Rep. Joe Sosnowski

Amends the State Officials and Employees Ethics Act. Provides that the Legislate Ethics Commission shall adopt no rule requiring the Legislative Inspector General to seek the Commission's advance approval before commencing any investigation or issuing a subpoena. Provides that any existing rule, as of the effective date of the amendatory Act, requiring the Legislative Inspectors General to seek the Commission's advance approval before commencing any investigation or issuing a subpoena is void. Removes language providing that the Legislative Inspector General needs the advance approval of the Commission to issue subpoenas. Provides that within 60 days after receipt of a summary report and response from the ultimate jurisdictional authority or agency head, the Executive and Legislative Ethics Commissions shall make available to the public the report and response or a redacted version of the report and response (currently, report required to be made public only if it resulted in a suspension of at least 3 days or termination of employment). Makes conforming changes. Effective immediately.

Amends the Illinois Governmental Ethics Act. Modifies the definition of "representation case" to include matters before units of local government. Provides that no legislator or employee of a governmental entity may accept or participate in any way in any representation case if the State or unit of local government is an adverse party or if the result is an adverse effect on State or local revenue, State or local finances, or the health, safety, welfare, or relative tax burden of any State resident. Prohibits (rather than allows) participation in a representation case by a person with whom the legislator maintains a close economic association. Provides that no legislator or employee of a governmental entity may derive any income, compensation, or other tangible benefit from providing opinion evidence as an expert against the interests of the State or a unit of local government in any judicial or quasi-judicial proceeding before any administrative agency or court. Provides that a legislator shall officially recuse himself or herself, including a written explanation of the recusal, from any legislative matter in which the legislator or his or her spouse or immediate family member has a financial interest. Makes conforming and other changes.

Amends the Illinois Vehicle Code. Reduces the trailer flat weight tax for maximum loads of 3,000 lbs. and less from $118 to $18, if and only if Senate Bill 1939 of the 101st General Assembly becomes law. Effective immediately.

Creates the Domestic Violence Task Force Act. Creates the Domestic Violence Task Force. Provides that the Task Force shall: (1) conduct a comprehensive review of the process, operation, and enforcement of current domestic violence laws across the State; (2) identify gaps in the process, operation, and enforcement of those laws; (3) develop recommendations to address those gaps; (4) establish a framework for specialized protective networks for victims, treatment options for victims and offenders, and specialty courts for the accumulation of specialized domestic violence skills for courts; and (5) review the need for special consideration for conditions of bail in cases involving domestic violence within the ongoing changes brought on bail reform. Establishes membership and appointment of the Task Force. Provides that the Attorney General shall provide administrative support to the Task Force. Provides that the Attorney General, or the Attorney General's designee, shall be the chair of the Task Force. Provides that the Task Force shall review available research, best practices, and effective interventions to formulate recommendations. Provides that the Task Force shall produce a report detailing the Task Force's findings and recommendations. Provides that the Task Force shall submit a report of its findings and recommendations to the General Assembly and the Governor on or before September 1, 2022. Repeals the Act on September 1, 2027. Effective immediately.

Amends the Educator Licensure Article of the School Code. Provides for the reinstatement of a lapsed Professional Educator License upon the payment by the applicant of the lesser of a $100 penalty or a $10 penalty for each year the license has lapsed (rather than a $500 penalty). Effective immediately.

Urges the Congress of the United States of America to enact permanent Daylight Saving Time.

