Sen. Gary G. Dahl

Amends the Department of Veterans Affairs Act. Creates the Illinois Discharged Servicemember Task Force. Provides that the Task Force shall investigate re-entry into civilian life for service members who have been engaged in an active theater. Sets forth the membership of the Task Force. Provides that the Task Force shall prepare an annual report for the Governor, the Attorney General, the General Assembly, and the United States Department of Veterans Affairs. Effective immediately.

Creates the Illinois Food, Farms, and Jobs Act and the Illinois Local and Organic Food and Farm Task Force. Sets out the composition of the Task Force. Provides that the Task Force shall develop a plan for expanding and supporting a State local and organic food system and for assessing and overcoming obstacles to an increase in locally grown food and local organic food production. Sets out the contents of the plan. Amends the State Finance Act to create the Illinois Local Organic Food and Farm Fund. Effective immediately.

Amends the Illinois Procurement Code. Permits a 5% preference to be given to bidders who will use biobased products, except CDB construction contracts.

Amends the Public Utilities Act. Requires the Illinois Commerce Commission to afford members of the public time to make comments to or to ask questions of the Commission at each regular and special meeting. Requires the Commission to provide a web site and a toll-free telephone number to accept comments from Illinois residents regarding any matter under the auspices of the Commission or before the Commission. Requires the Commission staff to report to the full Commission comments and suggestions received through both venues before all relevant votes of the Commission. Provides that the Commission shall establish procedures for accepting testimony from Illinois residents on matters pending before the Commission. Effective immediately.

Amends the Illinois Act on the Aging. Requires the Department on Aging to gather information about the special needs of older rural residents and to evaluate the adequacy and accessibility of existing programs for older rural residents. Creates the Older Rural Adults Task Force to gather information and make recommendations. Sets forth the membership of the Task Force. Provides that the Task Force may hold regional hearings and shall submit a report to the General Assembly no later than January 1, 2009. Provides that the Task Force shall be dissolved upon the submission of the report. Effective immediately.

Amends the Illinois Emergency Management Agency Act. Requires the emergency operations plan to include the needs of those with pets and service animals.

Amends the School Code. For school districts having a population of less than 500,000 inhabitants, provides that, subject to referendum, the maximum tax rate for certain recently formed community unit school districts that have a combined rate of more than 4% is as follows: for 2 years, the same as the actual combined rate of the previous elementary and secondary district; and in each subsequent year the rate shall be reduced by 0.10% or reduced to 4.00%, whichever is less. The school board may seek to increase the reduced rate by referendum. Effective immediately.

Amends the Criminal Code of 1961 relating to disorderly conduct. Provides that engaging in any loud protests of singing, chanting, whistling, or yelling with or without noise amplification, displaying any visual images that convey fighting words or actual or veiled threats against any other person, engaging in a directed protest march or picket at any public location when any of these activities are conducted within 300 feet of any entrance to a facility being used for a funeral or memorial service, or blocking access to such facility at any time during the period starting 30 minutes before any funeral or memorial service is scheduled to begin and ending 30 minutes after the funeral or memorial service terminates is disorderly conduct in which the penalty is a Class C misdemeanor. Provides that the provisions of the Act are severable. Effective immediately.

Amends the Gas Use Tax Law. Provides that, on or after July 1, 2005, no tax shall be imposed or collected under the Act. Effective immediately.

Amends the Environmental Protection Act. Removes provisions allowing the Environmental Protection Agency to assess and collect NPDES discharge fees. Effective immediately.