FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                                           April 24, 2009

SPRINGFIELD – Lawmakers returned to Springfield to begin the final weeks of the spring legislative session before the scheduled end of May adjournment. State Senator Dan Duffy (R- Lake Barrington) said they immediately got to work, holding legislative committees and moving legislation in both the Senate and the House.

Early this week, members of the Illinois Reform Commission organized by Governor Quinn came before the General Assembly’s Joint Committee on Government Reform to present their ideas for procurement reform.

The Illinois Reform Commission has been traveling throughout the state, gathering information and testimony from expert witnesses on ways to strengthen Illinois’ ethics and transparency laws. Although the Illinois Reform Commission is expected to release its final report next week, Commission Chairman Patrick Collins testified Tuesday before legislators on the Commission’s recommendations for procurement system reform.

One controversial change proposed by the Governor’s group would move all agency procurement officials into one new Department of Procurement, which would be headed by a new Executive Procurement Officer. The idea raised concerns that consolidating procurement powers in a single agency would cut purchasing officers off from the agencies they serve, and could consolidate too much power in the Governor’s office.

The Reform Commission also suggested creating an independent contract monitor who would have access to all procurement files as they develop. The monitor would not only provide external oversight of procurement matters, but would seek out possible corruption.

Auditor General Bill Holland was joined by representatives from the Department of Transportation, Central Management Services and the Capital Development Board, who all expressed concerns about the centralization proposal and the monitor position.

Senate lawmakers also approved a controversial resolution on Wednesday that many view as an attack on secret ballots. Despite Republican concerns, Senate Joint Resolution 35 was adopted by Illinois’ Senate Democrat legislators. The resolution endorsed “card check,” or the Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA).

Senator Duffy explained that currently employees can choose union representation through secret ballot elections that are supervised by the federal government. Senate Joint Resolution 35 endorses a fundamental change in which unions could gain the right to represent employees simply by getting a majority of employees to sign cards in support of the union, with no guarantee of secrecy.

Opponents have raised concerns that such “card check” elections have been plagued by charges of coercion, misrepresentation, forgery, fraud, peer pressure and promised benefits.

The Senate also approved a Budget Implementation Act in the form of Senate Bill 366, which makes the legislative changes necessary to implement changes needed for the final months of the current state fiscal year.

It also establishes diversity goals for Illinois Department of Transportation construction projects and for professional and artistic services selection committees, and requires the Department of Central Management Services to conduct a study to assess the impact of discrimination minority and female business owners face in Illinois.

The report will eventually be submitted to the General Assembly and the governor, who will then use the information to determine whether to adjust Illinois’ requirements for awarding state contracts to minority and female business owners. Currently, the state seeks to award no less than 10 percent of the total amount of state construction contracts to minority and female-owned businesses.

Legislation approved by Senate committees this week:

AIDS Deterrence (HB 3974):  Creates an advisory council to educate and deter youth from engaging in irresponsible behaviors that could lead to contracting HIV/AIDS.

Alternative Health Care (HB 2279):  Requires two authorized community-based residential rehabilitation center alternative health care models, instead of one.

Biodiesel (HB 2535):  Requires state and local government to use fuel that is at least 5% biodiesel in all diesel vehicles.

Brain Aneurysm Awareness (HB 2506):  Designates September as Brain Aneurysm Awareness Month.

Campaign Signs (HB 3785):  Allows campaign signs to be displayed on residential property 45 days prior to and 5 days after primary, general, consolidated primary and consolidated general elections.

Chron’s Disease (HB 986):  Adds Crohn’s Disease and Ulcerative Colitis to the list of ailments that a person could have to be considered under the Business Enterprise for Minorities, Females, and Persons with Disabilities Act.

Consent (HB 4081):  States that a disabled adult who survives a sexual assault does not need the consent of their parent, guardian or custodian to receive emergency health care services or release hospital forensic evidence to law enforcement.

Disabled Workers (HB 818):  Allows individuals enrolled in the Health Benefits for Workers with Disabilities program, but who are found to have an improved disability, to remain eligible for Medicaid.

