Sen. Kwame Raoul

Amends the Criminal Identification Act. Authorizes the court to seal Class 4 felony convictions for possession with intent to manufacture or deliver cannabis without the defendant being required to successfully complete qualified probation under the Act. Authorizes the court to seal Class 3 felony convictions for possession with intent to manufacture or deliver cannabis without the defendant being required to obtain an authorization for sealing from the Prisoner Review Board. Effective immediately.

Amends the Illinois Municipal Code. Makes a technical change in a Section concerning the short title.

Amends the General Provisions, General Assembly, Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund (IMRF), State Employee, State Universities, Downstate Teacher, and Judges Articles of the Illinois Pension Code. Contains a Part A, which is intended by the General Assembly as a stand-alone reform of the General Assembly, State Employee, State Universities, and Downstate Teacher Articles of the Illinois Pension Code and takes effect upon becoming law. Contains a Part B, which is intended to provide alternative provisions that take effect only if and when a corresponding portion of Part A is determined to be unconstitutional or otherwise invalid or unenforceable. In Part A, caps pensionable salary, temporarily suspends and reduces the amount of automatic annual increases, requires the systems to be 100% funded by 2043, and increases required employee contributions. In Part B, requires persons to make an election either to accept reductions in the amount of, as well as delays in eligibility for, automatic annual increases or to forgo certain healthcare benefits and future increases in pensionable income. Effective upon becoming law, except that specified portions of Part B take effect upon the date following the date upon which certain contingencies occur.

Amends the Nursing Home Care Act. Provides that the Department of Public Health shall promulgate rules specific to the staffing requirements for facilities that are federally defined as Institutions for Mental Disease and for facilities that are licensed under the Specialized Mental Health Rehabilitation Act (instead of within 120 days of the effective date of Public Act 97-689, the Department of Public Health shall promulgate such rules). Effective immediately.

Amends the Juvenile Court Act of 1987. Provides that subject to certain limitations specified in the Act, the court presiding over the juvenile court proceeding brought under the Act, in its discretion, may order that juvenile court records may be made available in individual cases to representatives of agencies, associations, news media, and other properly interested persons. Provides that in determining whether inspection should be limited to certain parts of the file, the court shall consider the minor's interest in confidentiality and rehabilitation over the moving party's interest in obtaining the information. Effective immediately.

Amends the Cook County Article of the Illinois Pension Code. Provides that the board shall list on its website all board vacancies, the election calendar, the statutory requirements for each elected board position, and election rules adopted by the board.

Amends the Administration Article of the Illinois Public Aid Code. Establishes civil penalties ranging from $10,000 to $50,000 for any person (including a vendor, organization, agency, or other entity, but excluding a recipient) who: knowingly presents or causes to be presented a fraudulent claim for payment under the State's medical assistance program; knowingly gives or causes to be given to any person, with respect to coverage for inpatient hospital services under the medical assistance program, information that he or she knows or should know is false or misleading; arranges or contracts (by employment or otherwise) with an individual or entity that the person knows or should know is excluded from participation in a federal or state health care program, including, but not limited to, the medical assistance program, for the provision of items or services for which payment may be made under such a program; or commits other specified fraudulent acts. Provides that the Director of Healthcare and Family Services may make a determination to terminate, suspend, bar, or exclude the person from participation in the medical assistance program, but not before granting the affected individual, entity, or vendor an opportunity for a hearing after reasonable notice. Provides that a final order, decision, or other determination made by the Director is subject to review in accordance with the Administrative Review Law. Removes language allowing the Department to recover interest on the amount of an overpayment. Makes other changes. Effective immediately.

Amends the Civil Practice Law of the Code of Civil Procedure. Provides that in any civil action involving a claim for money damages, a release must be tendered by the settling defendants to the plaintiff within 14 days of an agreement to the settlement, and in cases where the law requires court approval of the settlement, the plaintiff shall timely obtain court approval and tender to the defendant a copy of the order approving the settlement. Provides that a settling defendant shall pay all sums due to a settling plaintiff within 21 days of tender by the settling plaintiff to the settling defendant of a duly executed release (and, if required by law, a copy of the order approving the settlement), and provides that upon failure to pay, interest, calculated from the date of the release, shall accrue on the amount of the settlement and shall be payable to the settling plaintiff. Provides that the plaintiff is entitled to judgment without further notice against any settling defendant who has not timely paid. Provides that the new provisions apply to all civil actions involving a claim for money damages. Effective immediately.

Amends the Code of Criminal Procedure of 1963. Makes a technical change in a Section concerning a drug testing program.

Amends the Criminal Code of 2012. Provides for enhanced penalties for criminal damage to property and criminal defacement of property if the property damaged or defaced are individual graves, gravestones, or markers or property which memorializes or honors a person or group, including police officers, fire fighters, veterans, or historic figures.