Rep. Barbara Hernandez

Amends the State Treasurer Act. Provides that the State Treasurer may establish and administer a non-profit investment pool and an electronic payment processing program to supplement and enhance investment opportunities and secure electronic payment options otherwise available to not-for-profit corporations in the State. Provides that the Treasurer may receive funds paid into the pool for the purpose of holding and investing those funds. Provides for surety bonds payable to not-for-profit corporations who participate in the pool. Provides that the Treasurer shall adopt rules for the efficient administration of the pool.

Amends the School Code. Provides that early childhood programs receiving State funds shall restrict suspensions. Provides that the decision to suspend a student in preschool for 3 or more days may only be made by the superintendent of the school district, director of an early childhood program, or their equivalent and that the length of the suspension for any student in preschool may not be longer than the number of days required by the school district or early childhood program to develop and implement a behavior intervention plan or safety plan. Prohibits a student in kindergarten through grade 2 from being expelled unless otherwise required by federal or State law. Provides that the decision to suspend a student in kindergarten through grade 2 for 3 or more days may only be made by the superintendent of the school district and that the length of the suspension for any student in kindergarten through grade 2 may not be longer than the number of days required by the school district to develop and implement a behavior intervention plan or safety plan. Provides that a student who is suspended in excess of 20 school days may be immediately transferred to an alternative program. Provides that a student shall not be denied transfer because of the suspension, except in cases in which such transfer is deemed to cause a threat to the safety of students or staff in the alternative program. Makes other changes.

Amends the Code of Criminal Procedure of 1963. Provides that a petitioner for post-conviction relief who was convicted of a felony offense committed when that person was under 21 years of age who seeks leave to file a successive post-conviction petition claiming that his or her sentence violates the proportionate penalties clause of the Illinois Constitution does not have to demonstrate cause. Effective immediately.

Amends the Public Utilities Act. In provisions concerning nondiscrimination, provides that the Commission is authorized to approve a low-income discount rate for residential electric and natural gas customers that applies to the entirety of a qualifying customer's bill, including, but not limited to, a qualifying customer's delivery service charges and energy supply charges. Provides that an electric or natural gas utility may fund low-income discount rates through a surcharge on customers' electric and natural gas bills. Provides that the changes to the Act apply retroactively on and after January 1, 2023. Amends the Energy Assistance Act. In provisions concerning eligibility under the Act, provides that, in setting the annual eligibility level for the use of State funds from the Supplemental Low-Income Energy Assistance Fund, the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity shall consider the amount of available funding and may not set a limit higher than 300% of the federal nonfarm poverty level. In provisions concerning the Supplemental Low-Income Energy Assistance Fund, provides that the yearly administrative expenses of the Fund may not exceed 15% (rather than 13%) of the amount collected during that year, except when unspent funds from the Fund are reallocated from a previous year. Provides that any unspent balance of the 15% administrative allowance may be utilized for administrative expenses in the year they are reallocated. Provides that, of the 15% administrative allowance, no less than 9% (rather than 8%) shall be provided to Local Administrative Agencies for administrative expenses. Provides that, beginning January 1, 2027, the Base Energy Assistance Charge shall be $0.80 per month for each utility that is required by the Illinois Commerce Commission to implement a low-income discount rate and shall be $0.40 per month for each utility that is not required to implement a low-income discount rate and that contributes to the Supplemental Low-Income Energy Assistance Fund. Makes other changes.

Maddy summarySB 315 amends the Predatory Loan Prevention Act by making technical corrections to the section that states the law's short title. It does not change any lending regulations, borrower protections, or enforcement rules. The bill only updates the formal name of the law within its own text and has no impact on consumers, lenders, or existing policy. The "BUSINESS-TECH" title in the bill number is unrelated to its actual content, which is purely administrative. This is a procedural update with no real-world policy effect.

Urges the Office of the Architect of the Capitol to oversee the design and creation of a portrait for the State Capitol Building of the late former State Representative and House Majority Leader Barbara Flynn Currie, a trailblazer in State politics whose work improved the lives of countless Illinoisans and expanded opportunities for generations of women.

Amends the Public Utilities Act. Defines "video programming" and "video streaming service". Provides that, on and after July 1, 2027, a video streaming service that serves consumers residing in the State shall not transmit the audio of commercial advertisements louder than the video content the advertisements accompany, consistent with the regulations adopted by the Federal Communications Commission pursuant to the Commercial Advertisement Loudness Mitigation (CALM) Act (Public Law 111-311) for television broadcast stations, cable operators, and other video programming distributors. Provides that the amendatory provisions do not create a private right of action.

Amends the Illinois Vehicle Code. Provides that a person who is less than 16 years of age may ride as a passenger on a Class 3 low-speed electric bicycle that is designed to accommodate passengers if the operator is 18 years of age or older.

Amends the Environmental Protection Act. In provisions regarding environmental laboratory certification assessment, repeals provisions establishing the Environmental Laboratory Certification Committee and deletes references to the Committee.

Creates the Junk Fee Ban Act. Provides that it is a violation of the Act for a person to: (1) offer, display, or advertise an amount a consumer may pay for merchandise without clearly and conspicuously disclosing the total price; (2) fail, in any offer, display, or advertisement that contains an amount a consumer may pay, to display the total price more prominently than any other pricing information; (3) misrepresent the nature and purpose of any amount a consumer may pay, including the ability to refund the fees and the identity of any merchandise for which fees are charged; (4) fail to disclose clearly and conspicuously before the consumer consents to pay, the nature and purpose of any amount a consumer may pay that is excluded from the total price, including the ability to refund the fees and the identity of any merchandise for which fees are charged; or (5) offer, display, or advertise, including through direct offerings, third-party distribution, or metasearch referrals, a total price for a place of short-term lodging that does not include all required fees. Requires total price disclosures for retail mercantile establishments and food service establishments; and the disclosure of delivery fees. Provides that the Attorney General may enforce violations of the Act as an unlawful practice under the Consumer Fraud and Deceptive Business Practices Act. Preempts home rule powers.