Sen. Omar Aquino

Amends the Election Code. Provides that each election authority shall collaborate with the county jail within the jurisdiction of the election authority to facilitate voting by mail for voters eligible to vote in the county who are confined or detained in the county jail. Provides that in a county with a population of 3,000,000 or more, the election authority in the county shall establish a temporary branch polling place in the county jail. Provides that a refusal by an eligible voter to participate in the voting process must be documented by the voter or witnessed by a pollwatcher. Provides that individuals who facilitate a vote by mail process must receive training on the process, responsibilities, and requirements of implementing a vote by mail program. Contains additional provisions concerning the temporary branch polling place in the county jail. Prohibits certain individuals from from being election judges in a temporary branch polling place in a county jail. Amends the Counties Code. Provides that each election authority shall collaborate with the county jail within the jurisdiction of the election authority to facilitate voter registration for voters eligible to vote in that county who are confined or detained in the county jail. Provides that a county jail shall provide a voter registration application to any person in custody at the jail who requests an application and is eligible to vote. Amends the Unified Code of Corrections. Provides that upon release of a person who is eligible to vote, the Department of Corrections shall provide the person with a specified form that informs him or her that his or her voting rights have been restored. Amends the Unified Code of Corrections and Counties Code. Provides that upon discharge from a county jail or release from the Department of Corrections, a person shall be provided with a voter registration form. Provides that the Department, each county jail, and each county probation office shall provide an individual in its custody with specified information on voting rights. Makes other changes. Senate Committee Amendment No. 1 Replaces everything after the enacting clause. Reinserts the introduced bill with the following changes: In provisions amending the Election Code, removes language that requires a refusal by an eligible voter to participate in the voting process to be documented by the voter or witnessed by a pollwatcher. Removes language that prohibits active law enforcement officers, employees of the Department of Corrections, or employees of the head sheriff of the facility where voting occurs from being election judges in a temporary branch polling place in a county jail.

Amends the Contractor Prompt Payment Act. Provides that a retainage of 10% of the payment may be withheld from a payment under a construction contract prior to the completion of 50% of the contract. Provides that after 50% of the contract is completed, the amount of retainage for any subsequent payment may not exceed 5%. Effective immediately.

Amends the Illinois Public Aid Code. Provides that for purposes of determining eligibility and the amount of assistance under the Code, the Department of Human Services and local governmental units shall exclude from consideration, for a period of no more than 60 months, any financial assistance, including wages, cash transfers, or gifts, that is provided to a person who is enrolled in a program or research project that is not funded with general revenue funds and that is intended to investigate the impacts of policies or programs designed to reduce poverty, promote social mobility, or increase financial stability for Illinois residents if there is an explicit plan to collect data and evaluate the program or initiative that is developed prior to participants in the study being enrolled in the program and if a research team has been identified to oversee the evaluation. Requires the Department to seek all necessary federal approvals or waivers to implement the provisions of the amendatory Act. Effective immediately.

Amends the State Records Act. Makes a technical change in a Section concerning the short title. House Floor Amendment No. 1 Deletes reference to: 5 ILCS 160/1 Adds reference to: 20 ILCS 2610/9 from Ch. 121, par. 307.9 Replaces everything after the enacting clause. Amends the State Police Act. Provides that persons appointed to be a Department of State Police officer shall, at the time of their appointment, be not less than 21 years of age, or 20 years of age and have successfully completed an associate's degree or 60 credit hours at an accredited college or university (rather than 2 years of law enforcement studies at an accredited college or university). House Floor Amendment No. 2 Provides that persons certified for appointment as State Police officers shall be of good sound mind and body, be of good moral character, be citizens of the United States, have no criminal records, possesses the prerequisites of training and experience (rather than training, education, and experience) as the Department of State Police Merit Board may prescribe, and be required to pass mental and physical tests and examinations prescribed by the Board. Senate Committee Amendment No. 1 Provides that Department of State Police officers appointed subsequent to successful completion of an associate's degree or 60 credit hours at an accredited college or university must not otherwise be disqualified. Provides that nothing in the provisions concerning the qualifications for appointment as a State Police officer limits the Board's ability to prescribe education prerequisites or requirements to certify Department of State Police officers for promotion as provided in the Act.

