Rep. William B. Black

Amends the Methamphetamine Control and Community Protection Act. Provides that whenever any person pleads guilty to, is found guilty of, or is placed on supervision for an offense under the Act, in addition to any other penalty imposed by the court, no such person shall thereafter knowingly purchase, receive, own, or otherwise possess any substance or product containing a methamphetamine precursor, without the methamphetamine precursor first being prescribed for the use of that person in the manner provided for the prescription of Schedule II controlled substances under Article III of the Illinois Controlled Substances Act. Provides that a violation is a Class 1 felony.

Amends the School Code. Provides that on or before October 1, 2012 (instead of August 1, 2009) and every 3 years thereafter, the State Board of Education shall file with the General Assembly and the Governor and shall make available to the public a report listing the institutions of higher education engaged in teacher preparation in the State, along with other specified data pertinent to each institution. Deletes language that provides that on or before February 1, 1998, and each year thereafter, the State Board of Education shall submit a cumulative report summarizing all types of waivers of mandates and modifications of mandates granted by the State Board or the General Assembly. In provisions requiring a school to prepare a report assessing school performance, removes the requirement to include the average administrator salary and average teacher salary in the report. Amends the School Construction Law. Provides that each school year in which school energy efficiency project grants are awarded, 20% of the total amount awarded shall be awarded to a school district in a city with a population of more than 500,000 (currently, specifies only a school district with a population of more than 500,000), provided that the school district complies with the specified rules and requirements. Effective July 1, 2010.

Amends the School Code. Deletes a provision applicable to school districts with a population of less than 500,000 requiring that permanent interfund transfers not otherwise authorized by law must be made to the fund of the school district most in need of the funds being transferred. Allows school districts to increase, abate, maintain, abolish, and re-create working cash funds. Provides that moneys in the working cash fund may be used by the school board for any and all school purposes. Makes other changes. Effective immediately.

Amends the Local Government Energy Conservation Act, the School Code, and the Public University Energy Conservation Act. Provides that requests for proposals must be submitted to the administrators of all 4 volumes of the Illinois Procurement Bulletin for publication in each bulletin. Provides that contracts let or awarded must be submitted to the administrators of all 4 volumes of the Illinois Procurement Bulletin for publication in each bulletin. Makes changes concerning drafters of specifications submitting bids or proposals for installment contracts and other agreements proposed by a school district or public university. Effective immediately.

Amends the School Code. Allows a school board to waive, by resolution, any statutory or regulatory curricular mandate for which the school district does not receive a separate State appropriation through the State Board of Education or reimbursement by the State to extend the school day or year (with exceptions for special education requirements, graduation requirements, and any curricular mandate directly related to an Illinois Learning Standard). Provides that if a student requests information on any curricular mandate that has been waived, then the school district shall provide the student with the requested information. Effective immediately.

Amends the Illinois Housing Development Act to authorize the Illinois Housing Authority to establish and administer a foreclosure prevention counseling program using moneys in the Foreclosure Prevention Counseling Fund, appropriated for that purpose, to make grants to HUD-certified housing counseling agencies to support pre-purchase and post-purchase home ownership education and foreclosure prevention counseling. Amends the State Finance Act to create the Foreclosure Prevention Counseling Fund from moneys received from the foreclosure prevention surcharge collected under the Residential Mortgage License Act of 1987. Provides that 75% of the moneys in this Fund shall be used for housing counseling outside Chicago and 25% of the moneys shall be used for such counseling in Chicago. Amends the Residential Mortgage License Act of 1987 to increase the investigation and application fees from $2,700 to $3,000. Effective immediately.

Amends the Methamphetamine Precursor Control Act. Increases by one class the knowing purchase, receipt, or acquisition of more than 7,500 milligrams of ephedrine or pseudoephedrine, their salts or optical isomers, or salts of optical isomers within a 30-day period. Effective immediately.

Amends the Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Systems Act. Provides that the Director of the Illinois Department of Public Health shall develop a working group to advise the Department on Primary Stroke Center Systems; that this work group shall have representation from the following groups: EMS Medical Directors; hospital administrators; neurologists from accredited Primary Stroke Centers; EMS Coordinators; stroke advocates; fire chiefs in Illinois; private ambulance providers; and a representative from the State Emergency Medical Services Advisory Council; and that this group shall also develop and submit a statewide stroke assessment tool to the Department for final approval, a copy of which shall be disseminated to all EMS Systems for adoption no later than January 15, 2011. Effective immediately.

Amends the Public Community College Act. Provides that as of July 1, 2011, a community college district must maintain a minimum required combined in-district tuition and universal fee rate per semester credit hour equal to 70% of the State-average combined rate, as determined by the State Board, or the total revenue received by the community college district from combined in-district tuition and universal fees must be at least 30% of the total revenue received by the community college district, as determined by the State Board, for equalization funding. Effective July 1, 2010.

Appropriates $2,000,000 from the General Revenue Fund to the Department of Human Services for a grant to Hope House in Rantoul, Illinois, for senior citizen services. Effective July 1, 2009.