Sen. Andy Manar

Mourns the death of Joseph Peter Morales of Alton.

Amends the Department of Natural Resources Act. Provides that the State shall operate an Illinois State Museum in Springfield and at branch sites at Dickson Mounds, Lockport, Rend Lake, and the James R. Thompson Center. Provides that the Illinois State Museum and all branch sites shall be open to the public. Provides that the Illinois State Museum shall operate a research and collections center to research, preserve, and maintain access to the extensive Illinois State Museum collections. Effective immediately.

Amends the Election Code. Provides that the making and signing of any form may be by a signature in ink or in digitized form. Provides that all applications submitted on a website maintained by the State Board of Elections shall be deemed timely filed if they are submitted no later than 11:59 p.m. on the 16th day (instead of on the final day for voter registration) prior to an election. Provides that each vote by mail voter's ballot returned to an election authority, by any means authorized by the Code, and received by that election authority may be processed by the election authority beginning on the day it is received by the election authority (instead of the 15th day before election day) in the central ballot counting location of the election authority, but the results of the processing may not be counted until the day of the election after 7:00 p.m., except as otherwise provided. Provides that voter registration master files may be kept in a computer-based file or paper format. Provides that the digital voter registration files shall be searchable and remain current with all registration activity conducted by the county clerk or election authority. Makes various changes concerning digital signatures. Effective immediately.

Amends the School Code. Provides that a school board shall require that each school building in the district be equipped with approved carbon monoxide alarms within one year after the effective date of the amendatory Act, unless a school building does not have or is not close to any sources of carbon monoxide. Allows a school board to use remaining funds on hand in the Fire Prevention and Safety Fund for the installation of carbon monoxide alarms in school buildings. Effective immediately.

Amends the School Code. Makes a technical change in a Section concerning charter schools.

Amends the Intermodal Facilities Promotion Act. Makes a technical change in a Section concerning the short title.

Amends the School Code. Makes a technical change in a Section concerning the School Code's construction.

Creates the School Funding Reform Act of 2015. Contains only a short title provision.

Amends the School Construction Law. Provides that for school districts that have consolidated or approved a cooperative high school within a prior fiscal year, the grant index shall be calculated for each of those school districts that form the new school district or cooperative high school. Provides that whichever grant index is the highest shall be used as the grant index for the newly consolidated school district or approved cooperative high school. Effective immediately.

Amends the Environmental Protection Act. Provides that no owner or operator of a landfill within a 25-mile radius of a facility accepting exclusively general construction or demolition debris for transfer, storage, or treatment shall accept whole or processed asphalt roofing shingles for disposal. Requires the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency to post on its website the name and address of facilities accepting exclusively general construction or demolition debris for transfer, storage, or treatment. Changes the repeal date for a Section concerning the disposal of asphalt roofing shingles from February 1, 2018 to February 1, 2019. Effective immediately.