Sen. Iris Y. Martinez

Amends the Illinois Insurance Code. Raises the maximum age of a dependent child that a policy of accident and health insurance may insure, originally or by subsequent amendment, upon the application of an adult member of a family who shall be deemed the policyholder, from 19 to 24. Provides that if the limiting age under the policy is less than 25 years of age, then the insurer shall, upon application of the dependent child, provide coverage after that specific age, until the dependent child is 25 years of age.

Appropriates $500,000 from the General Revenue Fund to the Department of Public Health for grants to the Gilead Outreach and Referral Center. Effective July 1, 2008.

Amends the State Employees Group Insurance Act of 1971. Makes a technical change in a Section concerning retired teacher benefits.

Amends the State Employees Group Insurance Act of 1971. Removes the prohibition against participation by community college districts subject to Article VII of the Public Community College Act and their retired employees. Effective July 1, 2007.

Amends the Charter Schools Law of the School Code. Provides that the total number of charter schools operating at any one time shall not exceed 200 (instead of 60). Removes the geographical and other limits on the number of charter schools that may operate at any one time. Makes changes concerning attendance boundaries in the City of Chicago. Provides that a charter school entity that can demonstrate to the authorizer that it has a proven track record of performance may be granted a renewal charter that authorizes the operator to open a new campus in accordance with its proposal to establish a charter school. Provides that nothing in certain provisions of the Law is intended to limit an entity from submitting an application to operate an additional charter school pursuant to a new or modified educational model. In the case of a proposal to establish a charter school by converting an existing public school or attendance center to charter school status, makes changes concerning certain evidence that needs to be provided. Effective immediately.

Amends the Chicago Teacher Article of the Illinois Pension Code. Provides that the service retirement pension for a teacher who retires on or after the effective date of this amendatory Act shall be 2.4% (now 2.2%) of average salary for each year of creditable service. Eliminates the required contribution for converting past service to the augmented retirement formula, and provides for a refund of such contributions already paid. Also provides for recalculation of the pension and a lump sum payment of the difference between the augmented and unaugmented rates for certain pensioners. Amends the State Mandates Act to require implementation without reimbursement. Effective immediately.

Amends the Chicago Police Article of the Illinois Pension Code to increase the multiplier used to calculate the maximum allowable pension tax, from 2.00 to 2.26. Effective immediately.

Appropriates $3,000,000 from the General Revenue Fund to the State Board of Education for payments to school districts for affordable multi-family housing school cost reimbursement under Section 46 of the Local Planning Technical Assistance Act. Effective July 1, 2008.

Amends the Board of Higher Education Act. Makes a technical change in a Section concerning making rules and regulations.

Amends the Illinois Municipal Code. Provides that a Section of the Code concerning the election of officers to the department foreign fire insurance board applies to the corporate authorities of any municipality (instead of any municipality containing less than 250,000 inhabitants) with an organized fire department.