Amends the Renter's Financial Responsibility and Protection Act. Deletes language limiting the amount per day that the renter of a vehicle may be charged for collision damage waivers.
Amends the State Finance Act. Excludes moneys received by the Department of Financial and Professional Regulation under the Illinois Credit Union Act from those moneys required to be deposited into the Financial Institution Fund. Makes certain provisions concerning transfers to the General Revenue Fund inapplicable to (i) any fund established under the Illinois Credit Union Act, the Illinois Banking Act, the Illinois Savings and Loan Act of 1985, or the Savings Bank Act and (ii) the Professions Indirect Cost Fund. Limits transfers and expenditures from those funds to specified purposes. Prohibits the allocation or transfer of additional amounts generated by certain fee increases with respect to or from the Credit Union Fund. Amends the Illinois Banking Act, the Illinois Savings and Loan Act of 1985, and the Savings Bank Act. With respect to the moneys in each of the Bank and Trust Company Fund, the Savings and Residential Finance Regulatory Fund, and the Credit Union Fund, (i) exempts those moneys from assignment or transfer except for unappropriated administrative expenses and (ii) provides that the moneys remain the property of and must be held in trust for the financial institutions from which they were collected. For FY08, requires the Commissioner of Banks and Real Estate (now, the Director of the Division of Banks and Real Estate) to adopt rules to adjust regulatory fee rates in the specified manner. Amends the Illinois Credit Union Act. Provides that the regulatory fee paid by a credit union to the Department of Financial and Professional Regulation shall be the lesser of (i) the rate pursuant to the regulatory fee schedule or (ii) a rate established in a manner proportionately consistent with the rates in the regulatory fee schedule and that would fund the actual administrative and operational expenses of the Credit Union Section. Increases rates in the regulatory fee schedule for credit unions with total assets over $5,000,000. Requires the Director of Financial and Professional Regulation to adjust the fee schedule for the next fiscal year. Provides that the fee schedule may be increased by no more than 5% annually if necessary to defray the actual (now, estimated) administrative and operational expenses of the Credit Union Section (now, the Department). Prohibits any increase in the fee schedule if the amount remaining in the Credit Union Fund at the end of the fiscal year is equal to or greater than 25% of the actual administrative and operational expenses for the preceding fiscal year. Requires the Director to base the regulatory fee for the next fiscal year on the credit union's total assets as of December 31 of the preceding calendar year. Beginning on July 1, 2005, requires a credit union to pay the regulatory fee in quarterly installments due and payable on the due date for the call report for the preceding quarter (now, a credit union is required to pay the regulatory fee in full no later than March 1 of each calendar year). Provides for a regulatory fee cap of $125,000 (now, $187,500). Effective immediately.
Amends the Illinois Vehicle Code. Provides that the Secretary of State may not issue a driver's license or permit to any person 75 years or older, unless the person passes a vision examination or presents a report of a vision examination, conducted within the previous 90 days by an ophthalmologist or optometrist, indicating that the applicant's vision meets or exceeds standards. Provides that persons 75 through 80 (rather than 81 through 86) years of age must renew their driver's licenses every 2 years. Provides that every person 81 (rather than 87) years of age or older must renew his or her driver's license every year. Deletes language allowing the Secretary of State to extend the length of the one-year or 2-year renewal period by as much as one year.
Amends the Criminal Code of 1961. Creates the offense of criminal trespass to an agricultural facility. Defines the offense as entering upon lands or buildings owned by any other person without the license of the owner or legal occupant, where signs forbidding trespass are displayed, and where cattle, goats, pigs, sheep, fowl, or any other animal is being raised, bred, fed, or held for the purpose of food for human consumption; or injuring, gathering, or carrying away any animal being housed on any of those lands, without the license of the owner or legal occupant; or damaging, destroying, or removing, or causing to be removed, damaged, or destroyed, any stakes, marks, fences, or signs intended to designate the boundaries and limits of any of those lands. Provides that criminal trespass to an agricultural facility is a Class B misdemeanor.
