Sen. Ann Gillespie

Amends the Higher Education Student Assistance Act. Creates the School Social Work Shortage Loan Repayment grant program. Provides that the Illinois Student Assistance Commission shall, each year, receive and consider applications from eligible social workers who are employed by a public elementary or secondary school district in the State. Relative thereto, the grant program may encourage a grant recipient to use the financial assistance for the repayment of educational loans. Sets forth eligibility requirements. Effective July 1, 2021.

Amends the Consumer Fraud and Deceptive Business Practices Act. Provides that the Act does not apply to the overcollection of any tax by a person, to the extent such overcollected tax is remitted to a government entity or agency. Provides that a tax is remitted to a governmental entity or agency when it is paid or transferred to the government entity or agency, or taken as a credit, allowance, or offset on a tax return or other tax form (including any amount of commission or discount taken by or allowed to a tax collector or taxpayer).

Amends the Re-Entering Citizens Civics Education Act. Expands the program to persons committed to a Department of Juvenile Justice facility. Provides that the workshop held at the Department of Juvenile Justice shall consist of 270 minutes of instruction. Provides that the civil education program in the Department of Juvenile Justice shall be taught by 2 co-facilitators. Provides that one of the co-facilitators shall be a member of an established nonpartisan civil organization and the other a committed person at the Department of Juvenile Justice who is specifically trained in voting rights education and who has been trained by an established nonpartisan civil organization. Effective January 1, 2021.

Amends the Navigator Certification Act. Provides that certified application counselors are subject to the same certification requirements as navigators. Provides that navigators or certified application counselors may not engage in any unfair method of competition or any fraudulent, deceptive, or dishonest act or practice related to the health insurance marketplace or to that individual's or entity's absence of a conflict of interest in connection with the enrollment of any individuals or employees in a particular private health benefit plan. Provides that a navigator or certified application counselor who fails to timely file for certificate renewal shall be charged a late fee in an amount prescribed by the Director of Insurance. Replaces provisions concerning criteria and requirements for entities or individuals applying for a navigator certificate with language allowing the Director of Insurance to establish certification terms and requirements for completed applications and exemptions from certification by rule for navigator or certified application counselor certificates. Revises the meaning of the terms "certified application counselor" and "navigator". Makes other changes. Effective immediately.

Creates the Not-for-Profit Business Enterprise Act. Allows for the certification of and the preference in awarding of State contracts to minority-led not-for-profit organizations, woman-led not-for-profit organizations, and not-for-profit organizations led by a person with a disability under the Act. Provides further requirements concerning the awarding of State contracts and certification. Requires State agencies and institutions of higher education to annually file with the Business Enterprise Council a compliance plan for contracting with minority-led not-for-profit organizations, woman-led not-for-profit organizations, and not-for-profit organizations led by a person with a disability. Provides enforcement provisions. Provides for the adoption of rules necessary to implement and enforce the requirements of the Act. Amends the Business Enterprise for Minorities, Women, and Persons with Disabilities Act. Provides the Business Enterprise Council with the authority and responsibility to devise a certification procedure for not-for-profit organizations and to make a list of all not-for-profit organizations legitimately classified as a minority-led not-for-profit organization, a woman-led not-for-profit organization, or a not-for-profit organization led by a person with a disability for purposes of the Not-for-Profit Business Enterprise Act. Amends the Public Utilities Act. Provides that specified supplier diversity goal requirements under the Act apply to minority-led not-for-profit organizations, woman-led not-for-profit organizations, and not-for-profit organizations led by a person with a disability. Defines terms. Makes other changes.

Amends the School Code. Specifies that provisions authorizing school districts to offer courses on hunting safety shall not be construed to allow anyone to bring certain weapons to school.

Amends the Firearms Restraining Order Act. Includes a former spouse or person with a child in common in the definition of "family member of the respondent". Provides that a firearms restraining order includes the seizure of ammunition. Provides that no fee shall be charged by the clerk of the court for printing petitions or orders. Provides that the petitioner shall make a good faith effort to notify recent intimate partners (rather than intimate partners) of the respondent. Provides that a return of the search warrant for searching for the respondent's firearms and ammunition shall be filed by the law enforcement agency with the court within 7 days thereafter, setting forth the time, date, and location that the search warrant was executed and what items were seized. Effective immediately.

Amends the Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities Code. Makes a technical change in a Section concerning the short title.

Amends the Election Code. Provides that members of the General Assembly and the offices Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Attorney General, Secretary of State, Comptroller, and Treasurer shall be elected by ranked-choice voting. Provides for ranked-choice ballots to be produced. Provides that voters may rank their choice for candidates for those offices and provides for interpretations of certain ballot marks. Provides that tallying ranked-choice votes proceeds in rounds. Provides that in each round, the number of votes for each continuing candidate must be counted, that each continuing ballot counts as one vote for its highest-ranked continuing candidate for that round, and that exhausted ballots are not counted for any continuing candidate. Provides that if only 2 candidates remain, the candidate with the higher vote total wins, and that if more than 2 candidates remain, the last-place candidate is eliminated and another round of tallying is to commence. Provides that rounds continue until a winner is found. Makes conforming changes.

Amends the General Assembly Compensation Act. Provides that beginning with the first payroll of the 102nd General Assembly, the compensation to be paid per year to members of the General Assembly, including additional sums payable per year to officers of the General Assembly, shall be paid bi-monthly. Provides that members who resign before completing the entire term in office shall be compensated on a prorated basis. Provides that members completing the term of a vacancy shall be compensated on a prorated basis. Makes conforming changes.