Sen. Dan Cronin

Disapproves the 2008 report of the Compensation Review Board.

Amends the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity Law of the Civil Administrative Code of Illinois. Creates, within the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, the New Generation Manufacturing Competitiveness Council for the purpose of advocating, coordinating, and implementing policies to help manufacturers in the State compete in the global marketplace. Sets forth procedures for appointments and for the operation of the Council.

Amends the Illinois Health Care Facilities Planning Act. Exempts construction and renovation of certain long-term care "campus facilities" from the Act's application. Effective immediately.

Proposes to amend the Suffrage and Elections Article of the Illinois Constitution. Provides for elections to recall State executive branch officers, members of the General Assembly, and supreme, appellate, and circuit judges. Sets forth requirements for petitions and elections. Allows the General Assembly, by law, to provide for recall of officers of units of local government and school districts. Contains other provisions. Effective upon being declared adopted.

Appropriates $64,200,000 from the General Revenue Fund to the Department on Aging for vendors of homemaker, chore, and housekeeping services to increase the wages paid to employees who provide homemaker, chore, and housekeeping services and to provide health insurance coverage to those employees and their dependents. Effective immediately.

Amends the Children with Disabilities Article of the School Code. In a Section concerning funding for children requiring special education services, provides that for fiscal year 2008 and each fiscal year thereafter, individual school districts must not receive payments under that Section totaling less than they received for fiscal year 2007. Sets forth guidelines for the calculation, including making the calculation a separate calculation from any other in the Section. Effective immediately.

Amends the Illinois Municipal Code. Authorizes municipalities to incorporate a public-facilities corporation to exercise, as business agent of the municipality, the powers of the municipality with respect to municipal convention halls. Sets forth requirements for the public-facilities corporations. Provides that public-facilities corporations are exempt from property taxation and State use and occupation taxes. Effective immediately.

Makes a supplemental appropriation of $21,000,000 from the General Revenue Fund to the State Board of Education to be used exclusively for school districts that will receive less funding in the 2007-2008 school year as a result of Public Act 93-1022. Effective immediately.

Amends the School Code. Requires the State Board of Education, in collaboration with regional offices of education, to develop additional improvements to and streamlining and refinement of the teacher certification process.

Amends the Unemployment Insurance Act. Provides that an individual is ineligible for benefits on the basis of wages for service for a municipality as a school crossing guard between 2 successive academic years or terms or during a vacation period or holiday recess if the individual performed the service in the first of the academic years or terms or before the vacation period or holiday recess and there is a reasonable assurance that the individual will perform the service in the second of the academic years or terms or after the vacation period or holiday recess, subject to specified exceptions. Effective immediately.