Amends the Illinois Renewable Fuels Development Program Act. Provides that a recipient of Program grants must be constructing, modifying, altering, or retrofitting an (i) ethanol plant (now, just plant) that has annual production capacity of no less than 30,000,000 gallons of renewable fuel per year or a (ii) biodiesel plant. Requires the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity to establish and administer grant programs including: the Illinois Renewable Fuels Majority Blended Ethanol Program, the Illinois Corn Grain to Fuel Research Consortium Assistance Program, the Illinois Renewable Fuels Corn-to-Hydrogen Fuel Cell Research Program, the Illinois Renewable Fuels Biodiesel Infrastructure Grant Program, the Illinois Renewable Fuels Ethanol Development Intergovernmental Assistance Program. Sets forth the purposes and conditions for these grant programs. Provides that subject to appropriation (now, subject to appropriation from the Build Illinois Bond Fund), the Director is authorized to award Renewable Fuels Development Program Fund grants. Sets forth that the annual aggregate amount for these grants shall not exceed $25,000,000 in Fiscal year 2007 and 2008 and $15,000,000 thereafter (now, may not exceed $15,000,000). Specifies how these grant funds shall be allocated. Sets forth certain limitations on spending on the various Program grants including for research conducted at the National Corn-to-Ethanol Research Facility at SIU-Edwardsville not to exceed $1,000,000 annually, and a one-time grant in FY 2007 not to exceed $3,000,000 for construction, remodeling, and expansion of the National Corn-to-Ethanol Research Facility at SIU-Edwardsville. Provides that normal operating and execution of renewable fuels programs in existence on January 1, 2006 within the Department from the Renewable Fuels Development Program Fund shall not exceed $5,000,000 annually. Amends the State Finance Act to create the Renewable Fuels Development Program Fund as a special fund in the State treasury to fund these grant programs. Sets forth certain conditions for the operation of this Fund. Provides for certain annual payments from the General Revenue Fund to the Renewable Fuels Development Program Fund. Amends the Use Tax Act, the Service Use Tax Act, the Service Occupation Tax Act, and the Retailers' Occupation Tax Act, to provide that on or after July 1, 2006 and on or before June 30, 2016, those tax rates apply to 90% of the proceeds of sales made on gasohol (now, apply to 80% of the proceeds of sales made on gasohol). Amends the Motor Fuel and Petroleum Standards Act to provide that beginning January 1, 2008 a minimum of 10% of all motor fuel sold or offered for sale in Illinois must be denatured ethanol and that beginning January 1, 2012 a minimum of 15% of all motor fuel sold or offered for sale in Illinois must be denatured ethanol. Effective July 1, 2006.
Amends the Board of Higher Education Act. Requires the Board, in consultation with the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, to develop a regional education and career pathways partnership program to target high-wage jobs in key economic sectors and address business and industry needs by providing employers with a well-prepared workforce. Provides that after the program is developed, but no later than January 1, 2007, the Board shall file a report with the General Assembly describing the program and estimating the cost of the program. Provides that the Board may not implement the program until after this report has been filed and funding to implement the program has been appropriated.
Appropriates $1,500,000 from the General Revenue Fund to the Department of Public Health to fund nursing scholarships. Effective July 1, 2005.
Amends the Illinois Vehicle Code. Deletes language providing that an owner may not register more than 2 farm trailers under the flat weight tax option.
Amends the Firearm Owners Identification Card Act. Changes, from 21 years of age or over to 18 years of age or over, the age at which a person may apply for and be issued a Firearm Owner's Identification Card without the consent of a parent or legal guardian. Provides that a Firearm Owner's Identification Card issued to a person who is on active duty for the Armed Forces of the United States that expires while that person is on active duty for the Armed Forces of the United States is valid for 6 months from the time the person is released from active duty. Effective immediately.
Appropriates $2,612,500 from the Capital Development Fund to the Conservation 2000 projects Fund for use by the Department of Agriculture for the Conservation Practices Program. Effective immediately.
