Amends the Charter Schools Law of the School Code. Removes provisions allowing the State Charter School Commission to reverse a school board's decision to deny, revoke, or not renew a charter; makes related changes. Provides that if a charter school applicant submits a proposal to a school board outside of the process adopted by that school board for receiving charter school proposals on an annual basis, the applicant shall not have any right to submit its proposal to the State Charter School Commission as otherwise authorized. In a provision concerning a charter school proposed to be jointly authorized by 2 or more school districts and the school boards unanimously denying the charter school proposal with a statement that the school boards are not opposed to the charter school, but that they yield to the Commission in light of the complexities of joint administration, allows the charter applicant to submit the proposal to the Commission and requires the Commission to follow the same process and be subject to the same timelines for review as a school board. Allows the Commission to approve an application for a charter if certain conditions are met. Provide that the Commission may condition approval of an application on the acceptance of funding in an amount less than requested. Provides that final decisions of the Commission are subject to judicial review under the Administrative Review Law. Provides that if the Commission approves an application for a charter school, then the Commission shall act as the authorized chartering entity. Provides that if the Commission is the authorized chartering entity, then the Commission shall execute a charter agreement (instead of approve the charter agreement). Provides that the Commission has no authority to approve a charter school proposal that has been denied by a school board. Effective immediately.
Sponsored bills
Amends the Governor Transition Act. Makes a technical change in a Section concerning the orderly transition of the office of Governor.
Amends the Unclaimed Life Insurance Benefits Act. Provides that "policy" includes a policy that has lapsed or been terminated. Requires insurers to, at no later than the date of policy delivery or the establishment of an account, and upon any change of insured or beneficiary, request information sufficient to ensure that all benefits or proceeds are distributed to the appropriate persons upon the death of the insured. Allows insurers to contact insureds in certain circumstances for the information. Provides that the Act applies to policies, annuity contracts, and retained asset accounts in force at any time on or after January 1, 1996 (rather than on or after the effective date of the Act). Provides that the Act does not apply to a lapsed or terminated policy with no benefits payable that was compared against the Death Master File within the 18 months following the date of the lapse or termination of the applicable policy. Amends the Vital Records Act. Provides that any information contained in the vital records shall be made available at no cost to the State Treasurer for purposes related to the Uniform Disposition of Unclaimed Property Act. Amends the Uniform Disposition of Unclaimed Property Act. Removes provisions concerning certain fees and charges for unclaimed property. Provides that no person or company shall be entitled to a fee for discovering presumptively unclaimed property during the period beginning on the date the property was presumed abandoned and ending 24 months after the payment or delivery of the property to the State Treasurer (rather than until it has been in the custody of the State Treasurer for at least 24 months). Makes other changes.
Amends the Illinois School Student Records Act. Makes a technical change in a Section concerning the short title.
Amends the Illinois Procurement Code. Prohibits any person or business that violates the Illinois Wage Payment and Collection Act, the Minimum Wage Law, the Illinois Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act, the Employee Classification Act, the Day and Temporary Labor Services Act, the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938, or any comparable state statute or regulation of any state which governs the payment of wages to do business with the State or any State agency or enter into a subcontract that is subject to the Code for a period of 5 years. Amends the Illinois Wage Payment and Collection Act. Provides that an employer that is able to pay wages and who refuses to pay is guilty of a Class 4 felony with respect to amounts of $5,000 or less (rather than a Class B misdemeanor) and of a Class 3 felony with respect to amounts greater than $5,000 (rather than a Class A misdemeanor). Provides that a subsequent failure to pay within 5 years (rather than 2 years) of a prior conviction is a Class 3 felony (rather than a Class 4 felony).
Amends the Unified Code of Corrections. Provides that the Department of Corrections shall establish a Women's Correctional Services Division under the authority of a Chief of Women's Correctional Services, which must be a Senior Public Service Administrator level position. Provides that the Chief of Women's Correctional Services shall be appointed by the Director of Corrections. Provides that the Chief of Women's Correctional Services shall have the same authority as the Chief of Operations that oversees all male prison facility operations. Provides that the Women's Correctional Services Division shall: (1) be accountable for management and oversight of the operations of all State women's correctional facilities; (2) be accountable for all Department of Corrections employees working with women under the custody of the Department in State women's correctional facilities; and (3) be accountable for all employees working in the Department of Corrections Parole Division that supervise women on mandatory supervised release and any contractors providing services to women in the custody of the Department or under the supervision of the Department in any capacity.
