Rep. Patrick J. Verschoore

Amends the Riverboat Gambling Act. For a riverboat with annual adjusted gross receipts of less than $50,000,000, (i) eliminates the admissions tax and (ii) imposes an additional 1% privilege tax, the proceeds of which shall be paid monthly to the unit of local government that is designated as the home dock of the riverboat upon which those riverboat gambling operations are conducted. Effective immediately.

Amends the State Facilities Closure Act. Provides that, if appropriations have been made for the current fiscal year for the operation of a State facility during the entire fiscal year, then no action may be taken to close the facility, to reduce its capacity to serve the number of residents, youth, or inmates for which the appropriation was made, or to move its location from the county in which the service is provided, unless the action is specifically approved by the same joint resolution of the General Assembly. Effective immediately.

Amends the School Code and the Critical Health Problems and Comprehensive Health Education Act. Provides that a school board shall require that high school students participating in interscholastic athletics have a hernia check performed before being allowed to participate. Provides that a school board shall require that any pre-participation physical examination form a student must have completed before participating in interscholastic athletics include the question of whether the student's family has a medical history of cancer. Provides that the Comprehensive Health Education Program must include, in grades 9 through 12, instruction on testicular cancer. Effective July 1, 2009.

Provides that the Act may be referred to as the Brandon Ballard Law. Amends the School Code and the Critical Health Problems and Comprehensive Health Education Act. Provides that a school board shall require that high school students participating in interscholastic athletics have a hernia check performed before being allowed to participate. Provides that a school board shall require that any pre-participation physical examination form a student must have completed before participating in interscholastic athletics include the question of whether the student's family has a medical history of cancer. Provides that the Comprehensive Health Education Program must include, in grades 9 through 12, instruction on testicular cancer. Effective July 1, 2009.

Amends the Riverboat Gambling Act. Provides that, if the licensed owner of a riverboat in operation on January 1, 2009 has a capital project of at least $75,000,000 that is approved by the Illinois Gaming Board in calendar years 2006 through 2009, then no admissions tax is imposed on admissions to that riverboat. Provides that, if no admissions tax is imposed on admissions to a riverboat, then in addition to the current privilege tax, a privilege tax of 1% of adjusted gross receipts is imposed on that riverboat, the proceeds of which shall be paid monthly to the unit of local government that is designated as the home dock of the riverboat upon which those riverboat gambling operations are conducted. Effective immediately.

Amends the Riverboat Gambling Act. Provides that the amount of the privilege tax paid shall be reduced by the amount an owners licensee spent on marketing for the purpose of attracting out-of-state customers. Effective immediately.

Amends the Public Utilities Act. Provides that the Illinois Commerce Commission shall conduct a comprehensive workforce analysis study of each telecommunications carrier with more than 35,000 subscriber lines to determine the adequacy of the total in-house staffing in each job classification or job title critical to maintaining quality and reliability and restoring service in each telecommunications carrier's service territory. Provides that each report shall contain specified information for the period beginning in 1995 and ending in 2007. Provides that the Commission must present the results of the study to the General Assembly no later than January 1, 2010. Provides that a telecommunications carrier shall bear the costs of issuing any required reports and it shall not be entitled to recovery of any costs incurred in complying with specified provisions. Provides that the Commission shall develop benchmarks for employee staffing levels for each classification and employee training for each classification within 12 months after the required report is due. Effective immediately.

Amends the Illinois Plumbing License Law. Provides that nothing contained in P.A. 83-878, entitled "An Act in relation to professions", approved September 26, 1983, applies to a rural water company as defined in the Property Tax Code. Effective immediately.

Amends the State Finance Act. Provides that for personnel under the jurisdiction of the State travel control boards, the allowance rate for automobile travel mileage reimbursement, which is the same as the rate set by federal regulations, shall be increased or decreased during the State's fiscal year as of the effective date of the federal regulations (now, increases do not take effect until the next July 1).

Creates the Four-day School Week Task Force to study the feasibility of a 4-day school week in school districts in this State.