Senate week in review         

July 31-Aug. 4

[AUG. 7, 2006]  SPRINGFIELD -- Greater protections for senior citizens and financial assistance for college students from middle-income families are among the legislative measures signed into law during the week of July 31-Aug. 4, according to state Sen. Larry Bomke, R-Springfield.

Also signed into law was Senate Bill 1279, a controversial bill that would give employers income tax credits for hiring convicted felons and veterans. For veterans, the amount is equal to 5 percent, up to $600, of the gross wages paid to a qualified veteran during the taxable year. For criminals, the tax credit is $600. Bomke says the new law may give felons an advantage over law-abiding citizens when it comes to employment, and equates hiring veterans with hiring felons.

House Bill 4676 adds religious practitioner to the definition of "mandated reporter" of elder abuse. It also creates an Elder Self-Neglect Steering Committee to work with the Department on Aging to assess and act on reports of alleged or suspected self-neglect, which is defined as "a condition that is the result of an eligible adult's inability, due to physical or mental impairments, or a diminished capacity, to perform essential self-care tasks that substantially threaten his or her own health (providing essential food, clothing, shelter and health care; and obtaining necessary goods and services to maintain physical and mental health)."

Also signed into law was Senate Bill 2225, which creates MAP Plus to provide for higher education grants of $500 per year for students from families with annual incomes of less than $200,000. Proponents say the new law helps more students meet the ever-increasing costs of higher education. Opponents say that the program might be well-intentioned, but the governor's bad budgeting is one of the reasons Illinois state universities have been forced to raise their tuition. Many are also concerned that the state cannot afford yet another new program at a time when the state has a record debt -- the largest in the nation -- and cannot pay the bills for current programs on time.

Other legislation signed into law during the week of July 31 to Aug. 4:

Open meetings -- Senate Bill 585 expands the definition of meetings to be covered under the Open Meetings Act to include meetings by electronic means, such as instant messaging or other contemporaneous interactive communication.

Child support -- Senate Bill1183 requires a court to order a minimum amount of $10 in child support per month in a judgment order, regardless of a noncustodial parent's net income.

Energy savings -- Senate Bill 1827 allows a unit of local government, public university or public community college district to enter into a guaranteed energy savings contract if it finds that the amount it would spend on the energy conservation measures recommended in the proposal would not exceed the amount to be saved in either energy or operational costs, or both, within a 20-year period from the date of installation.

[News release from Sen. Larry Bomke]