Amends the University of Illinois Trustees Act. Provides that in order to determine residency status of a potential or current student trustee, the student must provide evidence of the student's Illinois domicile for at least the previous 6 months and either (i) evidence of the student's current, valid Illinois driver's license or Illinois Identification Card or (ii) evidence of the student's valid Illinois voter registration (instead of having evidence of the student's Illinois domicile, Illinois driver's license, and Illinois voter registration positively demonstrate residency). Effective January 1, 2020.

Amends the Chicago Teacher Article of the Illinois Pension Code. For school years beginning on or after July 1, 2019, increases to 120 days (instead of 100 days) the amount of days a service retirement pensioner who is re-employed as a teacher may work without having his or her pension cancelled. Makes conforming changes. Effective immediately.

Amends the State Universities Article of the Illinois Pension Code. In the definition of "employee", adds a reference to certain persons employed by the Department of Innovation and Technology. Provides that "basic compensation" includes the amount of any elective deferral to a deferred compensation plan established under the Article. In a provision concerning survivor's annuities, removes a reference to a person who has a disability that began prior to the date the child attained age 22 if the child was a full-time student. Effective immediately.

Amends the Illinois Secure Choice Savings Program Act. Provides that an investment option may be a conservative fund rather than a conservative principal protection fund. Provides that the Illinois Secure Choice Savings Board may establish deadlines for payment of payroll deductions to the Fund and enter agreements to permit residents of other states to participate in the program. Includes a traditional IRA within the definition of the term "IRA". Provides for audits on a fiscal year basis rather than a calendar year basis and report by the following January rather than July. Requires the Treasurer to prepare annual reports on benefits provided by the Program and post the report on the Program website. Effective immediately.

Amends the Chicago Teacher Article of the Illinois Pension Code. Provides that an Employer or the Board of Trustees shall make pension deductions in each pay period on the basis of the salary earned in that period, exclusive of salaries for overtime, extracurricular activities (instead of special services), or any employment on an optional basis, such as summer school. Makes conforming changes. Effective immediately.

Creates the Mental Health Early Action on Campus Act. Provides for intent, legislative findings, purposes of the Act, and definitions. Provides that to raise mental health awareness on college campuses, each public college or university in this State must complete specified tasks. Provides that the board of trustees of each public college or university must designate an expert panel to develop and implement policies and procedures that (i) advise students, faculty, and staff on the proper procedures for identifying and addressing the needs of students exhibiting symptoms of mental health conditions, (ii) promote understanding of the rules of Section 504 of the federal Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 to increase knowledge and understanding of student protections under the law, and (iii) provide training if appropriate. Provides that because peer support programs may be beneficial in improving the emotional well-being of the student population, each public college or university must develop and implement a peer support program utilizing student peers to support individuals living with mental health conditions on campus; specifies best practices for the peer support programs. Provides that each public college or university must form strategic partnerships with local mental health service providers to improve overall campus mental wellness and augment on-campus capacity; specifies what the partnerships must include. Requires the Board of Higher Education to develop a Technical Assistance Center; specifies the duties of the Center. Requires each public college or university to evaluate the required programs under the Act using specified criteria. Effective July 1, 2020. House Floor Amendment No. 2 Replaces everything after the enacting clause. Reinserts the provisions of the introduced bill with the following changes. Provides that 2 years after the effective date of the Act, and once every 5 years thereafter, the Technical Assistance Center must propose to the General Assembly an updated ratio of clinical, non-student staff members to students based on actual ratios in this State and any new information related to appropriate benchmarks for clinician-to-student ratios. Provides that the updated benchmark must represent a ratio of no less than one clinical, non-student staff member to 1,250 students. Removes a provision providing that 5 years after the effective date of the Act, each public college or university must maintain a ratio of one clinical, non-student staff member to 1,000 students. Provides that the monitoring measures of local partnership programs must include the ratio of clinical, non-student staff to student population and the number of linkage agreements and contracts in place based on student population (rather than only the number of linkage agreements and contracts in place based on student population). Provides that the Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability, in conjunction with the Illinois Community College Board and the Board of Higher Education, must make recommendations to the General Assembly on the amounts necessary to implement the Act. Provides that the initial recommendation must be provided by the Commission no later than December 31, 2019 and any appropriation provided in advance of this recommendation may be used for planning purposes. Provides that no provision of the Act may be funded by student fees created on or after July 1, 2020 (rather than new student fees). Makes other changes. Effective July 1, 2020, except that certain provisions are effective immediately.