Rep. Jack D. Franks

Amends the Illinois Marriage and Dissolution of Marriage Act. Provides for reasonable visitation between a child and a non-custodial parent through electronic communication such as telephone, e-mail, instant messaging, and other modes of electronic communication. Provides that the court may not use time spent in electronic communication to affect child support, custody, visitation, or removal of a child from the State. Provides for the custodial parent to provide any new e-mail address of the child to the noncustodial parent within 24 hours of the change. Makes other changes concerning electronic communication between a parent and a child and between a grandparent, great-grandparent, or sibling and a child.

Amends the Department of Public Health Powers and Duties Law of the Civil Administrative Code of Illinois. Requires the Department of Public Health to implement the Colorectal Cancer Screening and Treatment Pilot Program in areas of the State that have the highest incidences of mortality related to colon cancer. Provides that the Program sites must be located in and operated through Federally Qualified Health Centers. Provides that the Program shall provide funding for colorectal cancer examinations and laboratory tests and shall provide colorectal cancer screening and treatment services for specified groups. Provides that these provisions are repealed 3 years after the effective date of the amendatory Act.

Amends the Higher Education Student Assistance Act and the Illinois Income Tax Act. Authorizes the Illinois Student Assistance Commission to establish systems and programs to encourage employers to match employee contributions to prepaid programs of college savings by making donations to the Commission for prepaid programs of college savings and its programs of grants and loans to make higher education affordable for all residents of the State and to receive, hold, and disburse all such funds made available through those programs for the purposes for which they are authorized by rule or by law. Creates an income tax credit for employers who, during the taxable year, make a matching donation on behalf of an employee. Provides that the credit is 25% of the matching donation, but not to exceed $500 per employee. Provides that the credit may be carried forward for 3 taxable years. Effective immediately.

Amends the Interscholastic Athletic Organization Act. Requires an association that has as one of its purposes promoting, sponsoring, regulating, or in any manner providing for interscholastic athletics or any form of athletic competition among schools and students within this State and that has a performance-enhancing substance testing program to prohibit a student from participating in an athletic competition sponsored or sanctioned by the association unless (i) the student agrees not to use certain performance-enhancing substances, and, if the student is enrolled in high school, the student submits to random testing for the presence of these substances in the student's body and (ii) the association obtains from the student's parent a statement signed by the parent acknowledging certain information. Provides that a school district shall require that each district employee who serves as an athletic coach at or above the 9th grade level for an extracurricular athletic activity sponsored or sanctioned by an association complete an educational program on the prevention of abuse of performance-enhancing substances and complete a proficiency exam. Requires the Department of Public Health to provide oversight of the annual administration of a performance-enhancing substance testing program by an association under which high school students participating in an athletic competition sponsored or sanctioned by the association are tested at multiple times throughout the athletic season for the presence of certain performance-enhancing substances in the students' bodies. Contains provisions concerning confidentiality, funding, exceptions, and liability. Repeals these provisions on July 1, 2011. Effective immediately.

Amends the Department of State Police Law and the Department of Transportation Law of the Civil Administrative Code of Illinois, the Illinois Emergency Management Agency Act, the Illinois Police Training Act, and the Missing Persons Identification Act. With respect to the State Police's missing endangered senior alert system: (i) refers to the alerts as "Silver" Alerts; (ii) requires that the Department coordinate with the Department of Transportation and the Illinois Emergency Management Agency in the public dissemination of the alerts and the promotion of the system; and (iii) requires that local law enforcement agencies provide for prompt use of Silver Alerts and public dissemination of photographs of missing endangered seniors. Makes other changes. Effective immediately.

Amends the Illinois Renewable Fuels Development Program Act. Provides that a grant recipient must be constructing, modifying, altering, or retrofitting a plant that has annual production capacity of no less than 5,000,000 (now, 30,000,000) gallons of renewable fuel per year.

Amends the School Code. Makes a technical change in a Section concerning the State aid formula.

Amends the Property Tax Code. For counties under 3,000,000 inhabitants, sets forth specific items that must be included in the notice sent to taxpayers whose assessment has changed. Requires disclosure of information concerning access to databases containing the physical characteristics of the property. Requires the board of review in those counties to make its rules and procedures publicly available, and requires the chief county assessment officer to provide a plain-English explanation of equalization factors. Effective January 1, 2010.

Amends the Senior Citizens Real Estate Tax Deferral Act. Increases the income limitation under the Act to $55,000 (instead of $50,000) beginning in 2009. Amends the Property Tax Code. Provides that the maximum income limitation under the Senior Citizens Assessment Freeze Homestead Exemption is the income limitation set forth in the Senior Citizens Real Estate Tax Deferral Act. Effective immediately.

Creates the P-20 Longitudinal Education Data System Act. Requires the State Board of Education, the Illinois Community College Board, and the Board of Higher Education to jointly establish and maintain a longitudinal data system by entering into one or more agreements that link early learning, elementary, and secondary school student unit records with institution of higher learning student unit records. Subject to appropriation, requires the State Board of Education to establish a data warehouse that integrates data from multiple student unit record systems and supports all of the uses and functions of the longitudinal data system. Provides that the data warehouse must be developed in cooperation with the Illinois Community College Board and the Board of Higher Education and must have the ability to integrate longitudinal data from early learning through the postsecondary level. Sets forth provisions concerning the collection and maintenance of data, data sharing, privacy protection laws, and the performance of an evaluation and submission of a report. Makes changes to the Charter Schools Law of the School Code concerning not being exempt from the Act and the Illinois School Student Records Act concerning the federal Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act. Effective immediately.