Amends the Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities Administrative Act. Requires that the Department of Human Services by rule establish the maximum annual household income for eligibility for the Family Assistance and Support Program, which may not be less than $65,000 and must be adjusted annually for inflation. Effective immediately.
Creates the Clean Coal FutureGen for Illinois Act for the purpose of providing the FutureGen Alliance with adequate liability protection, land use rights, and permitting certainty to facilitate the siting of the FutureGen Project in Illinois. Contain provisions concerning transfer of title to sequestered gas and associated liabilities to the State; insurance and indemnification by the State for the Operator for certain liabilities; permits; land use, including condemnation powers; and economic incentives. Contains other provisions and a severability clause. Amends: the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity Law concerning financial assistance; the Illinois Enterprise Zone Act concerning high impact businesses; the Court of Claims Act and the State Lawsuit Immunity Act concerning jurisdiction; and the Eminent Domain Act concerning condemnation authority. Effective immediately.
Mourns the death of General Wayne Downing of Peoria.
Creates the High Speed Internet Services and Information Technology Law and amends the State Finance Act. Provides that the Lieutenant Governor, with the advice of the Broadband Deployment Council, shall enlist a nonprofit corporation to implement a comprehensive, statewide high speed Internet deployment strategy and adoption initiative. Specifies the duties of the nonprofit organization. Provides that nothing in the High Speed Internet Services and Information Technology Law shall be construed as giving the Lieutenant Governor, the Broadband Deployment Council, the nonprofit organization, or other entities any additional authority, regulatory or otherwise, over providers of telecommunications, broadband, and information technology. Creates the High Speed Internet Services and Information Technology Fund as a special fund in the State treasury, to be used, subject to appropriation, by the Lieutenant Governor for purposes of providing grants to the nonprofit organization enlisted under the Law. Provides that on the effective date of the Law, all moneys in the Digital Divide Elimination Infrastructure Fund which have not already been distributed or ordered distributed by the Illinois Commerce Commission shall be transferred to the High Speed Internet Services and Information Technology Fund. Contains other provisions concerning local governmental entities who undertake local broadband projects. Amends the Universal Telephone Service Protection Law of 1985 in the Public Utilities Act. Provides that a telecommunications carrier that is not subject to regulation under an alternative regulation plan pursuant to specified provisions may reduce the rate or charge for a noncompetitive service, service element, feature, or functionality offered to customers on a separate, stand-alone basis or as part of a bundled service offering by filing with the Commission a tariff that shows the reduced rate or charge and all applicable terms and conditions of the noncompetitive service, service element, feature, or functionality or bundled offering. Provides that provisions concerning basic local exchange service quality and the consumer complaint resolution process do not apply to telephone cooperatives. Changes the repeal date of the Universal Telephone Service Protection Law of 1985 from July 1, 2007 to July 1, 2009.
Amends the Municipal Code. Provides that certain fines imposed against a property owner for building code violations may be collected as a special assessment on the property if the fines remain unpaid 60 days after being imposed. Provides that 5% of the amount collected as a result of those special assessments shall be deposited into the Tax Sale Automation Fund. Effective immediately.
Creates the State Services Assurance Act. Establishes required staffing ratios for specified State agencies that provide essential services. Requires the Departments of Children and Family Services and Veterans' Affairs to convene caseload and workload standards task forces, and the Department of Juvenile Justice to convene a staffing ratio standards task force, to develop standards by January 1, 2007. Requires the Legislative Audit Commission, in consultation with the Auditor General, to schedule audits, to be completed by January 1, 2007, of each executive branch agency under the Governor's authority to determine its staffing level trends. Effective immediately.
Amends the Municipal Code. Provides that certain fines imposed against a property owner for building code violations may be collected as a special assessment on the property if the fines remain unpaid 60 days after being imposed.
Amends the School Code. Makes a technical change in a Section concerning the School Code's construction.
Amends the Veterans Preference Act. Makes a technical change in a Section concerning a preference given to veterans in employment and appointment to fill certain public works positions.
Appropriates $18,000,000 from the General Revenue Fund to the Illinois Student Assistance Commission for the payment of Monetary Award Program grants. Appropriates $3,700,000 from the Monetary Award Program Reserve Fund to the Illinois Student Assistance Commission for the payment of Silas Purnell Illinois Incentive for Access grants. Effective July 1, 2005.
