Sen. Donne E. Trotter

Amends the State Treasurer Act. Creates the Illinois Higher Education Savings Program. Provides for the implementation of and requirements for the Program. Provides for the State Treasurer's duties under the Program. Provides that the State Treasurer may adopt any rules that may be necessary to implement the Program. Amends the State Finance Act. Creates the Illinois Higher Education Savings Program Fund as a special fund in the State treasury. Defines terms.

Amends the State Treasurer Act. Provides that contributions to an ABLE account during the taxable year may be deducted from adjusted gross income as provided under a specified Section of the Illinois Income Tax Act. Amends the Illinois Income Tax Act. In a Section concerning base income, provides that the adjusted gross income shall be modified by adding a maximum amount of, for taxable years beginning on or after January 1, 2018, $10,000 contributed in the taxable year to an ABLE account under a specified Section of the State Treasurer Act. Provides for an exemption from a Section concerning the sunset of exemptions, credits, and deductions under the Act. Effective immediately.

Creates the Criminal History in College Applications Act. Provides that a public college may not inquire about or consider an applicant's criminal history information at any time during the admission decision-making process, except as required by State or federal law. Allows public colleges to continue using a multi-institution application, even if the application inquires about criminal history, but requires the public college to disregard the information for the admissions process. Allows public colleges to inquire about criminal history for certain purposes after the admission decision-making process, but forbids public colleges from rescinding an admissions offer based on the information. Authorizes public colleges to provide certain information. Effective immediately.

Creates the Healthy Workplace Act and amends the State Finance Act. Requires employers to provide specified paid sick days to employees. Sets forth the purposes for and manner in which the sick days may be used. Contains provisions regarding employer responsibilities, unlawful employer practices, and other matters. Provides that the Department of Labor shall administer the Act. Authorizes the imposition of civil penalties. Authorizes individuals to file civil actions with respect to violations. Creates the Healthy Workplace Fund as a special fund in the State treasury. Effective immediately.

Amends the Equal Pay Act of 2003. Prohibits an employer from: (i) screening job applicants based on their wage or salary history, (ii) requiring that an applicant's prior wages satisfy minimum or maximum criteria, and (iii) requesting or requiring as a condition of being interviewed or as a condition of continuing to be considered for an offer of employment that an applicant disclose prior wages or salary. Prohibits an employer from seeking the salary, including benefits or other compensation or salary history, of a job applicant from any current or former employer. Limits defenses. Provides for penalties and injunctive relief.

Amends the Chicago Firefighter Article of the Illinois Pension Code. Specifies that certain excess municipal contributions may be used only for reducing the amount that the city would otherwise be required to contribute for duty disability, occupational disease, or the administrative costs of the fund.

Urges those in government to commit to working to change the culture that breeds sexual harassment.

Amends the Illinois Roofing Industry Licensing Act. Provides that nothing in the Act shall be construed to require an employee who performs roofing or waterproofing work to his or her employer's residential property, where there exists an employee-employer relationship or for no consideration, to be licensed as a roofing contractor. Provides that nothing in the Act shall be construed to require a person who performs roof repair (rather than roofing) or waterproofing work to his or her employer's commercial or industrial property (rather than his or her employer's property) to be licensed as a roofing contractor, where there exists an employer-employee relationship. Defines "roof repair". Effective immediately.

Amends the Unclaimed Life Insurance Benefits Act. Provides that "policy" includes a policy that has lapsed or been terminated. Requires insurers to, at no later than the date of policy delivery or the establishment of an account, and upon any change of insured or beneficiary, request information sufficient to ensure that all benefits or proceeds are distributed to the appropriate persons upon the death of the insured. Allows insurers to contact insureds in certain circumstances for the information. Provides that the Act applies to policies, annuity contracts, and retained asset accounts in force at any time on or after January 1, 1996 (rather than on or after the effective date of the Act). Provides that the Act does not apply to a lapsed or terminated policy with no benefits payable that was compared against the Death Master File within the 18 months following the date of the lapse or termination of the applicable policy. Amends the Vital Records Act. Provides that any information contained in the vital records shall be made available at no cost to the State Treasurer for purposes related to the Uniform Disposition of Unclaimed Property Act. Amends the Uniform Disposition of Unclaimed Property Act. Removes provisions concerning certain fees and charges for unclaimed property. Provides that no person or company shall be entitled to a fee for discovering presumptively unclaimed property during the period beginning on the date the property was presumed abandoned and ending 24 months after the payment or delivery of the property to the State Treasurer (rather than until it has been in the custody of the State Treasurer for at least 24 months). Makes other changes.

Amends the Illinois Public Aid Code. Requires the Department of Human Services to conduct and regularly update a study on the early childhood workforce at least once every 3 years. Provides that the study shall: (i) describe the professional development system for the early childhood workforce and characteristics of the workforce; (ii) determine compensation levels that are sufficient to attract, support, and retain a workforce of high-quality child care providers; (iii) make recommendations to help create an accessible and well-supported career advancement pathway and estimate the providers' costs of implementing training and professional development, including the compensation levels identified in item (ii); and (iv) describe how the Department can set provider payment rates sufficient to allow providers to achieve the compensation levels. Provides that the Department shall conduct the study required by carrying out a cost of quality study or survey that the Department is currently conducting, as a requirement of its State plan under a specified provision of the Child Care and Development Block Grant Act of 1990, and utilize the information to set base payment rates.