Rep. Sandra Hamilton

Amends the Election Code. Prohibits a political committee from making certain expenditures to provide a defense in any criminal case or a defense in a civil case pertaining to misconduct by a person in his or her capacity as a public official, sexual harassment claims, or discrimination claims. Requires that a person found to have used campaign contributions in violation of the Code shall return contributions to the contributor or pay to the State if the contributor cannot be identified or reimbursed. Requires the political committee to include information on the contributions returned to the contributor or paid to the State in the committee's quarterly report to the State Board of Elections.

Amends the Criminal Code of 2012. Provides that aggravated battery, other than by the discharge of a firearm, includes a battery committed by a person who, at the time of the commission of the offense, is 21 years of age or older and the battery was committed upon an individual whom the person committing the offense knows to be a person working under the Adult Protective Services Program or an Ombudsman under the State Long Term Care Ombudsman Program of the Department on Aging, or a Department of Children and Family Services employee: (1) performing his or her official duties; (2) battered to prevent performance of his or her official duties; or (3) battered in retaliation for performing his or her official duties. Provides that a violation is a Class 2 felony, except if the battery causes great bodily harm or permanent disability or disfigurement to an individual, a violation is a Class 1 felony. Defines "Department of Children and Family Services employee" and "ombudsman".

Amends the Counties Code. Provides that, in a criminal investigation in counties in excess of 3,000,000 involving a forcible felony where the State's Attorney or an Assistant State's Attorney rejects the filing of a felony charge or charges or the case is designated by the State's Attorney or Assistant State's Attorney as a continuing investigation: (1) a law enforcement agency in the jurisdiction where the alleged crime occurred may override the State's Attorney or Assistant State's Attorney's rejection of the felony charge or charges or the case is designated by the State's Attorney or Assistant State's Attorney as a continuing investigation if the evidence supporting the charge is clear and convincing and the override is filed with the clerk of the circuit court and the State's Attorney; and (2) the State's Attorney or Assistant State's Attorney may rescind the override within 7 days after the override by petitioning the Chief Judge of the Criminal Division of the circuit court. Provides for petition requirements. Provides that, if the court determines that law enforcement agency's decision to override was based on clear and convincing evidence, the State's Attorney must proceed with a preliminary examination or seek an indictment by grand jury within 30 days from the date he or she was taken into custody or, if he or she is not in custody, 60 days from the date he or she was arrested. Provides that the decision of the court on the law enforcement agency's override is not appealable. Requires all State's Attorney Offices to collect and maintain data in a public database on all felony cases called in for review by law enforcement and specifies how the data shall be collected and disclosed. Requires notification of a victim or victim's family of rejection of a felony case.

Amends the Criminal Code of 2012. Creates the offense of organized retail theft. Provides that a person commits the offense when he or she does any of the following: (1) acts in concert with one or more persons to steal merchandise from one or more merchant's premises with the intent to deprive the merchant permanently of the possession, use or benefit of the merchandise without paying the full retail value of the merchandise or to sell, exchange, or return the merchandise for value; (2) acts in concert with 2 or more persons to receive, purchase, or possess merchandise described in item (1), knowing or believing it to have been stolen; (3) acts as an agent of another individual or group of individuals to steal merchandise from one or more merchant's premises as part of an organized plan to commit theft; or (4) recruits, coordinates, organizes, supervises, directs, manages, or finances another to undertake any of the acts described in item (1) or (2) or any other statute defining theft of merchandise. Provides penalties and establishes venue for organized retail theft.

Amends the Nurse Practice Act. Ratifies and approves the Nurse Licensure Compact, which allows for the issuance of multistate licenses that allow nurses to practice in their home state and other compact states. Provides that the Compact does not supersede existing State labor laws. Provides that the State may not share with or disclose to the Interstate Commission of Nurse Licensure Compact Administrators or any other state any of the contents of a nationwide criminal history records check conducted for the purpose of multistate licensure under the Nurse Licensure Compact.

Repeals the Statewide Use of Force Standardization Act, the No Representation Without Population Act, the Reporting of Deaths in Custody Act, and the Task Force on Constitutional Rights and Remedies Act. Restores various provisions of specified Acts to the form in which they existed before their amendment by Public Acts 101-652 and 102-28, except for changes made to the Crime Victims Compensation Act. Effective immediately.

Amends the Illinois Driver Licensing Law of the Illinois Vehicle Code. Provides that a first-time applicant for a driver's license shall not be required to complete a road test if the Secretary of State is provided verification of the applicant's successful completion of a certified driver's education course offered by a public school, nonpublic school, or private training school.

Amends the Motor Fuel Tax Law. Provides that the tax shall not be imposed for a period of 180 days if: (1) the wholesale price of the most widely traded crude oil traded on United States securities markets on any trading day has increased by more than $20 per barrel over the figure from the wholesale price on the same day of the immediately preceding calendar year and remains above this $20 benchmark for at least 10 successive trading days; or (2) the average pump price of Illinois-taxed motor fuel places Illinois motor fuel consumer prices in the top 10% among the 50 states.

Amends the Parking Excise Tax Act. Expands the exemptions from the Act to include seasonal or festival parking, provided that parking activity takes place for no more than 30 days within one calendar year. Defines "seasonal or festival parking".

Amends the Property Tax Code. Provides that, for the purposes of the senior citizens assessment freeze homestead exemption and the long-time occupant homestead exemption, the income limitations shall be increased each year by the percentage increase, if any, in the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers. Effective immediately.