Rep. Paul D. Froehlich

Amends the Downstate Police Article of the Pension Code to allow purchase of service credit for up to 2 years of military service not immediately preceded by employment, unless the Board of Trustees of a fund opts not to grant the creditable service by resolution of a majority of its members. Allows purchase at a reduced interest rate for 6 months after the effective date. Amends the State Mandates Act to require implementation without reimbursement. Effective immediately.

Amends the Counties Code. Provides that the voters of Cook County may, by initiative petition and referendum, modify the rate of a retailers' occupation tax and a service occupation tax imposed by the county and limit the amount of any expenditure made by the county. Preempts home rule powers. Effective immediately.

Amends the Wireless Emergency Telephone Safety Act. Extends the repeal of the Act from April 1, 2008 to April 1, 2013.

Amends the Environmental Protection Act. Makes a technical change to a Section concerning public water supplies.

Amends the Children and Family Services Act. Provides that the Department of Children and Family Services must establish and implement a program to monitor the minor children of incarcerated parents. Sets forth the objectives of the program.

Amends the Counties Code. Provides that the voters of a county that imposes a home rule county retailers' occupation tax and a home rule county service occupation tax may file a petition with the county board not more than 180 days after the effective date of the amendatory Act requesting that the question of whether the rate of those taxes should be reduced to 0.75% be submitted to the voters at the next general election. Provides that any increase in the rate of those taxes is subject to a back-door referendum. Preempts home rule powers. Effective immediately.

Amends the Smoke Free Illinois Act. Provides that smoking is allowed in a retail tobacco store that applied for a business or occupancy permit before January 1, 2008.

Amends the Unified Code of Corrections. Makes a technical change in a Section concerning genetic marker grouping analysis information of persons convicted of, or found delinquent for, certain offenses or institutionalized as sexually dangerous.

Amends the Election Code. Removes the greater nominating petition signature requirement for county offices in DuPage County (from 1.5% to 0.5% of qualified primary voters). Requires the filing of a declaration of intent to be a write-in candidate on a primary ballot no later than 7 (now, 61) days before the primary in order for votes for that write-in candidate to be counted. Makes the minimum petition signature requirement for local public questions 8% of the total votes cast for all gubernatorial candidates at the most recent gubernatorial election by the voters of the political subdivision (now, with respect to questions at elections in 2009 and later, 11% of the total ballots cast by voters in the political subdivision at the most recent regular election).

Recognizes the week of September 14-20, 2008, as Railroad Safety Week in the State of Illinois.