Sen. Jil Tracy

Amends the State Finance Act, Counties Code, Illinois Municipal Code, Metro-East Park and Recreation District Act, Local Mass Transit District Act, Regional Transportation Authority Act, and Water Commission Act of 1985. Provides that the amounts transferred into the Tax Compliance and Administration Fund shall be reduced from 1.5% to 1%. Effective July 1, 2020.

Creates the Music Therapy Licensing and Practice Act. Provides for licensure of music therapists by the Department of Financial and Professional Regulation. Establishes the powers and duties of the Department, including prescribing rules defining what constitutes an appropriate curriculum for music therapy, reviewing the qualifications of applicants for licenses, investigating alleged violations of the Act, conducting hearings on disciplinary and other matters, and establishing a schedule of fees for the administration and enforcement of the Act. Establishes qualifications for licensure as a music therapist. Provides that a music therapist shall collaborate with other professionals when applicable in providing music therapy services. Provides that licenses issued under the Act shall be renewed biennially. Establishes the Music Therapy Advisory Committee. Establishes the powers and duties of the advisory committee, including advising the Department on all matters pertaining to licensure, education, and continuing education requirements for music therapists. Establishes grounds for discipline of a license. Provides for civil and criminal penalties for violations of the Act. Creates provisions concerning formal hearings, including transcripts of proceedings, appointment of hearing officers, subpoenas and depositions, and rehearings. Provides for judicial review of all final administrative decisions of the Department. Preempts home rule. Effective immediately.

Amends the State Finance Act. Provides that, as soon as possible after the effective date of the amendatory Act, the State Comptroller shall order transferred and the State Treasurer shall transfer the sum of $5,000,000 from the General Revenue Fund to the Traffic and Criminal Conviction Surcharge Fund. Effective immediately.

Amends the Educator Licensure Article of the School Code. Removes the requirement that educator licensure candidates pass a teacher performance assessment. Makes related changes.

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 Educator Licensure Article of the School Code. Provides for a specialized educator endorsement on an Educator License with Stipulations to be issued to an applicant who, at the time of applying for the endorsement, has (i) graduated from a regionally accredited college or university with an associate degree or higher, (ii) completed at least 6 semester hours of coursework from an Illinois-approved educator preparation program, and (iii) passed a content area test in the content area in which he or she completed a major at the regionally accredited college or university. Allows the holder of a specialized educator endorsement to teach in an elementary or secondary school in the content area in which he or she completed a major at the regionally accredited college or university.

Amends the Humane Care for Animals Act. Makes changes to the penalties for persons convicted of aggravated cruelty to a companion animal. Provides that a person convicted of causing the death of a companion animal is guilty of a Class 2 felony (rather than a Class 4 felony). Provides that a second or subsequent conviction for an act that causes the death of a companion animal is a Class 1 felony (rather than a Class 3 felony).

Amends the Illinois Power Agency Act. For electric utilities that serve less than 3,000,000 retail customers but more than 500,000 retail customers in this State: defines "energy efficiency"; in provisions concerning the renewable portfolio standards, specifies the goals for procurement of renewable energy credits and cost-effective renewable energy resources that shall be included in the long-term renewable resources procurement plan and makes other changes concerning these procurements; and provides for the calculation of the cost of equity for the purposes of recovering all reasonable and prudently incurred costs of energy efficiency measures from retail customers. Provides that savings of fuels other than electricity achieved by measures that educate about, incentivize, encourage or otherwise support the use of electricity to power vehicles shall count towards the applicable annual incremental goal and shall not be included in determining certain limits. Amends the Public Utilities Act. Provides that an electric utility that serves less than 3,000,000 retail customers but more than 500,000 customers in this State may plan for, construct, install, control, own, manage, or operate photovoltaic electricity production facilities and any energy storage facilities that are planned for, constructed, installed, controlled, owned, managed or operated in connection with photovoltaic electricity production facilities without obtaining a certificate of public convenience and necessity subject to specified terms and conditions. Defines "electric vehicle", "electric vehicle charging station", and "energy storage" for the purposes of the Electric Service Customer Choice and Rate Relief Law of 1997. Provides that, beginning in 2022, without obtaining any approvals from the Illinois Commerce Commission or any other agency, regardless of whether any such approval would otherwise be required, a participating utility that is a combination utility shall pay $1,000,000 per year for 10 years to the energy low-income and support program. Adds provisions authorizing certain utilities to plan for, construct, install, control, own, manage or operate electric vehicle charging infrastructure, including, but not limited to, electric vehicle charging stations within their service territories. Effective immediately.

Amends the Minimum Wage Law. Provides that units of local government may enact ordinances to opt into a reduced minimum wage that is less than the wage otherwise required under the Law. Provides for minimum wages based upon a percentage of the otherwise required minimum wage depending upon the region of the State. Establishes 6 regions for purposes of determining the minimum wage. Provides that in regions where the minimum wage is reduced, the unit of local government must establish a procedure to increase the local minimum wage by at least 5% per year beginning January 1, 2026 and continuing until the local minimum wage is established at $15 per hour. Provides for reduced minimum wages for employees who have not worked 650 hours during a calendar year for an employer. Effective immediately.

Proposes to amend the Legislature Article of the Illinois Constitution. Removes the requirement for each Legislative District to be divided into 2 Representative Districts. Modifies provisions concerning legislative redistricting. Provides specified requirements for each Legislative District, Representative District, and Congressional District for redistricting purposes. Replaces the current method of legislative redistricting with a 17-member Commission, appointed by the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court and the most senior Supreme Court Justice of a different political party in accordance with specified criteria. Specifies requirements for the Commission concerning redistricting plans. Adds provisions concerning the membership of the Commission and budgetary matters related to the Commission. Provides the Supreme Court with original and exclusive jurisdiction over redistricting matters. Defines terms. Makes conforming and other changes. Effective upon being declared adopted and applicable to redistricting beginning in 2021 and to the election of General Assembly members beginning in 2022.