Sen. Elgie Sims

Amends the Environmental Protection Act. Requires the Environmental Protection Agency to establish a Fleet Electrification Incentive Program to promote the use of electric trucks by fleet owners by offering a voucher of $200,000 per electric Class 6 truck, electric Class 7 truck, or electric Class 8 truck purchased or leased for a fleet by the fleet's owner or operator. Provides that an applicant shall submit a proof of purchase, lease, or other binding contract regarding the electric Class 6 truck, electric Class 7 truck, or electric Class 8 truck in order to be awarded the voucher. Requires an applicant who is awarded a voucher to agree to participate in annual surveys on specified metrics. Contains other program requirements. Defines "Class 6 truck", "Class 7 truck", and "Class 8 truck".

Amends the Energy Assistance Act. Authorizes the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity to institute a year-round program (rather than program) to ensure the availability and affordability of heating and electric service to low income utility customers. Requires the Department to take all actions necessary to ensure year-round access to energy assistance by no later than July 1, 2024. Provides that, in setting the annual eligibility level for assistance under the Act, the Department shall not set a limit higher than 200% (rather than 150%) of the federal nonfarm poverty level as established by the federal Office of Management and Budget or 60% of the State median income for the current State fiscal year as established by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Provides that the Department shall ensure that persons applying for energy assistance shall have the ability to establish eligibility through proof of enrollment in other State and federal assistance programs. Makes changes to provisions concerning the monthly Energy Assistance Charge assessed on customer accounts by public utilities, electric cooperatives, and municipal utilities. Provides that, beginning January 1, 2024 and for the next 10 years thereafter, electric and gas utilities shall annually contribute to the Supplemental Low-Income Energy Assistance Fund 5% net operating income based on their most recent rate order approved by the Illinois Commerce Commission. Makes changes concerning the Percentage of Income Payment Plan and other matters. Provides that an energy provider that receives payments from the Department from the Supplemental Low-Income Energy Assistance Fund, that provides confirmation to an administering agency that an applicant is a customer, shall ensure that the applicant customer is not disconnected from energy service while an application is pending.

Amends the School Boards Article of the School Code. Removes the repeal date for the short-term substitute teacher training program. Amends the Educator Licensure Article of the School Code. In provisions concerning short-term substitute teacher licenses, removes the June 30, 2023 expiration date for issuing short-term substitute teacher licenses. Removes the licensing fees for short-term substitute teacher, substitute teaching, and professional teaching licenses.

Amends the Illinois Criminal Justice Information Act. Creates the Youth Nonviolent Crimes Resource Program. Provides that the Criminal Justice Information Authority shall provide resources to people under the age of 18 who have committed a nonviolent crime. Provides that these resources shall include youth employment initiatives throughout the State, access to educational resources in collaboration with the Illinois State Board of Education, and parental mentorship training conducted by the Department of Human Services. Provides that the Authority shall develop a mentorship initiative for youth that have been convicted of a nonviolent crime. Provides that the Authority may establish a grant program for non-profit organizations. Provides that the Authority shall publish this program on its website by no later than January 1, 2024. Effective immediately.

Creates the Digital Assets Regulation Act. Provides that the Department of Financial and Professional Regulation shall regulate digital asset business activity in the State. Sets forth provisions concerning: applicability; the powers and duties of the Department; funds; customer protections; custody and protection of customer assets; covered exchanges; compliance; registration; supervision; records; additional procedural provisions; confidentiality; violations; enforcement; rulemaking authority; and severability. Creates the Special Purpose Trust Company Article in the Corporate Fiduciary Act. Sets forth provisions concerning certificates of authority; rulemaking and organization; certificates of authority for foreign corporate fiduciaries; eligibility; fees; and certificates of reciprocity. Makes other changes to various Acts. Effective immediately.

If and only if Senate Bill 3666 of the 103rd General Assembly becomes law, amends the Digital Assets Regulation Act. Provides that an operator shall not accept or dispense more than $1,000 or equivalent monetary value in a day from or to a customer via a digital asset kiosk. Sets forth provisions concerning customer disclosures, reporting physical addresses, and implementation of the provisions. Effective immediately or on the date Senate Bill 3666 of the 103rd General Assembly takes effect, whichever is later.

