Sen. Patricia Van Pelt

Amends the Attorney General Act. Makes a technical change in the Section concerning the short title of the Act.

Amends the Urban Weatherization Initiative Act. Provides that the efforts of the Urban Weatherization Initiative shall be coordinated with federal weatherization programs. Requires the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity to administer the Initiative so as to qualify for federal grant or matching programs. Provides the salary of employees hired under the Initiative in accordance with the hourly wages associated with the federal prevailing wage rates for weatherization workers. Provides that the maximum per unit expenditure is limited to $10,000 (currently $6,500) and that a grant recipient may not be awarded grants totaling more than $2,000,000 (currently $500,000) per fiscal year. Provides that 2 voting members of the Weatherization Initiative Board must have experience in residential weatherization or energy efficiency and that one voting member must have experience in workforce development. Requires the Board's annual report to be filed by May 31 (instead of December 31).

Mourns the death of Florence Coakley.

Creates the Unclaimed Life Insurance Benefits Act. Provides that the purpose of the Act is to require all authorized insurers regulated by the Department of Insurance to undertake good faith efforts, as specified in the Act, to locate and pay beneficiaries' proceeds under unclaimed life insurance policies, annuity contracts, and retained asset accounts issued in the State or remit such proceeds as unclaimed property to the appropriate jurisdiction if the beneficiaries are unable to be located or paid. Requires insurers to implement the certain policies and procedures for performing a comparison of its policies, annuity contracts, and retained asset accounts against the United States Social Security Administration's Death Master File. Provides that failure to meet any requirement of the Act is an unfair trade practice under the Illinois Insurance Code, and amends the Illinois Insurance Code to make a corresponding change.

Amends the Illinois Vehicle Code. Provides that if, prior to expiration of registration, the Secretary of State has not provided the registered owner of a vehicle with notice that his or her registration is about to expire, the vehicle owner shall have a 30-day period after the expiration of registration to file an application for registration renewal, and shall not be issued a citation for the expired registration or charged registration late fees during that period. Effective immediately.

Amends the Juvenile Court Act of 1987 and the Code of Criminal Procedure of 1963. Provides that a minor who was under 18 at the time of the commission of an offense must be represented by counsel throughout the entire custodial interrogation. Provides that an oral, written, or sign language statement of a minor made without counsel present throughout the entire custodial interrogation of the minor shall be inadmissible as evidence in any juvenile court proceeding or criminal proceeding against the minor. Provides that in a proceeding under the Criminal Code of 2012, a minor who was under 18 at the time of the commission of the offense must be represented by counsel throughout the entire custodial interrogation of the minor and an oral, written, or sign language statement made without counsel present shall be inadmissible in any criminal proceeding against the minor.

Amends the Unified Code of Corrections. Provides that any commissions or revenues for the provision of pay telephones in institutions and facilities of the Department of Corrections and the Department of Juvenile Justice for those incarcerated are prohibited. Provides that the Department of Central Management Services shall contract with the qualified vendor who proposes the lowest per minute rate not exceeding 5 cents per minute for debit, prepaid, collect calls and who does not bill to any party any service charge or additional fee exceeding the per minute rate, including, but not limited to, any per call surcharge, account set up fee, bill statement fee, monthly account maintenance charge, or refund fee, as established by the Federal Communications Commission Order for state prisons in the Matter of Rates for Interstate Inmate Calling Services, Second Report and Order, WC Docket 12-375, FCC 15-136 (adopted Oct. 22, 2015). Provides that telephone services made available through a prepaid or collect call system shall include international calls; those calls shall be made available at reasonable rates subject to Federal Communications Commission rules and regulations, but not to exceed 25 cents per minute. Provides that the amendatory Act applies to any new or renewal contract for inmate calling services. Effective January 1, 2017.

Creates the Employee Sick Leave Act. Provides that employees may use personal sick leave benefits provided by the employer for absences due to an illness, injury, or medical appointment of the employee's child, spouse, sibling, parent, mother-in-law, father-in-law, grandchild, grandparent, or stepparent, for reasonable periods of time as the employee's attendance may be necessary, on the same terms upon which the employee is able to use sick leave benefits for the employee's own illness or injury. Provides that the Department of Labor shall issue rules to implement the Act. Effective January 1, 2017.

Creates the Illinois Freedom to Work Act. Provides that no employer shall enter into a covenant not to compete with any low-wage employee of the employer. Sets forth provisions providing that the Director of the Department of Labor shall adjust for inflation. Provides that in order for an employer to require an employee to enter into a covenant not to compete, the employer shall, prior to the employment of such employee and at the beginning of the process for hiring such employee, have disclosed to such employee the requirement for entering into such covenant. Sets forth provisions providing how the Director shall receive, investigate, attempt to resolve, and enforce complaints. Effective immediately.

Amends the School Code. Establishes the State Global Scholar Certification Program to recognize public high school graduates who have attained global competence, sufficient for meaningful use in college and a career. Provides that school district participation in this certification is voluntary. Sets forth the purposes of certification. Requires the State Board of Education to adopt such rules as may be necessary to establish the criteria that students must achieve to earn certification, which shall minimally include attainment of units of credit in globally focused courses, service learning experiences, global collaboration and dialogue, and passage of a capstone project demonstrating global competency, as approved by the participating school district for this purpose. Sets forth the duties of the State Board and of participating school districts. Provides that no fee may be charged to a student. Effective immediately.