Amends the Children and Family Services Act. Makes post-secondary education tuition and fee waivers available to youth for whom the Department of Children and Family Services has court-ordered legal responsibility, youth who aged out of care at age 18 or older, or youth formerly under care who have been adopted and were the subject of an adoption assistance agreement or who have been placed in private guardianship and were the subject of a subsidized guardianship agreement. Requires applicants to have earned a high school diploma from an accredited institution or a high school equivalency certificate or have met the State criteria for high school graduation before the start of the school year for which they are applying for the waivers. Limits the tuition and fee waivers to persons under the age of 26 and provides that waivers shall be available to a student for at least the first 5 years the student is enrolled in a community college, university, or college maintained by the State. Provides that the age requirement and 5-year cap on tuition and fee waivers shall be waived and eligibility extended for applicants or students who were unable to enroll in a qualifying post-secondary school or complete an academic term because the student: (i) was called into active duty with the United States Armed Forces; (ii) was deployed for service in the United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps; or (iii) volunteered in the Peace Corps or the AmeriCorps. Permits the Department to provide the student with a stipend to cover maintenance and school expenses during the academic years to supplement the student's earnings. Requires the Department to develop outreach programs to ensure qualifying youths are aware of the availability of the tuition and fee waivers.
Sponsored bills
Amends the Liquor Control Act of 1934. In a provision that allows a manufacturer, distributor, or importing distributor to provide signs to a retailer if certain conditions are met, including a limitation on the dollar value of the signs that may be provided, provides that the cost adjustment factor applied to the limitation on the dollar value of the signs is 5% annually (rather than the change in the consumer price index or 5%, whichever is greater). Effective immediately.
Amends the Housing Authorities Act. Requires each Housing Authority to provide, upon request by the State, a list of all applicants waiting for admission to any public housing or housing project operated by the Housing Authority, including information on each applicant's position on the waiting list.
Creates the Pollinator Friendly Solar Site Act. Provides that an owner of a ground-mounted solar site may follow practices that: (1) provide native perennial vegetation and foraging habitat which is beneficial to game birds, songbirds, and pollinators; and (2) reduce storm water runoff and erosion at the solar site. Provides that an owner or manager of a solar site with a generating capacity of more than 40 kilowatts implementing site management practices under the Act may claim that the site is "pollinator-friendly" or provides benefits to game birds, songbirds, and pollinators only if the site adheres to guidance set forth by the pollinator friendly scorecard published by the Department of Natural Resources in consultation with stakeholders. Provides that an owner making a beneficial habitat claim shall make the solar site's pollinator score card, and where available, related vegetation management plans, available to the public and provide a copy to the Department of Natural Resources and a nonprofit solar industry trade association of the State. Effective immediately.
Amends the Illinois Police Training Act. Provides that the Illinois Law Enforcement Training Standards Board shall develop or approve a curriculum for a certified training program for school resource officers which shall consist of at least 40 hours of training. Provides that the curriculum shall include the following subject areas: (1) child and adolescent development and psychology; (2) positive behavioral interventions and support, conflict resolution techniques, and restorative justice techniques; (3) education law; (4) juvenile law; (5) implicit bias; (6) trauma-informed care; (7) de-escalation techniques, including techniques for limiting the use of physical force and mechanical and chemical restraints; (8) the mental, physical, and behavioral health needs of all children and adolescents including those with disabilities or special needs; (9) a minimum of 8 hours of crisis intervention training for youth; and (10) cultural responsiveness. Provides that the Board by rule shall require a law enforcement officer to successfully complete the certified training program for school resource officers before or within 120 days of a law enforcement officer's first day of service in a school. Provides that the certified training program for school resource officers shall be successfully completed by school resource officers every 4 years. Makes other changes.
Amends the State Treasurer Act. Modifies and reorganizes the provisions of a Section concerning the College Savings Pool. Provides that the State Treasurer may establish and administer a College Savings Pool as a qualified tuition program under the Internal Revenue Code, and that the Pool may consist of one or more college savings programs. Provides that the State Treasurer, in administering the College Savings Pool, may receive, hold, and invest moneys paid into the Pool and perform such other actions as are necessary to ensure that the Pool operates as a qualified tuition program under the Internal Revenue Code. Provides provisions concerning administration, availability, fees, and investment restrictions of the Pool. Modifies the way in which investments, distributions, contributions, and bonds are made regarding the Pool. Defines terms. Makes conforming, technical, and other changes. Effective immediately.
Amends various acts to remove provisions allowing or requiring licensing authorities to revoke professional licenses for defaulting on an educational loan provided by or guaranteed by the Illinois Student Assistance Commission. Effective immediately.
Creates the Government Severance Pay Act. Provides that a unit of government that enters into a contract or employment agreement, or renewal or renegotiation of an existing contract or employment agreement, that contains a provision for severance pay with an officer, agent, employee, or contractor must include specified provisions in the contract. Provides that nothing in the Act creates an entitlement to severance pay in the absence of its contractual authorization or as otherwise authorized by law. Defines terms.
Amends the Diversifying Higher Education Faculty in Illinois Act. Provides that the Program Board created to administer the grant program authorized by the Act shall be comprised of 11 (rather than 21) members. Effective immediately.
Amends the Illinois Vehicle Code. Provides for the issuance of Operation Desert Shield/Desert Storm license plates to any Illinois resident who has earned the Southwest Asia Service Medal from the United States Armed Forces. Effective immediately.