Declares May 1, 2024 as Alpha Phi Alpha Day in the State of Illinois in honor of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Incorporated and its continued impact on the communities it serves. Recognizes the 2024 Alpha Phi Alpha Day held at the Illinois State Capitol and welcomes the members of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. to the Capitol.

Creates the Illinois Rust Belt to Green Belt Pilot Program Act. Creates the Illinois Rust Belt to Green Belt Fund as a special fund in the State treasury and makes a conforming change in the State Finance Act. Provides that the Fund shall be used by the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity to encourage and facilitate the employment of construction workforces located in underrepresented populations. Provides that applicants that are applying for a new utility-scale offshore wind project with the Illinois Power Agency shall file with the Department, as part of the applicant's application, an equity and inclusion plan. Amends the Illinois Power Agency Act. In provisions concerning the procurement of renewable energy credits, provides that in addition to the amount of renewable energy credits to be procured from wind projects, the Illinois Power Agency shall procure at least 700,000 renewable energy credits, delivered annually for at least 20 years, from one new utility-scale offshore wind project. In provisions concerning the development of a long-term renewable resources procurement plan, provides that the total of renewable energy resources procured under the procurement plan shall be reduced for all retail customers based on the amount necessary to limit the annual estimated average net increase due to the costs of these resources included in the amounts paid by eligible retail customers in connection with electric service to no more than 4.25% of the amount paid per kilowatthour by those customers during the year ending May 31, 2009, and to no more than 4.5% of that amount as of the billing month following the expected date that a new utility-scale offshore wind project commences commercial operations and is expected to begin delivering power to the PJM Interconnection, LLC transmission grid. Provides that the Agency shall conduct at least one new utility-scale offshore wind procurement within 360 days after the effective date of the amendatory Act. Defines terms. Makes other changes. Effective immediately.

Amends the Medical Assistance Article of the Illinois Public Aid Code. In provisions requiring the Department of Healthcare and Family Services to implement a capitation base rate setting process for payments to managed care organizations (MCOs), removes the following requirements: (i) that any quality incentive or other incentive withholding of any portion of the actuarially certified capitation rates must be budget-neutral; (ii) that the entirety of any aggregate withheld amounts must be returned to the MCOs in proportion to their performance on the relevant performance metric; and (iii) that no amounts shall be returned to the Department if all performance measures are not achieved to the extent allowable by federal law and regulations.

Amends the Children and Family Services Act. Creates the Due Process for Youth Oversight Commission (Commission) to oversee the creation and implementation of a youth's statutory right to counsel in abuse and neglect proceedings conducted in accordance with the Juvenile Court Act of 1987. Requires the Commission to provide direction and operational phases for implementation statewide, provide status reports and recommendations to the General Assembly regarding implementation, and provide ongoing implementation and program oversight for 5 years after statewide transition is completed. Contains provisions concerning the Commission's membership; term limits; scheduled meetings; data support provided by the Department of Children and Family Services; Commission duties; and the date of the Commission's dissolution. Amends the Foster Children's Bill of Rights Act. Expands the rights afforded to every child placed in foster care to include the right to have a court appoint an attorney to represent the youth in any abuse or neglect case who will advocate for the youth's wishes and make recommendations to the court regarding the youth's care. Provides that this right applies to court proceedings pending or commenced on or after a date established by the Commission by administrative rule. Amends the Juvenile Court Act of 1987. Provides that immediately upon the filing of an abuse or neglect petition, the court shall appoint counsel for each minor who is the subject of that petition, unless the minor has already retained counsel. Provides that this requirement shall apply to court proceedings pending or commenced on or after a date established by the Commission by administrative rule. Provides that each respondent in any petition filed under the Act who is 8 years of age or older shall be furnished a written "Notice of Rights" at or before the first hearing at which the respondent appears. Provides that counsel appointed by a court to represent a minor in neglect or abuse proceedings shall have a minimum of one in-person contact with the minor prior to each hearing and at least one in-person contact every quarter. Effective immediately.