Rep. Suzanne Ness

Amends the Illinois Vehicle Code. Provides that in a county having a population of 3,000,000 or more, the county sheriff shall establish with other law enforcement agencies a vehicle theft hotline to facilitate the location of stolen vehicles via their installed existing global positioning systems, collaborate with vehicle manufacturers and dealers to provide information and assistance to law enforcement officers in the investigation of vehicle theft, and ensure that consumers are provided with information concerning the hotline and any new or used vehicle manufactured with a global positioning system by publishing the information in a conspicuous location on the county sheriff's website. Provides that the manufacturer of any vehicle sold in this State shall establish a hotline available to State, county, and local law enforcement agencies exclusively for the purposes of law enforcement information sharing and the electronic tracking of vehicles stolen in vehicular hijacking incidents or that have been used in the commission of kidnapping, aggravated battery with a firearm, attempted homicide, or homicide. Provides that the manufacturer's hotline shall relay vehicle location information, including real-time vehicle location information whenever possible, to the 9-1-1 call center or designated dispatch center for the responding agency, to the best of the manufacturer's technical capability. Requires State, county, and local law enforcement agencies to use their respective 9-1-1 system call centers or designated dispatch centers for the purpose of verification of law enforcement officers' identities and bona fide incident report numbers related to incidents. Requires manufacturers to prepare written statements detailing tracking and disabling system capabilities and make them available to State, county, and local law enforcement agencies upon request. Requires that, if a vehicle is not subscribed to the manufacturer's tracking service, the manufacturer of any vehicle sold in this State shall waive all fees associated with initiating, renewing, reestablishing, or maintaining the location, disabling, or alert service with which the vehicle is equipped during a law enforcement response or investigation of specified offenses.

Creates the Right to Read Act. Provides that the State Board of Education shall offer support: to each public school district to select evidence-based core reading instruction programs and implement them using structured literacy instruction; and to each early childhood, elementary, and special education teacher, reading specialist, literacy coach, and administrator to complete evidence-based training in teaching reading. Requires the State Board of Education to annually compile and post on its website information on the steps it has undertaken to support school districts to deliver high-quality, evidence-based literacy instruction, including a list of any Early Literacy Grant recipients, documentation of how the recipient allocated the funding to support improved literacy, and what evidence-based literacy curricula the recipient is utilizing. Amends the School Code. In provisions concerning educator testing, requires applicants seeking specified licenses to pass a test in reading foundations, which shall include assessment of the applicant's understanding of phonological and phonemic awareness, concepts of print and the alphabetic principle, the role of phonics in promoting reading development, word analysis skills and strategies, vocabulary development, application of reading comprehension skills and strategies, and methods for assessing reading development. In provisions concerning minimum requirements for educators trained in other states or countries, provides that an applicant who has successfully completed a reading foundations test of at least comparable rigor to the Illinois reading foundations test is not required to complete a reading foundations test. Makes other changes. Effective immediately.

Creates the Infrastructure Delivery and Program Transparency Act. Provides for the creation of an Infrastructure Implementation Coordinator within the Office of the Secretary of Transportation to administer the Rebuild Illinois Program. Provides that the Office of the Secretary of Transportation shall develop a publicly available project information website that includes detailed information about each infrastructure project. Provides that the Coordinator shall track and make publicly available a master program, budget, and construction schedule and program metrics. Provides that after a review of the program metrics, the Coordinator shall implement improvements to the Rebuild Illinois Program in accordance with the established overall program budget and project schedule. Provides that the Department of Transportation and the Coordinator shall implement certain initiatives to assist the Department with meeting program goals.

Amends the School Code. Provides for dyslexia screening guidelines and rules. Requires the State Board of Education to employ at least 5 dyslexia specialists or dyslexia therapists with a minimum of 5 years of field experience in screening, identifying, and treating dyslexia and related disorders to provide technical assistance and training. Provides that, beginning with the 2022-2023 school year, each school district must screen students in grades kindergarten through second (and in higher grades under certain circumstances) for the risk factors of dyslexia using a universal screener approved by the State Board. Sets forth what the screening must include. Provides for additional screening for a student who is determined to be at risk, or at some risk, for dyslexia to determine if a student has the characteristics of dyslexia. Requires the use of a multi-tiered system of support framework if screening indicates that a student has some risk factors for dyslexia or has the characteristics of dyslexia. Sets forth provisions concerning exceptions to screening, dyslexia intervention services, and reporting. Effective July 1, 2022.

