Rep. Sidney H. Mathias

Amends the Illinois Municipal Code. Provides that a municipality may enact a retail theft ordinance for the retail theft of property with a value of $500 or less. Requires that citations issued under the retail theft ordinance be adjudicated in a court of law. Prohibits adjudication of those citations in any administrative adjudication system of the municipality. Amends the Criminal Code of 1961 to apply the civil liabilities for the offense of retail theft to persons who violate a municipal retail theft ordinance. Effective immediately.

Amends the School Code. Allows a school district, by resolution of its board, to operate on a 4-day school week plan approved by the State Board of Education. Effective immediately.

Amends the Unified Code of Corrections. Provides that the court may impose an extended term sentence upon an offender who has been convicted of first degree murder when the offender has previously been convicted of domestic battery or aggravated domestic battery committed against the murdered individual or has previously been convicted of violation of an order of protection in which the murdered individual was the protected person.

Amends the Illinois Income Tax Act. Creates a deduction for individual taxpayers who are 62 years of age or older in an amount equal to the amount the individual pays for Medicare Part B benefits during the taxable year. Provides that the deduction is available in taxable years ending on or after December 31, 2005. Exempts the deduction from the sunset provisions. Effective immediately.

Amends the Uniform Fraudulent Transfer Act. Changes the statute of limitations for a cause of action with respect to fraudulent transfers or obligations to the listed number of years after a judgment in favor of the claimant is awarded (instead of after the transfer was made or the obligation was incurred). Effective immediately.

Amends the Illinois Vehicle Code. Deletes a provision requiring registration plates issued for a motor vehicle other than a motorcycle, trailer, semitrailer, truck-tractor, apportioned bus, or apportioned truck to be attached to both the front and rear of the vehicle. Provides that one registration plate shall be issued for and attached to the rear of all vehicles required to be registered except for truck-tractors and apportioned trucks, which are required to display one plate at the front of the vehicle.

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 Illinois Vehicle Code and the State Finance Act. Creates the Ovarian Cancer Awareness Fund. Provides for the issuance of Ovarian Cancer Awareness license plates. Provides that in addition to the appropriate registration fees, an applicant for the special plate shall be charged an original issuance fee of $25 and a fee of $25 for each renewal. Provides that $10 of the additional original issuance fee and $23 of the renewal fee shall be deposited into the Ovarian Cancer Awareness Fund. Provides that $15 of the original issuance fee and $2 of the renewal fee shall be deposited into the Secretary of State Special License Plate Fund. Provides that, subject to appropriation by the General Assembly and approval by the Secretary of State, the moneys in the Ovarian Cancer Awareness Fund shall be paid as grants to the National Ovarian Cancer Coalition, Inc. for ovarian cancer research, education, screening, and treatment. Effective immediately.

Creates the Home Care Consumer and Worker Protection Act. If an agency places a home care worker with a consumer to provide home care services, requires the agency to give the worker and the consumer a notice setting forth the rights and responsibilities of each of them as well as appropriate phone numbers and addresses of the Office of the Attorney General. Authorizes the Attorney General to investigate complaints of violations of the Act, issue cease-and-desist orders, and seek injunctive relief. Provides for a civil penalty of $1,000 per day for each day that a violation continues. Effective January 1, 2006.

Amends the Firearm Owners Identification Card Act. Provides that a person who has been denied an application for a Firearm Owner's Identification Card or whose Card was revoked or seized for certain specified reasons may petition the circuit court in the county where the original charges which were the bases of the denial, revocation, or seizure were brought (rather than the circuit court in the county of the petitioner's residence). If the act for which the denial, revocation, or seizure was given is based on an out-of-state criminal offense, then the person may petition the circuit court in the county of the petitioner's residence. Provides that a copy of the petition must be served on the State's Attorney of the county where the petition is brought and the Department of State Police. Provides that at the hearing on the petition, the Department may present evidence and object to the petition.