Sen. Chris Lauzen

Creates the short title Section only of the Clean and Open Government Saves You Money Act.

Amends the Illinois Dental Practice Act. Makes technical changes in a Section concerning acts that constitute the practice of dental hygiene.

Amends the Illinois Economic and Fiscal Commission Act. Requires the Commission to conduct a study, compile data, and make a report by January 1, 2004 concerning the economic effects, both inflows and outflows, of illegal immigration on the public and private economies of Illinois. Repeals the new provisions on July 1, 2004. Effective immediately.

Amends the General Provisions Article of the Illinois Pension Code. Provides that the total retirement annuity, including any automatic, one-time, or other increases in that annuity, shall not ever exceed $75,000 per year. Applies only to a person who first becomes a participant on or after the effective date. Effective immediately.

Amends the Illinois State Collection Act of 1986. Provides that after accounts have been certified by the Debt Collection Board or the Attorney General as uncollectible, the State Comptroller may sell the debts to outside private vendors or enter into one or more contracts with outside private vendors for the purpose of pursuing a last-call collection effort to collect these debts for a contingent fee. Provides that beginning on the effective date of this amendatory Act, the outside private vendors shall remit to the State Comptroller either (i) all amounts collected under a contract, net of contingent fees (now, remitted to the respective State agencies to whom the money is owed) or (ii) the purchase price for debts sold. Provides that the State Comptroller shall deposit the money received under these provisions into the Budget Stabilization Fund. Effective immediately.

Urges President George W. Bush and the United States Congress to award immediate United States citizenship to every man and woman serving in the Armed Forces in the Persian Gulf and to take steps necessary to award United States citizenship to every man and woman upon their favorable discharge from the Armed Forces.

Amends the Property Tax Code. Makes a technical change in a Section concerning the adjournment of the boards of review.

Amends the Illinois Highway Code. Requires the Illinois Department of Transportation to establish exact (rather than approximate) locations and widths of rights of way for future additions to the State highway system and to hold a public hearing whenever exact (rather than approximate) locations and widths of rights of way are to be established. Requires the Department to prepare a map showing the exact location and widths of the rights of way. Requires the filing of an environmental impact study along with a notice of approval of the map and a copy of the map in the office of the recorder for all counties where the land needed for future additions is located. Requires the Department to hold public hearings to discuss the viability and feasibility of each protected corridor not more than 10 years after the protected corridor is established in accordance with the provisions of the Code, and not later than the expiration of each 10-year period after the establishment of the protected corridor. Requires the Department to give due consideration to the information obtained at that hearing and to abolish the protected corridor if construction of the roadway is no longer feasible. Effective immediately.

Amends the New Vehicle Buyer Protection Act. Provides that "statutory warranty period" means the period of one year or the expiration of the warranty (instead of 12,000 miles). Deletes language providing that collateral charges does not include taxes paid by the purchaser on the initial purchase of the new vehicle. Provides that where the same nonconformity has been subject to repair by the seller, its agent or authorized dealers during the statutory warranty period 4 times (instead of 4 or more times) or the vehicle has been out of service for a total of 30 days (instead of 30 business days), a presumption that a reasonable number of attempts have been undertaken to conform a new vehicle to its express warranties shall arise. Provides that a reasonable allowance for consumer use of a vehicle is that amount equal to the miles driven before the nonconformity is first reported to the motor vehicle dealer, divided by 100,000, multiplied by the purchase price of the vehicle (instead of that directly attributable to the wear and tear incurred on the new vehicle). Provides that an informal settlement procedure shall be optional (rather than mandatory) and the decision of such procedure is inadmissible in civil action. Provides that the Act shall not limit a consumer's rights or remedies available under any other law and a waiver of the rights under the Act by the consumer is void. Increases the statute of limitations for any actions commenced under the Act from 18 months to 3 years. Provides for payment of attorney's fees by the manufacturer to a prevailing consumer. Effective immediately.

Amends the Freedom of Information Act. Makes a technical change in a Section concerning the short title.