Amends the Personnel Code. Makes a technical change in a Section concerning conditions of employment for positions in the State service subject to the jurisdiction of the Department of Central Management Services.
Amends the Public Utilities Act. Provides that each electric utility and each alternative retail electric supplier shall use its best efforts to procure by the end of calendar year 2007 renewable energy resources equal to at least 2% of the electric energy to be sold to retail customers within its service area during the following calendar year, and procure by the end of calendar year 2008 renewable energy resources equal to at least 4% of the electric energy to be sold to retail customers within its service area during the following calendar year. Provides that the Commission, together with the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, shall evaluate the availability and use of renewable energy resources within this State and shall also consider the feasibility of adoption of an enforceable mandatory renewable energy resource portfolio standard to be applicable to all electric utilities and all alternative retail electric suppliers that requires that at least 12% of the energy used within the State be through renewable energy resources by the end of calendar year 2012 and at least 25% by the end of calendar year 2017. Provides that costs associated with the procurement of certain renewable energy resources shall be fully recoverable from retail customers to the extent allowed by law and shall not be subject to specified limitations relating to the recovery of the power and energy cost component in tariffed rates.
Amends the Consumer Fraud and Deceptive Business Practices Act. Requires a business to provide a consumer with written notification evidencing any late payments, missed payments, or other defaults reflected on the consumer's account, at least 30 days prior to reporting information about the consumer's account to a third party collection agency.
Amends the Illinois Renewable Fuels Development Program Act. Provides that a recipient of Program grants must be constructing, modifying, altering, or retrofitting an (i) ethanol plant (now, just plant) that has annual production capacity of no less than 30,000,000 gallons of renewable fuel per year or a (ii) biodiesel plant. Requires the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity to establish and administer grant programs including: the Illinois Renewable Fuels Majority Blended Ethanol Program, the Illinois Corn Grain to Fuel Research Consortium Assistance Program, the Illinois Renewable Fuels Corn-to-Hydrogen Fuel Cell Research Program, the Illinois Renewable Fuels Biodiesel Infrastructure Grant Program, the Illinois Renewable Fuels Ethanol Development Intergovernmental Assistance Program. Sets forth the purposes and conditions for these grant programs. Provides that subject to appropriation (now, subject to appropriation from the Build Illinois Bond Fund), the Director is authorized to award Renewable Fuels Development Program Fund grants. Sets forth that the annual aggregate amount for these grants shall not exceed $25,000,000 in Fiscal year 2007 and 2008 and $15,000,000 thereafter (now, may not exceed $15,000,000). Specifies how these grant funds shall be allocated. Sets forth certain limitations on spending on the various Program grants including for research conducted at the National Corn-to-Ethanol Research Facility at SIU-Edwardsville not to exceed $1,000,000 annually, and a one-time grant in FY 2007 not to exceed $3,000,000 for construction, remodeling, and expansion of the National Corn-to-Ethanol Research Facility at SIU-Edwardsville. Provides that normal operating and execution of renewable fuels programs in existence on January 1, 2006 within the Department from the Renewable Fuels Development Program Fund shall not exceed $5,000,000 annually. Amends the State Finance Act to create the Renewable Fuels Development Program Fund as a special fund in the State treasury to fund these grant programs. Sets forth certain conditions for the operation of this Fund. Provides for certain annual payments from the General Revenue Fund to the Renewable Fuels Development Program Fund. Amends the Use Tax Act, the Service Use Tax Act, the Service Occupation Tax Act, and the Retailers' Occupation Tax Act, to provide that on or after July 1, 2006 and on or before June 30, 2016, those tax rates apply to 90% of the proceeds of sales made on gasohol (now, apply to 80% of the proceeds of sales made on gasohol). Amends the Motor Fuel and Petroleum Standards Act to provide that beginning January 1, 2008 a minimum of 10% of all motor fuel sold or offered for sale in Illinois must be denatured ethanol and that beginning January 1, 2012 a minimum of 15% of all motor fuel sold or offered for sale in Illinois must be denatured ethanol. Effective July 1, 2006.
Amends the Residential Real Property Disclosure Act. Makes a technical change in a Section concerning violations and damages.
Establishes the Property Tax Task Force.
Amends the Counties Code. Makes a technical change in a Section concerning the short title.
Amends provisions of the Illinois Marriage and Dissolution of Marriage Act concerning visitation. Changes references from "illegitimate child" to "child born out of wedlock". Makes various changes in terminology. Deletes certain language, that was in the visitation provisions prior to the amendment of those provisions by Public Act 93-911, concerning the modification of orders granting, denying, or limiting the visitation rights of a grandparent, great-grandparent, or sibling of a child. Effective immediately.
Amends the Election Code. Provides that absentee ballots of U.S. service members and overseas civilians that are received within 14 days after an election are eligible to be counted if postmarked or dated on or before 11:59 p.m. of the day before the election.
Amends the Children's Health Insurance Program Act. Makes a technical change in a Section concerning health benefits for children.
