Rep. Michael K. Smith

Amends the School Energy Conservation Article of the School Code. Subject to appropriation, requires the State Board of Education to provide financial incentives to school districts that participate in energy conservation. Provides that the State Board of Education shall determine, by rule, what form of financial incentive is to be provided, which school districts are eligible for a financial incentive, what actions constitute energy conservation, and how a school district is to apply for a financial incentive. Effective July 1, 2009.

Amends the School Code. Provides that public funds may not be utilized to promote or aid any sort of restructuring, reconfiguring, reconstituting, or likewise of a public school that would have the effect of privatizing the majority of the school's employees or would result in the replacement of the majority of unionized teachers or professional school support personnel with non-unionized employees. Effective immediately.

Resolves that the State Board of Education, in collaboration with the Board of Higher Education, shall prepare legislative recommendations to restructure school leader preparation and certification programs in this State.

Appropriates $3,400,000, or so much of that amount as may be necessary, from the General Revenue Fund to the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity for the purpose of creating a contingency allotment for reimbursing sellers who participated in the Department's Retail Energy Efficiency Appliance Program. Effective April 1, 2010.

Amends the School Code. Makes a technical change in a Section concerning charter schools.

Amends the Disabled Persons Rehabilitation Act. Requires the Department of Human Services to adopt a policy to inform each Home Services Program customer of the mandatory requirement of a criminal background investigation for individuals who are being selected as Personal Assistants or Private Duty Providers to that customer. Provides that the customer shall be informed of this requirement at the time of application and no personal assistant or provider shall begin employment until verification that the appropriate forms for a criminal background investigation have been signed by the personal assistant or provider and submitted for processing. Further provides that the results of the criminal background investigation shall be sent directly to the customer, and the customer shall have no obligation to share the results of the investigation. Effective immediately.

Amends the School Code. Makes a technical change in a Section concerning the School Code's construction.

Amends the School Code. Makes a technical change in a Section concerning the School Code's construction.

Makes a supplemental appropriation of $1,000,000 from the General Revenue Fund to the State Board of Education for personal services to fill vacant professional staff positions. Effective immediately.

Amends the Criminal Code of 1961. Provides that a person convicted of criminal sexual assault or aggravated criminal sexual assault when the criminal sexual assault or aggravated criminal sexual assault was committed against 2 or more persons who were under 18 years of age at the time of the commission of the offense regardless of whether the offenses occurred as the result of the same act or of several related or unrelated acts shall be sentenced to a term of natural life imprisonment.