Amends the Children and Family Services Act. Requires the Department of Children and Family Services, in coordination with specified entities, to develop and process a standardized survey to gather feedback from children who are aging out of foster care and from children who have transitioned out of the foster care system. Provides that the survey shall include requests for information regarding the children's experience with and opinion of State foster care services, the children's recommendations for improvement of such services, the amount of time the children spent in the foster care system, and any other information deemed relevant by the Department. Provides that after the survey is created the Department shall circulate the survey to all youth participating in transitional living programs, independent living programs, or Youth in College and to all youth receiving scholarships or tuition waivers under the DCFS Scholarship Program. Requires the Department to conduct the survey every 5 years and to submit a report to the Governor and the General Assembly at the completion of each survey. Provides that the first report shall be submitted no later than December 1, 2021 and shall provide a detailed review of the survey results. House Floor Amendment No. 1 Adds reference to: 20 ILCS 505/39.3 Further amends the Children and Family Services Act. Requires the Department of Children and Family Services to place a locked suggestion box in each group home, shelter, and transitional living arrangement that accepts youth in care for placement by the Department. Requires the Department to submit a report to the General Assembly each year outlining the issues and concerns submitted to the locked suggestion box and the solution to each issue and concern.
Sponsored bills
Amends the Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities Code. Makes a technical change in a Section concerning the short title. Senate Floor Amendment No. 1 Deletes reference to: 405 ILCS 5/1-100 Adds reference to: 410 ILCS 35/20 from Ch. 111 1/2, par. 3751-20 410 ILCS 35/25 new Replaces everything after the enacting clause. Amends the Equitable Restrooms Act. Provides that every single-occupancy restroom in a place of public accommodation or public building shall be identified as all-gender and designated for use by no more than one person at a time or for family or assisted use. Provides that "place of public accommodation" has the meaning provided in the Illinois Human Rights Act. Provides that each single-occupancy restroom shall be outfitted with exterior signage indicating "all-gender" or "gender-neutral". Provides that these provisions apply to any existing or future places of public accommodation or public buildings. Provides that during an inspection of a place of public accommodation or public building by a health officer or health inspector, the health officer or health inspector may inspect the place of accommodation or public building to determine whether it complies. Effective January 1, 2020. Senate Floor Amendment No. 2 Provides that each single-occupancy restroom shall be outfitted with exterior signage that marks the single-occupancy restroom as a restroom and does not indicate any specific gender (rather than exterior signage indicating "all-gender" or "gender-neutral").
Amends the Wrongful Tree Cutting Act. Changes the definition of "stumpage". Defines "protected land" and "qualified professional forester or ecological restoration professional". Provides that any party found to have intentionally cut or knowingly caused to be cut any standing timber or tree, other than a tree or woody plant referenced in the Illinois Exotic Weed Act, on protected land, and the party did not have the legal right to so cut or cause to be cut, must pay the person or entity that owns or holds a conservation right to the land 3 times stumpage value plus remediation costs. Provides that nothing in the Act limits the rights of a party to pursue causes of action under other laws, including any available common law remedies for damages. Limits the relief available under the Act. Provides that the court shall allow a plaintiff who prevails to recover the cost of expenses incurred. Makes changes in provisions concerning appraisals and findings of value and expenses. Adds provisions concerning: remediation plans; court-ordered determinations of costs; assistance by the Department of Natural Resources; and use of awards under the Act. Makes other changes. Effective immediately.
Creates the Parkinson's Disease Public Awareness and Education Act. Provides that the Director of Public Health shall establish a Parkinson's Disease Public Awareness and Education Program. Provides that the purpose of the Program shall be to promote public awareness of Parkinson's disease and the value of early detection and possible treatments, including the benefits and risks of those treatments. Provides that the Department of Public Health may accept for that purpose any special grant of moneys, services, or property from the federal government or any of its agencies, or from any foundation, organization, or medical school. Provides that the Program shall focus on the development of specified programs and services. Provides that the Department shall prepare an information booklet in English, Spanish, and Mandarin which provides information about the symptoms and treatment of Parkinson's disease. House Floor Amendment No. 1 Provides that establishment of the Program is subject to appropriation.
Amends the Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities Code. Provides that until the consent of the adult's guardian has been obtained, counseling or psychotherapy provided to an adult under guardianship shall be limited to not more than 12 (rather than 5) sessions, a session lasting not more than 60 (rather than 45) minutes. Effective immediately.
