Rep. Fred Crespo

Amends the School Code. Provides that a check of the Statewide Sex Offender Database and Statewide Murderer and Violent Offender Against Youth Database must be conducted by the school district or regional superintendent, as applicable, once for every 5 years an applicant remains employed by a school district. Provides that no school board shall knowingly employ a person or knowingly allow a person to student teach who has been issued an indicated finding of abuse or neglect of a child by the Department of Children and Family Services under the Abused and Neglected Child Reporting Act or by a child welfare agency of another jurisdiction. Requires the State Board of Education to conduct random audits of Professional Educator Licensees to verify a licensee's fulfillment of required professional development hours. With regard to the conviction of certain offenses as grounds for disqualification for licensure or suspension or revocation of a license, provides that if the holder of a license or applicant for a license has been charged with attempting to commit, conspiring to commit, soliciting, or committing certain offenses, first degree murder, or a Class X felony or any offense committed or attempted in any other state or against the laws of the United States that, if committed or attempted in this State, would have been punishable as one or more of those offenses, the State Superintendent of Education shall immediately suspend the license or deny the application until the person's criminal charges are adjudicated through a court of competent jurisdiction. Makes other changes.

Amends the School Code. Creates the Make Sexual Abuse Fully Extinct Task Force to address issues concerning the sexual abuse of students in school-related settings. Provides for the membership, meetings, and support of the Task Force. Provides that the Task Force shall review the best practices for preventing the sexual abuse of students in a school-related setting or by school-related perpetrators, including school district employees or other students, how to best address that abuse, and the proper support for students who have suffered from that abuse. Provides that on or before January 1, 2020, the Task Force must report the findings of its review to the Governor and the General Assembly, at which time the Task Force is dissolved; specifies what the report must include. Repeals the provision on July 1, 2020. Effective immediately. House Committee Amendment No. 1 Replaces everything after the enacting clause. Reinserts the provisions of the introduced bill with the following change. Requires the Make Sexual Abuse Fully Extinct Task Force to report the findings of its review to the General Assembly on or before January 15, 2020 (rather than January 1, 2020). Effective immediately.

Amends the School Code. With regard to State assessments, provides that beginning no later than the 2020-2021 school year, the State Board of Education shall annually assess all students in reading and mathematics in kindergarten through grade 3 to meet the goals and standards of the federal Every Student Succeeds Act and any related rules. Provides that the assessment must include a balanced system of interim and summative assessments that are instructionally relevant, student-centered, and timely delivered and that provide grade-level proficiency scores for accountability purposes, growth metrics, and instructional information purposes. Provides that the State Board, in accordance with the federal Every Student Succeeds Act, shall support assessments that measure academic grade-level proficiency and academic growth measured against a stable, grade-independent scale. Effective January 1, 2020. Fiscal Note (State Board of Education) House Bill 3303 is estimated to have a first year fiscal impact of approximately $60 million for the development of a reading and mathematics assessment for kindergarten through grade 2 that meets the requirements of the bill. Beginning in the second year. it is estimated that the annual cost to administer the assessments to these grades would range from $49.2-$65.6 million based on 410,000 students taking both the reading and math assessments using $60-$80 per test cost. Illinois State Board of Education also estimates an annual cost of approximately $460,000 for operations to provide 1.5 full-time equivalent staff to oversee these new assessments and other supports such as information technology, graphics. and content specialists for training and technical assistance to school districts. State Mandates Fiscal Note (Dept. of Commerce & Economic Opportunity) This bill does not create a State mandate.

