Sen. Terri Bryant

Amends the Election Code. In provisions requiring the Governor to appoint 2 members to the State Board of Elections from a list of nominees submitted by certain State executive officers from the opposing political party as the Governor, provides that when all State executive officers are affiliated with the same political party as the Governor, the highest ranking State Senator of the political party not affiliated with the Governor shall be considered the nominating State officer to submit the list of nominees (rather than all members to be appointed to the Board that year from both designated political parties shall be appointed by the Governor without nomination).

Amends the Criminal Code of 2012. Provides that a person who sells or gives any firearm to any person who has been convicted of a felony under the laws of Illinois or any other jurisdiction is guilty of a Class X felony for which he or she shall be sentenced to a term of imprisonment of not less than 10 years and not more than 30 years (rather than a Class 3 felony). Amends the Unified Code of Corrections. Provides that a period of probation, a term of periodic imprisonment, or conditional discharge shall not be imposed for the offense.

Amends the Unified Code of Corrections. Provides that a prisoner serving a sentence for bringing contraband into a penal institution committed on or after the effective date of the amendatory Act shall receive no more than 4.5 days of sentence credit for each month of his or her sentence of imprisonment. Provides that on or after the effective date of the amendatory Act, a prisoner serving a sentence for bringing contraband into a penal institution shall receive no additional sentence credit under the Code.

Restores certain provisions of Code of Criminal Procedure of 1963 to the form in which they existed before their amendment by Public Act 101-652 by amendment or reenactment. Retains provisions that crime victims shall be given notice by the State's Attorney's office of the preliminary hearing as required in the Rights of Crime Victims and Witnesses Act and shall be informed of their opportunity at this hearing to obtain an order of protection under the Protective Orders Article of the Code of Criminal Procedure of 1963. Amends the Statute on Statutes to provide that whenever there is a reference in any Act to the term "pretrial release", "denial of pretrial release", "conditions of pretrial release", or "violations of the conditions of pretrial release", the terms shall be construed to mean "bail", "denial of bail", "conditions of bail", or "forfeiture of bail" respectively. Effective immediately.

Amends the Governor's Office of New Americans Act. Makes a technical change in a Section concerning the short title.

Creates the Right to Read Act. Provides that the State Board of Education shall offer support: to each public school district to select evidence-based core reading instruction programs and implement them using structured literacy instruction; and to each early childhood, elementary, and special education teacher, reading specialist, literacy coach, and administrator to complete evidence-based training in teaching reading. Requires the State Board of Education to annually compile and post on its website information on the steps it has undertaken to support school districts to deliver high-quality, evidence-based literacy instruction, including a list of any Early Literacy Grant recipients, documentation of how the recipient allocated the funding to support improved literacy, and what evidence-based literacy curricula the recipient is utilizing. Amends the School Code. In provisions concerning educator testing, requires applicants seeking specified licenses to pass a test in reading foundations, which shall include assessment of the applicant's understanding of phonological and phonemic awareness, concepts of print and the alphabetic principle, the role of phonics in promoting reading development, word analysis skills and strategies, vocabulary development, application of reading comprehension skills and strategies, and methods for assessing reading development. In provisions concerning minimum requirements for educators trained in other states or countries, provides that an applicant who has successfully completed a reading foundations test of at least comparable rigor to the Illinois reading foundations test is not required to complete a reading foundations test. Makes other changes. Effective immediately. Senate Committee Amendment No. 1 Adds reference to: 105 ILCS 5/21B-20 Replaces everything after the enacting clause with provisions of the introduced bill with the following changes. Makes changes to the General Assembly's findings. Makes changes concerning the support offered by the State Board of Education to a public school district to select evidence-based core reading instruction programs and implement them. Makes changes concerning the support offered by the State Board of Education to each early childhood, elementary, and special education teacher, reading specialist, literacy coach, higher education faculty member, and administrator to complete evidence-based training in teaching reading, including creation of a tool that school districts and the public may use to evaluate professional development and training programs (instead of the creation of an advisory list of rigorous professional development programs). Further amends the School Code. Requires that, before October 1, 2023, the State Board of Education, in consultation with the State Educator Preparation and Licensure Board, review and, as needed, amend its professional licensure standards to align with the principles of evidence-based literacy instruction. Makes changes to the amendatory provisions concerning educator testing, including requiring that applicants seeking specified licenses pass a test in reading foundations after October 1, 2025. Makes changes concerning the minimum requirements for educators trained in other states or countries, including providing that applicants must complete coursework concerning evidence-based methods of reading that include explicit and repeated focus on phonemic awareness, a systematic approach to phonics (decoding), spelling instruction (encoding), vocabulary development, including morphology, reading fluency, oral language development, and reading comprehension, including syntax and background (content) knowledge. Effective immediately.

Amends the Election Code. Provides that electors of President and Vice President of the United States shall be chosen by congressional district. Provides that 2 electors at large shall cast their ballot for the Presidential and Vice Presidential candidate who received the highest number of votes in the State.

Amends the General Assembly Compensation Act. Provides that beginning with the first payroll of the 103rd General Assembly, the compensation to be paid per year to members of the General Assembly, including additional sums payable per year to officers of the General Assembly, shall be paid at least monthly or may be paid semi-monthly at a member's request as agreed to by the Comptroller. Provides that members who resign before completing the entire term in office shall be compensated on a prorated basis. Provides that members completing the term of a vacancy shall be compensated on a prorated basis. Makes conforming changes.

Amends the Workers' Compensation Act. Establishes standards with respect to cannabis for impairment sufficient to bar compensation for injuries to employees who are intoxicated. Provides that the presence of 5 nanograms of tetrahydrocannabinol in the blood or 10 nanograms of tetrahydrocannabinol in other bodily substances shall create a rebuttable presumption that intoxication is the proximate cause of the injury. Contains the statement: "Authorized use may be evidenced only by written consent by the employer to the employee, which consent shall not be unreasonably withheld".

Creates the Dignity for Aborted Children Act. Provides that, notwithstanding any State law or administrative rule to the contrary, any physician after performing an abortion in Illinois shall provide the patient with an informed consent form, provided by the Department of Public Health, offering the patient specified options for disposal of the human fetal tissue from the abortion. Provides that it is unlawful for any physician, after performing an abortion in Illinois in which the patient on elects to release the human fetal tissue to the physician, to fail to provide for the final disposition of the human fetal tissue through interment or cremation, consistent with State law regarding the disposal of human remains, not later than 7 days after the date on which the abortion procedure was performed. Requires physicians who perform abortions and persons, not including patients, to whom human fetal tissue is transferred to submit annual reports to the Department containing specified information. Contains provisions specifying civil penalties, criminal designations, and consideration of action by the Medical Disciplinary Board. Provides that a patient upon whom an abortion is performed or attempted in violation of the Act may not be prosecuted under the Act or for a conspiracy to violate the Act. Provides that the Department shall submit to the General Assembly an annual report on the number of abortions, procedure type, and method of disposal of human fetal tissue under the Act.