Sen. Andrew Chesney

Amends the General Assembly Compensation Act. Provides that beginning in 2024, and for each year thereafter, if the General Assembly fails to pass a balanced budget by June 30 of each year, the compensation to be paid to members of the General Assembly, including the additional sums payable to officers of the General Assembly, shall be withheld until a balanced budget is passed. Amends the State Budget Law of the Civil Administrative Code of Illinois. Removes the salary of members of the General Assembly from continuing appropriations provisions. Effective immediately.

Amends the Criminal Code of 2012. Provides that it is a hate crime by reason of the actual or perceived employment as a peace officer or status as a retired peace officer, regardless of the existence of any other motivating factor or factors to commit assault, battery, aggravated assault, misdemeanor theft, criminal trespass to residence, misdemeanor criminal damage to property, criminal trespass to vehicle, criminal trespass to real property, mob action, disorderly conduct, harassment by telephone, or harassment through electronic communications. Effective January 1, 2024.

Amends the Economic Development for a Growing Economy Tax Credit Act. Removes provisions concerning conditions that the Business Investment Committee shall determine exist in order for the Committee to make its recommendation that an Applicant's application for a Credit should or should not be accepted. Effective immediately.

Amends the School Code. Provides that school districts may regulate and restrict access to public restrooms, locker rooms, dressing rooms, and other similar places on the basis of biological sex and may also adopt a policy that provides for gender neutral or alternative facilities for students, staff, and members of the public, as the school district deems appropriate. Provides that school districts are not required to: (1) adopt a policy that restricts or regulates access to public restrooms, locker rooms, dressing rooms, and other similar places on the basis of biological sex; (2) adopt a policy that includes the facilitation of gender neutral or alternative facilities for students, staff, and members of the public; (3) limit access by a minor accompanied by an adult guardian of the opposite sex into a specified facility appropriate for the adult guardian; (4) prohibit a person with disabilities from using a specified facility appropriate to the biological sex of either the person with disabilities or of an adult caretaker providing assistance; (5) prohibit access to these facilities by custodial staff, school staff, or other persons in an emergency situation; or (6) alter their current policies on access to public restrooms, locker rooms, dressing rooms, and other similar places.

Amends the General Assembly Organization Act. Provides that neither house of the General Assembly shall consider or take a vote on any legislation between the hours of 12:00 a.m. and 6:00 a.m., on any day of the week during any regular or special session of the General Assembly, unless approved by the leaders of each of the caucuses of that house. Effective immediately.

Amends the Illinois Vehicle Code. Restricts a tow truck operator from allowing passengers to occupy the trailer, semitrailer, farm wagon, or any other vehicle being carried by a flatbed tow truck upon a public highway, unless: (i) the number of people that need to be transported exceeds the seating capacity of the tow truck or a person needing to be transported has a disability that limits that person's ability to enter the tow truck;(ii) there is a way for the passenger in the carried vehicle to immediately communicate, either verbally, audibly, or visually, with the tow truck operator in case of an emergency; and (iii) if the passenger is under 16 years of age, the passenger is accompanied by an adult riding in the same vehicle. Requires that no passenger of a carried vehicle may exit the carried vehicle, ride outside of the passenger compartment of the carried vehicle, or exhibit dangerous or distracting behaviors while the carried vehicle is upon a public highway.

Amends the Illinois Vehicle Code. Provides that a retired member of the General Assembly or retired executive branch constitutional officer who receives a felony conviction that relates to any transactions carried out as part of the retired member's or retired executive branch constitutional officer's official duties shall not be issued license plates bearing the appropriate wording or abbreviations indicating that the holder is a retired member of the General Assembly or retired executive branch constitutional officer or the office held.

Amends the Election Code. Prohibits a political committee from making expenditures for payments to attorneys, expert witnesses, investigators, or others to provide a defense in a criminal case.

Opposes a progressive income tax in Illinois. Opposes the reconsideration by the Illinois General Assembly of any constitutional amendment intended to change the flat-rate income tax language of subsection (a) of Section 3 of Article IX of the Constitution of Illinois.

Amends the Illinois Police Training Act. Provides that appointments to the Illinois Law Enforcement Training Standards Board, other than the ex officio members, shall be made by the Executive Director of the Illinois Law Enforcement Training Standards Board from a list of nominees selected by a majority of votes of the President of the Illinois Sheriffs' Association, the President of the Illinois Association of Chiefs of Police, the President of the Illinois Fraternal Order of Police Labor Council and the President of the Fraternal Order of Police, Chicago Lodge 7 (rather than the Governor).