Amends the State Employees Group Insurance Act of 1971. Makes a technical change in a Section concerning the short title.
Amends the Criminal Code of 2012. Provides that a person is not legally accountable for the conduct of another, unless the statute defining the offense provides otherwise, if he or she was subjected to specified and credible coercion, compulsion, or duress related to domestic abuse as defined in the Illinois Domestic Violence Act of 1986. Provides that a person is not guilty of an offense (deletes other than an offense punishable by death) by reason of conduct that he or she performs under the compulsion of threat or menace of the imminent infliction of death or great bodily harm, if he or she reasonably believes death or great bodily harm will be inflicted upon him or her, or upon his or her spouse or child, if he or she does not perform that conduct. Amends the Code of Civil Procedure. Includes in the relief from judgment provisions if the allegations in the petition establish each of the following by a preponderance of the evidence: (1) the movant was convicted of a forcible felony; (2) the movant's participation in the offense was related to experiencing or the effects of gender-based violence; (3) no substantial evidence or incomplete evidence of gender-based violence against the movant was presented at the movant's sentencing hearing; and (4) the evidence of gender-based violence against the movant is material and noncumulative to other evidence offered at the sentencing hearing, or previous hearing filed on or after the effective date of the amendatory Act, and is of such a conclusive character that it would likely change the sentence imposed by the original trial court. Defines "gender-based violence".
Amends the Local Government Electronic Notification Act. Makes a technical change in a Section concerning the short title.
Amends the Gender Violence Act. Defines "employee", "employer", "work environment", and "workplace". Changes the definition of "gender-related violence" to include domestic violence. Provides that an employer shall be liable only for gender-related violence committed in the work environment by an employee or agent of the employer. Provides specific instances in which an employer is liable for gender-related violence. Provides that no person shall have the power to waive any provisions of the Act as part of a dissolution of marriage agreement, dissolution of civil union agreement, dissolution of domestic partnership agreement, or custody agreement. Makes corresponding changes.
Creates the Digital Forgeries Act. Provides that an individual depicted in a digital forgery has a cause of action against any person who, without the consent of the depicted individual, knowingly distributes a digital forgery, creates a digital forgery with intent to distribute, or solicits the creation of a digital forgery with the intent to distribute: (1) in order to harass, extort, threaten, or cause physical, emotional, reputational, or economic harm to an individual falsely depicted; (2) with reckless disregard for whether such a creation, distribution, reproduction, or manipulation will cause physical, emotional, reputational, or economic harm to an individual falsely depicted; or (3) in order to incite violence or interfere with an official proceeding. Allows a prevailing plaintiff to be awarded damages, costs, and additional relief. Allows the court to grant injunctive relief maintaining the confidentiality of a plaintiff using a pseudonym.
Amends the Homeowners Energy Policy Statement Act. Requires any energy policy statement to explicitly include the minimum standards. Provides that a written energy policy statement may not condition approval of an application on approval by adjacent property owners. Restricts an association from inquiring into a property owner's energy usage, imposing conditions impairing the operation of a solar energy system, imposing conditions negatively impacting any component warranty, or requiring post-installation reporting. Provides that a property owner may not be denied permission to install a solar energy system based on system ownership or financing method chosen by the property owner. Allows an association's written energy policy statement to impose reasonable conditions concerning the location of on-site storage of materials and equipment during the installation process and the maintenance, repair, replacement, and ultimate removal of damaged or inoperable systems. Provides that no energy policy statement shall be valid unless recorded as required by applicable law in the office of the recorder of deeds in the county where the property is located. Requires an application for approval to be made available in hard copy form at a property owner's request or, if the association maintains a website, through the website. Provides that an application shall be processed by the appropriate approving entity of the association within 30 (rather than 75) days of the submission of the application. Provides that if an association fails to adopt a written solar energy policy statement or process an application for approval within the specified time, the property owner may proceed with the installation or use of the proposed solar energy system notwithstanding any other policy or provision in the homeowners' common interest community or condominium unit owners' association declaration. Allows a property owner to resubmit an application for approval previously denied by an association, and requires any such resubmitted application to be evaluated under the changes made by the amendatory Act. Makes conforming and other changes. Effective immediately.
Amends the State Fire Marshal Act. Establishes, subject to appropriation, the Division of Certified Youth Firesetter Interventionists within the Office of the State Fire Marshal. Provides that the Division shall consist of certified youth firesetter interventionists who conduct youth firesetter interventions when local authorities cannot do so on their own or when multiple local authorities in separate jurisdictions are involved. Describes the duties of the Division. Contains other provisions.
Amends the Open Meetings Act. Provides that a public body may hold closed meetings to consider evidence or testimony presented to a school board regarding denial of admission to school events or property, provided that the school board prepares and makes available for public inspection a written decision setting forth its determinative reasoning. Effective immediately.
Amends the Public Safety Employee Benefits Act. In a provision requiring a public safety employer to pay the entire premium of its health insurance plan for a public safety employee, the employee's spouse, and the employee's dependent children after the employee suffers a fatal or catastrophic injury in the line of duty, requires the employer to offer any individual who qualifies for such premium payments the choice of any health insurance plan available to currently employed full-time public safety employees.
Amends the Code of Civil Procedure. Provides that a plaintiff has the right to designate an additional person to be present and video record an examination conducted as part of discovery. Provides that, in the case of a wrongful death action, a surviving spouse or next of kin who has reached the age of 67 years (rather than 70 years) shall, upon motion by the administrator of the estate of the deceased person or special administrator, be entitled to preference in setting for trial. Provides that the trial shall occur within one year of the hearing on the motion. Provides that the changes apply to actions commenced or pending on or after the effective date of the amendatory Act. Effective immediately.
