Sen. Jacqueline Y. Collins

Amends the Secretary of State Act. Makes a technical change in a Section regarding the oath of office.

Creates the Mortgage Rescue Fraud Act. Outlines the terms that must be contained in a distressed property consultant contract and a distressed property reconveyance contract. Provides notice requirements for a distressed property consultant contract. Provides the right to cancel a distressed property consultant contract at any time until after the distressed property consultant has fully performed each contracted service. Provides the owner of the distressed property has a right to cancel a distressed property reconveyance contract at any time until midnight of the fifth business day following the day on which the owner of the distressed property signs the contract or until 8:00 a.m. on the last day of the period during which the owner of the distressed property has a right of redemption. Lists actions that constitute a violation of the Act. Provides for civil remedies for violation of the Act. Provides that a person who commits an intentional violation of one of the listed violations of the Act commits criminal mortgage rescue fraud. Provides criminal penalties for a person who commits criminal mortgage rescue fraud. Amends the Consumer Fraud and Deceptive Business Practices Act. Provides that a violation of the Mortgage Rescue Fraud Act is a violation of the Consumer Fraud and Deceptive Business Practices Act. Effective January 1, 2007.

Amends the Property Tax Code. Re-enacts the Senior Citizens Assessment Freeze Homestead Exemption. The exemption was created by Public Act 88-669, which has been held to be unconstitutional as a violation of the single subject clause of the Illinois Constitution. Includes validation provisions. Increases the maximum reduction for the Senior Citizens Homestead Exemption from $3,000 to $3,500 for taxable years 2006 and thereafter. Increases the maximum income limitation in the Senior Citizens Assessment Freeze Homestead Exemption from $45,000 to $50,000 for taxable years 2006 and thereafter. Amends the Senior Citizens Real Estate Tax Deferral Act. Increases the maximum income limitation under the Act from $40,000 to $45,000 for taxable years 2006 and thereafter. Amends the State Mandates Act to require implementation without reimbursement. Effective immediately.

Amends the Illinois Economic Opportunity Act, the State Finance Act, the Illinois Income Tax Act, the Illinois Municipal Code, the Public Utilities Act, the Energy Assistance Act, and the Good Samaritan Energy Plan Act. Makes provisions concerning transfers to the General Revenue Fund from other funds not applicable to the Supplemental Low-Income Energy Assistance Fund, the Good Samaritan Energy Trust Fund, and the Energy Assistance Program Fund. Creates an Illinois income tax checkoff whereby a taxpayer may make a contribution to the Energy Assistance Program Fund. Prohibits the termination of gas or electric utility service to residential users who participate in or are eligible for the energy assistance program, and provides for reconnection of utility service to such households. Provides for administration of the energy assistance program and the Good Samaritan Energy Trust Fund by the Department of Healthcare and Family Services instead of the Department of Commerce and Community Affairs (now Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity); requires the Department to adopt rules providing for enhanced enrollment for eligible consumers to receive energy assistance, and requires gas and electric utility companies and cooperatives to assist in coordinating low-income energy assistance. Provides that the annual eligibility level for the energy assistance program may not be lower (instead of higher) than 150% of the federal poverty level. Deletes the repeal of provisions concerning the Supplemental Low-Income Energy Assistance Fund scheduled for December 31, 2007. Makes other changes. Effective immediately.

Creates the Integrated Telecommunications Outreach, Quality of Service, and Digital Literacy Act. Requires the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity to: (i) establish a telecommunications outreach program in consultation with the Illinois Commerce Commission and (ii) establish a Quality of Service Data Sharing program in cooperation with the Illinois Commerce Commission and the Attorney General. Requires the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, in cooperation with various State agencies and other entities, to establish an Eliminate the Digital Divide Trust Program.

Creates the Mercury Switch Removal Act. Provides that mercury switches removed from end-of-life vehicles must be managed in accordance with the Environmental Protection Act and regulations adopted thereunder. Requires vehicle recyclers, vehicle crushers, and scrap metal recyclers that remove mercury switches to maintain certain records and make reports relating to the mercury switches removed. Requires manufacturers of vehicles in Illinois that contain mercury switches to begin a mercury switch collection program, within 60 days of the effective date of this Act, that facilitates the removal of mercury switches from end-of-life vehicles prior to the vehicles being flattened, crushed, shredded, or otherwise processed for recycling. Sets forth that these programs must, to the extent practicable, use the currently available vehicle recycling infrastructure and be designed to achieve a capture rate of not less than (i) 35% for the period of July 1, 2006, through June 30, 2007; (ii) 50% for the period of July 1, 2007, through June 30, 2008; and (iii) 70% for the period of July 1, 2008, through June 30, 2009 and for each subsequent period of July 1 through June 30. Sets forth certain requirements for these collection programs including that each manufacturer adopt an implementation plan for their mercury switch collection program. Provides that if the required capture rates are not met, the Agency shall provide notice to the manufacturers subject to the collection requirements, and that beginning 30 days after the Agency first provides notice, a vehicle recycler that sells, gives, or otherwise conveys an end-of-life vehicle to an on-site or off-site vehicle crusher or a scrap metal recycler must remove all mercury switches from the vehicle prior to its conveyance, and that manufacturers subject to these collection requirements must provide to vehicle recyclers, vehicle crushers, and scrap metal recyclers (i) $2.00 for each mercury switch removed by the vehicle recycler, vehicle crusher, or the scrap metal recycler, (ii) the costs of the containers in which the mercury switches are collected, and (iii) the costs of packaging and transporting the mercury switches off-site. Provides civil penalties for violations of the Act. Authorizes periodic reviews of these programs. Repeals the Act on January 1, 2018. Contains other provisions. Effective immediately.

Mourns the untimely death of Siretha La'Jasmine White of Chicago.

Mourns the death of Ruth Payne Jones of Chicago.

Mourns the death of Rona Suzanne Bostic.

Amends the Department of State Police Law of the Civil Administrative Code of Illinois. Repeals a Section concerning the furlough of inmates to State agencies for research. Effective immediately.