Sen. Miguel del Valle

Amends the Medical Practice Act of 1987. Provides that the rules the Department of Financial and Professional Regulation must adopt concerning continuing education must include a requirement that each physician licensed to practice medicine in all its branches who practices pediatric, family, internal, or emergency medicine complete a course in recognizing child abuse and neglect. Effective immediately.

Amends the Election Code. Provides for the registration and voting of lawful permanent residents otherwise qualified to vote except for U.S. citizenship. Authorizes voting by lawful permanent residents only for school board candidates and for or against public questions of school districts.

Amends provisions of the Minimum Wage Law establishing an employer's liability for punitive damages in the case of underpayment of wages by stating that "the employee may recover such punitive damages in any proceeding or action allowed by any provision of this subsection, including, but not limited to, a civil action filed directly by the employee, and, subject to the limitations period set forth herein, the employee's remedy of recovering punitive damages in any proceeding or action allowed by any provision of this subsection shall be available in and applicable to all claims and causes of action under this subsection, whenever arising, including, without limitation, presently existing claims and actions for which a final and no-longer appealable order has not yet been entered". Effective immediately.

Amends the Teacher Certification Article of the School Code. With respect to an early childhood certificate, provides that the student teaching portion of the practical experience requirement may involve supervised work with children under 6 years of age or with children in kindergarten through grade 3 or both. Provides that persons who have been employed for at least one year in their current early childhood program in a public or private school or a community-based entity, including paraprofessionals enrolled in teacher preparation programs, may be paid and receive credit while student teaching with their current employer, provided that their student teaching experience meets the requirements of their teacher preparation program.

Amends the School Breakfast and Lunch Program Act and the Childhood Hunger Relief Act. Makes changes concerning the breakfast incentive program, the report the State Board of Education provides to the Governor and the General Assembly concerning school breakfast and lunch programs, surveys to identify parental interest in school breakfast programs and the barriers to establishing school breakfast programs, the requirement that a school district establish a school breakfast program for certain schools, and opting out of the school breakfast program requirement. Effective immediately.

Amends the School Code. Provides that the State Board of Education has the power and duty to collect and maintain data, for each institution of higher education engaged in teacher preparation in this State, concerning the number of individuals taking the test of basic skills, the number of individuals passing the test of basic skills, the total number of subject-matter tests attempted, and the total number of subject-matter tests passed. Requires the State Board to periodically file with the General Assembly and the Governor and make available to the public a report listing the institutions of higher education engaged in teacher preparation in this State, along with the data pertinent to each institution. Effective immediately.

Amends the Counties Code. Requires the county recorder to administer a system to notify owners of the filing of a quitclaim deed on their property. Sets forth the requirements for the notification system. Preempts home rule powers. Amends the State Mandates Act to require implementation without reimbursement.

Urges Congress to reauthorize those portions of the federal Voting Rights Act of 1965 scheduled to expire in 2007.

Encourages the United States Congress to take action on federal immigration reforms, which would provide for family unification as part of comprehensive immigration reform.

RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-FOURTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES CONCURRING HEREIN, that when the Senate adjourns on Thursday, March 02, 2006, it stands adjourned until Tuesday, March 07, 2006 at 12:00 o'clock noon; and when the House of Representatives adjourns on Friday, March 03, 2006, it stands adjourned until Tuesday, March 14, 2006 at 1:00 o'clock p.m.