Senate Bill 744 would allow for an additional 3,500 positions at horse tracks, and makes changes to the state’s gaming and racing boards. It is estimated that under this plan the state could eventually realize approximately $636 million more in taxes than it received in 2008, though not all in Fiscal Year 2010. Illinois could also benefit from $355 million in one-time revenues.
In other business, the Democrat chairman of the Senate Transportation Committee demanded that state highway construction dollars be reallocated to increase the Chicago area’s share at the expense of other areas of the state. Senator Bivins said the proposal raises serious concerns because it would allow political considerations to take precedence over the recommendations of transit experts. At a time when Illinois is reeling from the political corruption of former Governor Rod Blagojevich, Senator Bivins said Illinois should not be allowing political clout to override the advice of experts.
Also this week, a bipartisan coalition of lawmakers urged the General Assembly to pass critical assistance for struggling manufacturers. Republican and Democrat legislators from around Illinois called for the restoration of $2 million in funds for the Illinois Manufacturing Extension Center (IMEC), a non-profit organization that helps manufacturers contain costs, improve efficiency and create quality jobs.
The lawmakers said that many manufacturers are responding to the nation’s current economic challenges by reinvesting in their people, processing and products in order to maintain a competitive advantage. They noted that supporting the organization that helps manufacturers become more competitive is a great way to improve the conditions facing the state’s business community.
IMEC had been funded every year by the General Assembly since 1996, until last year when former Governor Blagojevich vetoed $2 million in funding. Senator Bivins said that was a mistake, noting that companies assisted by IMEC achieve productivity gains four times greater than firms that don’t receive similar help. Independent studies have also shown that every dollar the state invests in IMEC generates an additional four dollars in tax revenue for Illinois.
Bills that were approved by the Senate this week include:
Renewable Fuels (HB 680): Authorizes DCEO to award up to $4 million to grant applicants who install advanced technologies in water conservation, carbon footprint reduction, etc. at a renewable fuels facility, as a way to increase the efficiency of ethanol production.
Turkey and Deer Permits (HB 229): Requires the Department of Natural Resources to round up to the nearest half acre when considering free landowner turkey and deer permits.
Wildlife Funds Reinstatement (HB 36): Requires funds swept from the Wildlife & Fish Fund and other DNR funds to be returned and prohibits any additional transfers from these funds so that $16 million in federal funding is not lost.
Credit Unions (HB 348): Allows credit unions to offer certain membership services to non-members who would qualify for membership, allows credit unions to determine their historical loss rate using a defined period of time of less than five years, and allows state credit unions to participate in no-down-payment programs.
Fraudulent Appraisers (HB 1015): Toughens penalties for those who misrepresent themselves as licensed real estate appraisers, and requires non-licensed real estate appraisers to disclose to customers that they are unlicensed.
Insurance Accreditation Requirements (HB 394): Requires property and casualty insurers doing business in Illinois to submit an annual Statement of Actuarial Opinion, an Actuarial Opinion Summary and work papers supporting the Actuarial Opinion, which is required for the Illinois Division of Insurance to maintain National Association of Insurance Commissioners accreditation.
Training Grants (HB 624): Forbids illegal immigrants from receiving training grants from the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity.
Family Perseveration Program (HB 30): Calls for the development of a family preservation services program to support and reduce the stress on families that are experiencing extreme hardship due to the difficulty of caring for a child with developmental disabilities.
Individual Education Plan (HB 979): Provides that beginning with the Individual Education Plan (IEP) in effect after a child’s 14th birthday that the child’s IEP must include post-secondary transition goals to help disabled students more easily transition from the school system to the next stage of their lives.
Neglected Minors (HB 520): Defines individuals who would be deemed to be responsible relatives in the care of a minor, and states that a child isn’t neglected if he or she has been left with a mentally and physically capable adult relative.
Permanency Hearings (HB 761): Provides that if a delinquent minor is in the custody of DCFS the court must conduct permanency hearings.
Identity Theft Insurance Fact Sheet (HB 490): Requires the Department of Financial and Professional Regulation to develop a consumer fact sheet on identity insurance that can be given to consumers, either via the Department's Web site or by hard copy.
Internet Gaming (HB 617): Specifies ways that consumers who utilize an Internet game service may easily cancel that service online.
Felon Dog Ownership (HB 934): Prohibits people who have been convicted of a felony violation for dog fighting from possessing an unsterilized or vicious dog for 10 years after conviction.
Firearms (HB 1032): Increases the penalty for selling or giving a firearm to a convicted felon from Class 4 to Class 3 felony, and creates the offense of using a stolen firearm to commit a criminal act. (HB 867): Enhances the penalty for carrying or possessing a firearm or dangerous weapon on or near public transportation or in a public transportation facility, and creates an enhanced penalty for aggravated battery with a firearm committed against a school student.
Tobacco Possession (HB 799): Makes it illegal for a minor younger than 18 to possess tobacco, in addition to current prohibitions against buying or selling tobacco.
Uninsured Motorists (HB 370): Raises the penalty for individuals caught operating an uninsured motor vehicle, if that uninsured vehicle causes bodily harm to come to another person.
Disability Education (HB 1035): Mandates the Illinois State Board of Education and school districts to provide education about disability history and people with disabilities.
Drug Testing (HB 272): Requires the Illinois High School Association to randomly test interscholastic athletes for the use of performance-enhancing substances; students who refuse to be tested or found to have used performance-enhancing drugs will be not be allowed to participate in the sport.
Dual Credit Courses (HB 1079): Requires the development of policies to permit multiple appropriate measures using differentiated assessment for granting eligibility for higher education dual credit to students.
