Sen. Mike Simmons-Gessesse

Creates the Task Force on Internationally-Licensed Health Care Professionals Act. Creates the Task Force on Internationally-Licensed Health Care Professionals within the Department of Financial and Professional Regulation. Provides that the Task Force shall have the following members: 2 members appointed by the President of the Senate; 2 members appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives; 2 members appointed by the Governor; the Secretary of Financial and Professional Regulation; the Director of the Division of Professional Regulation; and 2 members appointed from the nonprofit organization Upwardly Global. Provides that the Task Force shall meet at least once a month until the Task Force votes to dissolve itself. Provides that the Department shall provide administrative support. Provides that the subject matter of the Task Force is intended to address health care professionals but also other professionals as needed, to be focused on professionals already licensed and practicing in another country and seeking licensure in the State, and to not include students. Provides that the Task Force shall prepare an annual report to address barriers to licensure and practice for health care professionals in the State and address strategies for reducing the barriers. Provides that the report shall be submitted to the Governor and General Assembly, and the first report shall be submitted one year after the effective date of the Act. House Floor Amendment No. 1 Replaces everything after the enacting clause with the provisions of the introduced bill and makes the following changes: Changes the members of the Task Force. Provides that the Task Force shall meet once every two months (instead of at least once a month). Provides that the Task Force shall only meet once a majority of members are appointed. Designates the Secretary of Financial and Professional Regulation as the chair of the Task Force. Requires the Task Force to submit the report one year after the first meeting of the Task Force (rather than after the effective date of the Act).

Amends the School Code. Defines "school fees" or "fees" to mean any monetary charge collected by a public school, public school district, or charter school from a student or the parents or guardian of a student as a prerequisite for the student's participation in any curricular or extracurricular program of the school or school district. Provides that homeless children and youth as defined in Section 11434A of the federal McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act also qualify for a waiver for fees and fines for the loss or destruction of school property (currently, fees). Provides that the school board may provide for waiver verification no more often than once every academic year (currently, once every 60 days). Provides that no discrimination or punishment of any kind, including, but not limited to, the lowering of grades, exclusion from classes, or withholding of student records, transcripts or diplomas, (currently, lowering of grades or exclusion from classes) may be exercised against a student whose because the student's parents or guardians are unable to purchase required textbooks or instructional materials. House Committee Amendment No. 2 Replaces everything after the enacting clause. Reinserts the provisions of the introduced bill but removes the applicability of the fine waiver for the destruction of school property, removes the applicability for children living in households eligible for reduced lunch, and makes technical corrections.

Amends the Illinois Local Library Act and Public Library District Act of 1991. Provides that a library board may adopt regulations waiving the nonresident fee for persons under the age of 18. Removes language in the Illinois Local Library Act providing that nothing in the Section requires a public library to participate in the non-resident card reciprocal borrowing program of a regional library system. Effective immediately. Senate Committee Amendment No. 1 In provisions relating to the board of library trustees' powers to extend the privileges and use of the library to nonresidents, restores a stricken provision providing that a nonresident fee shall not apply to a nonresident in an unincorporated area in Illinois who is a student whose household falls at or below the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Income Eligibility Guidelines. Makes grammatical corrections.

Creates the Apprentice Assistance and Support Services Pilot Program Act. Provides that the Department of Labor shall develop a 5 year Apprentice Assistance and Support Services Pilot Program. Specifies that the Pilot Program shall provide transportation assistance and a child care subsidy to eligible individuals participating in a qualified apprenticeship. Provides that no later than January 1, 2028, the Department shall submit to the Governor and the General Assembly a report that evaluates the results of the Pilot Program and its effectiveness in assisting Program participants in entering the workforce or in obtaining better employment. Provides for the adoption of rules. Repeals Act on January 1, 2029. House Floor Amendment No. 1 Replaces everything after the enacting clause. Reinserts the provisions of the introduced bill with the following changes: Changes the name to the Act to the Job Training Assistance and Support Services Pilot Program Act. Provides that the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (rather than the Department of Labor) shall develop the Pilot Program. Provides that the Department shall award grants to organizations to distribute subsidies to qualifying individuals. Provides that to be eligible for assistance under the Pilot Program, an individual is required to participate in a registered apprenticeship program, pre-apprenticeship program as defined by the United States Department of Labor, or work-based learning programs, such as an internship, paid work experience, transitional jobs training, on-the-job training, or incumbent worker programs administered by the Department. Provides that the assistance provided by the Pilot Program may include funds for transportation, child care, housing-related expenses, including, but not limited to, rent and utilities, transportation, child care, digital technology needs, education needs, mental health services, substance abuse services, income support, and work-related supplies that are not typically covered by programmatic supportive services.

