Sen. Matt Murphy

Amends the Election Code. Authorizes establishment of a county board of election commissioners for the portion of a county with 3,000,000 or more population outside the corporate limits of a city, village, or incorporated town with a board of election commissioners. Authorizes establishment by county board ordinance or vote of the electors of the affected portion of the county.

Amends the Downstate Forest Preserve District Act. Provides that property in which a forest preserve district is the grantee of a conservation easement or a conservation right shall not be subject to condemnation proceedings, with certain exceptions. Effective immediately.

Amends the Fiscal Note Act. Requires that a fiscal note be prepared for each legislative bill, other than an appropriation bill, before third reading but after second reading in each chamber (now, only certain bills and before second reading in the house of introduction). Provides that the Secretary of the Senate or the Clerk of the House, as the case may be, rather than the sponsor, shall request agencies to prepare fiscal notes. Makes other changes.

Proposes to amend the Legislature Article of the Illinois Constitution concerning the passage of revenue bills. A bill that would result in the increase of revenue may become law only with the concurrence of two-thirds of the members elected to each house of the General Assembly. Proposes to amend the Finance Article of the Illinois Constitution concerning the State budget. Provides that the rate of growth in total State expenditures in any fiscal year over the prior fiscal year is limited to: (i) the percentage increase in the annual rate of increase, for the previous calendar year, of the Consumer Price Index; plus (ii) the rate of increase in the State's population for the same 12-month period. Requires the State to maintain a reserve fund equal to 3% of the enacted budget for the prior fiscal year. Effective on being declared adopted in accordance with Section 7 of the Illinois Constitutional Amendment Act.

Amends the Unified Code of Corrections. Provides that a prisoner who is serving a term of imprisonment for being an armed habitual criminal shall receive no good conduct credit and shall serve the entire sentence imposed by the court (rather than no more than 4.5 days of good conduct credit for each month of his or her sentence of imprisonment). Effective January 1, 2009.

Proposes to amend the Executive and Finance Articles of the Illinois Constitution. Adds an elected Auditor General as an officer of the executive branch of State government. Eliminates the position of Auditor General appointed by the General Assembly. Specifies the same powers and duties for the elected officer as for the appointed officer, with the addition of (i) the power of subpoena and (ii) the power to investigate all matters relating to government operations, financial or otherwise. Provides that the Auditor General is subject to oversight and audit as the General Assembly may provide by law. Effective upon being declared adopted and applies to the office of Auditor General first filled by election in 2010.

Urges schools and public libraries to use available information to provide Internet safety education to the children and parents of this State.

Amends the Juvenile Court Act of 1987. Provides that the results of a paternity test in a case in which the court ordered a paternity test shall be disclosed to the Department of Healthcare and Family Services when necessary to discharge the duties of the Department of Healthcare and Family Services under the child support enforcement provisions of the Illinois Public Aid Code in a manner approved by the Presiding Judge of the Juvenile Court.

Amends the State Finance Act. Provides that each fiscal year, the General Assembly shall appropriate for educational programs an amount that is equal to or exceeds the sum of (i) the total amount appropriated from general funds for educational programs during the fiscal year immediately preceding the fiscal year for which the appropriation is being made and (ii) 51% of total new general funds available for spending from estimated growth in revenues and funds available because of budgeted program growth and decline in the fiscal year for which the appropriation is being made. Provides that money from new general funds must be spent on educational programs that are not considered administrative expenditures. Effective immediately.

Amends the Baccalaureate Savings Act. Makes a technical change in a Section concerning the Act's short title.