Sen. Larry K. Bomke

Amends the Department of Natural Resources (Conservation) Law of the Civil Administrative Code of Illinois, the Fish and Aquatic Life Code, and the Wildlife Code. Removes the requirement that Illinois residents entitled to waiver of fees for camping and for fishing and hunting licenses due to qualifying military service must apply for a camping permit or a license within 2 years after returning from service. Effective immediately.

Amends the Tobacco Accessories and Smoking Herbs Control Act. Prohibits the sale, barter, exchange, delivery, and giving away of flavored cigarettes (in addition to bidi cigarettes). Effective immediately.

Amends the Disaster Service Volunteer Leave Act and the Local Government Disaster Service Volunteer Act. Provides that an employee of a State or local agency who is a member of a Community Emergency Response Team created under the direction of a unit of local government, or any agency thereof, may be granted leave from his or her work with pay for not more than 20 working days in any 12-month period to participate in specialized disaster relief services upon the request of Illinois Emergency Management Agency for the services of that employee and upon the approval of that employee's agency, without loss of seniority, pay, vacation time, compensatory time, personal days, sick time, or earned overtime accumulation. Effective immediately.

Amends the Food Handling Regulation Enforcement Act. Makes a technical change in a Section concerning the short title.

Amends the State Universities Article of the Illinois Pension Code. Includes within the definition of "service" periods not exceeding 2 years during which a person served in the Peace Corps, provided that the person (1) applies for the service on or after the effective date and before June 1, 2007 and (2) pays to the System the actuarial value of the increase in benefits resulting from the service. Includes language exempting the changes from provisions concerning new benefit increases. Effective immediately.

Amends the State Employees Article of the Illinois Pension Code. Provides the alternative (State Police) formula for full-time State heavy construction operators employed by the Illinois Department of Transportation. Effective immediately.

Amends the School Code. Requires a tax-equivalent grant to be paid to any school district where a State-owned institution is located (now, a school district is entitled to a grant only if the State owns 45% or more of the total land area of the district). Provides that tax-equivalent grants are subject to appropriation. Effective July 1, 2005.

Amends the Electric Service Customer Choice and Rate Relief Law of 1997 in the Public Utilities Act. Provides that the "mandatory transition period" extends through the date on which the Illinois Commerce Commission has approved declarations of competitive service for all classes of service offered in the service areas of certain electric utilities (now, the mandatory transition period extends through January 1, 2007). Prohibits the Commission from taking certain actions prior to 2010 (now, the prohibition is during the mandatory transition period) with respect to (i) initiating, authorizing, or ordering any change by way of increase or (ii) in approving an application for a merger, imposing a condition requiring any filing for an increase, decrease, or change in or other review of an electric utility's rates or enforcing such a condition. Deletes a provision prohibiting the Commission from initiating, authorizing, or ordering any change by way of a decrease. Deletes a provision that provides that the Commission is not prohibited from approving the application of an electric utility to implement an alternative to rate of return regulation or a regulatory mechanism that rewards or penalizes the utility through adjustment of rates based on utility performance. Provides that, during the remainder of the mandatory transition period, if any, the Commission may modify rates. Requires the Commission to hold a hearing on any petition by an electric utility requesting the Commission to declare a tariffed service provided by the utility to be a competitive service (now, the Commission shall hold a hearing if the Commission deems it necessary). Changes the conditions under which the Commission shall declare the class of tariffed service to be a competitive service. Requires the Commission to make its determination and issue its final order declaring or refusing to declare the service to be a competitive service within 180 (now, 120) days after the date the petition is filed. Deletes provisions that, if the Commission fails to make the determination within that time results within that time period, the petition is deemed to be granted. Effective immediately.

Creates a task force to study the feasibility of establishing a law school in Springfield.

Amends the School Code. Provides that only scores on State assessments of students enrolled in a school on or before the last school day in September of the school year in which a State assessment is given shall be used in determining whether a school is placed on academic early warning status or academic watch status. Effective immediately.