Amends the School Code. Prohibits the State Board of Education from developing, purchasing, or requiring a school district to administer, develop, or purchase a standardized assessment for students enrolled or preparing to enroll in prekindergarten through grade 2, other than for diagnostic purposes. Prohibits the State Board of Education from providing funding for any standardized assessment of students enrolled or preparing to enroll in prekindergarten through grade 2. Effective immediately. Senate Committee Amendment No. 1 Changes the term "diagnostic purposes" to "diagnostic and screening purposes". Includes in the definition of diagnostic and screening purposes the determination of eligibility for special education, early intervention, bilingual education, dyslexia services, or other related educational services. Removes "child find" from the definition of diagnostic and screening purposes. Permits the State Board of Education to provide funding for any standardized assessment of students enrolled or preparing to enroll in prekindergarten through grade 2 for diagnostic and screening purposes.

Amends the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity Law of the Civil Administrative Code of Illinois. Modifies requirements concerning entrepreneurship assistance centers to include assistance to youth entrepreneurs. Defines "youth entrepreneur". Makes conforming changes.

Amends the School Breakfast and Lunch Program Act. As a part of the school lunch program, requires a school district to provide a plant-based school lunch option to those students who submit a prior request to the school district requesting a plant-based school lunch option. Effective immediately. House Floor Amendment No. 1 Requires the plant-based school lunch option to comply with federal nutritional mandates. Changes the effective date from immediate to August 1, 2023.

Amends the Code of Criminal Procedure of 1963, the Stalking No Contact Order Act, the Civil No Contact Order Act, and the Illinois Domestic Violence Act of 1986. Allows a person to file a petition for a protection order, stalking no contact order, civil no contact order, or order of protection either in-person, by email, or online. Requires a court in a county with a population above 250,000 to offer the option of a remote hearing to a petitioner for a protective order, stalking no contact order, civil no contact order, or order of protection. Senate Floor Amendment No. 1 Removes language allowing a petition for a protection order, stalking no contact order, civil no contact order, or order of protection to be filed by email. Provides that the court has the discretion to grant or deny the request for a remote hearing.

Amends the Illinois Vehicle Code. Provides that no registration fee for a Gold Star license plate shall be required from a child (in addition to a surviving widow, widower, or parent) of a person who served in the Armed Forces of the United States and lost his or her life while serving on active duty (instead of "while in service while in wartime"). House Floor Amendment No. 2 Replaces everything after the enacting clause. Amends the Illinois Vehicle Code. Provides that the Secretary of State shall issue Gold Star license plates to any Illinois resident who is a surviving widow, widower, parent, child, stepchild, child through adoption, brother, half-brother, sister, or half-sister (rather than only a surviving widow, sibling, daughter, son, or parent) of a person who served in the Armed Forces of the United States and lost his or her life while serving in peacetime or war. Provides that no registration fee for a Gold Star license plate shall be required from children of persons who served in the Armed Forces of the United States and who lost their lives while serving during time-specified armed hostilities, military operations, and terrorist attacks (instead of "while in service while in wartime").

Amends the Illinois Home Grown Business Opportunity Act. Provides for additional contents of the economic plan to assist businesses and municipalities located geographically close to bordering states as developed by the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity. Provides that the Department shall create the Border Community COVID-19 Mitigation Grant Program. Provides that grants shall only be provided to businesses and municipalities located geographically close to bordering states. Provides for the adoption of rules.