Sen. Jim Oberweis

Amends the State Officials and Employees Ethics Act. Provides that the Commission shall adopt no rule requiring the Legislative Inspector General to seek the Commission's advance approval before commencing any investigation or issuing a subpoena. Provides that any existing rule, as of the effective date of the amendatory Act, requiring the Legislative Inspector General to seek the Commission's advance approval before commencing any investigation or issuing a subpoena is void. Removes language providing that the Legislative Inspector General needs the advance approval of the Commission to issue subpoenas. Effective immediately.

Amends the Illinois Vehicle Code. Provides that 30 days after the effective date of the bill, the Department of Transportation shall conduct a study evaluating automated traffic law enforcement systems in this State. Provides that on or before December 31, 2019, the Department shall file a report with the General Assembly with the results from the study, including input from local law enforcement, and any recommendations the Department deems necessary. Effective immediately.

Creates the Flavored Tobacco Ban Act. Provides that a tobacco retailer or his or her agents or employees may not sell, offer for sale, or possess with the intent to sell or offer for sale, a flavored tobacco product, flavored related tobacco product, flavored alternative nicotine product, or flavored solution or substance intended for use with electronic cigarettes. Provides that (1) "tobacco product" includes products containing tetrahydrocannabinol and products containing a mixture of tetrahydrocannabinol and nicotine, and (2) "tobacco retailer" includes dispensing organizations and dispensing organization agents, as those terms are defined in the Cannabis Regulation and Tax Act. Creates a presumption that a tobacco product, related tobacco product, alternative nicotine product, or solution or substance intended for use with electronic cigarettes is a banned product, solution, or substance intended for use with electronic cigarettes if it has or produces a characterizing flavor. Establishes penalties for violations. Provides that all moneys collected as fines and civil penalties for violations of the Act shall be distributed: one-half to the State agency or unit of local government that successfully prosecuted the offender; and one-half to the Department of Revenue to be used for enforcing the Act and the Prevention of Tobacco Use by Persons under 21 Years of Age and Sale and Distribution of Tobacco Products Act. Provides that the Act does not preempt or otherwise prohibit the adoption of a local standard that imposes greater restrictions on the access to specified products, solutions, or substances than the restrictions imposed by the Act. Amends the Tobacco Products Tax Act of 1995. Permits the Department of Revenue to suspend the license of any distributor that violates the Flavored Tobacco Ban Act.

Amends the Electric Service Customer Choice and Rate Relief Law of 1997 of the Public Utilities Act. In provisions concerning infrastructure investment and modernization: Provides that beginning in 2022, a participating utility other than a combination utility shall pay $10,000,000 per year for 5 years and a participating utility that is a combination utility shall pay $1,000,000 per year for 10 years to the energy low-income and support program, which is intended to fund customer assistance programs with the primary purpose being avoidance of imminent disconnection and reconnecting customers who have been disconnected for nonpayment and makes conforming changes. Makes a change concerning the computation of the performance-based formula rate beginning with the rates applicable for the rate year commencing January 1, 2023, and each rate year thereafter. Removes provisions requiring that, by December 31, 2017, the Illinois Commerce Commission shall prepare and file with the General Assembly a report on the infrastructure program and the performance-based formula rate; provisions making the infrastructure investment and modernization, Smart Grid Advanced Metering Infrastructure Deployment Plan, Illinois Science and Energy Innovation Trust, and Illinois Smart Grid test bed provisions inoperative after December 31, 2022; and provisions limiting the ability of a participating utility to annually update the performance-based formula rate. Makes other changes. Effective immediately.

Creates the Public University Uniform Admission Act. Requires each public university in this State to admit first-time freshman applicants as undergraduate students if the applicant graduated with a grade point average in the top 10% or was certified to be in the top 10% of the student's high school graduating class in one of the 2 school years preceding the academic year for which the applicant is applying for admission and (1) the applicant graduated from an accredited public or private high school in this State or from a high school operated by the United States Department of Defense; (2) the applicant successfully completed the minimum college preparatory curriculum requirements for admission to the university and satisfied the ACT college admission assessment or the SAT college admission assessment composite score and subscores required for admission to the university; and (3) if the applicant graduated from a high school operated by the United States Department of Defense, the applicant is a State resident or is entitled to pay tuition fees at the rate provided for State residents. Provides that the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is not required to offer admission to applicants who qualify for automatic admission in excess of the number required to fill 75% of the university's enrollment capacity designated for first-time resident undergraduate students in an academic year. Sets forth other provisions concerning the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Sets forth other provisions concerning admissions. Provides for additional preparation for college, student outreach, and rulemaking. House Committee Amendment No. 1 Replaces everything after the enacting clause. Reinserts the provisions of the introduced bill with the following changes. Removes from the applicability of the Act the University of Illinois, Illinois State University, Governors State University, Northeastern Illinois University, and Chicago State University; makes conforming changes. Provides that, beginning with the 2020-2021 academic year, each institution shall create a 4-year uniform admission system pilot program under the Act (rather than create a permanent uniform admission system). Makes other changes. Repeals the Act on July 1, 2025. Fiscal Note, House Committee Amendment No. 1 (IL Board of Higher Education) House Bill 26 (H-AM 1) will not have a fiscal impact on the Illinois Board of Higher Education. House Committee Amendment No. 2 With regard to the student outreach program, removes a provision requiring the Illinois Student Assistance Commission, after gathering information and recommendations from available sources and examining current outreach practices by institutions of higher education in this State and in other states, to prescribe best practice guidelines and standards to be used by institutions in conducting student outreach. Senate Floor Amendment No. 1 Provides that an applicant who graduates in a graduating class of a school that has so few students that class rank does not make a reliable contribution toward assessing the student's college readiness is considered to have satisfied certain automatic admission requirements of the Act if, among other requirements, the student has (i) successfully completed the minimum college preparatory curriculum requirements established by law for admission to the institution and (rather than or) (ii) satisfied the ACT college admission assessment or the SAT college admission assessment composite score and subscores required for admission to the institution to which the applicant applied as well as any composite scores or subscores for colleges within that institution. Makes a technical correction.

