Sen. Chapin Rose

Amends the Disabled Persons Rehabilitation Act. Provides that beginning on the effective date of this amendatory Act, the Department of Human Services shall waive prescreening requirements for customers under the Home Services Program who require emergency personal assistant services as a result of sexual assault or abuse. Provides that the provision of services shall continue until eligibility can be determined, and that at no time shall a customer who received such emergency services be assessed a penalty if it is later determined the customer did not satisfy eligibility requirements.

Amends the Special County Retailers' Occupation Tax For Public Safety Law in the Counties Code. Makes technical changes. Amends the School Code. Makes a technical change in a Section concerning school facility occupation tax funds.

Amends the Workers' Compensation Act. Provides that a subcontractor under contract to a general contractor may elect to be covered under any policy of workers' compensation insurance insuring the contractor upon written agreement of the contractor, by filing written notice of the election, on a form prescribed by the Illinois Workers' Compensation Commission.

Amends the Illinois Public Aid Code. Provides that every electronic benefits transfer ("LINK") card issued on or after the effective date of this amendatory Act by the Department of Human Services for the purpose of enabling the cardholder to obtain food stamp benefits or cash must include on the card's face a photograph of the cardholder. Provides that within 6 months after the effective date of this amendatory Act, the Department shall replace every still-valid card issued before that date with a card that includes on its face a photograph of the cardholder.

Amends the Property Tax Code. In provisions concerning printer's errors in tax sale publications, allows the collector to republish the list at any time before sale, in a newspaper of general circulation, and include any unpaid parcels in the annual tax sale without further notification. Effective immediately.

Amends the Solicitation for Charity Act. Provides that in all subsequent instances after the first instance where re-registration and late registration are allowed, any re-registration and late registration must require that the new registration materials be filed along with a penalty registration fee of $200 (now, penalty registration fee is required on the first instance). Provides that the court may impose a civil penalty of not less than $500 nor more than $1,000 against the organization or trust estate that, for a second or subsequent time, has failed to register or failed to maintain a registration required under this Act (now, may impose a civil penalty for first failure under the Section).

Provides that the Office of the Secretary of State shall undertake an examination of the laws and procedures with respect to junking of vehicles and prepare a report.

Amends the Illinois Public Aid Code. Provides that the Department of Human Services shall enter into an agreement with the Illinois State Police (ISP) to allow the Department's database of public aid recipients to cross-reference with ISP's database of outstanding criminal warrants. Further provides that public aid recipients who are found to have an outstanding criminal warrant shall be subject to an immediate suspension of their public aid benefits, including the immediate deactivation of their electronic benefits card or LINK card provided under the food stamp program.

Amends the Code of Criminal Procedure of 1963. Provides that when a court appearance is required for an alleged violation of the Criminal Code of 1961, the Illinois Vehicle Code, the Wildlife Code, the Fish and Aquatic Life Code, the Child Passenger Protection Act, or a comparable violation of an ordinance of a unit of local government, as specified in Supreme Court Rule 551, and if the accused does not appear in court on the date set for appearance or any date to which the case may be continued and the court issues an arrest warrant for the accused, based upon his or her failure to appear when having so previously been ordered to appear by the court, the accused upon his or her admission to bail shall be assessed by the court a penalty of $100. Provides that the penalty shall be in addition to any bail that the accused is required to deposit for the offense for which the accused has been charged and may not be used for the payment of court costs or fines assessed for the offense. Provides that the clerk of the court shall remit $95 of the penalty assessed to the arresting agency who brings the offender in on the arrest warrant. Provides that the clerk of the court shall remit $5 of the penalty assessed to the Circuit Court Clerk Operation and Administrative Fund.

Amends the Illinois Vehicle Code and the State Finance Act. Provides for the issuance of Soil and Water Conservation District license plates. Provides that, in addition to the appropriate registration fees, an applicant for the special plate shall be charged a fee of $40 at original issuance and $27 at renewal. Provides that $15 of the original issuance fee and $2 of the renewal fee shall be deposited into the Secretary of State Special License Plate Fund. Provides that $25 of the additional original issuance fee and the renewal fee shall be deposited into the Soil and Water Conservation District Fund, a new special fund in the State treasury that shall be used for grants to Illinois soil and water conservation districts for projects that conserve and restore soil and water in Illinois, and provides that State Finance Act provisions allowing the transfer of moneys from other funds into the General Revenue Fund does not apply to moneys deposited into the new Fund.