Sen. Kyle McCarter

Amends the Unemployment Insurance Act. Provides that, with respect to any benefit year beginning on or after January 1, 2012, to be monetarily eligible for any benefits, a worker must have been paid wages of $4,290 or more in his or her base period by employers subject to the Unemployment Insurance Act and at least $2,145 of these wages must have been paid to him or her outside the calendar quarter in which he or she was paid the highest amount of wages.

Amends the Firearm Owners Identification Card Act. Strikes a clause preventing provisions of ordinances from being invalid when they impose greater restrictions or limitations on the acquisition, possession and transfer of firearms than are imposed by this Act. Provides that regulation of the ownership and possession of firearms and related items are the exclusive powers of the State. Provides that a local government may not require registration, reporting of the sale or transfer of a firearm, or may not keep a firearms registry. Provides that any existing or future local ordinances or resolutions imposing any registration requirement on firearms and related items are invalid or void. Effective immediately.

Amends the Illinois Public Aid Code. Provides that on and after January 1, 2012, electronic benefits transfer cards ("LINK") used to obtain SNAP (formerly known as food stamps) benefits or cash shall contain the name and photo of the cardholder. Establishes that an individual may only use the LINK card if the photo on the card matches the user. Provides that on the effective date of the amendatory Act the Department of Human Services shall begin the process of transitioning to the use of LINK cards which contain the name and photo of the cardholder. Requires the transition to be completed no later than January 1, 2012. Effective immediately.

Amends the Unemployment Insurance Act. Provides that an individual that, for the purpose of obtaining benefits, knowingly makes a false statement or knowingly fails to disclose a material fact commits unemployment insurance fraud. Requires a statement on the Department of Employment Security's website and on specified forms stating that it is a crime to knowingly provide false, incomplete, or misleading information to any party to an unemployment security benefits transaction for the purpose of committing fraud and outlines possible penalties. Provides that an employer or other person that law enforcement or the Department of Employment Security requests information from regarding unemployment insurance fraud shall take all reasonable actions to promptly provide the information requested and shall disclose information when he or she has a reasonable belief of a specified violation.

Amends the Illinois Income Tax Act. Provides that the research and development credit applies for taxable years ending on or after December 31, 2004, and ending prior to January 1, 2016 (now, January 1, 2011). Provides that the credit may not be carried forward to any taxable year ending on or after January 1, 2016. Amends the Illinois Enterprise Zone Act. Provides that enterprise zones shall be in effect for 35 (instead of 30) calendar years, or for a lesser number of years specified in the certified designating ordinance. Amends the Retailers' Occupation Tax Act and the Public Utilities Act to make conforming changes. Further amends the Public Utilities Act to provide that a business that is primarily engaged in manufacturing is exempt from the additional charges added to its utility bills as a pass-on of State utility taxes. Effective immediately.

Urges the Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability (COGFA) to (i) competitively bid for an auditing firm to conduct an audit of the State-funded Pension and Retirement Systems, (ii) report the auditing firm's findings to the General Assembly and Governor within 1 year after the adoption of the resolution, and (iii) publish the auditing firm's findings on the COGFA website.

Amends the Illinois Income Tax Act. Provides that, for individuals, trusts, and estates, (i) for taxable years beginning on or after January 1, 2015 and ending prior to January 1, 2016, the rate of tax imposed under the Act is 3.75%, (ii) for taxable years beginning on or after January 1, 2016 and ending prior to January 1, 2017, the rate of tax imposed under the Act is 3.5%, and (iii) for taxable years beginning on or after January 1, 2017, the rate of tax imposed under the Act is 3%. Provides that no tax shall be imposed under the Act on corporations for taxable years beginning on or after January 1, 2015. Restores a net loss carryforward deduction that was suspended for taxable years ending after December 31, 2010 and prior to December 31, 2014. Provides that no net loss carryover deduction shall be allowed for corporations for any taxable year ending after December 31, 2015. Repeals the Illinois Estate and Generation-Skipping Transfer Tax Act. Effective immediately.

Amends provisions of the Illinois Municipal Code stating that certain municipal officials are conservators of the peace after completion of a training course administered by the Illinois Law Enforcement Training Standards Board. Provides that those provisions do not apply to any alderman, councilman, or trustee of a municipality that restricts or prohibits the private ownership or possession of any firearms by residents of that municipality by ordinance or resolution. Amends the Criminal Code of 1961. Provides that a violation of the offense of aggravated unlawful use of a weapon by any alderman, councilman, or trustee of a municipality not entitled to carry or possess a firearm in accordance with those provisions of the Illinois Municipal Code is a Class 3 felony. Effective immediately.

Amends the Project Labor Agreements Act. Prohibits the State Board of Education and the Capital Development Board from requiring a project labor agreement for any school construction project or grant. Authorizes a board of education to exempt any school construction project from the requirements of the Act. Amends the General Assembly, State Employees, State Universities, Downstate Teachers, and Judges Articles of the Illinois Pension Code. Prohibits employees, except in certain circumstances, from receiving a retirement annuity before age 62. Changes the conditions of eligibility for, and the amount of, automatic annual increases in retirement annuities. Caps pensionable salary and compensation. Suspends the accrual of benefits in traditional and portable benefit packages. Establishes a self-managed plan for each State-funded retirement system. Requires affected participants to participate in the self-managed plans with respect to future service. Shifts normal costs to local school districts if certain mandates are funded. In various Articles, excludes new hires of certain government-related organizations from participation in State retirement systems. Amends the School Code. Makes changes in provisions concerning mandates for public and private schools. Repeals the Driver's Education Act. Amends the Illinois Educational Labor Relations Act. Prohibits school districts from entering into, amending, or renewing certain technology-related collective bargaining agreements. Amends the Prevailing Wage Act. Provides that a board of education may exempt school construction projects undertaken in the district from the Act. Amends the State Mandates Act to require implementation without reimbursement. Makes other changes. Effective immediately.

Amends the Service Occupation Tax Act and the Retailers' Occupation Tax Act. Provides that each serviceman or retailer who is engaged in the rental of banquet, meeting, or conference rooms shall separately state the selling price of any food or beverages sold incident to the rental of the room, not including gratuities or mandatory service charges. Provides that the tax shall be imposed only on the sale of food, beverages, or other tangible personal property and not on the rental of the room or associated equipment. Effective immediately.