Amends the Illinois Municipal Code. Provides that, on and after the effective date of this amendatory Act, a home rule unit may not impose any tax increase or levy any new or additional tax without prior referendum approval. Limits home rule powers.
Amends the Illinois Lottery Law. Requires the Department of the Lottery, beginning on January 1, 2019 or as soon thereafter as is practical, to offer a special instant scratch-off game for the purposes of upkeep, maintenance, and improvements to Illinois State and local parks. Provides that the net revenue from the special instant scratch-off game must be deposited into the Illinois Parks Scratch-off Fund. Provides that the moneys deposited in the Fund shall be used by the Department of Natural Resources for upkeep, maintenance, and improvements to Illinois State and local parks, including grants for those purposes. Authorizes the Department of the Lottery to adopt rules necessary to implement and administer the game. Defines "net revenue". Amends the State Finance Act to create the Illinois Parks Scratch-off Fund. Effective immediately.
Amends the Use Tax Act, the Service Use Tax Act, the Service Occupation Tax Act, and the Retailers' Occupation Tax Act. Reinstates the graphic arts machinery and equipment exemption and the corresponding Manufacturer's Purchase Credit on and after January 1, 2017. Provides that those credits are exempt from the Acts' automatic sunset provisions. Effective immediately.
Amends the General Assembly Compensation Act. Provides that beginning in 2017, and for each year thereafter, if the General Assembly fails to pass a balanced budget by June 30th of each year, the compensation to be paid to members of the General Assembly, including the additional sums payable to officers of the General Assembly, shall be withheld until a balanced budget is passed. Amends the State Budget Law of the Civil Administrative Code of Illinois. Removes the salary of members of the General Assembly from continuing appropriations provisions. Effective immediately.
Amends the Illinois Municipal Code. Provides that the chief of the fire department or chief of the police department may be removed or discharged by the board of fire and police commissioners if the municipality has such a board or the appointing authority if the municipality does not have a board (currently, removed or discharged only by the appointing authority). Effective immediately.
Amends the Criminal Code of 2012. Creates the offense of unlawful wearing of a mask, hood, or device to conceal the identity of the wearer from a peace officer. Provides that the offense is committed when a person, with the intent to conceal his or her identity from a peace officer, wears a mask, hood, or device in which any portion of the person's face is hidden, concealed, or covered on any public way, public place, or property, or on any private property, without first having obtained the written permission from the owner or occupier of the property. Provides exemptions. Provides that a violation is a Class C misdemeanor.
Amends the Illinois Lottery Law. Requires the Department of the Lottery, beginning on January 1, 2018 or as soon thereafter as is practical, to offer a special instant scratch-off game to benefit State police memorials. Requires the net revenue from that game to be deposited into the Criminal Justice Information Projects Fund. Provides that moneys received from the scratch-off game shall be divided equally for distribution into the Chicago Police Memorial Foundation Fund, the Police Memorial Committee Fund, and the Illinois State Police Memorial Fund. Moneys received under this Section shall be used to fund grants for building and maintaining memorials and parks; holding annual memorial commemorations; giving scholarships to children of officers killed or catastrophically injured in the line of duty, or those interested in pursuing a career in law enforcement; and providing financial assistance to police officers and their families when a police officer is killed or injured in the line of duty. Authorizes the Department to adopt rules necessary to implement and administer the game. Defines "net revenue". Amends the Illinois Criminal Justice Information Act to make conforming changes. Effective immediately.
Amends the Illinois Public Aid Code. Provides that any person who possesses for an unlawful purpose another person's Electronic Benefit Transfer card (EBT) or LINK card in order to use or transfer in any manner not authorized by law or the rules and regulations of the Department of Human Services the cash assistance benefits held on that EBT or LINK card is guilty of a violation and shall be subject to certain penalties established under the Code. Effective immediately.
Amends the Criminal Code of 2012. Provides that it is also a hate crime by reason of the actual or perceived employment as a peace officer, firefighter, emergency medical services personnel of another individual or group of individuals, or by reason of the actual or perceived military status of another individual or group of individuals, regardless of the existence of any other motivating factor or factors to commit assault, battery, aggravated assault, misdemeanor theft, criminal trespass to residence, misdemeanor criminal damage to property, criminal trespass to vehicle, criminal trespass to real property, mob action, disorderly conduct, harassment by telephone, or harassment through electronic communications.
Amends the Criminal Code of 2012 relating to first degree murder. Adds and eliminates aggravating factors for which the death penalty may be imposed. Amends the Code of Criminal Procedure of 1963. Eliminates provision that abolishes the sentence of death. Enacts the Capital Crimes Litigation Act of 2017. Provides that all unobligated and unexpended moneys remaining in the Death Penalty Abolition Fund on the effective date of the amendatory Act shall be transferred into the Capital Litigation Trust Fund. Amends the State Appellate Defender Act. Provides that in cases in which a death sentence is an authorized disposition, the State Appellate Defender shall provide trial counsel with legal assistance and the assistance of expert witnesses, investigators, and mitigation specialists from funds appropriated to the State Appellate Defender specifically for that purpose by the General Assembly. Provides that the Office of State Appellate Defender shall not be appointed to serve as trial counsel in capital cases.
