Sen. William R. Haine

Mourns the death of Richard J. Mader.

Mourns the death of St. Louis County Police Officer Blake Snyder.

Mourns the death of Patricia A. Dublo of Alton.

Mourns the death of Staff Sgt. Christopher Alexander Wilbur of Fort Carson, Colorado.

Amends the Unified Code of Corrections. Provides that the following ground shall be accorded weight in favor of withholding or minimizing a sentence of imprisonment that at the time of the offense, the defendant was suffering from a serious mental illness which, though insufficient to establish the defense of insanity, substantially affected his or her ability to understand the nature of his or her acts or to conform his or her conduct to the requirements of the law. Effective immediately.

Amends the Unified Code of Corrections. Provides that any commissions or revenues for the provision of pay telephones in institutions and facilities of the Department of Corrections and the Department of Juvenile Justice for those incarcerated are prohibited. Provides that the Department of Central Management Services shall contract with the qualified vendor who proposes the lowest per minute rate not exceeding 5 cents per minute for debit, prepaid, collect calls and who does not bill to any party any service charge or additional fee exceeding the per minute rate, including, but not limited to, any per call surcharge, account set up fee, bill statement fee, monthly account maintenance charge, or refund fee, as established by the Federal Communications Commission Order for state prisons in the Matter of Rates for Interstate Inmate Calling Services, Second Report and Order, WC Docket 12-375, FCC 15-136 (adopted Oct. 22, 2015). Provides that telephone services made available through a prepaid or collect call system shall include international calls; those calls shall be made available at reasonable rates subject to Federal Communications Commission rules and regulations, but not to exceed 25 cents per minute. Provides that the amendatory Act applies to any new or renewal contract for inmate calling services. Effective January 1, 2017.

Amends the Illinois Vehicle Code. Provides that no vehicle may be impounded under this Section for illegal parking that has not exceeded 48 hours and the owner or lessee of the vehicle was unable to move the car due to an emergency circumstance. Defines emergency circumstance. Provides that if an administrative hearing officer finds that a vehicle has been wrongfully impounded, the county or municipality shall be liable to the owner or lessee of the vehicle for loss of use of the vehicle and any attorney's fees.

Amends the State Commemorative Dates Act. Designates the second full week of April of each year as National Public Safety Telecommunicators' Week, as a week to honor the dedicated men and women who answer calls for help at 911 centers across the country.

Creates the Heroes Way Designation Program Act. Allows a person who is related to a member of the United States Armed Forces who was killed in action while performing active military duty to apply for a designation allowing the placement of an honorary sign along designated Illinois roads. Provides that honorary signs may be placed upon interstate or state-numbered highway interchanges or upon bridges or segments of highway on the State highway system. Provides requirements for petition and approval of applications by the General Assembly to designate a specified road. Provides that no interchange, bridge, or highway may be named or designated after more than one member of the United States Armed Forces killed in action, nor may a designated member of the United States Armed Forces be eligible for more than one interchange, bridge, or highway designation. Provides that any highway signs erected for any designation shall be erected and maintained for a 20-year period, after which the signs shall be subject to removal, and the interchange, bridge, or highway may be subject to a new designation, absent an application to retain designation. Defines "Department", "Secretary", and "United States Armed Forces".

Amends the Illinois Vehicle Code. Provides that motorcycles may be equipped with a blue light or lights located on the rear of the motorcycle as a part of the motorcycle's rear stop lamp or lamps.