Double Taxation (HB 3635):  Limits the amount of double taxation for Illinois taxpayers whose income is taxed in both Illinois and another state.

Eavesdropping (HB 1348):  Expands consensual eavesdropping exemption for a child pornography investigation so law enforcement can quickly arrange to listen to and preserve the predator’s call.

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.

Financial Exemptions (HB 944):  Provides that a school district will not be certified by the State Board of Education to be in financial difficulty solely due to the failure of the state to disburse General State Aid payments or any of the mandated categoricals.

Great Lakes Task Force (HB 3828):  Creates the Task Force on the Conservation and Quality of the Great Lakes for the protection of the water quality and supply of the Great Lakes.

“Green” Illinois (HB 4035):  Requires preference to be given to a bidder for State contracts who will fulfill the contract through use of products made from recycled supplies provided it does not constitute an undue economic or practical hardship, and requires state agencies to purchase recycled supplies unless the recyclable supplies cannot be used to meet requirements of the agency or it would cause an undue economic or practical hardship.

Grow Your Own Teacher (HB 4117):  Provides that the Department of Juvenile Justice School District is eligible to receive teachers from the Grow Your Own Teacher Education Initiative Program.

Health Education (HB 973):  Recommends that the subject of teen dating violence be included in the Comprehensive Health Education Program curriculum in grades 8-12.

Health Professionals (HB 805):  Allows the Departments of Public Health and Financial and Professional Regulation to have access to the health care professionals list to assist them in planning for bioterrorism and public health emergencies.

Health Service Fees (HB 818):  Forbids IDPH to charge a fee to a local Department of Public Health for the licensure of a home service agency or home nursing agency.

Homeland Security Research (HB 3922):  Requires an investigation into the cause of dangerously contagious or infectious disease and other health ailments related to biological, chemical or nuclear attacks.

Internet Safety (HB 1314):  Prohibits a convicted sex offender from accessing a social networking Internet Web site while on parole, mandatory supervised release, probation, conditional discharge or supervision.

Judicial Protection (HB 1065): Protects judges in Illinois by allowing law enforcement to receive information from mental health or developmental disability facility regarding persons who may be potential threats to the judges.

Jurisdiction (HB 759):  Provide guidelines to determine jurisdiction between states as related to adult guardianship and other protective proceedings.

Medicaid Penalties (HB 237):  Provides for penalties to be assessed on Medicaid payments not made within 30 (now 60) days and also provides for a penalty rate of 2.0% (now 1.0%) per month. 

Mental Illness (HB 2281):  Allows the court as part of a sentencing hearing for a person with a mental illness, who is serving in the military or is a military veteran, to order pre-sentence consultation with state or federal veterans’ affairs regarding treatment options.

Mercury Web site (HB 2429):  Requires the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency to create a Web site by Oct. 1, 2009, that provides information on the mercury content of compact fluorescent lamps used in residential applications, what to do when a fluorescent lamp breaks, and options for consumers to safely manage and recycle spent mercury-containing compact fluorescent lamps generated in the State.

Metal Dealers (HB 696):  Requires a recyclable metal dealer to get certain information for each transaction involving the purchase of metal street signs, including a declaration, signed and dated, by the seller confirming the signs are not stolen property.

Methamphetamine (HB 865):  Creates the State Police Methamphetamine Precursor Tracking pilot program in Adams, Madison, St. Clair, and Vermilion Counties to track purchases from pharmacies of targeted meth precursors and identify illicit distributors of the precursors.

Methamphetamine Precautions (HB 214):  Requires the seller of the property to disclose whether the property has been used for the manufacture of methamphetamine.

Moment of Silence (HB 972):  Provides that if a school holds any type of event on November 11^th, Veterans’ Day, that the school board or board of trustees must require a moment of silence at that event to recognize Veterans’ Day.

Monitoring Device (HB 914):  Expands the list of offenses which trigger the cancellation of a monitoring device driving permit to include aggravated fleeing or attempting to elude a police officer.

MRSA (HB 185):  Requires state-operated facilities to establish MRSA prevention, control and reporting procedures.

