Sen. Laura Murphy

Amends the Illinois Municipal Code. Defines "underground" and "undergrounding". Provides that public utilities shall underground specified electric transmission lines under certain conditions. Provides that the Illinois Commerce Commission shall allow a public utility to recover from all retail customers in its service territory all reasonable and prudent costs that it incurs related to the undergrounding of such transmission lines. Provides that a public utility shall record and defer such costs as a regulatory asset to be included in the public utility's total rate base and amortized over a reasonable period that is equal to the expected life of such transmission line. Effective immediately.

Amends the Illinois Income Tax Act. Creates a deduction in an amount equal to the amount of personal interest paid by an individual taxpayer during the taxable year. Provides that the term "personal interest" means interest paid on personal and consumer loans that is not deductible when calculating the taxpayer's federal adjusted gross income. Effective immediately.

Amends the Election Code. Makes a technical change in a Section concerning the short title.

Amends the Illinois Income Tax Act. Creates a credit in an amount equal to the amount of personal interest paid by an individual taxpayer during the taxable year. Provides that the term "personal interest" means interest paid on personal and consumer loans that is not deductible when calculating the taxpayer's federal adjusted gross income. Effective immediately.

Amends the Administrative Review Law of the Code of Civil Procedure. Provides that, as used in a Section concerning required parties in an action for administrative review, "parties of record" does not include a private citizen who was not acting in an official capacity or whose participation in the agency proceedings was limited to his or her attendance or testimony at a public hearing.

Amends the Illinois Income Tax Act. Makes a technical change in a Section concerning adjustments to base income by the Director of Revenue.

Mourns the death of Philip Guentert.

Amends the Illinois Act on the Aging, the Disabled Persons Rehabilitation Act, and the Illinois Public Aid Code. Regarding services provided under the Community Care Program, the Home Services Program, the supportive living facilities program, and the nursing home prescreening project, provides that individuals with a score of 29 or higher based on the determination of need assessment tool are eligible to receive institutional and home and community-based long term care services until the State receives federal approval and implements an updated assessment tool. Requires the Department on Aging, the Department of Human Services, and the Department of Healthcare and Family Services to promulgate rules regarding the updated assessment tool, but prohibits those Departments from promulgating emergency rules regarding the updated assessment tool. Provides that the State shall not implement an updated assessment tool that causes more than 1% of then-current recipients to lose eligibility; and that anyone determined to be ineligible for services due to the updated assessment tool shall continue to be eligible for services for at least one year following that determination and must be reassessed no earlier than 11 months after that determination. Further amends the Illinois Public Aid Code by deleting a provision requiring the Department of Healthcare and Family Services to, subject to federal approval, on and after July 1, 2012, effectuate an increase in the determination of need scores from 29 to 37 for applicants for institutional and home and community-based long term care. Amends the Nursing Home Care Act. Provides that no individual receiving care in an institutional setting shall be involuntarily discharged as the result of the updated assessment tool until a transition plan has been developed by the Department on Aging or its designee and all care identified in the transition plan is available to the resident immediately upon discharge. Effective immediately.

Amends the Attorney General Act. Makes a technical change in the Section concerning the short title of the Act.

Amends the Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities Administrative Act and the Illinois Public Aid Code. Provides that the Department of Human Services shall establish reimbursement rates which build toward livable wages for front line personnel in residential and day programs serving persons with intellectual and developmental disabilities, including but not limited to intermediate care facilities for persons with developmental disabilities, community integrated living arrangements, developmental training programs, employment, and other residential and day programs for persons with intellectual and developmental disabilities supported by State funds or funding under Title XIX of the federal Social Security Act. Provides that the Department shall increase rates and reimbursements so that direct support persons earn a base wage of not less than $15 per hour and so that other front line personnel earn a commensurate wage. Defines "front line personnel". Effective immediately.