Amends the Election Code. With respect to absentee ballots, provides that those returned by mail must be postmarked by midnight preceding election day, for counting no later than during the period for counting provisional ballots.
Appropriates $2 from the General Revenue Fund to the Property Tax Appeal Board for its FY 10 ordinary and contingent expenses. Effective July 1, 2009.
Amends the Liquor Control Act of 1934. Provides for the issuance or renewal of a retail license authorizing the sale of alcoholic liquor at a premises located within a municipality in excess of 1,000,000 inhabitants and is within 100 feet of a church if certain conditions are met. Effective immediately.
Amends the Illinois Landscape Architecture Act of 1989. Makes a technical change in a Section concerning the application of the Act.
Amends the Department of Public Aid Law of the Civil Administrative Code of Illinois and the State Finance Act. Creates the Hunger Relief Fund as a special fund in the State treasury. Provides that, from appropriations to the Department of Healthcare and Family Services from the Fund, the Department shall make grants to members of the Illinois Food Bank Association for the purpose of making capital improvements, purchasing food, or acquiring other assets. Amends the Illinois Income Tax Act. Creates a tax checkoff for the Hunger Relief Fund. Amends the State Finance Act to create the Fund. Effective immediately.
Amends the Victims' Economic Security and Safety Act. Makes a technical change in a Section concerning posting of certain notices.
Amends the Environmental Protection Act. Redefines the term "compost" to mean compostable material that has, by composting, decomposed to the degree that it will not, when subjected to optimal thermal conditions and optimal levels of oxygen, moisture, and nutrients, reheat significantly due to the action of microorganisms, and that is also suitable (i) for use as a soil conditioner, (ii) for use as a cover material for a municipal solid waste landfill, or (iii) for another use approved by the Agency (now, the humus-like product of the process of composting waste, which may be used as a soil conditioner). Redefines the term "composting" to mean the decomposition of compostable material into compost by a biological process that produces carbon dioxide and water as primary by-products (now, the biological treatment process by which microorganisms decompose the organic fraction of waste, producing compost). Excepts food scrap from the definition of the term "garbage". Exempts certain types of facilities, sites, portions of facilities, and portions of sites from regulation as pollution control facilities. Defines "compostable material" and "food scrap". Effective immediately.
Amends the School Code. Requires each school superintendent to create a program to ensure that students attending the schools that he or she manages cannot access those schools' grounds for at least 12 hours after those grounds are treated with a lawn care product. Requires each district superintendent to appoint a Lawn Care Coordinator whose duty it shall be (i) to implement that program, (ii) to supervise the provision of notice under subdivision (f)(2) of Section 3 of the Lawn Care Products Application and Notice Act, and (3) if the district adopts a pesticide-free turf care program, to supervise that program. Amends the Lawn Care Products Application and Notice Act. Requires applicators for hire to provide additional types of information to customers. Requires the owners or operators of day care centers to provide parents with one of two types of notice before applying pesticide or having pesticide applied to day center grounds (now, only school districts must provide that notice). Requires the Illinois Department of Public Health to inform school boards and the owners and operators of day care centers about these requirements. Requires the Illinois Department of Public Health to report violations to the Department of Agriculture for enforcement. Effective immediately.
Creates the Illinois Torture Inquiry and Relief Commission Act. Creates the Illinois Torture Inquiry and Relief Commission as an independent commission under the Illinois Human Rights Commission for administrative purposes. Provides that the Commission shall conduct inquiries into claims of torture with priority to be given to those cases in which the convicted person is currently incarcerated solely for the crime with respect to which he or she claims torture by Jon Burge or officers under his command, or both. Provides that if the Commission concludes there is sufficient evidence of torture to merit judicial review, the Chair of the Commission shall request the Chief Judge of the Circuit Court of Cook County for assignment to a trial judge for consideration. Provides that the Act applies to claims of torture filed not later than 5 years after the effective date of the Act. Effective immediately.
Amends the Criminal Code of 1961. Creates the offense of criminal street gang recruitment of a minor. Provides that a person commits the offense when he or she threatens the use of physical force to coerce, solicit, recruit, or induce another person to join or remain a member of a criminal street gang, or conspires to do so, whether or not such threat is communicated in person, by means of the Internet, or by means of a telecommunications device. Provides that the penalty is a Class 1 felony.
