Sen. Emil Jones

Amends the Compulsory Attendance Article of the School Code. Allows a child to be absent from school on a particular day or days or at a particular time of day for the reason that his or her parent or legal guardian is an active duty member of the uniformed services and has been called to duty for, is on leave from, or has immediately returned from deployment to a combat zone or combat-support postings. Provides that such a student shall be granted 10 days of excused absences in any school year and, at the discretion of the school board, additional excused absences to visit the student's parent or legal guardian relative to such leave or deployment of the parent or legal guardian. Requires the student and parent or legal guardian to obtain assignments from the student's teacher prior to any period of excused absence and for ensuring that such assignments are completed by the student prior to his or her return to school from such period of excused absence. Effective immediately.

Amends the Criminal Code of 2012. Provides that a person also commits hate crime when, by reason of the actual or perceived race, color, creed, religion, ancestry, gender, sexual orientation, physical or mental disability, or national origin of another individual or group of individuals, regardless of the existence of any other motivating factor or factors, he or she commits intimidation, stalking, cyberstalking, or transmission of obscene messages. Provides that independent of any criminal prosecution or the result of a criminal prosecution, any person suffering intimidation, stalking, cyberstalking, disorderly conduct, transmission of obscene messages, harassment by telephone, or harassment through electronic communications may bring a civil action for damages, injunction or other appropriate relief. Provides that the Attorney General may bring an action for civil damages for a hate crime in the name of the People of the State. Provides that the court shall impose a civil penalty of $25,000 for each violation of the hate crime statute.

Amends the Personnel Code. Provides that State agencies, when hiring for internships and student assistant positions, shall give preference to a qualified applicant who is, or has been, a dependent child in foster care, a homeless youth, or a formerly incarcerated youth. Effective immediately.

Amends the State Commemorative Dates Act. Provides that August 4th of each year is designated as Barack Obama Day.

Amends the Food Handling Regulation Enforcement Act. Makes changes to provisions concerning farmers' markets. Provides that the Department of Public Health shall work with the Farmers' Market Task Force to address farmers' market vendor complaints regarding the reasonableness of local health departments' fees and sanitation provisions. Provides that farmers' market vendors shall provide effective means to maintain potentially hazardous food at a specified temperature. Provides that handwashing stations may be shared by farmers' market vendors. Makes changes to provisions concerning cottage food operations. Changes references from "cottage food operation" to "producer". Makes changes to provisions concerning the regulation of producers. Add provisions concerning the kinds of transactions exempt from specified regulation. Removes provisions concerning potentially hazardous foods. Removes an exemption from provisions concerning the regulation of producers that applies when the gross receipts from the sale of food do not exceed $36,000 in a calendar year. Provides that no later than December 31, 2017, the Department shall include in the Department's cottage food operation application form a statement containing specified content. Makes changes to definitions. Makes other changes.

Amends the General Assembly Compensation Act. Establishes the fiscal year 2018 mileage reimbursement rate and allowance for lodging and meals. Amends the Compensation Review Act. Prohibits cost-of-living adjustments for or during the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2017 for State government legislative and executive elected officers and appointees in positions for which the Compensation Review Board previously recommended or determined compensation. Effective immediately.

Amends the Illinois Insurance Code, the State Employees Group Insurance Act of 1971, the Counties Code, the Illinois Municipal Code, the School Code, the Health Maintenance Organization Act, the Limited Health Service Organization Act, and the Voluntary Health Services Plans Act. Provides that a group or individual policy of accident and health insurance or managed care plan amended, delivered, issued, or renewed after the effective date of the amendatory Act shall provide coverage for treatment of pediatric autoimmune neuropsychiatric disorders associated with streptococcal infections and pediatric acute-onset neuropsychiatric syndrome, including, but not limited to, the use of intravenous immunoglobulin therapy. Effective immediately.

Mourns the death of Mozell "Buggie" Brown Jr.

Urges solutions be sought in order to increase the employment rate of African American youth, and urges the business community to work to identify and assist young African American adults to find employment opportunities.

Mourns the death of Donald Marion Pedro M.D. of Chicago.