Sen. Brian W. Stewart

Amends the Criminal Code of 2012, the Unified Code of Corrections, and the County Jail Act. Permits currently employed and retired State correctional officers and county correctional officers to carry their own firearms off duty without being in violation of the unlawful use of weapons and aggravated unlawful use of a weapon statutes if they meet certain training requirements.

Amends the Illinois Pension Code. Makes a technical change in a Section concerning definitions.

Amends the Election Code. Prohibits a political committee from making expenditures for taxable compensation to an immediate family member of a public official or candidate. Defines "immediate family member" and "payments". Effective immediately.

Amends the Illinois Pension Code. Makes a technical change in a Section concerning definitions.

Amends the Youth Homelessness Prevention Subcommittee Act. Makes a technical change in a Section concerning the short title.

Amends the Juvenile Court Act of 1987. Provides that any minor 10 years of age or older arrested or taken into custody under the Act for vehicular hijacking or aggravated vehicular hijacking shall be detained in an authorized detention facility until a detention or shelter care hearing is held to determine if there is probable cause to believe that the minor is a delinquent minor and that: (1) secure custody is a matter of immediate and urgent necessity for the protection of the minor or of the person or property of another; (2) the minor is likely to flee the jurisdiction of the court; or (3) the minor was taken into custody under a warrant. Provides that if the court makes that determination, the minor shall continue to be held until the disposition of an adjudicatory hearing under the Delinquent Minors Article of the Act.

Amends the Criminal Code of 2012. Provides that a person also commits aggravated battery when, in committing a battery, other than by the discharge of a firearm, he or she knowingly causes great bodily harm or permanent disability or disfigurement to an individual whom the person knows to be a person working under the Adult Protective Services Program or an Ombudsman under the State Long Term Care Ombudsman Program of the Department on Aging, Department of Children and Family Services employee: (1) performing his or her official duties; (2) battered to prevent performance of his or her official duties; or (3) battered in retaliation for performing his or her official duties. Provides that a violation is a Class 1 felony. Provides that a person also commits aggravated battery when, in committing a battery, other than by discharge of a firearm, he or she knows the individual battered to be a person working under the Adult Protective Services Program or an Ombudsman under the State Long Term Care Ombudsman Program of the Department on Aging, Department of Children and Family Services employee: (1) performing his or her official duties; (2) battered to prevent performance of his or her official duties; or (3) battered in retaliation for performing his or her official duties. Provides that a violation is a Class 2 felony. Defines "Department of Children and Family Services employee".

Amends the Property Tax Code. Provides that, if an applicant who qualifies for the senior citizens assessment freeze homestead exemption moves to a different residence in the State and continues to qualify for the exemption, then the new residence shall qualify for the exemption beginning with the taxable year in which the qualified applicant takes ownership of the new residence. Provides that the base year shall be the year prior to the year in which the qualified applicant takes ownership of the new residence. Effective immediately.

Amends the Employment of Teachers Article of the School Code. In provisions related to the content of evaluation plans, allows a school district to waive, for the 2021-2022 and 2022-2023 school years only, the evaluation requirement of any teacher in contractual continued service whose performance during the last school year in which the teacher was evaluated was rated as either "excellent" or "proficient". In regard to rules adopted by the State Board of Education concerning educator evaluations, for the 2021-2022 and 2022-2023 school years only, provides that factors related to methods of measuring student growth may not be used in any educator evaluation. In regard to the development of an evaluation plan for principals and assistant principals, allows a school district to waive, for the 2021-2022 and 2022-2023 school years only, the evaluation requirement of any principal or assistant principal whose performance during the last school year in which the teacher was evaluated was rated as either "excellent" or "proficient". Effective immediately. Senate Committee Amendment No. 1 Deletes reference to: 105 ILCS 5/24A-7 from Ch. 122, par. 24A-7 Replaces everything after the enacting clause. Reinserts the provisions of the engrossed bill with the following changes. In provisions concerning the content of evaluation plans, for the 2022-2023 school year only if the Governor has declared a disaster due to a public health emergency (rather than for the 2021-2022 and 2022-2023 school years only), allows a school district to waive the evaluation requirement of any teacher in contractual continued service whose performance during the last school year in which the teacher was evaluated was rated as either "excellent" or "proficient". In provisions concerning the development of an evaluation plan for principals and assistant principals, for the 2022-2023 school year only if the Governor has declared a disaster due to a public health emergency (rather than for the 2021-2022 and 2022-2023 school years only), allows a school district to waive the evaluation requirement of any principal or assistant principal whose performance during the last school year in which the principal or assistant principal was evaluated was rated as either "excellent" or "proficient". Removes the provisions making changes concerning rules adopted by the State Board of Education related to educator evaluations. Effective immediately. Senate Floor Amendment No. 3 Provides that a school district may waive the evaluation requirement of all (instead of any) teachers, principals, or assistant principals rated "excellent" or "proficient" during the last school year in which the teachers, principals, or assistant principals were evaluated. Senate Floor Amendment No. 4 Adds reference to: 105 ILCS 5/34-85c Amends the Chicago School District Article of the School Code. Provides that for the 2022-2023 school year only, if the Governor has declared a disaster due to a public health emergency, the school district may waive the evaluation requirement of any teacher in contractual continued service whose performance was rated as either "excellent" or "proficient" during the last school year in which the teacher was evaluated.

Amends the Illinois Lottery Law. Provides that the Illinois Veterans Assistance Fund shall make grants, fund additional services, or conduct additional research projects relating to veterans' behavioral health services (rather than veterans' post traumatic stress disorder) and veterans' emergency financial assistance, including, but not limited to, past due utilities, housing, and transportation costs.