Sen. Jil Tracy

Amends the School Construction Law. Provides that the eligibility standards for school construction project grants shall not include minimum enrollment requirements (instead of including minimum enrollment requirements for eligibility for school construction project grants of 200 students for elementary districts, 200 students for high school districts, and 400 students for unit districts). Removes provisions concerning the total enrollment of member districts forming a cooperative high school. Effective immediately.

Amends the Tobacco Products Tax Act of 1995. Provides that, beginning January 1, 2024, the tax per cigar sold or otherwise disposed of shall not exceed $0.50 per cigar, excluding little cigars. Provides that distributors are allowed a discount in the amount of 2% of the distributor's tax liability but not more than $2,000 per return.

Amends the Health Care Violence Prevention Act. Tasks health care providers with reporting any incident of verbal aggression or physical assault of a health care worker employed by the health care provider in the health care provider's emergency department to the Department of Public Health. Requires the Department to track the information reported to assess each health care provider's progress in systemically limiting the verbal aggression toward and physical assault of health care workers. Requires health care providers to post notice regarding verbal aggression and physical assault of health care workers in each emergency department of the health care provider. Effective immediately.

Amends the Department of Veterans' Affairs Act. Provides that a veterans case manager shall be appointed by the Director of Veterans' Affairs, in consultation with the Secretary of Financial and Professional Regulation and the Secretary of Human Services, to assist veterans in obtaining the greatest degree of mental health care and mental health care benefits available and to promote policies that would benefit veterans seeking mental health care. Provides that the case manager shall serve at the pleasure of the Director of Veterans' Affairs. Sets forth the duties of the veterans case manager, including, to: (i) act as an intermediary between health care facilities and veterans health care facilities; (ii) provide information to veterans and health care facilities regarding mental health services available to veterans; (iii) apply for, receive, and administer federal aids, grants, and gifts relating to inpatient mental health services for veterans; (iv) encourage physicians, nurses, and other individuals working in mental health care who have military experience to work in Illinois; and (v) collaborate with health care facilities in identifying, upon a person's admission to a health care facility, the person's eligibility for federal veterans benefits, including prescription drug benefits. Amends the Hospital Licensing Act. Requires the Department of Financial and Professional Regulation to adopt rules requiring hospitals, upon identifying a person requiring mental health services as a veteran, to establish and implement certain protocols including (1) contacting the veterans case manager regarding the veteran's admission, (2) identifying whether the veteran is at risk for causing harm to the veteran's self or others, and (3) preventing the hospital from treating a veteran with less or different care than nonveteran patients solely because of a person's veteran status. Amends the Department of Professional Regulation Law. Requires the Department of Financial and Professional Regulation to establish rules requiring licensed health care professionals, as specified, to receive continuing education credits regarding the treatment of veterans as a condition of license renewal.

Amends the Business Assistance and Regulatory Reform Act. Modifies requirements concerning the Office of Business Permits and Regulatory Assistance. Provides that the Office shall implement reforms to improve interagency coordination and encourage expeditious permit issuance. Provides that the Office shall use information technology tools to track project schedules and metrics in order to improve transparency and accountability of the permitting process, reduce uncertainty and delays, and reduce costs and risks to taxpayers. Modifies and adds requirements concerning the expediting of permit reviews. Provides for the creation of an Interagency Permitting Advisory Committee. Provides additional requirements to improve the coordination of permit reviews. Defines terms. Makes other changes.

Creates the Illinois Regional Generation Reliability Task Force Act. Sets forth findings of the General Assembly. Creates the Illinois Regional Generation Reliability Task Force. Provides that the Task Force shall monitor the reliability of the Illinois power grid. Contains provisions concerning: the membership of the Task Force; duties of the Task Force; administrative support; and an annual report. Amends the Illinois Power Agency Act. Provides that the Carbon Capture Infrastructure Fund is created as a special fund in the State treasury and shall be administered by the Illinois Power Agency. Provides that $10,000,000 shall be transferred from the Illinois Power Agency Renewable Energy Resources Fund to the Carbon Capture Infrastructure Fund. Provides that the Agency shall award grants from the fund to carbon producing power plants for the construction of new carbon capture storage systems. Amends the State Finance Act to create the Carbon Capture Infrastructure Fund. Effective immediately.

Mourns the death of Roger Foiles.

Amends the Liquor Control Act of 1934. Makes a technical change in a Section concerning the short title. Senate Floor Amendment No. 1 Deletes reference to: 235 ILCS 5/1-1 Adds reference to: 235 ILCS 5/5-3 from Ch. 43, par. 118 Replaces everything after the enacting clause. Amends the Liquor Control Act of 1934. Reduces the license fees for first-class wine manufacturers and first-class wine-makers. Effective immediately. Senate Floor Amendment No. 2 Changes the effective date to August 1, 2022 (rather than an immediate effective date). House Floor Amendment No. 2 Adds reference to: 235 ILCS 5/5-1 from Ch. 43, par. 115 Further amends the Liquor Control Act of 1934. Provides that a non-home rule municipality may not regulate the delivery of alcoholic liquor inconsistent with certain provisions of the Act concerning delivery of alcoholic liquor by retailers. Changes the effective date from August 1, 2022 to immediate.

Amends the Environmental Protection Act. Reverts provisions regarding greenhouse gases to the language existing before changes made by amendment under P.A. 102-662. Repeals a provision defining "clean energy". Effective immediately.

Amends the School Code. Provides that a school board may permit any full-time employee who primarily performs his or her duties on school grounds to carry a firearm while on school grounds if the employee has received written permission to carry a firearm by the school district. Provides that the person must have undergone a psychiatric evaluation and a drug test as determined by the school board and possess a valid license to carry a concealed firearm in the State under the Firearm Concealed Carry Act. Provides that the employee must undergo periodic psychiatric evaluations and drug tests to continue to carry a firearm on school grounds. Provides that notwithstanding any other provisions of law, a school district may not require any educator, as a condition of employment, to carry a firearm on school grounds. Makes conforming changes. Amends the Criminal Code of 2012. Exempts these employees from violations of the unlawful use of weapons and aggravated unlawful use of a weapon statutes for carrying a firearm in a school under the provisions added to the School Code. Effective immediately.