Amends the Children's Advocacy Center Act. Provides that schools in a county with an accredited Children's Advocacy Center shall not proceed with interviews of a student regarding an alleged incident of sexual abuse, regardless of whether the student is a victim, witness, or alleged perpetrator, until the school receives written approval from an appropriate law enforcement agency or the Department of Children and Family Services. Allows a law enforcement agency or the Department to object to an interview allowed by the other entity and no interview may be done until both approve. Allows an investigating body of a school to view a forensic interview under specified circumstances. Includes legislative findings and defines a term. Amends the School Code making conforming changes. Effective July 1, 2019. House Committee Amendment No. 1 Deletes reference to: 55 ILCS 80/4.5 new Adds reference to: 105 ILCS 5/22-84 new Replaces everything after the enacting clause. Reinserts the provisions of the introduced bill with the following changes: Moves the provisions to the School Code. Changes references from "sexual abuse" to "child abuse or neglect". Defines "appropriate law enforcement agency" and "written approval". Provides that when a mandated reporter within a school has knowledge of an alleged incident of child abuse or neglect: the reporter shall call the Department of Children and Family Services hotline immediately after obtaining the minimal information necessary to make a report and no school personnel shall conduct an investigation until specified circumstances occur; and contact any Children's Advocacy Center in the county. Removes provisions relating to a Children's Advocacy Center allowing an investigating body to view digitally recorded forensic interviews. Provides that the State Board of Education shall develop and make available materials relating to notification and reporting under the provisions. Provides that the provisions apply to all schools (rather than public schools) operated under the School Code, including non-public schools. Makes conforming changes. Effective July 1, 2019.

Creates the Private Sector Workplace Anti-Harassment Task Force Act. Creates the Private Sector Workplace Anti-Harassment Task Force. Provides that the Task Force shall create model policies and best practices to keep workplaces safe from sexual harassment. Provides that the Department of Human Rights shall provide administrative support to the Task Force. Provides that the model policies and best practices shall be finalized by March 1, 2020 and posted on the Department of Human Rights' website within 30 days after finalization. Repeals the Act on March 1, 2021. Effective immediately. House Committee Amendment No. 1 Provides that specific members of the Task Force shall be appointed by the Governor. Provides that the Lieutenant Governor, or his or her designee, is included in the Task Force and shall serve as chair.

Amends the Illinois Grant Funds Recovery Act. Modifies the term "grant funds" to allow funds disbursed by the State Comptroller under an appropriation made by the General Assembly to a named entity or person to be considered as grant funds for purposes of the Act. Provides that, at a minimum, a grant agreement must, among other requirements, (1) identify any terms for which a failure to comply may be deemed material non-compliance, and subject grant funds to recovery, and (2) specify any performance levels for which a failure to achieve may result in a determination that grant funds have been misspent and subject to recovery. Provides that a grantor agency or the Attorney General may seek recovery of grant funds when there has been material non-compliance with the grant agreement or when grant funds have been misspent or are being improperly held. Provides that the grantor agency making the grant shall take affirmative and timely action to recover all (currently, all misspent or improperly held) grant funds subject to recovery. Provides that the Attorney General, on his own volition, may act to recover any grant funds which may be recoverable under specified provisions (currently, may act to recover any grant funds which have been misapplied or are being improperly held). Defines terms. Makes conforming changes. Effective immediately.

Amends the Illinois Promotion Act. Provides that certain transfers from the General Revenue Fund to the Tourism Promotion Fund must occur by the 15th of each month. Effective immediately.

Amends the Nurse Practice Act. Makes a technical change in a Section concerning a licensed practical nurse's scope of practice.

Amends the Educational Opportunity for Military Children Act. Makes a technical change in a Section concerning the short title.

Creates the Big Empties Site Act. Provides that property located in the State consisting of one or more PINs but under common ownership at the time of the application, that contains at least one vacant and unused building of specified square footage, is qualified to be designated as a Big Empties Site. Provides that a county or municipality that has adopted an ordinance designating a qualified site as a Big Empties Site shall make written application to the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity to have that site certified by the Department as a Big Empties Site. Contains procedures for certification by the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity. Amends the Illinois Income Tax Act, the Use Tax Act, the Service Use Tax Act, and the Public Utilities Act to provide certain tax incentives for Big Empties Sites. Amends the Property Tax Code to provide that a taxing district may issue an abatement. Effective immediately.