Amends the Juvenile Court Act of 1987. Provides that a minor is subject to the Act if the court has made a finding of probable cause to believe that the minor is abused, neglected, or dependent under the Act prior to the minor's 18th birthday (rather than any minor under 18 years of age). Makes conforming changes. Effective immediately. Senate Floor Amendment No. 1 Adds reference to: 705 ILCS 405/2-27 from Ch. 37, par. 802-27 705 ILCS 405/5-710 Replaces everything after the enacting clause. Amends the Juvenile Court Act of 1987. Provides that "neglected" for purposes of the Act includes any minor under 18 years of age or a minor 18 years of age or older for whom the court has made a finding of probable cause to believe the that minor is abused, neglected, or dependent under the Act prior to the minor's 18th birthday. Provides that those who are dependent include any minor under 18 years of age or a minor 18 years of age or older for whom the court has made a finding of probable cause to believe the that minor is abused, neglected, or dependent under the Act prior to the minor's 18th birthday. Provides that these changes apply to a case that is pending on or after the effective date of the amendatory Act. Makes conforming changes. Effective immediately.
Amends the Property Tax Code. Creates a homestead exemption in the amount of a reduction of $5,000 from the equalized assessed value of property of police officers and firefighters with duty-related disabilities. Effective immediately. House Floor Amendment No. 2 Deletes reference to: 35 ILCS 200/15-169.1 new Adds reference to: 30 ILCS 105/5.891 new 30 ILCS 105/6z-107 new Replaces everything after the enacting clause. Amends the State Finance Act. Creates the Illinois Property Tax Relief Fund. Provides that moneys in the Illinois Property Tax Relief Fund shall be used to pay rebates to residential property taxpayers in the State. Provides that the Fund may accept moneys from any lawful source. Provides that the State Comptroller shall calculate a property tax rebate amount for the applicable property tax year by dividing the total amount appropriated from the Illinois Property Tax Relief Fund by the total number of homestead exemptions granted for homestead property in the State. Provides that the property tax bills of non-delinquent taxpayers who received a general homestead exemption under the Property Tax Code shall be reduced by the property tax rebate amount. Effective immediately.
Amends the Illinois Solid Waste Management Act. Provides that it is the policy of the State to establish a comprehensive statewide program for solid waste management which will preserve or enhance the quality of air, water, and land resources. Modifies the State preferences for solid waste management. Provides that the Illinois Sustainable Technology Center of the Prairie Research Institute at the University of Illinois shall publish, on or before December 1, 2020, a statewide Illinois Resource Management Plan and shall update the plan every 5 years. Includes State and local requirements for the Plan. House Floor Amendment No. 1 Replaces everything after the enacting clause. Amends the Solid Waste Planning and Recycling Act. Creates the Statewide Materials Management Advisory Committee. Provides that the Advisory Committee shall: (1) investigate and provide recommendations for expanding waste reduction, recycling, reuse, and composting in Illinois in a manner that protects the environment, as well as public health and safety, and promotes economic development; (2) investigate and provide recommendations for the form and contents of county waste management plans adopted under the Act; and (3) prepare a report as required under other provisions of the amendatory Act. Provides that the Advisory Committee shall be composed of the Director of the Environmental Protection Agency, who shall serve as an ex officio and nonvoting member, and 25 specified voting members appointed by the Director by no later than January 1, 2020. Provides that the initial meeting of the Advisory Committee shall be convened by no later than March 1, 2020, when the voting members shall select co-chairs. Tasks the Agency with providing administrative assistance and technical support. Provides that funding for the Plan and assistance from outside experts shall be obtained from the Solid Waste Management Fund. Provides that the report shall be submitted on or before July 1, 2021. Provides that the report shall include, at a minimum: (1) an estimate of the amount and composition of waste generated annually in Illinois; (2) an estimate of the amount of waste disposed of annually in Illinois; (3) an estimate of the amount of material diverted from landfills annually in Illinois; (4) an analysis of the markets available for materials diverted from Illinois landfills; (5) recommended materials in the municipal waste stream that could be targeted to maximize waste diversion; (6) recommended actions that could be taken to increase landfill diversion rates and the costs associated with those actions; (7) recommended education and public outreach programs that could maximize waste diversion; (8) recommended diversion rates that are achievable by 2025, 2030, and 2035; and (9) a database and map of permitted and nonpermitted facilities, including, but not limited to, landfills, garbage transfer stations, landscape waste transfer stations, construction and demolition debris recycling facilities, recycling facilities, compost sites, and scrap metal recycling facilities. Provides that the report shall also include specified recommendations for waste management plans required under the Act. Repeals the provisions on July 1, 2022. Effective immediately. House Floor Amendment No. 2 Removes language requiring the report to include a database and map of nonpermitted facilities. Provides that the report may include a list of nonpermitted facilities that are involved in waste disposal, materials recycling, or composting.
Amends the Critical Health Problems and Comprehensive Health Education Act to require the instruction on mental health and illness to evaluate the multiple dimensions of health by reviewing the relationship between physical and mental health so as to enhance student understanding, attitudes, and behaviors that promote health, well-being, and human dignity.
Urges Education Secretary Betsy DeVos and the Department of Education to withdraw the proposed rule and instead pursue policies that reflect the concerns raised by law enforcement, create a safe environment for victims to report instances, aggressively address the problem of campus sexual assault and harassment, and broadly address all instances of sexual harassment affecting college students.