Sen. Kimberly Lightford

Amends the Environmental Protection Act. Makes a technical change in a Section concerning the short title.

Creates the Right to Read Act. Provides that the State Board of Education shall offer support: to each public school district to select evidence-based core reading instruction programs and implement them using structured literacy instruction; and to each early childhood, elementary, and special education teacher, reading specialist, literacy coach, and administrator to complete evidence-based training in teaching reading. Requires the State Board of Education to annually compile and post on its website information on the steps it has undertaken to support school districts to deliver high-quality, evidence-based literacy instruction, including a list of any Early Literacy Grant recipients, documentation of how the recipient allocated the funding to support improved literacy, and what evidence-based literacy curricula the recipient is utilizing. Amends the School Code. In provisions concerning educator testing, requires applicants seeking specified licenses to pass a test in reading foundations, which shall include assessment of the applicant's understanding of phonological and phonemic awareness, concepts of print and the alphabetic principle, the role of phonics in promoting reading development, word analysis skills and strategies, vocabulary development, application of reading comprehension skills and strategies, and methods for assessing reading development. In provisions concerning minimum requirements for educators trained in other states or countries, provides that an applicant who has successfully completed a reading foundations test of at least comparable rigor to the Illinois reading foundations test is not required to complete a reading foundations test. Makes other changes. Effective immediately. Senate Committee Amendment No. 1 Adds reference to: 105 ILCS 5/21B-20 Replaces everything after the enacting clause with provisions of the introduced bill with the following changes. Makes changes to the General Assembly's findings. Makes changes concerning the support offered by the State Board of Education to a public school district to select evidence-based core reading instruction programs and implement them. Makes changes concerning the support offered by the State Board of Education to each early childhood, elementary, and special education teacher, reading specialist, literacy coach, higher education faculty member, and administrator to complete evidence-based training in teaching reading, including creation of a tool that school districts and the public may use to evaluate professional development and training programs (instead of the creation of an advisory list of rigorous professional development programs). Further amends the School Code. Requires that, before October 1, 2023, the State Board of Education, in consultation with the State Educator Preparation and Licensure Board, review and, as needed, amend its professional licensure standards to align with the principles of evidence-based literacy instruction. Makes changes to the amendatory provisions concerning educator testing, including requiring that applicants seeking specified licenses pass a test in reading foundations after October 1, 2025. Makes changes concerning the minimum requirements for educators trained in other states or countries, including providing that applicants must complete coursework concerning evidence-based methods of reading that include explicit and repeated focus on phonemic awareness, a systematic approach to phonics (decoding), spelling instruction (encoding), vocabulary development, including morphology, reading fluency, oral language development, and reading comprehension, including syntax and background (content) knowledge. Effective immediately.

Amends the Board of Higher Education Act. Makes a technical change in a Section concerning reimbursement for a Board member's expenses.

Amends the Environmental Protection Act. Makes a technical change in a Section concerning the short title.

Creates the Recovery and Mental Health Tax Credit Act. Provides that the Department of Human Services shall establish and administer a recovery tax credit program to provide tax incentives to qualified employers who employ eligible individuals in recovery from a substance use disorder or mental illness in part-time and full-time positions within Illinois. Creates the Advisory Council on Mental Illness and Substance Use Disorder Impacts on Employment Opportunities within Minority Communities. Sets forth the membership of the Council. Provides that the Council shall advise the Department of Human Services regarding employment of persons with mental illnesses and substance use disorders in minority communities. Amends the Illinois Income Tax Act to make conforming changes. Senate Committee Amendment No. 1 Replaces everything after the enacting clause. Reinserts the provisions of the introduced bill with the following changes: Requires the Department of Human Services to maintain an electronic listing of the tax credit certificates it issues under the recovery tax credit program so that the Department of Revenue may confirm the eligibility of qualified employers for the tax credit. Provides that the tax credit authorized under the Act may not be carried forward. Contains provisions concerning tax credits for partners, shareholders of S corporations, and owners of limited liability companies. Makes other changes. Amends the Illinois Income Tax Act. Provides that a taxpayer who has been awarded a credit under the Recovery and Mental Health Tax Credit Act is entitled to a credit against the tax imposed under specified provisions of the Illinois Income Tax Act. Senate Floor Amendment No. 2 Replaces everything after the enacting clause. Reinserts the provisions of Senate Amendment No. 1 with the following changes: Requires the Department of Human Services to maintain an electronic listing of the certificates of tax credit issued by which the Department of Revenue may verify tax credit certificates issued to qualifying employers. Provides that the tax credit authorized under the Act may not be carried forward. Provides that a taxpayer who is a qualified employer who has received a certificate of tax credit from the Department shall be allowed a credit against the tax imposed equal to the amount shown on such certificate of tax credit. Provides that if the taxpayer is a partnership or Subchapter S corporation the credit shall be allowed to the partners or shareholders in accordance with the determination of income and distributive share of income as provided under specified provisions of the Internal Revenue Code. Makes other changes. Amends the Illinois Income Tax Act. Provides that for taxable years beginning on or after January 1, 2023, a taxpayer who has been awarded a credit under the Recovery and Mental Health Tax Credit Act is entitled to a credit against the tax imposed under specified provisions of the Illinois Income Tax Act.

