Sen. William Delgado

Creates the Illinois Food, Farms, and Jobs Act and the Illinois Local and Organic Food and Farm Task Force. Sets out the composition of the Task Force. Provides that the Task Force shall develop a plan for expanding and supporting a State local and organic food system and for assessing and overcoming obstacles to an increase in locally grown food and local organic food production. Sets out the contents of the plan. Amends the State Finance Act to create the Illinois Local Organic Food and Farm Fund. Effective immediately.

Creates the Employee Classification Act. Provides that an individual performing services for a contractor is deemed to be an employee of the employer. Provides that an individual performing services for a contractor is deemed to be an employee of the contractor unless it is shown that: (1) the individual has been and will continue to be free from control or direction over the performance of the service for the contractor, both under the individual's contract of service and in fact; (2) the service performed by the individual is outside the usual course of services performed by the contractor; and (3) the individual is engaged in an independently established trade, occupation, profession or business; or (4) the individual is deemed a legitimate sole proprietor or partnership. Provides that subcontractors or lower tiered contractors are subject to all provisions of the Act. Provides that he Department of Labor shall post a summary of the requirements of this Act in English, Spanish, and Polish on its official web site and on bulletin boards in each of its offices. Provides that it is a violation of the Act for an employer or entity not to designate an individual as an employee under the Act unless the employer or entity satisfies the provisions of the Act. Provides for civil remedies and civil penalties. Amends various Acts to make conforming changes. Effective January 1, 2008.

Designates November of each year as Lung Cancer Awareness Month.

Amends the Criminal Code of 1961. Provides that whenever any person who has not previously been convicted of or placed on probation for felony prostitution or any law of the United States or of any other state relating to felony prostitution pleads guilty to or is found guilty of felony prostitution, the court, without entering a judgment and with the consent of such person, may sentence the person to probation. Provides that when a person is placed on probation for felony prostitution, the court shall enter an order specifying a period of probation of 24 months and shall defer further proceedings in the case until the conclusion of the period or until the filing of a petition alleging violation of a term or condition of probation. Provides that the conditions of probation shall be that the person: (1) not violate any criminal statute of any jurisdiction; (2) refrain from possessing a firearm or other dangerous weapon; (3) submit to periodic drug testing at a time and in a manner as ordered by the court, but no less than 3 times during the period of the probation, with the cost of the testing to be paid by the probationer; and (4) perform no less than 30 hours of community service, provided community service is available in the jurisdiction and is funded and approved by the county board. Provides that the court may impose other conditions of probation. Provides that upon fulfillment of the terms and conditions of probation, the court shall discharge the person and dismiss the proceedings against him or her. Provides that there may be only one discharge and dismissal under this provision. Provides that if a person is convicted of prostitution within 5 years subsequent to a discharge and dismissal under this provision, the discharge and dismissal shall be admissible in the sentencing proceeding for that conviction as evidence in aggravation.

Amends the Illinois Public Aid Code. Provides that the application-for-public-assistance process must be completed before and separately from the provision of and coordination of social and employment services, and provides that coordination of those services must begin no later than 2 weeks after a favorable determination on an application for assistance. Requires the Department of Human Services to provide by rule for a system under which signatures on applications for assistance may be submitted in person or by mail, facsimile, or electronic transmission, and provides that any such signature shall be sufficient to commence the application process. Provides that an application for any assistance under the Code may be filed at any local office of the Department of Human Services, and provides that following the initial eligibility determination, a recipient may choose to have his or her case assigned to any Department of Human Services office; provides that within 5 days after the assignment of a case, the Department must assign a caseworker, make appropriate case entries into the computer system, and generate a letter to the recipient containing the name and contact information for the caseworker. Provides for coordination of eligibility redeterminations by the Departments of Human Services and Public Aid. Requires the Department of Public Aid and the Department of Human Services to convene a task force to formulate a plan to simplify and make as uniform as possible the rules governing the counting of income for purposes of determining eligibility and benefit levels in means-tested public benefit programs for which the 2 departments are responsible. Makes other changes. Effective immediately.

Amends the Community Benefits Act. Provides that hospitals that are owned or operated by or affiliated with a health system shall be deemed to be in compliance with the Act if the health system has met the requirements of the Act with respect to each individual hospital that the health system owns or operates or that is affiliated with the health system. Effective immediately.

Amends the Illinois Educational Labor Relations Act. Provides that collective bargaining between an educational employer other than a public community college district (now, any educational employer) whose territorial boundaries are coterminous with those of a city having a population in excess of 500,000 and an exclusive representative of its employees may include certain subjects. Provides that an educational employer other than a public community college district (now, any educational employer) whose territorial boundaries are coterminous with those of a city having a population in excess of 500,000 shall submit a dispute or impasse with the exclusive bargaining representative over one of those subjects to the dispute resolution procedure agreed to between the parties. Effective immediately.

Amends the Illinois Income Tax Act. Provides that the tax credit for residential real property taxes may not exceed $300 per taxable year.

Amends the Chicago Teacher Article of the Illinois Pension Code. Directs the Fund to conduct a divided medicare coverage referendum, open to teachers hired by an employer prior to March 31, 1986 and continuously employed by that employer through the effective date of this amendatory Act of the 94th General Assembly. Allows eligible teachers to irrevocably elect to participate in the federal medicare program. Amends the State Mandates Act to require implementation without reimbursement. Effective immediately.

Creates the Affordable, Accessible, Quality Health Plan for the Uninsured Act. Contains only a short-title provision.