Rep. Dee Avelar

Amends the Illinois Administrative Procedure Act. Makes a technical change in a Section concerning the short title.

Amends the Code of Civil Procedure. Provides that language concerning the revival of a consumer debt judgment applies to judgments entered on or after January 1, 2010. Effective immediately.

Amends the Attorney General Act. Provides that the Attorney General shall appoint an Opioid Coordinator who shall be an attorney under the jurisdiction of the Office of the Attorney General. Provides for the responsibilities of the Opioid Coordinator appointed by the Attorney General. Provides that the Opioid Coordinator appointed by the Attorney General shall coordinate with and provide necessary assistance to all county opioid coordinators appointed by each county state's attorney. Amends the Counties Code. Provides for the appointment of an opioid coordinator by each state's attorney. Provides for the responsibilities of each opioid coordinator appointed by a state's attorney. Provides that each opioid coordinator shall, when necessary, coordinate with the State Opioid Coordinator appointed by the Attorney General. Makes conforming changes.

Creates the Securing All Futures for Equitable Reinvestment in Communities Act. Provides legislative intent. Creates the Securing All Futures for Equitable Reinvestment Tax Credit Pilot Program Act. Provides that an applicant that hires certain formerly incarcerated individuals during the incentive period may apply for a tax credit against the applicant's withholding tax liability. Provides that the savings from the changes made to the Unified Code of Corrections shall be deposited into the Securing All Futures for Equitable Reinvestment (SAFER) Communities Fund for the purpose of funding the program. Amends the Unified Code of Corrections to reduce the sentencing ranges for all classes of felonies, and to remove minimum sentences for Class 4 felonies and Class A and Class B misdemeanors. Provides that the provisions of the Act apply to offenses committed before the effective date of this Act, and to offenses committed on or after the effective date of this amendatory Act. Provides for resentencing of currently incarcerated persons based on these changes. Effective immediately. Fiscal Note (Dept. of Revenue) Although the bill limits the credit to $1.5 billion over its 6-year life, the Department is unable to provide a fiscal impact estimate for House Bill 3215 because the legislation, as introduced, contains multiple drafting ambiguities, errors, and incomplete definitions. For example, the bill defines "participant" to mean, in part, a full-time employee who was formerly incarcerated between January 1, 2009 and December 31, 2019. The bill, however, provides later that the credit is limited to 10,000 participants "newly released" from prison and 10,000 participants that were released between January 1, 2009 and December 31, 2019. Additionally, the bill provides the credit amount awarded is to be between $10,000 and $15,000 each year per participant hired. The bill further provides a list of criteria to be considered in determining the amount of the credit, but no guidance is provided as to how that list of criteria computes to a given credit amount. These problems, among others in the bill as introduced, prevent the Department from making adequately precise determinations of who qualifies for the credit and of how to calculate the credit.

Amends the Property Tax Code. In a Section concerning the homestead exemption for veterans with disabilities, provides that: (1) for taxable years prior to 2015, "surviving spouse" means the surviving spouse of a veteran who obtained the exemption prior to his or her death; (2) for taxable years 2015 through 2020, "surviving spouse" means (A) the surviving spouse of a veteran who obtained the exemption prior to his or her death and (B) the surviving spouse of a veteran who was killed in the line of duty in the current taxable year or any preceding taxable year; and (3) for taxable year 2021 and thereafter, "surviving spouse" means (A) the surviving spouse of a veteran who qualified for the exemption prior to his or her death, (B) the surviving spouse of a veteran who was killed in the line of duty in the current taxable year or any preceding taxable year, (C) the surviving spouse of a veteran who did not obtain the exemption before death, but who would have qualified for the exemption if he or she had survived, and (D) the surviving spouse of a veteran whose death was determined to be service-connected who is a current recipient of Dependency and Indemnity Compensation. Effective immediately.

Amends the Election Code. Allows the State Board of Elections to receive voter registration information provided by applicants using electronic voter registration portals (rather than the Board's website). Provides that, notwithstanding any other provision of law, a person who is otherwise qualified to vote may preregister to vote on or after that person's 16th birthday, with the registration held in abeyance by the appropriate election authority until that individual attains the required age to vote. Requires preregistration to be completed using the online voter registration system or an electronic voter registration portal. Provides that, for the purposes of the Code, an individual who is 16 years of age or older (rather than who is 17 years of age and who will be 18 years of age on the date of the general or consolidated election) shall be deemed competent to execute and attest to any voter registration forms.