Amends the Public Utilities Act. Changes the repeal date for provisions authorizing natural gas surcharges to provide for recovery of costs associated with investments in qualifying infrastructure plants from December 31, 2023 to January 1, 2022.

Amends the Medical Patient Rights Act. Makes a technical change in a Section concerning the purpose of the Act.

Amends the Counties Code. Provides that fees for a coroner's or medical examiner's permit to cremate a human body is $100 (rather than $50). Provides that fees for a certified copy of a transcript of sworn testimony of a coroner's inquest made by written request declaring the request is for research or genealogy purposes is $15.00 for the entire transcript. Provides that a request shall be deemed a proper request for purpose of research or genealogy if the requested inquest occurred not less than 20 years prior to the date of the written request and that the transcript shall be stamped with the words "FOR GENEALOGY OR RESEARCH PURPOSES ONLY". Provides that a coroner may waive, at his or her discretion, fees under the Section (currently, only the cremation permit fee) if the coroner determines that the person is indigent and unable to pay the permit fee or under other special circumstances as determined by the coroner. Senate Committee Amendment No. 1 Replaces everything after the enacting clause. Reinserts the provisions of the introduced bill but removes provisions regarding fees for a coroner's inquest transcript requested for research or genealogy purposes and the waiver of those fees. Effective July 1, 2023.

Amends the Illinois Housing Development Act. Provides that no later than July 1, 2022, the Illinois Housing Development Authority shall establish and administer the Rehab Program to help reclaim vacant and abandoned properties in communities of concentrated poverty. Provides that the purposes of the Rehab Program are: to encourage private sector investment in acquiring, rehabbing, and placing on the market, vacant and abandoned properties located in communities of concentrated poverty; to provide low-income families with more affordable housing options in modern, safe buildings while redressing historic discrimination against African Americans in housing; and other stated purposes. Provides that within 45 days of the satisfactory completion of a qualified project, the Authority shall pay to the qualified developer responsible for the project a Rehab Program incentive fee. Provides that after the initial pilot of the Rehab Program ends, and continuing thereafter, the Authority may authorize qualified projects in any calendar year in an amount not to exceed either $50,000,000 for the year in question, or, if the Authority is then utilizing bond proceeds to pay Rehab Program incentive fees as permitted under the amendatory Act, more than $250,000,000 in aggregate bond indebtedness then outstanding for all such bonds. Provides that the Authority may from time to time adopt rules requiring qualified developers to hire a certain percentage of workers for the qualified project in question from the community in which the qualified project is located. Provides that initially the Rehab Program shall be piloted out in 10 communities identified by the Authority that span the State, to ensure the program generates economic benefits equitably across Illinois. Permits the Authority to issue bonds and notes for the payment of Rehab Program incentive fees to qualified developers. Effective immediately. Fiscal Note (Housing Development Authority) Fiscal impact could be-offset with administration funding that is not currently contemplated in HB4784. House Floor Amendment No. 1 Deletes reference to: 20 ILCS 3805/14 Replaces everything after the enacting clause. Reinserts the provisions of the introduced bill with the following changes: Provides that commencing State Fiscal Year 2023 (rather than no later than July 1, 2022), the Illinois Housing Development Authority shall establish and administer the Rehab Program to help reclaim vacant and abandoned properties in communities of concentrated poverty. Removes from the definition of "community of concentrated poverty" a community that is designated as or qualifies as a blighted or slum area under any federal, State, or local governmental authority or agency law, rule, regulation, or ordinance. Expands the definition of "project costs" to provide that the Authority shall issue regulations from time-to-time identifying what may be included within the rubric of reasonable costs for purposes of the amendatory Act, as well as the form and content of expense reporting a qualified developer must utilize. Makes a change to the definition of "qualified developer". In a provision concerning the administration of the Rehab Program, provides that within 45 days of the satisfactory completion of a qualified project, the Authority shall pay to the qualified developer responsible for such project a Rehab Program incentive fee in a dollar amount that is equal to: (i) the difference between the approved project costs for the qualified project in question and the fair market value of such completed qualified project; plus (ii) an amount equal to 5% of such approved project costs (rather than 5% of such fair market value). Removes a provision permitting the Authority to authorize qualified projects in any given calendar year in an amount not to exceed more than $250,000,000 in aggregate bond indebtedness then outstanding for all such bonds. Provides that the amount of Rehab Program incentive fees the Authority may issue during the pilot period shall be $30,000,000 (rather than $20,000,000). Removes a provision requiring the Authority to fund such incentive fees by issuing bonds if there are inadequate appropriations to cover the full fee amount during the pilot period. Instead provides that, to the extent authorized by the General Assembly and the Governor, the $30,000,000 appropriation for the pilot program shall be funded with proceeds the State receives under the federal American Rescue Plan Act of 2021. Removes a provision permitting the Authority to issue bonds for the payment of Rehab Program incentive fees to qualified developers. Effective immediately.

Amends the Department of Human Services Act. Makes a technical change in a Section concerning the legislative purpose of the Act.