 However, in other news, the governor did sign legislation that
offers rebates and credits to Ameren and Commonwealth Edison utility
customers.
Senate Bill 1592 calls for all long-term contracts to be
processed by the new Illinois Power Authority, as an alternative to
the controversial "reverse power auction." Critics of Illinois'
reverse power auction blamed the program for contributing to the
major increase in electric rates experienced by customers of the two
utilities at the beginning of the year.The utility law changes
were adopted as a compromise after Senate President Emil Jones Jr.,
D-Chicago, a close ally of Commonwealth Edison, blocked rate freeze
legislation. However, critics of Senate Bill 1592 (P.A. 95-0481)
contend that the $1 billion rate relief spread over three years
offered by this legislation will not result in long-term or
permanent savings for many customers.
The governor announced a series of controversial changes to the
state budget earlier in August -- sparking negative reactions from
providers of services to the poor, local community leaders and
editorial writers, all of whom noted inconsistencies and
contradictions in the governor's action.
Some of the more controversial cuts, Bomke noted, were to
elementary, secondary and higher education; health care; senior
citizens living in nursing homes; hospitals serving the poor; and
those providing services to people with developmental disabilities.
Legislation signed into law this week:
(For details on any of the bills listed below,
go to
http://www.ilga.gov/ and search by bill number.) Birth
certificates (House Bill 250) -- Requires public and private
schools, child care facilities, and day cares (currently, only
schools) to require a copy of a birth certificate for newly enrolled
children.
Cool cities (Senate Bill 1242) -- Creates the Illinois Cool
Cities Act, to encourage the reduction of greenhouse gases.
DNA (Senate Bill 1346) -- Requires county medical examiners and
coroners to provide the state police with a DNA sample from a body
if the state police determine that a DNA sample may be useful in a
criminal investigation.
Drugs (Senate Bill 30) -- Requires the Department of Human
Services to establish an electronic monitoring system for Schedule
III-V controlled substances.
Elections (House Bill 263) -- Requires sex offenders whose
polling places are located at schools to vote early or by absentee
ballot.
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Internet safety (Senate Bill 1472) -- Permits school districts to
adopt a curriculum for Internet safety instruction for students in
K-12. License plates (Senate Bill 169) -- Creates a new license
plate for Illinois Professional Golfers Association Foundation
Junior Golf.
Mold (Senate Bill 1257) -- Creates the Mold Remediation
Registration Act.
Public officials (House Bill 328) -- Extends the offense of
threatening a public official to include sworn law enforcement
officers or peace officers.
School crossing zones (House Bill 508) -- Provides that reckless
driving is a Class 4 felony if the violation causes bodily harm to a
child or school crossing guard while the school crossing guard is
performing his or her official duties.
Sex offenders (House Bill 50) -- Provides that a child sex
offender shall not have any Internet communications with people
under the age of 18.
Social Security (House Bill 574) -- Adds additional members and
changes the scope of the Social Security Number Protection Task
Force.
Social workers (Senate Bill 1739) -- Allows a licensed social
worker to receive Medicaid reimbursements for seeing a
Medicaid-eligible client.
State facilities (Senate Bill 1326) -- Requires the Commission on
Government Accountability and Forecasting to review the potential
closure of all state facilities rather than just those with over 25
employees.
Temporary and day labor (Senate Bill 1314) -- Allows day and
temporary work agencies or clients to combine multiple days' work
hours on the pay stub if the laborer has worked for the same client
for more than one day in a week.
Thermostats (Senate Bill 1241) -- Provides that beginning July 1,
2008, no person shall install, sell, distribute or offer to
distribute a mercury thermostat in the state.
Vehicles (Senate Bill 1164) -- Provides that certain vehicles
shall be considered salvage if the vehicle sustains a specified
amount of damage.
Women (Senate Bill 731) -- Requires the Department of Human
Services to conduct a study of the needs of disabled women in the
community as well as structured living arrangements regarding sexual
assault and violence.
[Text from file sent on behalf of
Sen.
Larry Bomke by Illinois
Senate Republican staff]
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