Rep. Tony McCombie

Amends the Illinois Police Training Act. Creates within the Illinois Law Enforcement Training Standards Board a Recruitment Division. Provides that the Division shall establish a Back the Badge program, which shall establish recruitment plans for law enforcement agencies. Provides that the Division shall determine and prioritize specific characteristics that a law enforcement agency and community desire in their police officers. Provides that the Division shall cooperate with law enforcement agencies to determine a strategy to hire and retain sworn police officers who are diverse and reflective of the community, and the priorities of the law enforcement agencies.

Urges the Illinois Congressional Delegation to pass another round of economic relief to fund the Payment Protection Program and the Business Interruption Grant Program and to pass broad-based federal solutions that address pandemic risk for Illinois businesses.

Amends the Property Tax Code. Creates an assessment freeze homestead exemption for persons with a disability. Sets forth the amount of the exemption. Provides that applicants must reapply on an annual basis. Effective immediately.

Amends the Redistricting Transparency and Public Participation Act. Creates the Independent Redistricting Commission to adopt and file with the Secretary of State a redistricting plan for Legislative and Representative Districts (rather than requiring the Senate and House of Representatives to each establish a committee, or the Senate and House of Representatives may create by joint resolution a joint committee of both chambers, to consider proposals to redistrict the Legislative Districts or Representative Districts). Provides the commissioner selection process and meeting and voting requirements to adopt a plan. Makes conforming changes in the Act. Effective immediately.

Amends the Adult Protective Services Act. Provides that any person may report information about the suspicious death of an eligible adult to an agency designated to receive such reports under the Act or to the Department on Aging. Provides that if a mandated reporter has reason to believe that the death of an eligible adult may be the result of abuse or neglect, the matter shall be reported to an agency designated to receive such reports under the Act or to the Department for subsequent referral to the appropriate law enforcement agency and the coroner or medical examiner. Prohibits an employer from discriminating against any employee who reports information about the suspicious death of an eligible adult in accordance with the Act. Provides that any mandated reporter who is required under the Act to report a suspicious death due to abuse, neglect, or financial exploitation shall testify fully in any administrative hearing resulting from such report. Provides that a referral to law enforcement may be made after a report of a suspicious death, depending upon the circumstances. Provides that all records concerning reports of suspicious deaths due to abuse, neglect, financial exploitation, or self-neglect and all records generated as a result of such reports shall be confidential and shall not be disclosed, with some exceptions. Effective January 1, 2022.

Creates the Parental Notice of Abortion Act of 2022 with provisions similar to those of the Parental Notice of Abortion Act of 1995. Repeals the Youth Health and Safety Act. Effective upon becoming law or on the date Public Act 102-685 takes effect, whichever is later.

Amends the Child Protective Investigator and Child Welfare Specialist Certification Act of 1987. Provides that a bachelor's degree in criminal justice may be used to satisfy the educational requirement under the Act for any person who applies for certification as a child protective investigator.

Amends the Children and Family Services Act. Creates the Caseworker Self-Defense Law. Provides that DCFS caseworkers may carry a concealed handgun during the performance of their official duties. Provides that in order to carry a concealed weapon, a caseworker must be licensed to carry a concealed handgun under the Firearm Concealed Carry Act, and must annually complete a course of training provided by the Illinois Law Enforcement Training Standards Board. Provides liability protection for the Department for caseworkers who carry concealed handguns during the performance of their official duties. Amends the Illinois Police Training Act. Requires the Illinois Law Enforcement Training Standards Board to create a course of training for DCFS caseworkers and provides standards for such training. Amends the Firearm Concealed Carry Act. Provides that training for DCFS caseworkers under the Illinois Police Training Act satisfies the training requirements of the Firearm Concealed Carry Act. Effective immediately.

Amends the General Provisions and State Employees Articles of the Illinois Pension Code. Provides that a Tier 2 participant who is employed as an investigator for the Secretary of State on the effective date of the amendatory Act, has accrued not less than 10 years of credit for such service, and has attained age 60 shall be entitled to an annuity calculated under the alternative retirement annuity provisions of the State Employees Article, in lieu of a regular or minimum retirement annuity, notwithstanding that he or she has accrued less than 20 years of eligible creditable service. Provides that any benefit increase that results from the amendatory Act is excluded from the definition of "new benefit increase". Makes conforming changes. Effective immediately.

Amends the Juvenile Court Act of 1987. Concerning any writing, record, photograph, or x-ray of any hospital or public or private agency made as a memorandum or record of any condition, act, transaction, occurrence or event relating to a minor in an abuse, neglect, or dependency proceeding, a certification by a person or persons employed by the hospital or agency that the writing, record, photograph, or x-ray (rather than certification by the head or responsible employee of the hospital or agency) is the full and complete record of the condition, act, transaction, occurrence or event and that it satisfies the conditions of this provision shall be prima facie evidence of the facts contained in such certification. Deletes provision that a certification by someone other than the head of the hospital or agency shall be accompanied by a photocopy of a delegation of authority signed by both the head of the hospital or agency and by such other employee.