Sen. William E. Peterson

Amends the Illinois Funeral or Burial Funds Act, the Crematory Regulation Act, the Cemetery Care Act, and the Illinois Pre-Need Cemetery Sales Act. Provides that licenses and license renewals shall be issued for a 5-year term. Provides requirements for license renewal and makes conforming changes in other provisions of the Acts. In the Cemetery Care Act, adds a provision requiring a cemetery association holding $75,000 or less in its care funds to file a report with the Comptroller in lieu of other annual report requirements and provides that the Comptroller shall examine at least annually every licensee who holds $750,000 or more (was, $250,000 or more) in its care funds. Effective January 1, 2008.

Amends the Election Code. Requires that the published and posted schedule of early voting include the date, time, and location that the election authority will count and process early voting ballots.

Mourns the death of Joe Hoffman of Lincolnshire.

For Fiscal Year 2008, reappropriates $150,000,000 to the Capital Development Board for school construction grants pursuant to the School Construction Law. Effective immediately.

Amends the Counties Code. Provides that taxes may be levied to provide "human services" (now, "social services for senior citizens").

Amends the Election Code. Requires that optical scan technology electronic voting systems be able to verify that a ballot has been initialed by an election judge. In polling places where the voter feeds or can view the feeding of his or her ballot into the optical scan technology automatic tabulating equipment, requires that a ballot rejected for non-verification of judge's initials be initialed and fed again into the equipment.

Amends the Election Code. Eliminates in-person absentee voting at the offices of municipal, township, and road district clerks. Extends the early voting period through the third (now, the fifth) day before an election day.

Amends the Illinois Procurement Code. Provides that State officers and employees prohibited from obtaining State contracts may not receive legal, banking, consulting, or other fees related to State government bond issuances. Prohibits waivers from the prohibition. Prohibits State contractors with contracts with an annual aggregate value of more than $25,000 from making political contributions to the executive branch constitutional officers responsible for awarding the contracts. Establishes penalties for violations. Requires that each State contract bid or offer in excess of $10,000 annual value must be accompanied by a disclosure of the bidder's or offeror's political contributions to the executive branch constitutional officer responsible for awarding the contract. Authorizes the State Comptroller to refuse payments under contracts for which those disclosures were not made. Makes other changes.

Amends the State Officials and Employees Ethics Act. Adds Illinois State Toll Highway Authority signs and structures to the list of items that may not bear the proper name or image of an executive branch constitutional officer or a General Assembly member if the item is designed, paid for, prepared, or distributed using public funds and the item is not in furtherance of the person's official State duties or governmental and public service functions.

Amends the Downstate Teacher Article of the Illinois Pension Code. Makes technical changes in a Section concerning contributions by the State and other employing units.