Sen. Sara Feigenholtz

Amends the School Code. Provides that a vision examination must be included as a part of the health examination required within one year prior to entering kindergarten or the first grade, whichever grade the child first enters, of any public, private, or parochial elementary school. Makes related changes. Amends the State Mandates Act to require implementation without reimbursement. Effective January 1, 2008.

Amends the Illinois Procurement Code. Permits a State agency to renew or extend a lease of real property or capital improvements without using the request for information selection process if it is in the State's best interest and the Procurement Policy Board does not object (now, permitted only for renewal or extension of leases in effect before July 1, 2002). Effective July 1, 2007.

Amends the Illinois Act on the Aging. Provides that the program of services established by the Department for the purpose of preventing unnecessary institutionalization shall be known as the Community Care Program. Requires certain services to be included in the Program, and authorizes the Department to include other services. Provides that participants may choose among the preventative services provided. Provides that the Department shall report the number of participants in the Community Care Program who receive medical assistance. Provides that the Department shall ensure that all eligible participants receive the number of hours they need up to the monthly service cost maximum, that all services are available to Community Care Program participants on evenings and weekends, and that participants have the right to choose how the hours of service are designated. Provides that the Program shall include personal assistant services. Contains other provisions. Effective July 1, 2007.

Amends the Abandoned Newborn Infant Protection Act. Provides that if the parent of a newborn infant comes to the hospital, where his or her newborn infant has been transported after the parent relinquished the infant to a fire station, emergency medical facility, or police station, to reclaim the infant within 72 hours of relinquishing the infant, the hospital must return the infant to the parent or, if the infant has already been discharged to the Department of Children and Family Services or child-placing agency, inform the parent of the name, location, and contact number of the Department or child-placing agency. Provides that the information packet given to a parent who is relinquishing a newborn child shall include written notice that a parent has the right to return and reclaim an abandoned infant within 72-hours of relinquishing the infant. Prohibits a fire station, emergency medical facility, or police station from disclosing any information concerning the relinquishing of the infant except to the hospital to which the infant is being transferred, to medical personnel involved in the transfer of the child to the hospital, or to the parent of the child. Effective immediately.

Amends the Illinois Public Aid Code. Provides that in establishing eligibility standards in connection with Medicaid for persons with disabilities who are employed and eligible for Medicaid, the Department of Healthcare and Family Services shall (i) set the income eligibility standard at not lower than 350% of the federal poverty level, (ii) exempt the income of the person's spouse, the unearned income of the person's dependent child under the age of 18 years, and retirement accounts that the person cannot access without penalty until the age of 59 1/2, and (iii) allow non-exempt assets up to $25,000. Effective immediately.

Amends the Illinois Public Aid Code. Under the Medicaid program, authorizes the Department of Healthcare and Family Services to provide for the services of persons licensed as a clinical social worker in supplying medical assistance. Prohibits the Department's rules from requiring that services for a specific Medicaid recipient provided by a licensed clinical social worker be recommended by a physician. Effective immediately.

Amends the Electric Service Customer Choice and Rate Relief Law of 1997 in the Public Utilities Act. Changes the definition of "mandatory transition period" to include the period from the effective date through the date on which the Illinois Commerce Commission has approved declarations of competitive service for all classes of service offered in the service areas of all electric utilities that, on December 31, 2005, served at least 100,000 but fewer than 2 million residential customers. Requires the Commission to order certain utilities to file and implement tariffs to reinstate all 2006 rates beginning on the first day of the month immediately following the effective date. Prohibits the Commission from taking certain actions prior to 6 months after the effective date with respect to (i) initiating, authorizing, or ordering any change by way of increase or (ii) in approving an application for a merger, imposing a condition requiring any filing for an increase, decrease, or change in or other review of a utility's rates or enforcing such a condition. Provides that the Commission shall only declare the class of service to be competitive according to certain criteria (now, the Commission is required to declare the service to be competitive if the service or a reasonably equivalent substitute is available at a reasonable price from other providers other than the utility or an affiliate and the utility has lost or is reasonably likely to lose business for service to other providers). Makes other changes. Effective immediately.

Creates the Internet Safety Education Act to inform and protect students from inappropriate or illegal communications and solicitation and to require school districts to provide education about Internet threats and risks. Creates the Internet Safety Education Alliance under the authority of the Office of the Attorney General. Amends the State Finance Act to create the Internet Safety Education Fund. Amends the School Code to mandate the provision by every public school of instruction and discussion on effective methods by which students may recognize and report inappropriate, illegal, or threatening communications on the Internet on or before the start of the 2008-2009 school year.

Amends the Illinois Vehicle Code, School Code, Child Passenger Protection Act, and Unified Code of Corrections. Makes various changes regarding: driver education requirements; graduated driver's licenses; instruction permits for minors; curfews for drivers under a specified age; the number of passengers under a specified age allowed in a vehicle driven by a newly licensed driver under a certain age; the use of seat safety belts; the use of wireless telephones by graduated driver's license holders; suspensions of driver's licenses of drivers under age 21 under specified circumstances; required appearances before the presiding judge with a parent or guardian under specified circumstances; vehicle impoundment for drivers arrested for street racing; and other matters. Repeals provisions creating the offense of drag racing. Creates the offenses of street racing and aggravated street racing, and makes conforming changes. Makes other changes. Effective January 1, 2008, except that the provisions amending the School Code are effective July 1, 2008.

Amends the Illinois Pension Code. Provides that, beginning on the effective date, legally adopted children shall be entitled to the same benefits as other children, and no child's or survivor's benefit shall be disallowed because the child is an adopted child. Makes related changes throughout the Code. Includes language exempting any benefit increase as a result from the new benefit increase provisions in the General Assembly, State Employees, State Universities, and Judges Articles of the Code. Amends the State Mandates Act to require implementation without reimbursement.