First Amendment (HB 898): Allows for faculty and staff members at all public universities and community colleges to exercise their First Amendment rights without violating ethics laws, provided they don’t claim to represent or speak on behalf of the university or college.
Grow Your Own Teachers Program (HB 392): Provides that the State Board of Education award grants to the Grow Your Own Teachers Initiative, for the development of community leaders and paraeducators to become certified teachers in hard-to-staff and low income schools.
Farm Fresh Program (HB 78): Requires the creation of the Farm Fresh Schools program to promote consumption of locally grown fruits and vegetables and promote healthy living in Illinois schools.
Moment of Silence (HB 972): Provides that if a school holds any type of event on Veterans’ Day, then a moment of silence must be held at that event to recognize Veterans’ Day.
Nurse Education (HB 382): Creates another nurse educator scholarship program that will fund scholarships with the nurse fees paid into the Nurse Dedicated and Professional Fund, unlike the current program that is funded by GRF.
Political Freedom (HB 899): Bars any public universities or community colleges from prohibiting faculty or staff from participating in certain political activities.
Veterinary Student Loan Program (HB 364): Creates the Veterinary Student Loan Repayment Program through the University of Illinois, as a way to help address the critical shortage of large animal veterinarians in Illinois.
Energy Costs (HB 722): Allows a municipality to adopt an ordinance allowing it to buy power on behalf of its residents by grouping the consumers together, which lowers the cost, and requires the Illinois Power Agency to help them accomplish that goal.
Energy Grants (HB 1042): Provides that the Illinois Green Government Coordinating Council will help DCEO distribute federal energy efficiency grants on the state level, which help local governments implement efficiency and conservation measures.
Energy Program Transfer (HB 796): Transfers the administration of the low-income energy assistance program and the weatherization assistance program from the Department of Healthcare and Family Services to the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, and allows DCEO to increase eligibility levels from 150% to 200% of the federal poverty level.
Annexation Statewide (HB 1003): Prohibits municipalities from entering into pre-annexation agreements with property owners that are not contiguous to the municipality, as a way to address situations where these pre-annexation agreements exempt the territory from county zoning ordinances.
Bidding Threshold Increase (HB 159): Increases the competitive bidding threshold for projects paid for in whole or in part by a special assessment or special taxation from $500 to $10,000 to modernize what some have argued is an out-of-date threshold.
County Bidding (HB 585): Provides that counties (other than Cook) are not required to seek competitive bids for services, materials, equipment, supplies, or construction costing less that $30,000 (currently $20,000).
Distressed Condominium (HB 688) Provides procedures for addressing a distressed condominium property that is a danger, blight or nuisance to the surrounding community.
Fire Protection Districts (HB 667): Permits elected fire protection district trustees to change the size of their body from a three member board to a five member board by ordinance.
Fire Station Loans (HB 38): Allows the State Fire Marshal and the Illinois Finance Authority to jointly administer a fire station revolving zero-interest loan program to help fire departments, which currently have a hard time covering their costs.
Judicial Protection (HB 1065): Protects judges by allowing law enforcement to request information from mental health or developmental disability facility regarding persons who may be potential threats to judges.
Jurisdiction (HB 759): Provide guidelines to determine jurisdiction between states as related to adult guardianship to ensure that only one state at a time will have jurisdiction over an adult guardianship case.
ID Cards (HB 446): Requires the Secretary of State to electronically print signatures or marks of applicants for Illinois Identification Cards and Illinois Disabled Person Identification Cards on the cards.
Quad Cities Regional Economic Development Authority (HB 1089): Increases the total bond and note ceiling for the Quad Cities Regional Economic Development Authority from $100 million to $250 million to encourage the redevelopment of a former military port in Savanna.
Radon Detection (HB 1088): Prohibits any person from selling a device to detect the presence of radon without prior approval of the device from IEMA, to address instances where substandard equipment and faulty detectors have been sold.
Stimulus Tracking (HB 571): Requires the governor’s office or designated state agency to track and report the funding received and spent under the current and proposed federal stimulus packages.
Wills (HB 151): Establishes a Secretary of State will depository for wills.
Homeless Identification Card (HB 897): Creates identification cards to be given without cost to homeless persons, who often find it difficult to document their date of birth or address.
Insurance Benefit Exclusions (HB 812): Clarifies that certain insurance mandates that pertain to individual and group health insurance coverage are not intended to apply to specialty or limited insurance policies, like short-term travel, disability income, long-term care, etc.
Multiple Sclerosis (HB 244): Requires public employers to provide insurance coverage for medically necessary preventative physical therapy for patients diagnosed with multiple sclerosis.
Nursing Students (HB 1014): Allows for the expansion of prescriptive authority of a licensed physician to an advanced practicing nurse, and allows registered practicing nurses to qualify as a certified registered nurse anesthetist if they meet certain criteria, even if they lack the proper degree.
Prescription Filling (HB 488): Allows Schedule II controlled substance prescriptions to be filled up to 90 days after issuance, instead of up to seven days after issuance.
Psychiatric Services Medicaid Coverage (HB 204): Requires Medicaid coverage for psychiatric services provided by an advanced practice nurse as a cost-effective way to provide services that may not otherwise be available in rural or low-income areas.
Gas Tax Extension (HB 75): Extends two motor fuel taxes for 12 years to replenish revenues for the Leaking Underground Storage Tank fund that is used for environmental cleanup costs of leaking underground storage tanks.
Monitoring Device (HB 914): Expands the list of offenses that trigger the cancellation of a monitoring device driving permit to include aggravated fleeing or attempting to elude a police officer.
Healthcare Study (HB 706): Provides for a feasibility study to examine the state’s veterans’ health insurance program, to identify ways to increase the currently low number of program participants.