Sen. Elgie Sims

Amends the Department of Human Services Act. Creates the Illinois Interagency Task Force on Homelessness. Provides that the State Homelessness Chief established in Executive Order 2021-21 shall chair the Task Force, co-chair the Community Advisory Council on Homelessness established within the Task Force, and lead the State's comprehensive efforts to decrease homelessness and unnecessary institutionalization in Illinois, improve health and human services outcomes for people who experience homelessness, and strengthen the safety nets that contribute to housing stability. Provides that the State Homelessness Chief shall serve as a policymaker and spokesperson on homelessness prevention, including coordinating the multi-agency effort through legislation, rules, and budgets and communicating with the General Assembly and federal and local leaders on this critical issue. Provides that the purpose of the Task Force is to (i) plan, develop, and implement a State Plan to address homelessness and unnecessary institutionalization; (ii) recommend policy, regulatory, and resource changes necessary to accomplish goals and objectives laid out in the State Plan; (iii) provide leadership for and collaborate with those developing and implementing local plans to end homelessness in Illinois; and other matters. Contains provisions on the composition of the Task Force; meetings; and other matters. Creates the Community Advisory Council on Homelessness within the Task Force to make recommendations to the Task Force regarding homelessness prevention. Contains provisions on the composition of the Advisory Council; meetings; and other matters. Provides that nothing in the amendatory Act shall be construed to contravene any federal or State law or regulation. Provides that nothing in the amendatory Act shall affect or alter the existing statutory powers of any State agency or be construed as a reassignment or reorganization of any State agency. Effective immediately.

Amends the School Code. Provides that a school district may maintain an on-site trauma kit at each school of the district for bleeding emergencies. Defines "trauma kit". Provides that products purchased for the on-site trauma kit shall be, wherever possible, products that are manufactured in the United States. Requires a school board to conduct in-service training for all school district employees on the methods to respond to trauma at least once every 2 years. Provides that a school board may satisfy the trauma response training requirements by using the training, including online training, available from the American College of Surgeons or any other similar organization. Provides that in all matters relating to trauma response training, school district employees are immune from civil liability in the use of a trauma kit unless the action constitutes willful or wanton misconduct. Effective immediately.

Amends the State Finance Act. Modifies a Section concerning moneys in the Audit Expense Fund to provide for the transfer of moneys from specified funds into the Audit Expense Fund. Makes conforming changes. Effective immediately.

Creates the End Youth Solitary Confinement Act. Provides that the use of room confinement at a juvenile or correctional facility for discipline, punishment, retaliation, or any reason other than as a temporary response to a juvenile's behavior that poses a serious and immediate risk of physical harm to any individual, including the juvenile, is prohibited. Provides that a covered juvenile (any person under 18 years of age incarcerated in a correctional facility, jail, or detention facility of any kind operated by the Department of Juvenile Justice, a county, or a municipality) may be placed on an administrative hold and confined when temporarily being housed in a particular juvenile detention center or for administrative or security purposes as personally determined by the chief administrative officer. Provides that whenever a covered juvenile is on an administrative hold, the Department shall provide the covered juvenile with access to the same programs and services received by covered juveniles in the general population. Provides that any restrictions on movement or access to programs and services shall be documented and justified by the chief administrative officer. Provides that if a covered juvenile poses a serious and immediate risk of physical harm to any individual, including the juvenile, before a staff member of the facility places a covered juvenile in room confinement, the staff member shall attempt to use other less restrictive options, unless attempting those options poses a threat to the safety or security of any minor or staff. Provides that if a covered juvenile is placed in room confinement because the covered juvenile poses a serious and immediate risk of physical harm to himself or herself, or to others, establishes when the covered juvenile shall be released. Defines terms.

Creates the Law Enforcement Gang Database Information Act. Defines terms. Provides requirements for the use of gang databases and shared gang databases. Amends the Code of Criminal Procedure of 1963. Provides that in all criminal cases, evidence which indicates the mere presence that the person was or is on a gang database or a shared gang database is not admissible. Effective immediately.

