Rep. Frances Ann Hurley

Recognizes the life of Chicago Firefighter William F. "Billy" Grant.

Congratulates Rev. Tom Mulcrone on his retirement as the Chicago Fire Department chaplain.

Congratulates Thomas E. Ryan Jr. on his retirement as President of the Chicago Firefighters Union Local 2.

Amends the Property Tax Code. Creates a homestead exemption for property that is owned and occupied by a qualified police officer or firefighter as his or her principal residence. Provides that the exemption shall be in the amount of $5,000. Provides that the term "qualified police officer or firefighter" means a sworn full-time employee of a municipality, county, or fire protection district who performs law enforcement, firefighting, or paramedic duties as part of his or her employment and who resides within the municipality, county, or fire protection district where he or she is employed. Amends the State Mandates Act to require implementation without reimbursement. Effective immediately.

Designates the month of September 2015 as National Recovery Month in the State of Illinois.

Amends various Acts relating to the governance of public universities in Illinois. Requires the governing board of each public university to develop and maintain a written policy concerning the credits that the university will award for courses on a joint services transcript. Defines "joint services transcript". Effective January 1, 2017.

Amends the Illinois Pension Code. In the Cook County Article, deletes a restrictive date in a provision concerning establishing credit for military service. Amends the State Mandates Act to require implementation without reimbursement. Effective immediately.

Amends the Freedom of Information Act. Defines "settlement agreement" and "severance agreement". Provides that a settlement agreement or severance agreement that is funded in whole or part by public moneys or that releases a claim against a public body shall not require or impose any condition on any party to keep allegations, evidence, settlement amounts, or any other information confidential, except that which is necessary to protect a trade secret, proprietary information, or information that is otherwise exempt from disclosure under the Act.

Appropriates $2,500,000 to Special Olympics Charities.

Amends the Illinois Lottery Law. Requires the Department of the Lottery, beginning on July 1, 2017, to offer a special instant scratch-off game for the purpose of helping to fund the police and firefighter pension funds created under Articles 3 and 4 of the Illinois Pension Code. Requires the net revenue from that game to be deposited into the Downstate Police and Firefighter Pension Distributive Fund. Provides that, subject to appropriation, moneys in the Fund shall be used by the Department of Insurance for making grants to each pension fund established under Article 3 or 4 of the Illinois Pension Code. Terminates the game when the amount collected for distribution reaches $2,500,000. Authorizes the adoption of rules necessary to implement and administer the game and the resulting distributions. Amends the State Finance Act to create the Fund. Effective immediately.