Amends the Illinois Vehicle Code. Provides for the issuance of Iraqi Freedom license plates at an additional initial charge of $40 and an additional renewal charge of $27 with eligibility requirements to be determined by the Secretary of State. Provides that $15 of the initial charge and $2 of the renewal charge shall be paid into the Secretary of State Special License Plate Fund and $25 of the initial charge and $25 of the renewal charge shall be paid into the Illinois Veterans Assistance Fund. Amends the Illinois Lottery Law. Provides that the moneys deposited into the Illinois Veterans Assistance Fund from the sale of Iraqi Freedom license plates may, subject to appropriation, be used by the Department of Veterans' Affairs to provide grants to assist in the financial and educational support of minor and dependent children of veterans who died or were disabled in the line of duty.
Sponsored bills
Amends the Illinois Bank Holding Company Act of 1957. Makes a technical change in a Section concerning the purpose of the Act.
Amends the Election Code. Authorizes the submission of public questions to voters in less than all precincts of a municipality of any size (now, more than 1,000,000 population). Effective immediately.
Creates the Health Care Enterprise Zone Act. Provides that the Department of Public Health may certify certain areas in the State suffering from a shortage of medical services as health care enterprise zones or specialty shortage zones. Provides that, for the taxable years ending on or after December 31, 2006, a health care professional who practices at least 50% of the year in an area of Illinois that has been certified as a health care enterprise zone or as a specialty shortage zone may apply to the Department requesting a certification of an income tax credit. Sets forth the amounts of the credit. Sets forth conditions for the revocation of benefits under the Act. Amends the Illinois Income Tax Act to create the income tax credit certified under the Health Care Enterprise Zone Act. Amends the Property Tax Code. Provides that taxing districts may abate the property taxes for the property of any facility operated by a health care professional as part of his or her practice in a health care enterprise zone or specialty shortage zone certified under the Health Care Enterprise Zone Act. Provides that the aggregate amount of abated taxes for all taxing districts in any county may not exceed $5,000,000 per year.
Amends the Illinois Renewable Fuels Development Program Act. Provides that a recipient of Program grants must be constructing, modifying, altering, or retrofitting an (i) ethanol plant (now, just plant) that has annual production capacity of no less than 30,000,000 gallons of renewable fuel per year or a (ii) biodiesel plant. Requires the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity to establish and administer grant programs including: the Illinois Renewable Fuels Majority Blended Ethanol Program, the Illinois Corn Grain to Fuel Research Consortium Assistance Program, the Illinois Renewable Fuels Corn-to-Hydrogen Fuel Cell Research Program, the Illinois Renewable Fuels Biodiesel Infrastructure Grant Program, the Illinois Renewable Fuels Ethanol Development Intergovernmental Assistance Program. Sets forth the purposes and conditions for these grant programs. Provides that subject to appropriation (now, subject to appropriation from the Build Illinois Bond Fund), the Director is authorized to award Renewable Fuels Development Program Fund grants. Sets forth that the annual aggregate amount for these grants shall not exceed $25,000,000 in Fiscal year 2007 and 2008 and $15,000,000 thereafter (now, may not exceed $15,000,000). Specifies how these grant funds shall be allocated. Sets forth certain limitations on spending on the various Program grants including for research conducted at the National Corn-to-Ethanol Research Facility at SIU-Edwardsville not to exceed $1,000,000 annually, and a one-time grant in FY 2007 not to exceed $3,000,000 for construction, remodeling, and expansion of the National Corn-to-Ethanol Research Facility at SIU-Edwardsville. Provides that normal operating and execution of renewable fuels programs in existence on January 1, 2006 within the Department from the Renewable Fuels Development Program Fund shall not exceed $5,000,000 annually. Amends the State Finance Act to create the Renewable Fuels Development Program Fund as a special fund in the State treasury to fund these grant programs. Sets forth certain conditions for the operation of this Fund. Provides for certain annual payments from the General Revenue Fund to the Renewable Fuels Development Program Fund. Amends the Use Tax Act, the Service Use Tax Act, the Service Occupation Tax Act, and the Retailers' Occupation Tax Act, to provide that on or after July 1, 2006 and on or before June 30, 2016, those tax rates apply to 90% of the proceeds of sales made on gasohol (now, apply to 80% of the proceeds of sales made on gasohol). Amends the Motor Fuel and Petroleum Standards Act to provide that beginning January 1, 2008 a minimum of 10% of all motor fuel sold or offered for sale in Illinois must be denatured ethanol and that beginning January 1, 2012 a minimum of 15% of all motor fuel sold or offered for sale in Illinois must be denatured ethanol. Effective July 1, 2006.
Amends the Disaster Service Volunteer Leave Act. Permits a State employee to take no more than 20 days of unpaid leave per 12-month period to participate in disaster relief, upon approval of the employee's State agency. Effective immediately.
Amends the Election Code. Allows registered voters to vote by personal appearance during an early voting period. Provides that the early voting period begins on the third Saturday preceding a general primary, consolidated primary, consolidated, or general election and ends on the Friday before the election. Provides for permanent and temporary polling places for early voting. Provides that the election authority must publish a schedule of locations and times for early voting. Sets procedures for the issuance, return, and casting of early ballots. Prohibits advertising or campaigning within 100 feet of a polling place for early voting. Amends the State Mandates Act to require implementation without reimbursement.
Amends the Election Code, the State Finance Act, and the Illinois Income Tax Act. Establishes a voluntary system of public financing of campaigns for the offices of judges of the Illinois Supreme and Appellate Courts, administered by the State Board of Elections. Specifies limits on campaign contributions and expenditures with respect to all candidates for those offices. Creates the necessary fund in the State treasury and the income tax checkoff for the public financing system. Effective immediately.
Amends the Citizens Utility Board Act. Provides that the Citizens Utility Board shall represent and protect the interests of the residential utility and cable television customers (now, just residential utility customers) of this State. Makes corresponding changes.
Amends the Election Code. Requires that a landlord give a new tenant of residential property a voter registration application form when the landlord gives the tenant a copy of the signed lease or within 10 days after the tenant begins occupancy, whichever is earlier. Requires election authorities to supply landlords upon request with sufficient application forms.