Sen. Pamela J. Althoff

Amends the Use Tax Act, the Service Use Tax Act, the Service Occupation Tax Act, and the Retailers' Occupation Tax Act. Provides that an exemption for equipment used in coal and aggregate exploration, mining, offhighway hauling, processing, maintenance, and reclamation applies on and after July 1, 2003, but no claim for credit or refund is allowed on or after the effective date of the amendatory Act of the 97th General Assembly for taxes paid during the period beginning July 1, 2003 and ending on the effective date of the amendatory Act. Effective immediately.

Amends the Illinois Marriage and Dissolution of Marriage Act. Provides that if the court finds that it is in the best interest of the child and awards joint custody or visitation rights, the court shall find that both parties have the right of first refusal to care for the minor children if the absence of either party is necessary during the party's normal parenting time. Provides that the use of baby-sitters, family members, or subsequent spouses is secondary to the right of first refusal. Provides that "right of first refusal" means that in the event that either parent intends to leave the minor children for a period of 4 hours or longer, that parent shall first offer the other parent an opportunity for additional time with the children before making other arrangements for the temporary care of the children. Contains provisions concerning the setting of parameters regarding distance, transportation, and time constraints which may make the offering of additional parenting time impractical and therefore not required. Provides that the parent leaving the children with the other parent or with a temporary child care provider shall notify the other parent of the duration of the parenting time or temporary care of the children by other persons. Contains procedural requirements regarding the offering and acceptance of additional parenting time. Provides that the parent exercising additional parenting time shall provide the necessary transportation unless the parties agree otherwise. Provides that the new provisions are enforceable under the Section of the Act concerning visitation abuse. Provides that the right of first refusal shall be terminated upon the termination of custody or visitation rights.

Amends the Environmental Protection Act. Prohibits a person from claiming the on-farm composting exemption from solid-waste permitting if he or she charges a tipping fee. Authorizes a person who is operating an on-farm landscape composting facility to accept food scrap, crop residue, livestock waste, agricultural landscape waste, uncontaminated wood waste, yard waste, and landscape waste for composting and still maintain the on-farm composting permitting exemption so long as the other applicable requirements are satisfied. Effective immediately.

Amends the Illinois Vehicle Code. Provides that a 3-axle truck mixer registered as a Special Hauling Vehicle, used exclusively for the mixing and transportation of concrete in the plastic state, may, when laden, transmit upon the road surface, except when on part of the National System of Interstate and Defense Highways, the following maximum weights: 22,000 pounds on a single axle; 40,000 pounds on a tandem axle; and 54,000 pounds gross weight on a 3-axle vehicle. Provides that a 3-axle combination sewer cleaning jetting vacuum truck registered as a Special Hauling Vehicle, used exclusively for the transportation of non-hazardous solid waste, may, when laden, transmit upon the road surface, except when on part of the National System of Interstate and Defense Highways, the following maximum weights: 22,000 pounds on a single axle; 40,000 pounds on a tandem axle; and 54,000 pounds gross weight on a 3-axle vehicle. Provides that both of these vehicles are not subject to the bridge formula. Removes provisions limiting to vehicles manufactured before or in the model year of 2014 and first registered in Illinois before January 1, 2015 the applicability of weight limit exceptions for certain 4-axle special hauling vehicles. Effective immediately.

Amends the Communicable Disease Prevention Act. Makes changes to the provision concerning children of school age who are reported as having been diagnosed as having AIDS or HIV. Provides that the information contained in the notification to be required of the Department of Public Health with regard to a child enrolled in a public school in kindergarten through fifth grade who is diagnosed as being infected with HIV must not be recorded in the child's permanent record. Provides that if the information is in the child's permanent school record, the information must be purged from the child's record before the child enters the sixth grade. Provides that if the child is enrolled in a public school, the principal shall disclose (instead of disclose the identity of the child) to the superintendent of the school district in which the child resides and specifies that the disclosure shall be that a child has been infected with HIV. Provides that all provisions of the AIDS Confidentiality Act shall apply, including penalties for violation of that Act.

Amends the Title Insurance Act to add an exception to the prohibition against a title insurance company, title insurance agent, or independent escrowee making disbursements in connection with any escrows, settlements, or closings out of a fiduciary trust account or accounts if the funds are good funds and the title insurance company, title insurance agent, or independent escrowee and the financial institution, as defined by the Act, are known to each other and agree to the use of these funds.

Amends the Public Funds Investment Act. Provides that any unit of local government (now, municipalities and counties only) may invest its public funds in interest bearing bonds of any county, township, city, village, incorporated town, municipal corporation, or school district, of the State of Illinois, of any other state, or of any political subdivision or agency of the State of Illinois or of any other state. Amends the Municipal Code to provide that municipalities are authorized to invest the funds and public moneys in the custody of the municipal treasurer in accordance with the Public Funds Investment Act.

Amends the Service Use Tax Act and the Service Occupation Tax Act. Makes changes concerning the distribution of proceeds to provide for certain transfers to the Common School Fund. Amends the Local Mass Transit District Act and the Water Commission Act of 1985. Makes changes in provisions concerning the distribution of tax proceeds to provide for offsets for amounts that were erroneously paid to the District or Commission. Amends the Senior Citizens Real Estate Tax Deferral Act. Provides that, if there is a shortfall in appropriations from the Senior Citizens Real Estate Tax Revolving Fund, payments may be made when there is sufficient appropriation authority or a sufficient fund balance (instead of by June 1 or within 30 days of the receipt of these tax bills). Effective immediately.

Amends the Environmental Protection Act. Specifies that the one-eighth mile setback that certain composting facilities must comply with to be excluded from the definition of the term "pollution control facility" applies only in counties with less than 3,000,000 inhabitants. Provides that a solid waste permit is not required for a garden compost operation. Provides that a solid-waste permit is not required for a landscape waste composting facility at a site having 10 or more occupied non-farm residences within 1/2 mile of its boundaries if (i) the facility constitutes no more than 2% of the site's total acreage, (ii) no tipping fee is imposed at the facility, (iii) the finished compost is applied at agronomic rates on-site and is not offered for sale or sold, (iv) the owner or operator of the facility completes any training that the Agency may require, and (v) the owner or operator registers the site with the Agency. Specifies that certain performance standards for composting facilities do not apply to garden compost operations. Defines "garden compost operation". Effective immediately.

Amends the Code of Criminal Procedure of 1963. Adds child abduction involving luring of a child to the list of offenses for which evidence of the prior commission of that offense or other listed offense may be introduced in the trial or retrial of the accused for a listed offense to prove a propensity of the accused.