Sen. Andy Manar

Amends the School Code. With regard to the salary of any employee of a school board who is a member of any reserve component of the United States Armed Services and is mobilized to active military duty or teacher who is employed in a Department of Defense overseas dependents' school or is mobilized to active military duty, removes a provision decreasing the amount of the employee's salary by the employee's base pay for military service.

Amends the Consumer Fraud and Deceptive Business Practices Act. Provides that the new provisions may be referred to as the Cell Phone Lemon Law. Provides that if, within the period of a contract for wireless telephone service, a wireless telephone sold in conjunction with a contract for wireless telephone service requires repair or replacement on 3 or more occasions, the consumer may, in lieu of having the telephone repaired or replaced on the third or subsequent occasion: choose to cancel the contract for wireless telephone service without paying any early termination fee, penalty, or charge; or elect to upgrade or downgrade the telephone in accordance with specified provisions. Requires a wireless telephone service provider to give a consumer a written statement of the consumer's rights. Provides that any repair to or replacement of a telephone that was damaged or failed to work properly as a result of some action by the consumer is not covered by the listed Section. Makes violation of the new provisions an unlawful practice within the meaning of the Act.

Amends the Medical Assistance Article of the Illinois Public Aid Code. Provides that whenever a hospital notifies a managed care organization that a medical assistance enrollee has a discharge order from the attending physician and is ready for discharge from an inpatient hospital stay to another level of care, the managed care organization must secure the enrollee's placement in or transfer to another facility within 24 hours of receiving the hospital's notification. Provides that in addition to any payments for which the managed care organization is responsible through the designated discharge date, a managed care organization that fails to comply with the requirement shall reimburse the hospital for each additional inpatient day beyond the designated discharge date until the enrollee is actually discharged at a rate no less than the effective per day rate for the initial inpatient stay. Effective July 1, 2017.

Amends the School Code. Provides that the Open Meetings Act does not apply to meetings of a joint committee formed under certain provisions of the Code. Amends the Illinois Educational Labor Relations Act. Provides that negotiating team strategy sessions are included in an exception to the Open Meetings Act.

Creates the Apprentice Higher Education Task Force within the Illinois Community College Board to increase awareness of skilled trade apprentice training center programs in Illinois, to review the Career and Workforce Transition Act, to develop new guidelines and procedures to modernize Higher Learning Commission accreditation process with regards to skilled labor apprentice training graduates, and to make uniform new guidelines and procedures for an accredited public community college district or an accredited two-year and four-year institution of higher education to enforce the Career and Workforce Transition Act.

Creates the Grow Your Own STEM and Vocational Education Teachers Act. Requires a public university to waive any tuition, fees, and on-campus housing costs of a student who agrees to pursue a minimum of a bachelor's degree in science, technology, engineering, or mathematics for a teaching occupation that includes, but is not limited to, mathematics, natural sciences, or career and vocational education in the areas of technology teacher, industrial arts teacher, trade teacher, health care teacher, or information technology teacher and maintains a 3.0 cumulative grade point average. Provides that the student shall agree to fully reimburse the public university if the student fails to teach at least 3 years at an Illinois high school or at least 5 years at an Illinois public institution of higher education. Provides for funding. Requires the Board of Higher Education to adopt rules it determines are necessary for the administration of the Act. Effective July 1, 2020.

Creates the Racial Impact Note Act. Provides that every bill which has or could have a disparate impact on racial and ethnic minorities, upon the request of any member, shall have prepared for it, before second reading in the house of introduction, a brief explanatory statement or note that shall include a reliable estimate of the anticipated impact on those racial and ethnic minorities likely to be impacted by the bill. Specifies the contents, and provides for the preparation, of each racial impact note. Amends the State Officials and Employees Ethics Act. Prohibits racial discrimination and harassment by State officers and employees. Provides that each State officer and employee shall annually complete a racial bias, discrimination, and harassment training program approved by the appropriate jurisdictional authority. Expands the jurisdiction of the Executive Ethics Commission to include allegations of racial discrimination and harassment by persons registered under the Lobbyist Registration Act. Provides that the personnel policies of units of local government shall prohibit racial discrimination and harassment. Defines "racial discrimination and harassment". Provides for rulemaking, including emergency rulemaking. Amends the Secretary of State Act. Provides the Secretary of State's Inspector General with jurisdiction to investigate complaints of racial discrimination and harassment by persons registered under the Lobbyist Registration Act. Amends the Lobbyist Registration Act. Prohibits racial discrimination and harassment by persons registered under the Lobbyist Registration Act. Provides that each registered lobbyist shall annually complete a racial bias, discrimination, and harassment training program approved by the Secretary of State. Defines "racial discrimination and harassment". Amends the Illinois Human Rights Act. Requires the Department of Human Rights to establish a racial discrimination and harassment hotline for the anonymous reporting of racial discrimination and harassment in both public and private places of employment, and to provide for reporting by both telephone and Internet. Amends the Illinois Administrative Procedure Act to provide for emergency rulemaking. Effective immediately.

Amends the Illinois Public Aid Code. Makes a technical change in a Section concerning conditions for basic maintenance grants of aid to the aged, blind, or disabled.

Amends the Election Code. Provides for the election of the Chicago Board of Education starting with the 2019 consolidated election. Makes related changes. Amends the Chicago School District Article of the School Code. Provides that a person shall be a U.S. citizen and registered voter and shall have been a resident of the city and the electoral district for at least one year immediately preceding his or her election. Sets forth provisions concerning nominating petitions and ballots. Sets forth provisions providing that the City of Chicago shall be subdivided into 20 electoral districts by the General Assembly for seats on the Chicago Board of Education. Sets forth provisions providing that in the year following each decennial census, the General Assembly shall redistrict the electoral districts to reflect the results of each decennial census. Makes other changes. Effective immediately.

Amends the Illinois Public Aid Code. Requires the Department of Human Services and the Department of Healthcare and Family Services' Office of the Inspector General to perform the following actions to ensure that applicants submit completed applications for long-term care benefits: (i) provide each applicant with a checklist of information and documents the applicant must submit to complete an application for long-term care benefits; (ii) notify each applicant of the date upon which such information or documents were received by the Department; (iii) update and maintain the Department's computer hardware and software to ensure each applicant receives a timely response to any email sent by the applicant to the Department; and (iv) notify each applicant of the 30-day time period to submit all requested information or documents to the Department.