Amends the Illinois Public Aid Code. Requires the Department of Human Services to conduct and regularly update a study on the early childhood workforce at least once every 3 years. Provides that the study shall: (i) describe the professional development system for the early childhood workforce and characteristics of the workforce; (ii) determine compensation levels that are sufficient to attract, support, and retain a workforce of high-quality child care providers; (iii) make recommendations to help create an accessible and well-supported career advancement pathway and estimate the providers' costs of implementing training and professional development, including the compensation levels identified in item (ii); and (iv) describe how the Department can set provider payment rates sufficient to allow providers to achieve the compensation levels. Provides that the Department shall conduct the study required by carrying out a cost of quality study or survey that the Department is currently conducting, as a requirement of its State plan under a specified provision of the Child Care and Development Block Grant Act of 1990, and utilize the information to set base payment rates.
Amends the Illinois Public Aid Code. Requires the Illinois Student Assistance Commission (ISAC) to identify and flag all college students who are potentially eligible to receive Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits. Provides that the factors to be used to determine potential SNAP eligibility shall be prescribed by the Department of Human Services by rule, but at a minimum the Department shall consider income information reported on a college student's Free Application for Federal Student Aid. Requires ISAC to develop a notice available electronically to institutions of higher education that includes, at a minimum, college student SNAP eligibility criteria, the Application for Benefits Eligibility's website address, and the Illinois Hunger Coalition's Hunger Hotline. Requires Illinois institutions of higher education that participate in the Monetary Award Program to provide the notice in writing to all students who are enrolled or accepted for enrollment and are identified by ISAC as potentially SNAP eligible and, if possible, to designate a public benefits liaison or single point person to assist students in taking the necessary steps to obtain public benefits if eligible. Contains provisions concerning: SNAP Employment and Training program requirements; protocols to identify and verify all potential exemptions to an eligibility rule described in a specified federal regulation and to identify and verify a student's participation in educational programs; and other matters. Requires the Department to adopt any rules necessary to implement specified provisions on or before October 1, 2017. Effective immediately.
Creates the Law Enforcement Sexual Assault Investigation Act. Provides that allegations of sexual assault by a police officer while performing his or her duties shall immediately be reported to the police officer's supervisory or command personnel and an independent law enforcement agency. Provides that the independent law enforcement agency shall conduct a formal investigation of the allegations and provide written findings and recommendations to the State's Attorney and police officer's supervisory or command personnel which may be the basis for filing charges seeking the police officer's removal, discharge, or suspension. Limits home rule powers. Amends the Illinois Police Training Act. Provides that the Illinois Law Enforcement Training Standards Board shall adopt written protocols and guidelines for the investigation of law enforcement officers accused of sexual assault.
Amends the Day and Temporary Labor Services Act. Requires a day and temporary labor service agency (agency) to notify a day or temporary laborer (laborer) in writing of the schedule and length of multi-day assignments. Requires an agency to keep records on the ethnicity of each laborer or applicant and the date, time, and location at which an applicant requested employment. Requires an agency to provide a laborer with transportation back to the point of hire at the end of each work day. Requires an agency to indicate on a laborer's payment stub the current maximum amount of any placement fee charged to a third party client. Prohibits an agency or third party client from charging a laborer for the expense of conducting a consumer report, a criminal background check, or a drug test. Requires an agency to submit to the Department of Labor the total number of laborers the agency has placed in a permanent position. Requires laborers to be paid at a rate no less than the same average rate of pay as a permanent employee performing the same or substantially similar work. Requires a third party client to conduct a job hazard analysis for each job to which a laborer might be sent. Requires an agency to obtain a surety bond of no less than $150,000 and to comply with other specified registration requirements. Makes a third party client liable for any obligation to pay the 4 hours minimum pay or any statutory damages required under the Act. Provides that termination or disciplinary action against a laborer within 90 days of the person's exercise of rights protected under the Act shall raise a rebuttable presumption of retaliation. Makes other changes.