Amends the Illinois Housing Development Act. Provides that no later than July 1, 2022, the Illinois Housing Development Authority shall establish and administer the Rehab Program to help reclaim vacant and abandoned properties in communities of concentrated poverty. Provides that the purposes of the Rehab Program are: to encourage private sector investment in acquiring, rehabbing, and placing on the market, vacant and abandoned properties located in communities of concentrated poverty; to provide low-income families with more affordable housing options in modern, safe buildings while redressing historic discrimination against African Americans in housing; and other stated purposes. Provides that within 45 days of the satisfactory completion of a qualified project, the Authority shall pay to the qualified developer responsible for the project a Rehab Program incentive fee. Provides that after the initial pilot of the Rehab Program ends, and continuing thereafter, the Authority may authorize qualified projects in any calendar year in an amount not to exceed either $50,000,000 for the year in question, or, if the Authority is then utilizing bond proceeds to pay Rehab Program incentive fees as permitted under the amendatory Act, more than $250,000,000 in aggregate bond indebtedness then outstanding for all such bonds. Provides that the Authority may from time to time adopt rules requiring qualified developers to hire a certain percentage of workers for the qualified project in question from the community in which the qualified project is located. Provides that initially the Rehab Program shall be piloted out in 10 communities identified by the Authority that span the State, to ensure the program generates economic benefits equitably across Illinois. Permits the Authority to issue bonds and notes for the payment of Rehab Program incentive fees to qualified developers. Effective immediately. Fiscal Note (Housing Development Authority) Fiscal impact could be-offset with administration funding that is not currently contemplated in HB4784. House Floor Amendment No. 1 Deletes reference to: 20 ILCS 3805/14 Replaces everything after the enacting clause. Reinserts the provisions of the introduced bill with the following changes: Provides that commencing State Fiscal Year 2023 (rather than no later than July 1, 2022), the Illinois Housing Development Authority shall establish and administer the Rehab Program to help reclaim vacant and abandoned properties in communities of concentrated poverty. Removes from the definition of "community of concentrated poverty" a community that is designated as or qualifies as a blighted or slum area under any federal, State, or local governmental authority or agency law, rule, regulation, or ordinance. Expands the definition of "project costs" to provide that the Authority shall issue regulations from time-to-time identifying what may be included within the rubric of reasonable costs for purposes of the amendatory Act, as well as the form and content of expense reporting a qualified developer must utilize. Makes a change to the definition of "qualified developer". In a provision concerning the administration of the Rehab Program, provides that within 45 days of the satisfactory completion of a qualified project, the Authority shall pay to the qualified developer responsible for such project a Rehab Program incentive fee in a dollar amount that is equal to: (i) the difference between the approved project costs for the qualified project in question and the fair market value of such completed qualified project; plus (ii) an amount equal to 5% of such approved project costs (rather than 5% of such fair market value). Removes a provision permitting the Authority to authorize qualified projects in any given calendar year in an amount not to exceed more than $250,000,000 in aggregate bond indebtedness then outstanding for all such bonds. Provides that the amount of Rehab Program incentive fees the Authority may issue during the pilot period shall be $30,000,000 (rather than $20,000,000). Removes a provision requiring the Authority to fund such incentive fees by issuing bonds if there are inadequate appropriations to cover the full fee amount during the pilot period. Instead provides that, to the extent authorized by the General Assembly and the Governor, the $30,000,000 appropriation for the pilot program shall be funded with proceeds the State receives under the federal American Rescue Plan Act of 2021. Removes a provision permitting the Authority to issue bonds for the payment of Rehab Program incentive fees to qualified developers. Effective immediately.

Amends the Property Tax Code. In the Senior Citizens Assessment Freeze Homestead Exemption provisions of the Code, provides that "household income" does not include wages paid to a member of the household who is a person with a disability. Effective immediately.

Creates the Ballistics Information Act. Provides that, whenever a law enforcement agency recovers any spent shell casing at a crime scene or has reason to believe that the recovered spent shell casing is related to or associated with the commission of a crime or the unlawful discharge of a firearm, the law enforcement agency shall, within a 24-hour period, submit the ballistics information to the National Integrated Ballistics Identification Network. Provides that, whenever a law enforcement agency seizes or recovers a semiautomatic firearm that is deemed suitable to be entered into the National Integrated Ballistics Identification Network system that was: unlawfully possessed, used for any unlawful purpose, recovered from the scene of a crime, is reasonably believed to have been used or associated with the commission of a crime, or is acquired by the law enforcement agency as an abandoned or discarded firearm, the law enforcement agency shall arrange for every such firearm to be test fired within 24 hours and the results of that test firing to be submitted to the National Integrated Ballistics Identification Network to determine whether the firearm is associated with or related to a crime, criminal event, or any individual associated with or related to a crime or criminal event or reasonably believed to be associated with or related to a crime or criminal event.

Appropriates $8,000,000 from the General Revenue Fund to the Office of the State Treasurer for the Illinois Higher Education Savings Program. Effective July 1, 2022.