Rep. Sonya Harper

Amends the Illinois Municipal Code. Provides that the corporate authorities of a municipality may establish an urban agricultural area after receipt of a petition by a qualified farmer or farmers to establish the area. Provides for the formation of an urban agricultural area committee that shall conduct the activities necessary to advise the corporate authorities on the designation, modification, and termination of an urban agricultural area. Provides requirements for the application, notice and public hearing, and adoption of an ordinance designating the urban agricultural area. Provides that a municipality may provide for rebates, reductions, or other compensation for property taxes levied against real property located within an urban agricultural area that is used for processing, growing, raising, or otherwise producing agricultural products. Provides that a municipality may authorize an entity providing water, electricity, or other utilities to an urban agricultural area to allow qualified farmers in the urban agricultural area to pay wholesale or otherwise reduced rates or pay reduced or waived connection charges. Makes other changes. Amends the Department of Agriculture Law of the Civil Administrative Code of Illinois. Provides that the Department shall adopt rules consistent with the purposes of the new provisions of the Illinois Municipal Code, including, at a minimum, rules defining specified terms.

Amends the Illinois Municipal Code. Provides that the City of Chicago shall waive all permit, registration, licensing, or operating fees for any vehicles that are specifically designed, constructed, modified and equipped, or used for the retail sale of food that operates in a food desert. Defines "food desert" as meaning the United States Department of Agriculture's classification of a low-income census tract where either a substantial number or share of residents has low access to a supermarket or large grocery store. Limits home rule powers.

Amends the School Code. Requires school districts to develop and adopt a trauma response protocol by the 2019-2020 school year. Requires the trauma response protocol to include long-term responses to a traumatic incident, long-term care and counseling, and community engagement. Allows school districts to partner with local community providers in establishing and implementing the protocol.

Amends the Department of Human Services Act. Requires the Department of Human Services to annually identify and track all food deserts located within the State by conducting a Statewide block-by-block food and health study within each census tract, community area, and postal zip code of the State, excluding areas with very small or zero populations. Defines "food desert". Requires the Department to collect and use certain data to identify the locations of food deserts within the State including: (i) the average distance, in miles, to the closest full-service grocery store or independent or small grocery store for each residential block, census tract, community area, and postal zip code; and (ii) the average distance, in miles, to the closest fast food restaurant for each residential block, census tract, community area, and postal zip code. Defines "fast food restaurant". Provides that beginning October 1, 2018 and for each October 1 thereafter, the Department shall submit an annual report on its findings to the General Assembly and post the report on the Department's official website. Amends the Illinois Municipal Code. Requires each municipality with a community or geographical area that is identified as a food desert by the Department in its annual report to develop a comprehensive plan on how to combat the nutritional challenges faced by residents located within a food desert. Provides that beginning October 1, 2019 and for each year thereafter, each municipality shall submit a report to the Department on the progress of its plan, including a detailed account of the measures taken and planned by the municipality to improve access to healthy, affordable food options for residents located within a food desert.

Creates the Healthy Food Program Development Act. Provides that the Department of Agriculture may coordinate with the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity to establish a Healthy Food Development Program to expand access to healthy foods in eligible areas in the State by providing assistance to grocery stores, corner stores, farmers markets, and other small food retailers. Provides that the benefits provided shall be awarded to grocery stores, corner stores, farmers markets, and other small food retailers in eligible areas on a competitive basis, with priority given to projects with the greatest potential impact on expanding access to healthy foods ineligible areas that are underserved by retail sales of healthy food in the State. Provides requirements for participation in the program. Provides that the Department shall designate a grocery ambassador to assist retailers of healthy foods in this State by: (1) providing research and data on eligible areas with insufficient grocery access; (2) coordinating with the Department and the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity and other relevant State agencies; (3) providing assistance to small grocery retailers in this State, including obtaining and expediting regulatory procedures; and (4) providing other assistance as needed. Provides that the Department, in coordination with the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, shall convene a working group to develop a plan for establishing a commercial distribution system, for fresh produce and healthy foods to corner stores and other small food retailers.

Amends the School Code. Provides that a school board may not implement a school closing if, within the preceding 10 years, another school within the same zip code of that school was subject to a school closing or 90% or more of the students at the school are classified as low-income students; defines "school closing". Effective January 1, 2019.

Amends the Agricultural Areas Conservation and Protection Act. Makes a technical change in a Section concerning the short title.

Appropriates $56,000,000 from the General Revenue Fund to the Office of the Secretary of State for 28 non-competitively awarded grants, each in the amount of $2,000,000, to community-based organizations based entirely within 28 specified Representative Districts that address violence prevention using a culturally competent approach and that are capable of decreasing violence in those Representative Districts. Provides that the grants shall support violence prevention, youth services, after school programming, counseling services, summer jobs, vocational programs, public awareness campaigns, and other priority areas. Effective immediately.

Amends the Criminal Code of 2012. Provides that beginning January 1, 2019, all handgun ammunition that is manufactured, imported into the State for sale or personal use, kept for sale, offered or exposed for sale, sold, given, lent, or possessed shall be serialized. Provides that beginning January 1, 2019, any person who manufactures, causes to be manufactured, imports into the State for sale or personal use, keeps for sale, offers or exposes for sale, or who gives or lends any handgun ammunition that is not serialized is guilty of a Class A misdemeanor. Provides that beginning January 1, 2019, any person who possesses in any public place any handgun ammunition that is not serialized is guilty of a Class C misdemeanor. Provides exceptions. Provides that beginning January 1, 2019, the Department of State Police shall maintain a centralized registry of all reports of handgun ammunition transactions reported to the Department in a manner prescribed by the Department. Provides that information in the registry, upon proper application for that information, shall be furnished to peace officers and authorized employees of the Department of State Police or to the person listed in the registry as the owner of the particular handgun ammunition. Provides that the Department of State Police shall adopt rules relating to the assessment and collection of end-user fees in an amount not to exceed $0.005 per round of handgun ammunition or per bullet, in which the accumulated fee amount may not exceed the cost to pay for the infrastructure, implementation, operational, enforcement, and future development costs of these provisions. Effective January 1, 2019, except some provisions effective immediately.

Amends the Public Utilities Act. Requires public water utilities operating in this State to file annually to the Illinois commerce Commission a report analyzing the risk and vulnerability of the State's water supply to cyber attack. Specifies the information to be provided in the report. Requires the reports to be submitted to the Commission by April 1 of each year, and for the Commission to post the reports on its publicly accessible website. Allows the Commission to adopt rules to implement the applicable requirements. Effective immediately.