Nursing Homes (HB 416):  Allows penalties assessed on nursing homes for late bed licensing payments to be waived when the Medicaid payment cycle is in excess of 60 days. (HB 748):  Requires nursing homes to give written information within 30 days to new residents describing the facility’s policies regarding DNR orders, and allow new residents to execute a living will/power of attorney if they don’t currently have one.

Offender Evaluation (HB 4081):  Eliminates the need for a pre-sentence sex offender evaluation if the convicted sex offender is subject to a mandatory prison sentence.

Ovarian/Prostate Cancer Month (HB 2505):  Creates Ovarian and Prostate Cancer Awareness Month. 

Prisoners of War (HB 2536):  Provides that all former Prisoners of War will receive free admission to any state-funded museum.

Public Guardian (HB 2539):  Allows the Governor to appoint the same person as public guardian and public administrator in more than one county to address current difficulties in finding qualified guardians.

Public Utility Fund (HB 860):  Requires ComEd and Ameren to contribute $5.5 million to the Public Utility Fund to be used for operations at the Illinois Commerce Commission.

Radon Testing (HB 4223):  Makes recommendations in regards to radon testing in schools and the process of handling radon testing, whom to contact and what instructions to follow.

Railroad Crossings (HB 3730):  Requires yield signs at highway rail grade crossings that are not equipped with automatic warning devices.

Refugees (HB 399):  Establishes ongoing AABD coverage for refugees.

Regional Planning Commission (HB 768):  Defines Regional Planning Commissions as financial institutions so that they can lend money to municipalities for economic development

Regulation Compliance (HB 931):  Brings Illinois into compliance with Federal Motor Carrier Safety regulations.

Restitution (HB 2650):  Requires that restitution be ordered on any DUI violation which involved injury to another person or damage to another person’s property.

School Loans (SB 611):  Expands the School Technology Revolving Loan program to include non-public schools.

Sexual Abuse (HB 3918):  Expands the protections and remedies available under the Domestic Violence Act to victims of sexual abuse who must seek recourse through the civil no contact order statute.

Sign Language (HB 725):  Encourages school boards to include American Sign Language courses into foreign language curriculums, and allows public universities and colleges to accept ASL as a foreign language.

Special Education (HB 2362):  Adds an exemption for special education transportation contracts from the low-bid requirement.

Stalking (HB 2542):  Broadens the definition of “stalking” to mean knowingly engaging in two or more acts directed at a specific person, if he or she knows or should know that this course of conduct would cause a reasonable person to fear for his or her safety or the safety of a third person, or suffer other emotional distress (significant mental suffering, anxiety or alarm).

State Renovations (HB 1013):  Requires that state-funded building construction and major renovations of existing state-owned facilities must meet certain energy and environmental standards.

Superintendents (HB 737):  Allows a first-year principal the option to participate in a second year of mentoring if sufficient funding exists, as determined by the State Superintendent of Education.

Trial Fitness (HB 3897):  Allows DHS to notify a court immediately if they have determined an individual is fit to stand trial.

Twice-Exceptional Children (HB 900):  Requires the State Advisory Council on the Education of Children with Disabilities and the Advisory Council on the Education of Gifted and Talented Children to research and discuss best practices for addressing the needs of “twice-exceptional” children (those who are gifted and have a disability).

Unauthorized Transmission (HB 4173):  Makes it unlawful to knowingly record or transmit live video of another person in their residence without the consent of that person, when the recording or transmission is made outside the person’s residence by use of a remote audio or video recording device.

Unlawful Communication (HB 4066):  Increases the penalty on unlawful communication device access if committed by a person in jail or prison.

Veterans (HB 3731):  Allows honorably discharged veterans of the Vietnam Conflict to be awarded high school diplomas from the school boards.

Veterans Employment (HB 1122):  Creates the Illinois Jobs for Veterans Task Force to determine if military training received by the veterans could satisfy any state professional licensure requirements. 

Violence Prevention Authority (HB 3647):  Requires the Illinois Violence Prevention Authority to develop and adopt rules that allow them to distribute grants.

Wills (HB 151):  Establishes a Secretary of State will depository.