinois and gas service to at least 500,000 retail customers in Illinois may elect to recover its natural gas delivery services costs through a performance-based rate. Provides that, beginning in 2022, without obtaining any approvals from the Commission or any other agency, regardless of whether any such approval would otherwise be required, a participating utility that is a combination utility shall pay $1,000,000 per year for 10 years to the energy low-income and support program. Adds provisions authorizing certain utilities to plan for, construct, install, control, own, manage, or operate electric vehicle charging infrastructure. Amends the Prevailing Wage Act to include specified facilities financed in whole or in part with renewable energy resources in the definition of "public works". Makes other changes. Effective immediately.

Amends the Medical Assistance Article of the Illinois Public Aid Code. Provides that, beginning July 1, 2021, all FDA approved prescription medications that are recognized by a generally accepted standard medical reference as effective in the treatment of conditions specified in the most recent Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders published by the American Psychiatric Association must be covered under both fee-for-service and managed care medical assistance programs for persons who are otherwise eligible for medical assistance and shall not be subject to any (i) utilization control, (ii) prior authorization mandate, or (iii) lifetime restriction limit mandate. Effective July 1, 2021.

Amends the Property Tax Code. Provides that certain property located in Bloom, Bremen, Calumet, Rich, Thornton, or Worth Township may be certified as southland reactivation property. Provides that, beginning with the first tax year after the property is certified as southland reactivation property and continuing through the twelfth tax year after the property is certified as southland reactivation property, the property shall be valued at 50% of the last known equalized assessed value. Sets forth the maximum aggregate tax liability for property that has been certified as southland reactivation property. Effective immediately.

Amends the Child Protective Investigator and Child Welfare Specialist Certification Act of 1987. Provides that a bachelor's degree in criminal justice may be used to satisfy the educational requirement under the Act for any person who applies for certification as a child protective investigator.

Amends the Illinois Public Aid Code. Provides that, beginning July 1, 2021, a family eligible for child care services whose income is at or below 185% of the most recent United States Department of Health and Human Services Federal Poverty Guidelines for the applicable family size shall pay a $1 monthly fee as a co-payment for child care services. Deletes a provision that: (i) requires the Department of Human Services to establish, by rule, a co-payment scale that provides for cost sharing by families that receive child care services, including parents whose only income is from assistance under this Code; and (ii) that require co-payments to be based on family income and family size and other factors as appropriate. Removes a provision that authorizes the Department to raise parent co-payments. Effective immediately.