Amends the School Code. Provides that the removal of a student with a disability for disciplinary reasons, violations of the student code of conduct, or other inappropriate behavior shall conform with the applicable provisions of the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act and certain regulations. Provides that an in-school suspension is not considered a removal. Provides that removal of a student for any part of a school day constitutes a day of removal. Provides that a directive by school administration to a parent or guardian not to send the student to school on a school day that results in the student not attending school for any part of that school day constitutes a day of removal. Provides that, for each removal, the parent or guardian of the student must be provided with a written notice that includes the action taken, the duration of the action, and the reasons for the action. Provides that the written notice to the parent or guardian and any written or recorded information concerning a removal of the student shall be made part of the student's school records. Effective immediately.

Amends the Life Care Facilities Act. Provides that a resident is entitled to be represented by at least one resident voting member on the board of directors or equivalent governing body of the resident's provider. Requires a provider with more than one facility to seat as a member on the provider's board of directors or equivalent governing body at least one resident from each of the provider's facilities in the State. Provides that a resident has the right to self-organization. Prohibits reprisal by a provider in response to specified activities. Requires a provider's board of directors or equivalent governing body to (1) hold quarterly meetings to discuss specified subjects and (2) consult and discuss with a facility's residents or the representatives of a facility's residents any proposed action that might significantly affect the well-being of the facility's residents or the financial stability of the facility before taking the proposed action. Requires the Department of Public Health to ensure that providers comply with the provisions by instituting a penalty for noncompliance. Effective immediately.

Amends the Fish and Aquatic Life Code. Provides that individuals under the age of 18 (instead of 16) may fish with sport fishing devices without being required to have a license. Effective immediately.

Amends the Illinois Income Tax Act. Repeals a Section concerning a credit for coal research and utilization equipment, which sunset on January 1, 2005. Effective immediately.

Amends the Illinois Income Tax Act. Creates an income tax credit for an Illinois business that increases its average full-time employee head count in the State for the taxable year by more than 20% over its average full-time employee head count in the State for the immediately preceding taxable year. Provides that the amount of the credit is 20% of its tax liability under this Act (other than its withholding tax liability) for the taxable year. Provides that the credit is exempt from the Act's automatic sunset provision. Effective immediately.

Creates the End Youth Solitary Confinement Act. Provides that the use of room confinement of a person under 21 years of age at a juvenile or correctional facility for discipline, punishment, retaliation, or any reason other than as a temporary response to a juvenile's behavior that poses a serious and immediate risk of physical harm to any individual, including the juvenile, is prohibited. Provides that if a covered juvenile poses a serious and immediate risk of physical harm to any individual, including the juvenile, before a staff member of the facility places a covered juvenile in room confinement, the staff member shall attempt to use other less restrictive options, unless attempting those options poses a threat to the safety or security of any minor or staff. Establishes procedures for placing a covered juvenile in room confinement because the covered juvenile poses a serious and immediate risk of physical harm to himself or herself, or to others. Provides that each facility detaining covered juveniles shall report the use of each incident of room confinement to the Attorney General each month. Defines "covered juvenile". House Floor Amendment No. 1 Deletes a reference to the Department of Corrections. Provides that the reporting agency for certain provisions shall be an independent ombudsperson for the Department of Juvenile Justice, rather than the Attorney General. House Floor Amendment No. 2 Provides that "confinement" does not include medical isolation or quarantine. House Floor Amendment No. 3 Defines "administrative hold", "behavioral hold", "chief administrative officer", "confinement", and "investigative status". Provides that a covered juvenile may be placed on an administrative hold and confined when temporarily being housed in a particular covered juvenile center or for administrative or security purposes as personally determined by the chief administrative officer. Provides that placement on administrative hold shall be subject to the following time limitations: (1) when the covered juvenile is awaiting transfer to the Department of Corrections or a more secure setting, the administrative hold may not exceed 3 business days; and (2) the administrative hold may not exceed 7 calendar days when the covered juvenile is temporarily transferred to a different facility for the purposes of placement interviews, court appearances, or medical treatment. Provides that whenever a covered juvenile is on an administrative hold, the Department of Juvenile Justice, Department of Corrections, or county or municipality holding the covered juvenile shall provide the covered juvenile with access to the same programs and services received by covered juveniles in the general population. Provides that any restrictions on movement or access to programs and services shall be documented and justified by the chief administrative officer. House Floor Amendment No. 4 Defines "covered juvenile" as any person under 18 (rather than 21) years of age incarcerated in a correctional facility, jail, or detention facility of any kind operated by the Department of Corrections, the Department of Juvenile Justice, a county, or a municipality. House Floor Amendment No. 5 Replaces everything after the enacting clause. Reinserts the provisions of the introduced bill, as amended by House Amendments Nos. 1, 3, and 4. Specifies that "confinement" does not include medical isolation or quarantine.