Rep. Suzanne Ness

Recognizes the month of May 2023 as National Foster Care Awareness Month.

Declares the month of September 2023 as River Clean Up Month. Encourages chambers of commerce, convention and visitors bureaus, local economic development organizations, area groups and associations, and local schools and colleges to organize and coordinate local cleanup activities along portions of rivers and waterways in their area. Encourages the State of Illinois to promote September as River Clean Up Month.

Declares the month of March 2023 as Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Awareness Month in the State of Illinois. Expresses support for legislation to reduce Triple-Negative Breast Cancer (TNBC) disparities in early detection and survival by improving education and awareness through health promotion initiatives targeting underserved communities that are disproportionately impacted. Urges additional legislative provisions be examined to safeguard affordable, continuous, and equitable patient access to TNBC-related care, services, and medicines along the entire continuum of care.

Declare's March 8, 2023 as International Women's Day. Reaffirms the State's commitment to pursue strategies that guarantee the basic human rights of women and girls, to promote meaningful and significant participation of women in all aspects of our society, to encourage equitable access to and healthcare for all women and girls, and to support policy initiatives that seek to achieve gender parity and empower all women.

Amends the Illinois Solid Waste Management Act. Provides that all State agencies and local governments shall consider whether compost products can be utilized in the land maintenance activity project when soliciting and reviewing bids for land maintenance activity projects. Provides that, if compost products can be used in the project, the State agency or local government must use compost products unless the compost products: (1) are not available within a reasonable period of time; (2) do not comply with existing purchasing standards; or (3) do not comply with federal or State health and safety standards. Provides that State agencies and local governments are encouraged to give priority to purchasing compost products from companies that produce compost products locally, are certified by a nationally recognized organization, and produce compost products that are derived from municipal solid waste compost programs.

Amends the Township Open Space Article of the Township Code. Reduces the acreage that constitutes open land or open space under the Article to 25 acres (currently, 50 acres). Provides, in the definition of "open space purposes", that development includes development for agricultural purposes. Provides that a township board may lease open space for open space purposes and may not lease any part of open space to anyone other than the federal government, a state government, or a local government. Provides that leased open space may be used for agricultural purposes. Provides that the township board may not sell, convey, donate, or otherwise dispose of open space without referendum approval by the majority of the voters of the township at a regular election, and provides that the board may certify the question of disposition of property to the appropriate election authority only if the board approves the question by at least a two-thirds majority of the board members. Provides that, if a township dissolves or is consolidated or merged or the boundaries of the township are altered, any affected open space shall continue to be used as required in the open space plan unless the open space is disposed of is approved by a two-thirds vote of the board of the unit of local government in control of that open space and after referendum of the voters of the unit of local government.

Declares January 2023 as Cervical Health Awareness Month. Encourages all citizens to recognize that cervical cancer is preventable and to encourage the women in their lives to avail themselves of the tests and vaccines that have proven so effective in preventing cervical cancer.

Amends the Expressway Camera Act. Renames the Act to the Expressway and Highway Camera Act. Establishes that funds from the Illinois State Tollway Highway Authority may be used for installation and maintenance of the camera systems, telecommunications costs, and for camera warranties. Provides that cameras shall be interoperable with the Illinois State Police current camera system. Makes other changes. Amends the Freedom of Information Act. Provides that the provision exempting images from cameras under the Expressway and Highway Camera Act are inoperative on and after July 1, 2025 (rather than 2023). Effective immediately.

Amends the Illinois Procurement Code. Provides that each bid or offer submitted on or after the effective date shall include a copy of the bidder's, offeror's, vendor's, or contractor's valid equal pay registration certificate if the bidder, offeror, vendor, or contractor is required to obtain an equal pay registration certificate.

Amends the State Commemorative Dates Act. Provides that the month of April of each year is designated as Child Abuse Prevention Month to be observed throughout the State to promote the awareness and prevention of child abuse in the State.