Sen. James F. Clayborne, Jr.

Mourns the death of Michael F. Voelker of Belleville.

Mourns the death of Derrick Lewis of East St. Louis.

Amends the Telecommunications Article of the Public Utilities Act. Authorizes the filing of a tariff by a telecommunications carrier pursuant to which the carrier may enter into contracts with individual customers for the provision of competitive services. Provides that only notice of the contract need be filed with the Commission (now the contract must be filed). Effective immediately.

Amends the Code of Civil Procedure. Authorizes an attachment against the property of a debtor who has been referred by the Department of Corrections to the Attorney General (instead of who is a defendant in a suit brought by the Attorney General) in connection with the reimbursement of the Department for the expenses of the debtor's incarceration.

Amends the Property Tax Code. Provides that the requirement that a purchaser of tax delinquent property or his or her assignee must reimburse a city, village, or incorporated town for advancements made from public funds with respect to that property or that the city, village, or incorporated town waive its lien on the property before a tax deed may be issued does not apply if the tax purchaser is a county acting as trustee for taxing districts. Effective immediately.

Amends the Downstate Teacher Article of the Illinois Pension Code. Directs the System to conduct a divided medicare coverage referendum, open to teachers continuously employed by the same employer since March 31, 1986. Allows eligible teachers to irrevocably elect to participate in the federal medicare program. Amends the State Mandates Act to require implementation without reimbursement. Effective immediately.

Creates the Illinois Civil Rights Act of 2003. Prohibits any unit of State, county, or local government from excluding a person from participation in, denying a person the benefits of, or subjecting a person to discrimination under any program or activity on the grounds of his or her race, color, or national origin and from using criteria or methods of administration that have the effect of subjecting individuals to discrimination because of their race, color, or national origin. Authorizes a person to bring a lawsuit for a violation of the Act in State or federal court.

Amends the Criminal Code of 1961. Provides that a State's Attorney may create within his or her office a bad check diversion program for offenders who agree to voluntarily participate in the program instead of undergoing prosecution. Provides that the program may be conducted by the State's Attorney or by a private entity under contract with the State's Attorney. Provides that the bad check diversion program may require an offender to: (1) pay for, at his or her own expense, and successfully complete an educational class held by the State's Attorney or a private entity under contract with the State's Attorney; (2) make full restitution for the offense; (3) pay a per-check administrative fee. Provides that the State's Attorney, or private entity under contract with the State's Attorney, may recover, in addition to the face amount of the dishonored check or draft, a transaction fee to defray the costs and expenses incurred by a victim who received a dishonored check that was made or delivered by the offender. Provides that the transaction fee shall be paid to the victim as restitution for the offense. Effective immediately.

Amends the Illinois Public Aid Code. In provisions concerning child care for TANF recipients, provides that the Department of Human Services must annually establish income thresholds for determining eligibility for child care benefits. Provides that the thresholds must be no less than 50% of the then-current State median income for each family size, and deletes a provision requiring such a 50% threshold only for FY 1998. Provides that in determining a family's income, the Department must disregard 10% of the family's gross wages and salary.

Amends the Counties Code. Provides that no fine or penalty imposed by a county board, except certain civil penalties, shall exceed $1,000 (now, $500).