Amends the Driver Education Act of the School Code. Requires a driver education course to include classroom instruction on distracted driving as a major traffic safety issue. Effective immediately.
Amends the Public Utilities Act. Authorizes municipalities and counties to aggregate customers for the purchase of electricity. Provides for approval of aggregation by the voters. Requires the Illinois Commerce Commission to review aggregation plans.
Amends the Department of Veterans Affairs Act. Creates the Illinois Discharged Servicemember Task Force. Provides that the Task Force shall investigate re-entry into civilian life for service members who have been engaged in an active theater. Sets forth the membership of the Task Force. Provides that the Task Force shall prepare an annual report for the Governor, the Attorney General, the General Assembly, and the United States Department of Veterans Affairs. Effective immediately.
Amends the Wildlife Code. Extends the daily period for deer hunting to 1/2 hour after sunset (now at sunset). Effective immediately.
Amends the School Code. Provides that a board of education may enter into a contract with a third party for non-instructional services currently performed by an employee or bargaining unit member or lay off those educational support personnel employees upon 90 (instead of 30) days written notice. Adds conditions on the entering of such a contract, including providing that: (1) a contract must not be entered into during the term of a collective bargaining agreement; (2) any third party that submits a bid to perform the services shall provide comparable liability insurance, a comparable benefits package, a list of the number of employees who will provide the services and the wages the third party will pay those employees, a minimum 3-year cost projection, and information about the criminal and disciplinary records of the employees; (3) a contract must not be entered into unless the school board provides a cost comparison; (4) a minimum of 2 public hearings to discuss the school board's proposal to contract with a third party must be held; (5) a contract shall contain provisions requiring the contractor to offer available employee positions pursuant to the contract to qualified school district employees whose employment is terminated because of the contract; and (6) a contract shall contain provisions requiring the contractor to comply with a policy of nondiscrimination and equal employment opportunity. Amends the State Mandates Act to require implementation without reimbursement. Effective immediately.
Amends the Illinois Public Aid Code. Provides for Medicaid eligibility for persons who (i) are age 60 or older, (ii) have an ongoing need for medical services for the monitoring or treatment of a chronic condition, without which institutionalization would be necessary, and (iii) have income and resources that are equal to or less than the monthly maintenance allowance and resource allowance amounts for a community spouse as set forth in the Social Security Act. Effective immediately.
Amends the Illinois Pension Code. Provides that, beginning on the effective date, legally adopted children shall be entitled to the same benefits as other children, and no child's or survivor's benefit shall be disallowed because the child is an adopted child. Makes related changes throughout the Code. Includes language exempting any benefit increase as a result from the new benefit increase provisions in the General Assembly, State Employees, State Universities, and Judges Articles of the Code. Amends the State Mandates Act to require implementation without reimbursement.
Amends the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity Law of the Civil Administrative Code of Illinois. Provides that the Department may establish and administer a green cities grant program and a smart cities grant program.
Creates the Illinois Food, Farms, and Jobs Act and the Illinois Local and Organic Food and Farm Task Force. Sets out the composition of the Task Force. Provides that the Task Force shall develop a plan for expanding and supporting a State local and organic food system and for assessing and overcoming obstacles to an increase in locally grown food and local organic food production. Sets out the contents of the plan. Amends the State Finance Act to create the Illinois Local Organic Food and Farm Fund. Effective immediately.
Amends the School Code. Requires the State Board of Education to develop an agricultural education teacher training continuum and to provide incentive funding grants to the agriculture education teacher education programs located at Illinois State University, Southern Illinois University, the University of Illinois, and Western Illinois University. Provides that public community colleges in this State that provide an articulated agriculture education teacher education course of study are also eligible for funding. Sets forth the types of activities for which funds may be used.
