Amends the Gas Use Tax Law. Provides that no tax shall be imposed under the Act on or after January 1, 2013. Amends the Gas Revenue Tax Act. Provides that the occupation tax imposed under the Act shall not be imposed on or after January 1, 2013. Effective immediately.
Appropriates $64,000,000 from the General Revenue Fund to the Department on Aging for funding an additional $1.70 per hour to be paid to vendors of homemaker, chore, and housekeeping services in the Community Care Program. Appropriates $6,100,000 from the General Revenue Fund to the Department of Human Services for funding an additional $1.70 per hour to be paid to vendors of homemaker, chore, and housekeeping services in the Home Services Program. Effective July 1, 2012.
Amends the State Housing Act. Makes a technical change in a Section concerning the short title.
Amends State Appellate Defender Act. Deletes the discretionary duty of the State Appellate Defender to provide assistance to trial counsel in capital cases. Adds the discretionary duty to provide training, assistance of expert witnesses, and investigators to public defenders from funds appropriated for those purposes. Prohibits the State Appellate Defender from being appointed as trial counsel. Deletes authority of investigators for the Capital Trial Assistance Unit and Capital Post Conviction Unit to access the Law Enforcement Agencies Data System (LEADS) for witness background checks. Deletes the authority for the State Appellate Defender to request appropriations from the Capital Litigation Trust Fund for capital case expenses in assisting trial counsel, representing petitioners in post-conviction proceedings, and in defending cases in counties other than Cook County. Effective immediately.
Creates the Illinois Service Member Civil Relief Act. Provides that nothing in the Act is intended to impair any existing right or benefit available to any service member. Provides that certain legal protections afforded to service members (and family members where specified) are subject to stated provisions of law. Amends the Illinois Administrative Procedure Act to set forth a provision concerning stays of contested case hearings for service members. Amends the Civil Administrative Code of Illinois to set forth a provision concerning deadline extensions for service members. Amends the Department of Central Management Services Law of the Civil Administrative Code of Illinois to make changes to the provision concerning bulk long distance telephone services for military personnel in military service (now on active duty). Amends the Military Code of Illinois, Illinois Municipal Code, Illinois Insurance Code, Public Utilities Act, Service Member's Employment Tenure Act, Code of Civil Procedure, Landlord and Tenant Act, Uniform Commercial Code, Interest Act, Retail Installment Sales Act, Military Personnel Cellular Phone Contract Termination Act, and Motor Vehicle Leasing Act to make changes in certain provisions concerning military personnel. Amends the Illinois Human Rights Act to provide that a violation of specified provisions regarding legal protections for military personnel constitutes a civil rights violation under the Illinois Human Rights Act.
Amends the Code of Corrections. Extends the sunset repeal of the Illinois Sentencing Policy Advisory Council from December 31, 2012 to December 31, 2015. Effective immediately.
Amends the Illinois Income Tax Act. Increases the amount of the credit for wages paid by the taxpayer to a qualified veteran to 20%, but in no event to exceed $5,000, of the gross wages paid by the taxpayer to a qualified veteran if the veteran (A) was hired by the taxpayer on or after January 1, 2012 and (B) was unemployed at the time he or she was hired by the taxpayer. Exempts the credit from the Act's automatic sunset provisions. Effective immediately.
Amends the Counties Code. Provides that in counties of less than 500,000 inhabitants, the recorder may cause to be microphotographed or otherwise reproduced on electronic method of storage any instrument received in writing by the recorder. Effective immediately.
Amends the Illinois Insurance Code. Sets forth provisions concerning health care cooperatives. Provides that in addition to all other provisions of the Article concerning domestic mutual companies, a company seeking to organize as a health care cooperative shall meet certain requirements. Sets forth provisions concerning the naming of and applications for entities seeking to organize as health care cooperatives. Amends the Co-operative Act. Exempts domestic mutual insurance companies licensed as health care cooperatives by the Director of Insurance from the prohibition against using the term "Co-operative" as part of a corporate or other business name or title without complying with the provisions of the Co-operative Act. Sets forth provisions concerning health benefit purchasing cooperatives. Provides that the purpose of a health benefit purchasing cooperative is to provide health care benefits for certain eligible individuals under a single group health care policy or plan through a contract between the health benefit purchasing cooperative and an insurer authorized to do health insurance business in the State. Sets forth provisions concerning the design, the articles, the membership basis and capital stock, the membership criteria, the health care benefits, and the annual progress report of health benefit purchasing cooperatives. Effective immediately.
Amends the School Code. Provides that as a prerequisite to receiving a high school diploma, each pupil entering the 9th grade in the 2012-2013 school year or a subsequent school year must successfully complete 4 (instead of 3) years of mathematics. Effective immediately.
