Sen. Miguel del Valle

Amends the Nursing and Advanced Practice Nursing Act. Provides that an applicant for licensure by endorsement who is a registered professional nurse or a licensed practical nurse under the laws of another state or territory of the United States may, in lieu of taking and passing the examination required by the Department, have passed a state, regional, or national examination that is substantially equivalent to or more stringent than the examination given by the Department, if the applicant has actively practiced nursing in another state or territory of the United States for 2 of the preceding 3 years without having his or her license acted against by the licensing authority of any jurisdiction. Effective immediately.

Amends the Illinois Public Aid Code. As part of the Medicaid program, provides that the Department of Public Aid may undertake a pilot project to study patient outcomes, for patients with certain chronic diseases, associated with the use of disease management programs and services for chronic condition management. Provides that these amendatory provisions are repealed 10 years after the effective date of the amendatory Act.

Amends the Criminal Code of 1961. Provides that theft of property in excess of $500,000 is a Class X felony (rather than a Class 1 felony). In the money laundering statute, provides that any property expressly or impliedly represented to be property constituting or derived from proceeds obtained, directly or indirectly, pursuant to a violation of the Criminal Code of 1961, the Illinois Controlled Substances Act, or the Cannabis Control Act is criminally derived property. Provides that laundering criminally derived property in excess of $500,000 is a Class X felony (rather than a Class 1 felony). Effective immediately.

Amends the Adoption Act. Provides that the exception to the requirement of consents or surrenders for adoption for a person found by the court to be the father of the child as a result of criminal sexual abuse or assault applies when the sexual abuse or assault results in (i) a founded, cleared, or suspended police report, (ii) an indicated report of child sexual abuse as defined in the Abused and Neglected Child Reporting Act that involved sexual penetration of the mother, or (iii) a sworn affidavit provided by a licensed psychologist or a licensed social worker.

Amends the School Code. Requires the State Board of Education to implement the provisions of the federal No Child Left Behind Act of 2001.

Amends the School Construction Law. Requires the State Board of Education and the Capital Development Board to file with the General Assembly a comprehensive assessment report of the capital needs of all school districts in this State before January 1, 2005 and every 2 years thereafter. Effective immediately.

Amends the School Finance Authority Act of the School Code. Provides that the powers and responsibilities granted to or imposed upon the Chicago School Finance Authority and the Chicago Board of Education under that Act concerning financial plans, budgets, contracts, staffing levels, expenditures, a chief financial officer, financial and managerial audits, cash accounts and bank accounts, financial, management, and budgetary systems, and reports are suspended until December 31, 2010 (instead of July 1, 2004). Effective immediately.

Creates the Illinois Civil Rights Act of 2003. Prohibits any unit of State, county, or local government from excluding a person from participation in, denying a person the benefits of, or subjecting a person to discrimination under any program or activity on the grounds of his or her race, color, or national origin and from using criteria or methods of administration that have the effect of subjecting individuals to discrimination because of their race, color, or national origin. Authorizes a person to bring a lawsuit for a violation of the Act in State or federal court.

Amends the School Code to require the State Board of Education to provide after-school program grants to qualifying school districts for the purpose of providing academic assistance at the end of the regular day of instruction or on non-school days for students and their families at school sites. Provides that a school district qualifies and may apply for a grant if the district contains one or more schools in which at least two-fifths of the students at the school fail to meet State academic standards. Establishes requirements for the grants. Effective immediately.

Amends the Illinois Public Aid Code. In provisions concerning child care for TANF recipients, provides that the Department of Human Services must annually establish income thresholds for determining eligibility for child care benefits. Provides that the thresholds must be no less than 50% of the then-current State median income for each family size, and deletes a provision requiring such a 50% threshold only for FY 1998. Provides that in determining a family's income, the Department must disregard 10% of the family's gross wages and salary.