Amends the Educator Licensure Article of the School Code. In provisions concerning Substitute Teaching Licenses, provides that if there is no licensed teacher under contract because of an emergency situation, then a district may employ a substitute teacher for no longer than 30 calendar days per each vacant position in the district if the district notifies the appropriate regional office of education within 5 business days after the employment of the substitute teacher in that vacant position (instead of employment of the substitute teacher in the emergency situation). Provides that a district may continue to employ that same substitute teacher in that same vacant position for one or more additional 30 calendar day periods if, prior to the expiration of the then-current 30 calendar day period, the district files a written request with the appropriate regional office of education for a 30 calendar day extension on the basis that the position remains vacant and the district continues to actively seek qualified candidates. Provides that each extension request shall be deemed granted unless denied in writing by the regional office of education. Provides that an emergency situation is one in which a vacancy has occurred (instead of an unforeseen vacancy has occurred) and (i) a teacher is unexpectedly unable to fulfill his or her contractual duties or (ii) teacher capacity needs of the district exceed previous indications or vacancies are unfilled due to a lack of qualified candidates, and the district is actively engaged in advertising to hire a fully licensed teacher for the vacant position (instead of (i) a teacher is unable to fulfill his or her contractual duties or (ii) teacher capacity needs of the district exceed previous indications, and the district is actively engaged in advertising to hire a fully licensed teacher for the vacant position).

Amends the Educator Licensure Article of the School Code. In provisions concerning the Illinois Teaching Excellence Program, provides that in addition to other monetary assistance and incentives, if adequate funds are available, retention bonuses of $4,000 per year for 2 consecutive years shall be awarded to National Board certified teachers employed in hard-to-staff schools. This bonus shall be distributed to the respective school district or directly to the qualified educators. Provides that the State Board of Education's annual budget shall set out a separate line item for the appropriation of this bonus.

Amends the Park District Code. Provides that a park district may levy and collect annually a tax for maintaining a police system, for implementing and maintaining public safety and security measures, or both (currently, only for maintaining a police system) within the parks, playgrounds, and other facilities maintained by the district. Defines "public safety and security measures". Makes conforming changes. Effective immediately.

Amends the Juvenile Court Act of 1987. Provides that a neglected minor includes any minor (rather than a minor under 14 years) whose parent or other person responsible for the minor's welfare leaves the minor without supervision for an unreasonable period of time without regard for the mental or physical health, safety, or welfare of that minor. Provides that a minor shall not be considered neglected for the sole reason that the minor was engaged in independent activities, except if the person responsible for the minor's health, safety, or welfare willfully disregards danger that the independent activity poses to the physical or mental health of the minor under circumstances when the danger is sufficiently obvious that no reasonable person would cause or permit the minor to be unsupervised in such a situation given the minor's level of maturity, physical condition, or mental abilities. Provides factors that must be considered in determining if a minor's needs can be sufficiently met during an independent activity. Amends the Criminal Code of 2012 to change the child abandonment statute. Deletes language providing that a person commits child abandonment by leaving a child who is under the age of 13 without supervision by a responsible person over the age of 14 for a period of 24 hours or more. Provides instead that a person commits child abandonment when he or she, as a parent, guardian, or other person having physical custody or control of a child, without regard for the mental or physical health, safety, or welfare of that child, knowingly permits a child to engage in independent activities that were unreasonable under the circumstances or for an unreasonable period of time without regard for the minor's mental or physical health, safety or well-being. Provides that no specific age shall be determinative of reasonableness, and that reasonableness shall be determined by the maturity of each individual child. Effective immediately.

Amends the State Treasurer Act. Makes changes concerning banking and teller machine services. Provides that the State Comptroller shall direct and the State Treasurer shall transfer the remaining balance from the Treasurer’s Rental Fee Fund into the State Treasurer’s Bank Services Trust Fund.