Rep. Tim Ozinga

Amends the State Officials and Employees Ethics Act. Provides that the Legislative Ethics Commission shall adopt no rule requiring the Legislative Inspector General to seek the Commission's advance approval before commencing an investigation or issuing a subpoena. Provides for the release of founded and unfounded reports. Provides that any respondent who is afforded the opportunity to participate in an investigation, but who refuses to cooperate, forfeits the right to offer redactions or to provide a response to the report to the Commission. Makes conforming and other changes. Effective immediately.

Amends the Illinois Police Training Act. Provides that the Law Enforcement Training Standards Board shall approve a course for school safety officers (a retired law enforcement officer who has been hired by a school district to perform security services). Sets forth training and certification requirements, including firearm certification. Provides that an applicant for employment as a school safety officer must authorize an investigation to determine if the applicant has been convicted of any criminal offense that disqualifies the person as a school safety officer. Amends the Law Enforcement Officer-Worn Body Camera Act. Exempts school safety officers from the Act if a school board does not require officer-worn body cameras. Amends the School Code. Provides that, beginning January 1, 2025, a school may employ a school safety officer. Requires a school safety officer applicant to provide the school district a certificate of completion or approved waiver issued by the Illinois Law Enforcement Training Standards Board. Provides that a school safety officer shall wear a uniform that clearly identifies the officer as a school safety officer. Provides that a school safety officer may detain a person when the officer has reasonable suspicion to believe that an offense, other than an ordinance violation, is being committed. Provides that a school safety officer may carry a firearm as long as the officer is certified under specified provisions of the Illinois Police Training Act. Adds references to school safety officers throughout the Code. Effective immediately.

Amends the Property Tax Code. Provides that, beginning in taxable year 2024, no taxing district, other than a home rule unit, may levy a tax on any parcel of real property that is more than 105% of the base amount unless (i) the increase is attributable to substantial improvements to the property, (ii) the taxing district did not levy a tax against the property in the previous taxable year, or (iii) the increase is attributable to a special service area. Provides that "base amount" means the tax levied by the taxing district on the subject property in the immediately preceding taxable year, except that, if the property received a homestead exemption in the immediately preceding taxable year and is not eligible for that exemption in the current taxable year, then the base amount shall be the tax that would have been levied by the taxing district on the subject property in the immediately preceding taxable year if the homestead exemption had not been applied. Provides that a taxing district may elect to be exempt from those provisions for one or more taxable years if the exemption is approved by referendum. Effective immediately.

Amends the Biometric Information Privacy Act. Changes the term "written release" to "written consent". Provides that the written policy that is developed by a private entity in possession of biometric identifiers shall be made available to the person from whom biometric information is to be collected or was collected (rather than to the public). Provides that an action brought under the Act shall be commenced within one year after the cause of action accrued if, prior to initiating any action against a private entity, the aggrieved person provides a private entity 30 days' written notice identifying the specific provisions the aggrieved person alleges have been or are being violated. Provides that if within the 30 days the private entity actually cures the noticed violation and provides the aggrieved person an express written statement that the violation has been cured and that no further violations shall occur, no action for individual statutory damages or class-wide statutory damages may be initiated against the private entity. Provides that if a private entity continues to violate the Act in breach of the express written statement, the aggrieved person may initiate an action against the private entity to enforce the written statement and may pursue statutory damages for each breach of the express written statement and any other violation that postdates the written statement. Provides that a prevailing party may recover: against a private entity that negligently violates the Act, actual damages (rather than liquidated damages of $1,000 or actual damages, whichever is greater); or against a private entity that willfully (rather than intentionally or recklessly) violates the Act, actual damages plus liquidated damages up to the amount of actual damages (rather than liquidated damages of $5,000 or actual damages, whichever is greater). Provides that the Act does not apply to a private entity if the private entity's employees are covered by a collective bargaining agreement that provides for different policies regarding the retention, collection, disclosure, and destruction of biometric information. Makes other changes.

Creates the Reducing Barriers to Start Act. Beginning January 1, 2025, this State shall encourage the elimination of all first-year business fees relating to any license or registration for any new business or person establishing a new business, including home-based businesses, whose principal place of business is in this State.

Amends the Public Utilities Act. Removes provisions related to the Adjustable Block Program and restores certain provisions of the Act to the form in which they existed before their amendment by Public Acts 99-906 and 102-662. Amends the Environmental Protection Act. Restores certain provisions of the Act regarding greenhouse gas emissions to the form in which they existed before their amendment by Public Act 102-662. Makes conforming changes in various Acts.

Amends the Illinois Income Tax Act. Increases the maximum amount of the education expense credit from $750 to $1,000. Effective immediately.

Amends the General Assembly Article of the Illinois Pension Code. Requires the System to implement a Tier 3 plan by July 1, 2025 that aggregates State and employee contributions in individual participant accounts that are used for payouts after retirement. Provides that a person who becomes a participant of a System on or after July 1, 2025 shall participate in the Tier 3 plan instead of the defined benefit plan. Authorizes a Tier 1 or Tier 2 participant to elect to participate in the Tier 3 plan instead of the defined benefit plan and to also elect to terminate all participation in the defined benefit plan and to have a specified amount credited to his or her account. Makes related changes in the Retirement Systems Reciprocal Act (Article 20 of the Illinois Pension Code) and the State Employees Group Insurance Act of 1971. Effective immediately.

Amends the Property Tax Code. Sets forth procedures for calculating a taxing district's maximum extension if the taxing district's population has decreased when compared with the taxing district's population in the immediately preceding taxable year. Effective immediately.

Amends the Illinois Administrative Procedure Act. Provides that a State agency may not adopt a new rule unless it simultaneously removes 2 or more existing rules for every new rule adopted. Provides that the State agency may not satisfy the requirement by merging 2 or more existing rules into a single rule. Effective immediately.