Creates the Vocational Academy Opportunity Act. Creates 2 vocational academies, one located in Cook County and the other in a downstate county, which shall be residential institutions. Provides that each academy shall be a State agency, funded by State appropriations, private contributions, and endowments. Provides that the academies shall be governed by a single Board of Trustees for the collective operation and oversight of the academies. Provides for the membership of the Board. Specifies the duties and powers of the Board. Provides that each academy shall be empowered to lease or purchase real and personal property on commercially reasonable terms for the use by the academy. Fiscal Note, House Floor Amendment No. 1 (State Board of Education) House Bill 27 (H-AM 1) would increase the Evidence-Based Funding (EBF) gap to adequacy. EBF provides funding to two existing laboratory schools. Based on the fiscal year 2019 EBF calculations, the Final Adequacy Target for the two existing non-residential laboratory schools, adjusted for regionalization, averaged nearly $10,700 per student. This fiscal note assumes that each new vocational academy would have an average student enrollment of 250 students per grade or 750 per school. Based on the FY19 EBF calculations mentioned above, the estimated state resources needed for the EBF formula would be $7.2 million for each vocational school to be funded at 90% adequacy for a total of $14.4 million. The bill does not provide a mechanism for the new school districts to receive a Base Funding Minimum from EBF for the new vocational schools. This bill would also impact EBF Tier funding amounts received by other school districts in the future as a result of reduced enrollment for a school district that has a pupil enroll in one of the new vocational academies. The bill also has an inconsistency with the definition Of "Average Student Enrollment" in Section 18-8.15 of the School Code. This estimate does not include construction costs nor the operational costs of housing students in a residential facility as the bill authorizes the school districts to use a cost recovery fee for these costs. The fiscal impact to the Illinois State Board of Education's operating budget cannot be determined at this time but there will be operational costs to comply with the provisions of House Bill 27 (H-AM 1). Fiscal Note, House Floor Amendment No. 2 (State Board of Education) House Bill 27 (H-AM 2) creates the Vocational Academy Opportunity Act and four public vocational academies which shall also be residential institutions. The bill provides that each academy shall be its own school district and funded as a laboratory school from the Evidence-Based Funding (EBF) formula The local capacity percentage for these new vocational academies in the EBF formula would be set at 10% in the absence of local tax resources. House Bill 27 (H-AM 2) would increase the EBF gap to adequacy. EBF provides funding to two existing laboratory schools. Based on the fiscal year 2019 EBF calculations, the Final Adequacy Target for the two existing non-residential laboratory schools, adjusted for regionalization, averaged nearly $I0,700 per student. This fiscal note assumes that each new vocational academy would have an average student enrollment of 250 students per grade or 750 per school. Based on the FY19. EBF calculations mentioned above, the estimated state resources needed for the EBF formula would be $7.2 million for each vocational school to be funded at 90% adequacy for a total of $28.8 million. The bill does not provide a mechanism for the new school districts to receive a Base Funding Minimum from EBF for the new vocational schools. This bill would also impact EBF Tier funding amounts received by other school districts in the future as a result of reduced enrollment for a school district that has a pupil enroll in one of the new vocational academies. The bill also has an inconsistency with the definition of "Average Student Enrollment" in Section 18-8.15 of the School Code. This estimate does not include construction costs nor the operational costs of housing students in a residential facility as the bill authorizes the school districts to use a cost recovery fee for these costs. The fiscal impact to the Illinois State Board of Education's operating budget cannot be determined at this time but there will be operational costs to comply with the provisions of House Bill 27 (H-AM 2).

Amends the Illinois Prepaid Tuition Act. Provides that Illinois prepaid tuition contracts may not be entered into after the effective date of the amendatory Act. Effective June 30, 2020.

Amends the Illinois Governmental Ethics Act. Provides that a member of the General Assembly, his or her spouse, and any immediate family member living with that member of the General Assembly shall not, for compensation: (1) act as a lobbyist or otherwise act in a capacity that would require that person to register as a lobbyist; or (2) communicate with any official of the executive or legislative branch of State government or any official of any unit of local government or school district for the ultimate purpose of influencing any executive, legislative, or administrative action. Provides that any person who violates the provisions commits a Class A misdemeanor and, if a member of the General Assembly, shall forfeit his or her office. Defines terms. Repeals current provisions banning members of the General Assembly from lobbying. Effective immediately.

Amends the School Code. Creates the School District Efficiency Commission. Provides for the membership and support of the Commission. Requires the Commission to make recommendations to the Governor and the General Assembly on the number of school districts in this State, the optimal amount of enrollment for a school district, and where reorganization and realignment of school districts would be beneficial in this State; specifies the topics on which the recommendations must focus. Provides that, on or before May 1, 2022, the Commission must vote on its recommendations and submit a report to the Governor and the General Assembly. Provides that if the Commission adopts the report recommendations by an affirmative vote of at least 11 of its members, then the Commission's recommendations for reorganization of school districts into unit school districts must be placed on the ballots of the designated school districts in the next general election in the same manner as petitions approved by a regional superintendent of schools, except without financial incentives. Provides that the Commission is dissolved the day after the report is filed with the Governor and the General Assembly. Repeals the provision on February 1, 2023. Makes a conforming change in the Conversion and Formation of School Districts Article. Effective immediately.