Creates the Green Jobs Training Fund Act. Creates the Green Jobs Training Fund as a special fund in the State Treasury. Provides that the purpose of the Fund shall be to support the development and implementation of worker skills training and education programs in energy efficiency and renewable energy industries. Authorizes the Director of Labor to use money from the Fund to establish 2 competitive grant programs: (i) an Energy Training Partnership Grant program, which would authorize the Director to award grants to eligible entities in order to produce economically self-sufficient program participants and a skilled workforce for eligible industries and (ii) a Pathways out of Poverty Grant program, which would authorize the Director to award grants to eligible entities that meet certain requirements. Limits grants made under either of these programs to $500,000 total over no more than 2 years. Requires the Department of Labor to report certain information to the General Assembly and Governor each year.
Sponsored bills
Amends the Criminal Code of 1961. Makes a technical change in a Section concerning a person's accountability for another person's conduct.
Mourns the death of Bishop Arthur M. Brazier.
Creates the Debt Settlement Consumer Protection Act. Provides that it shall be unlawful for any person to operate as a debt settlement provider or engage in debt settlement service except as authorized by the Act and without first having obtained a license under the Act. Contains provisions concerning the (1) application for a license, (2) qualifications for licensure, (3) renewal of a license, (4) display requirements for a license, (5) temporary licensed locations, (6) denial of a license, (7) revocation or suspension of a license, (8) maintenance of records by a licensee, (9) examination of a licensee, (10) maintenance of trust funds by a licensee, and (11) other licensee businesses. With respect to the Director of Financial Institutions, contains provisions concerning the (1) adoption of rules by the Director, (2) penalties for violations of the Act, (3) procedure the Director may take to obtain an injunction, (4) review of decisions, (5) issuance of cease and desist orders. Contains provisions concerning (1) advertising practices, (2) individualized financial analysis, (3) required disclosures, (4) debt settlement contracts, (5) fees, (6) consumer settlement accounts, (7) cancellation of contracts, (8) obligations of good faith, (9) prohibited practices and noncompliance with the Act, and (10) civil remedies. Amends the Debt Management Service Act to exclude "debt settlement service" and attorneys engaged in specific practices from the Act. Amends the State Finance Act to provide that moneys collected under the Debt Settlement Consumer Protection Act shall be deposited into the Financial Institution Fund. Contains a severability clause. Amends the Consumer Fraud and Deceptive Business Practices Act to specify that a violation of the Debt Settlement Consumer Protection Act is a violation of the Act. Effective immediately.
Amends the Deposit of State Moneys Act. Makes a technical change in a Section concerning investment in minority-owned financial institutions.
Amends the Prevailing Wage Act. Provides that "public works" includes all projects located in an enterprise zone as defined in the Illinois Enterprise Zone Act or located in an economic development project area as defined in the Economic Development Project Area Tax Increment Allocation Act of 1995, but does not include projects at an owner-occupied single family residence or owner-occupied multi-family residence located in an enterprise zone or economic development project area. Provides that all contractors and subcontractors required to pay the prevailing wage under the Act shall make payment of such wages in legal tender, without any deduction for food, sleeping accommodations, transportation, use of tools, or any other thing of any kind or description. Provides that the Department of Labor shall make revised prevailing wage rates available on its official website and such posting on the website shall be deemed notice to the contractor or subcontractor of the revised rate. Provides that the contractor or subcontractor shall be responsible to pay the revised rate. Provides that in lieu of posting the prevailing wage rates on the project site of the public works, a contractor which has a business location where laborers, workers and mechanics regularly visit may: (1) post in a conspicuous location at that business the current prevailing wage rates for each county in which the contractor is performing work; or (2) provide such laborer, worker or mechanic engaged on the public works project a written notice indicating the prevailing wage rates for the public works project. Makes other changes. Effective immediately.
Amends the Juvenile Court Act of 1987. Provides that the Illinois Juvenile Jurisdiction Task Force shall submit a report of its recommendations to the General Assembly by January 1, 2012 (rather than January 1, 2010). Effective immediately.
Amends the Unified Code of Corrections. Changes various headings and cross references to offenses whose Section numbers have changed. Incorporates in the Section concerning non-probationable offenses those offenses that are non-probationable not mentioned in that Section. Effective immediately.
Amends the Abandoned Newborn Infant Protection Act. Provides that the information packet given to a relinquishing parent in accordance with the Act shall not exceed 5 pages and shall include, in addition to other required information, a one-page brochure (self-mailer) that describes the Safe Haven Law; a one-page brochure (self-mailer) that describes the Illinois Adoption Registry; and a one-page brochure describing health information for the mother and how she can get medical care if she needs it. Requires the information packet to be designed in coordination between the Office of Vital Records and the Department of Children and Family Services. Requires the Office of Vital Records to continue to maintain and distribute the information packet, and to hold on file all foundling records of relinquished newborns. Effective immediately.
Amends the Illinois Parentage Act of 1984. Provides how the lab shall determine the databases to use in calculating the probability of paternity based on the ethnic or racial group of an individual. Provides that if the genetic testing does not identify the father, additional testing may be required. Provides that if the alleged father is not excluded by the testing, the report shall contain statistics (instead of contain a combined paternity index relating to the probability of paternity) based upon a prescribed statistical formula. Provides that if the test shows that the alleged father is not excluded, any party may demand that other qualified experts perform tests using blood types or other tests of genetic markers (instead of genetic markers found by Human Leucocyte Antigen (HLA) tests). Provides that if the tests show that the alleged father is not excluded and that there is at least a 99.9 percent probability of paternity (instead of and that the combined paternity index is less than 500 to 1), the alleged father is presumed to be the father, and this evidence shall be admitted (instead of admitted and weighed with other competent evidence). Provides that a man identified as the father may rebut the DNA test results by other genetic testing that satisfies the Act which exclude the man as the father or identifies another man as the possible father (instead of any parentage presumption is rebutted if the court finds that the conclusion of an expert excludes paternity). Provides that if more than one man is identified as the possible father, the court shall order each identified person to submit to DNA testing. Provides that the test expenses shall be paid by the party requesting the tests, except that the court may apportion the costs between the parties, upon request (instead of paid by the party requesting the test).