Amends the Unified Code of Corrections. Provides that the conditions of every parole and mandatory supervised release include that the subject: (1) not knowingly frequent (rather than frequent) places where controlled substances are illegally sold, used, distributed, or administered; and (2) except when the association described in (2)(A) or (2)(B) involves activities related to community programs, worship services, volunteering, engaging families, or some other pro-social activity in which there is no evidence of criminal intent: (A) not knowingly associate with other persons on parole or mandatory supervised release without prior written permission of his or her parole agent; or (B) not knowingly associate with persons who are members of an organized gang as that term is defined in the Illinois Streetgang Terrorism Omnibus Prevention Act. Effective immediately. Correctional Note (Dept of Corrections) There is no fiscal or population impact on the department.

Amends the Criminal Code of 2012. Provides that a prosecution for criminal sexual assault, aggravated criminal sexual assault, or aggravated criminal sexual abuse may be commenced at any time (rather than within 10 years of the commission of the offense if the victim reported the offense to law enforcement authorities within 3 years after the commission of the offense). Makes conforming changes.

Amends the Raffles and Poker Runs Act. Provides that raffles shall be governed by the governing body of the municipality or county with jurisdiction over the location where the winning chances in the raffle are determined. Provides that a license shall authorize the holder of the license to sell raffle chances throughout the State, including beyond the borders of the licensing municipality or county. Provides that sponsoring organizations may contract with third parties to provide certain services to the sponsoring organization in connection with the operation of a raffle or poker run and may pay reasonable compensation for such services. Makes changes in provisions concerning licenses, applications, issuance, restrictions, and ineligible persons; conduct of raffles and poker runs; managers and bonds; records; and political committees. Incorporates provisions concerning raffles by law enforcement agencies and statewide associations that represent law enforcement officials into the rest of the Act. Makes corresponding changes in the Criminal Code of 2012. Effective immediately. House Floor Amendment No. 1 Adds reference to: 230 ILCS 5/26 from Ch. 8, par. 37-26 Replaces everything after the enacting clause. Reinserts the introduced bill with the following changes: Amends the Illinois Horse Racing Act of 1975. Provides that inter-track wagering or simulcast wagering shall not be conducted by an inter-track wagering location licensee at any location within 100 feet (rather than 500 feet) of an existing church or school. Removes language prohibiting inter-track wagering or simulcast wagering by an inter-track wagering location licensee at a location within 500 feet of residences of more than 50 registered voters. In provisions amending the Raffles and Poker Runs Act, provides that the definition of "raffles" also does not include certain games under the Riverboat Gambling Act and the Video Gaming Act. Removes poker runs from provisions concerning sponsoring organizations contracting with third parties. Removes provisions requiring poker runs to be licensed by the county with jurisdiction over the key location. Makes other changes. Effective immediately.

Amends the School Code. Creates the School District Efficiency Commission. Provides for the membership and support of the Commission. Requires the Commission to make recommendations to the Governor and the General Assembly on the number of school districts in this State, the optimal amount of enrollment for a school district, and where reorganization and realignment of school districts would be beneficial in this State; specifies the topics on which the recommendations must focus. Provides that, on or before May 1, 2020, the Commission must vote on its recommendations and submit a report to the Governor and the General Assembly. Provides that if the Commission adopts the report recommendations by an affirmative vote of at least 11 of its members, then the Commission's recommendations for reorganization of school districts into unit school districts must be placed on the ballots of the designated school districts in the next general election in the same manner as petitions approved by a regional superintendent of schools, except without financial incentives. Provides that the Commission is dissolved the day after the report is filed with the Governor and the General Assembly. Repeals the provision on February 1, 2021. Makes a conforming change in the Conversion and Formation of School Districts Article. Effective immediately.

Amends the Government Severance Pay Act. Makes a technical change in a Section concerning the short title.