Creates the Crossing of Railroad Right-of-way Act. Applies only to crossings of a railroad right-of-way that is owned by a land management company and not a registered rail carrier. Provides that public utilities that locate their facilities within the railroad right-of-way for a crossing shall pay the land management company a one-time standard crossing fee of $1,500 for each crossing. Provides special circumstances under which the standard crossing fee is not imposed. Provides that, if the parties cannot agree that special circumstances exist, the dispute shall be submitted to non-binding arbitration. Provides procedures for the non-binding arbitration and provides that, if the parties cannot resolve their dispute based on the arbitrator's recommendation within 30 days, either party may, upon the expiration of the 30-day period, give written notice to the other party of the commencement of a binding arbitration proceeding. Effective immediately.
Sponsored bills
Amends the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity Law of the Civil Administrative Code of Illinois, the State Finance Act, the School Code, and the Public Community College Act. Creates the School Wind and Solar Generation Program to fund wind generation projects and solar generation projects for school districts and community college districts. Requires the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity to implement and administer the program; allows the Department to award full or partial grants for, without limitation, engineering studies, feasibility studies, research studies, and construction costs. For each of the fiscal years 2010 through 2014, requires the State Comptroller to order transferred and the State Treasurer to transfer $5,000,000 from the General Revenue Fund to the School Wind and Solar Generation Fund, a special fund in the State treasury. Provides that all money in the Fund must be used for the purposes of the program. Allows school districts and community college districts to own and operate solar generation turbine farms (not just wind generation turbine farms) that directly or indirectly reduce energy or other operating costs. Effective immediately.
Amends the Illinois Income Tax Act. Creates a tax checkoff for the Crisis Nursery Fund. Amends the State Finance Act to create the Fund. Amends the Department of Human Services Act. Provides that, from appropriations to the Department of Human Services, the Department shall make grants in equal amounts to the member organizations of the Crisis Nursery Coalition of Illinois. Effective immediately.
Amends the Township Code. Provides that a township may provide for the cutting of grass, the trimming of trees or bushes, and the removal of nuisance trees or bushes (in addition to the cutting of weeds and the maintenance of a retention pond or detention pond). Provides for a lien and recovery of costs. Provides that the lien must be filed within 180 days (instead of 60 days) after the township or a person performing the service by authority of the township incurs the cost of performing the service. Provides that, in addition to any lien or foreclosure action, a township may institute a civil action or proceeding to recover the amount of money owed for the performance of specified services. Effective immediately.
Amends the State Officials and Employees Ethics Act. With respect to an executive branch State employee who is the subject of an Executive Inspector General's investigation and whose agency head or ultimate jurisdictional authority agrees with the Inspector General as to disciplinary action against the employee, establishes procedures for providing a redacted version of the Inspector General's summary investigation report to the Executive Ethics Commission, to the employee, and to the public, under certain circumstances.
Amends the Senior Citizens and Disabled Persons Property Tax Relief and Pharmaceutical Assistance Act. Provides that a person may not under any circumstances charge a fee to a claimant for assistance in completing an application form for a property tax relief grant or pharmaceutical assistance under the Act. Effective immediately.
Amends the State Finance Act. Exempts the Domestic Violence Shelter and Service Fund from the Act's administrative charge-back provisions. Effective immediately.
Amends the School Code. With respect to a school board of an elementary school, high school, or unit school district that forms a part of a Class II county school unit that was under the jurisdiction and authority of the township treasurer and trustees of schools of a township at the time those offices were abolished in that township, allows the school treasurer to also be a member of the school board (now prohibited); provides that if a member of the school board is also school treasurer, he or she shall perform his or her duties as school treasurer without compensation. With respect to school districts having a population of not fewer than 1,000 and not more than 500,000 inhabitants, allows a member of the board of education to also be a school treasurer (now prohibited). Effective immediately.
Amends the Illinois Human Rights Act. Defines "order of protection status" to mean a person's status as being a person protected or previously protected under an order of protection issued under the Illinois Domestic Violence Act of 1986 or an order of protection issued by a court of another state. Provides that discrimination against a person because of his or her order of protection status constitutes unlawful discrimination under the Act. Effective January 1, 2010.
Amends the Criminal Code of 1961. Provides that it is unlawful for any person to knowingly make a video record or transmit live video of another person in that other person's residence without that person's consent when the recording or transmission is made outside that person's residence by use of an audio or video device that records or transmits from a remote location. Establishes penalties and exemptions.