Rep. Kevin A. McCarthy

Amends the Illinois Pension Code. Makes a technical change in a Section concerning State employees.

Amends the Illinois Income Tax Act. Increases the education expense credit to 50% (instead of 25%) of qualified education expenses and increases the family limit to $1,000 (instead of $500). Effective immediately.

Amends the Public Utilities Act. Makes a technical change in the short title Section.

Amends the Illinois Pension Code. Requires the General Assembly Retirement System to automatically enroll its newly eligible employees in a self-managed program of retirement benefits instead of the program of retirement benefits currently offered and allows currently eligible employees to elect to participate in the self-managed program. Provides that a self-managed plan shall authorize a participating employee to accumulate assets for retirement through a combination of employer and employee contributions that may be invested at the employee's direction in mutual funds, collective investment funds, or other investment products and used to purchase annuity contracts. Provides that, to the extent that the changes made by the amendatory Act are determined to be a new benefit increase, the changes are exempt from the 5-year expiration provision. Effective immediately.

Amends the Illinois Income Tax Act. Increases the education expense credit to 50% (instead of 25%) of qualified education expenses and increases the limit to $500 per qualified pupil (instead of $500 per family). Effective immediately.

Amends the Downstate Police Article of the Illinois Pension Code. Allows payment of a survivor's pension to the surviving spouse and children of a marriage occurring after retirement, if the surviving spouse and the deceased police officer were married for at least one year immediately preceding the date of death. Amends the State Mandates Act to require implementation without reimbursement. Effective immediately.

Amends the Toll Highway Act. Provides that there is no time requirement (rather than a 21 day time requirement) for a commercial entity that is the lessor of a vehicle under a written lease agreement to avoid liability for an administrative notice of violation for toll evasion issued under the Toll Highway Act involving the leased vehicle during the period of the lease if the lessor provides a copy of the leasing agreement to the Illinois Toll Authority. Provides that when the leasing agreement is provided to the Toll Authority, the lessee of a vehicle under a written lease agreement is liable for all administrative notices of violation for toll evasions during the period of the lease. Effective Immediately.

Amends the Illinois Pension Code. Makes a technical change in a Section concerning downstate police.

Amends the Use Tax Act and the Retailers Occupation Tax Act. From January 1, 2009 through December 31, 2019, exempts motor vehicle air pollution control parts, devices, equipment, appliances, or machinery. Defines terms. Imposes conditions on rulemaking authority.

Amends the Chicago Firefighters Article of the Illinois Pension Code. Requires that a disabled fireman who is receiving a duty, occupational disease, or ordinary disability benefit be examined on a periodic basis as determined by the Board, but at least once a year (was, at least once a year). Provides that if a fireman refuses to submit to such medical, surgical, or hospital treatment as is reasonably essential to promote his recovery from disability, he shall have no further right to receive the benefit. Provides a window during which a fireman who re-entered service and failed to repay his refund within the required 2-year period may repay the refund. Provides that a fireman who has failed to repay any refund due to the Fund after re-entering service shall be treated as a new employee and shall only receive service credit from the date that he has re-entered service as a new employee. Provides that, in those cases where the injury or death for which a disability or death benefit is payable was caused under circumstances creating a legal liability on the part of some person or entity to pay damages to the fireman, then legal proceedings may be taken against such other person or entity to recover damages notwithstanding the Fund's payment of or liability to pay disability or death benefits. Provides that the Fund may join in any action brought by the disabled fireman or his personal representative. Amends the State Mandates Act to require implementation without reimbursement.