Amends the State Treasurer Act. Provides that the State Treasurer shall establish the Illinois Higher Education Savings Program for the purpose of expanding access to higher education through savings. Provides for enrollment in the Program. Provides further duties and requirements of the Treasurer regarding the Program. Creates the Illinois Higher Education Savings Program Fund as a fund held outside of the State treasury to be the official repository of all contributions, appropriations, interest, and dividend payments, gifts, or other financial assets received by the State Treasurer in connection with the operation of the Program or related partnerships. Provides for audits and reports concerning the Program. Allows the Treasurer to adopt any rules that may be necessary to implement the Program. Amends the Freedom of Information Act to provide an exemption for information that is exempt from disclosure under the Illinois Higher Education Savings Program. House Floor Amendment No. 2 Provides that notwithstanding any court order which would otherwise prevent the release of information, the Department of Public Health is authorized to release specified information to the State Treasurer for the purposes of the Illinois Higher Education Savings Program. State Mandates Fiscal Note (Dept. of Commerce & Economic Opportunity) This bill does not create a State mandate. Fiscal Note (Office of the Treasurer) Based upon Illinois' current birth rate of 155,000 to 165,000 newborns per year, the annual cost for this program is expected to be $9-10 million per year, beginning in FY21. This includes approximately $8 million for the initial seed funding of $50 per child and an estimated $1.5 million to develop local savings incentive partnerships, engage parents and children in related financial literacy initiatives, and administer the program. Because unclaimed and unused funds will remain with the program for future use, the need for annual appropriations will decline after year 10 of the program as unclaimed and unused funds are recycled. House Floor Amendment No. 3 Modifies the definition of "eligible child".
Sponsored bills
Amends the Public Employee Disability Act. Provides that upon the occurrence of circumstances which would hinder the physical recovery from an injury of an eligible employee within the one-year period as required under the Act, the eligible employee shall be entitled to an extension of no longer than 60 days by which he or she shall continue to be paid by the employing public entity on the same basis as he or she was paid before the injury. Provides that the employing public entity may require proof of the circumstances hindering an eligible employee's physical recovery before granting the extension. Makes conforming changes. Effective immediately.
Amends the Firearm Owners Identification Card Act. Provides that notwithstanding any prohibitions on granting relief from obtaining a Firearm Owner's Identification Card because of federal law, the Director of the Illinois State Police, or the circuit court for various violations, may grant relief when the federal prohibition on possession of firearms is predicated solely on a provision of the Criminal Code of 2012, including, but not limited to, possession of a firearm by a felon, that would no longer apply to the applicant upon granting of relief under the appeals provisions of the Act. Effective immediately.
Amends the Mechanics Lien Act. Provides that no contractor or subcontractor (rather than just a contractor) shall be allowed to enforce a lien against or to the prejudice of any other creditor or incumbrancer or purchaser, unless within 4 months after completion of all work, including extra or additional work under the contractor's contract with the owner (rather than completion or if extra or additional work is delivered within 4 months after the completion of such work), he or she shall either bring an action to enforce his or her lien or shall file in the office of the recorder of the county in which the building, erection, or other improvement to be charged with the lien is situated, a claim for lien, verified by an affidavit. Provides that written notice by a subcontractor shall be due upon the completion of the work under the contractor's contract with the owner.
Amends the Revised Uniform Unclaimed Property Act. Provides that virtual currency is presumed abandoned if it is unclaimed by the apparent owner 5 years after the last indication of interest in the property. Provides that a provision regarding when a tax-deferred retirement account is presumed abandoned also applies to a tax-exempt retirement account. Provides that property held in a pension account or retirement account that qualifies for tax deferral or tax exemption may be presumed abandoned if, among other criteria, it is unclaimed by the apparent owner 3 years after the date the apparent owner becomes 72 (rather than 70.5) years of age. Provides that a business association that has no reportable property shall report to the State Treasurer if the business association has: (1) annual sales of more than $1,000,000; (2) securities that are publicly traded; (3) a net worth of more than $10,000,000; or (4) more than 100 employees. Provides that the State Treasurer does not need to notify the Department of Revenue of the names or social security numbers of apparent owners of abandoned property under certain circumstances. Provides for the identification of apparent owners of abandoned property using databases of the Secretary of State and the State Board of Elections. Provides for the delivery of reportable virtual currency to the State Treasurer. Makes other changes.
Amends the Code of Civil Procedure. Provides that an attorney malpractice action in which the injury did not occur until the death of the person for whom the professional services were rendered may not be commenced in any event more than 6 years after the date the professional services were performed. Provides, with exceptions, that the changes apply to every cause of action, regardless of the date that the cause of action accrues.
Amends various Acts relating to the governance of public universities. Sets forth requirements concerning mandatory student fees, including the establishment of a system of internal controls over mandatory student fees, an assessment of each mandatory student fee, and the establishment of separate funds. Amends the Higher Education Student Assistance Act. Requires an institution of higher learning to provide a financial aid shopping sheet to each prospective student as part of the institution's financial aid offer to that student. Requires the Illinois Student Assistance Commission to develop a model format for the shopping sheet; sets forth what the model shopping sheet must include. Requires each institution to utilize either the model shopping sheet or the most current financial aid shopping sheet developed by the United States Department of Education or the United States Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Effective July 1, 2020.
Amends the Illinois Income Tax Act. Provides that a taxpayer who may claim a qualifying student as a dependent is allowed a credit of up to $2,000 for qualified tuition and fee expenses paid by the taxpayer. Provides that the term qualifying student means a person who (i) is a resident of the State, (ii) is under the age of 24 at the close of the school year for which a credit is sought, and (iii) during the school year for which a credit is sought, is a full-time student enrolled in a program at a qualifying college or university.
Amends the Illinois Dental Practice Act. Makes changes to the definitions of "branches of dentistry" and "teledentistry". Provides that a dentist may administer vaccinations to patients 18 years of age and older if it is a general policy or recommendation published by the Centers for Disease Control or the Director of Public Health. Effective immediately.
Amends the Illinois Insurance Code. In provisions requiring coverage for newborn infants, provides that coverage for congenital defects shall include treatment of cranial facial anomalies. Provides that an individual or group policy of accident and health insurance amended, delivered, issued, or renewed after the effective date of the amendatory Act shall cover charges incurred and services provided for outpatient and inpatient care in conjunction with services that are provided to a covered individual related to the diagnosis and treatment of a congenital anomaly or birth defect. Provides that the required coverage includes any service to functionally improve, repair, or restore any body part involving the cranial facial area that is medically necessary to achieve normal function or appearance. Provides that any coverage provided may be subject to coverage limits, such as pre-authorization or pre-certification, as required by the plan or issuer that are no more restrictive than the predominant treatment limitations applied to substantially all medical and surgical benefits covered by the plan. Provides that the coverage does not apply to a policy that covers only dental care. Defines "treatment". Effective January 1, 2021.