Sen. Toi W. Hutchinson

Mourns the death of Keith Scott Chalmers.

Mourns the death of Don E. St. Germaine Sr. of Bonfield.

Declares April 10, 2018 as Pay Equity Day.

Mourns the death of Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago (MWRD) Commissioner, Timothy Bradford.

Amends the Illinois Vehicle Code. Provides that the Secretary of State shall offer to each applicant for issuance or renewal of a driver's license or identification card who is 16 years of age or older (rather than 18 years of age or older) the opportunity to have his or her name included in the First Person Consent organ and tissue donor registry. Amends the Illinois Anatomical Gift Act. Makes conforming changes. Provides that upon the death of a donor who is an unemancipated minor, the parent or guardian of the donor may amend or revoke the anatomical gift of the donor's body.

Calls on Governor Rauner to ensure that the state and local tax deduction is not eliminated or gutted.

Amends the Governor Transition Act. Makes a technical change in a Section concerning the orderly transition of the office of Governor.

Amends the Unclaimed Life Insurance Benefits Act. Provides that "policy" includes a policy that has lapsed or been terminated. Requires insurers to, at no later than the date of policy delivery or the establishment of an account, and upon any change of insured or beneficiary, request information sufficient to ensure that all benefits or proceeds are distributed to the appropriate persons upon the death of the insured. Allows insurers to contact insureds in certain circumstances for the information. Provides that the Act applies to policies, annuity contracts, and retained asset accounts in force at any time on or after January 1, 1996 (rather than on or after the effective date of the Act). Provides that the Act does not apply to a lapsed or terminated policy with no benefits payable that was compared against the Death Master File within the 18 months following the date of the lapse or termination of the applicable policy. Amends the Vital Records Act. Provides that any information contained in the vital records shall be made available at no cost to the State Treasurer for purposes related to the Uniform Disposition of Unclaimed Property Act. Amends the Uniform Disposition of Unclaimed Property Act. Removes provisions concerning certain fees and charges for unclaimed property. Provides that no person or company shall be entitled to a fee for discovering presumptively unclaimed property during the period beginning on the date the property was presumed abandoned and ending 24 months after the payment or delivery of the property to the State Treasurer (rather than until it has been in the custody of the State Treasurer for at least 24 months). Makes other changes.

Amends the Illinois Public Aid Code. Requires the Department of Human Services to conduct and regularly update a study on the early childhood workforce at least once every 3 years. Provides that the study shall: (i) describe the professional development system for the early childhood workforce and characteristics of the workforce; (ii) determine compensation levels that are sufficient to attract, support, and retain a workforce of high-quality child care providers; (iii) make recommendations to help create an accessible and well-supported career advancement pathway and estimate the providers' costs of implementing training and professional development, including the compensation levels identified in item (ii); and (iv) describe how the Department can set provider payment rates sufficient to allow providers to achieve the compensation levels. Provides that the Department shall conduct the study required by carrying out a cost of quality study or survey that the Department is currently conducting, as a requirement of its State plan under a specified provision of the Child Care and Development Block Grant Act of 1990, and utilize the information to set base payment rates.

Amends the Illinois Public Aid Code. Requires the Illinois Student Assistance Commission (ISAC) to identify and flag all college students who are potentially eligible to receive Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits. Provides that the factors to be used to determine potential SNAP eligibility shall be prescribed by the Department of Human Services by rule, but at a minimum the Department shall consider income information reported on a college student's Free Application for Federal Student Aid. Requires ISAC to develop a notice available electronically to institutions of higher education that includes, at a minimum, college student SNAP eligibility criteria, the Application for Benefits Eligibility's website address, and the Illinois Hunger Coalition's Hunger Hotline. Requires Illinois institutions of higher education that participate in the Monetary Award Program to provide the notice in writing to all students who are enrolled or accepted for enrollment and are identified by ISAC as potentially SNAP eligible and, if possible, to designate a public benefits liaison or single point person to assist students in taking the necessary steps to obtain public benefits if eligible. Contains provisions concerning: SNAP Employment and Training program requirements; protocols to identify and verify all potential exemptions to an eligibility rule described in a specified federal regulation and to identify and verify a student's participation in educational programs; and other matters. Requires the Department to adopt any rules necessary to implement specified provisions on or before October 1, 2017. Effective immediately.