Legislation

Creates the Transportation Benefits Program Act. Requires all covered employers to offer at least one transportation benefit program. Provides that the employer may choose between providing a program consistent with federal law that allows employees to elect to exclude from taxable wages and compensation the employee’s commuting costs incurred for the purchase of a transit pass to use public transit or for the purchase of qualified parking, or a program under which the employer supplies a transit pass for the particular qualifying public transit requested by the covered employee or reimburses the covered employee for payments made for the use of qualified parking. Defines terms. Effective January 1, 2018.

House Floor Amendment #2:  Inserts the substance of the introduced bill except that it limits the program to the area under the jurisdiction of the Regional Transportation Authority. Provides that the bill applies to employers with 25 full-time employees rather than 20 employees. Excludes from the scope of the bill areas in which regularly-scheduled transit service does not operate. Removes government entities from the scope of the Act. Defines terms.

Provides that the Act may be referred to as the Evidence-Based Funding for Student Success Act. Amends the Economic Development Area Tax Increment Allocation Act, State Finance Act, Property Tax Code, Innovation Development and Economy Act, County Economic Development Project Area Property Tax Allocation Act, County Economic Development Project Area Tax Increment Allocation Act of 1991, Illinois Municipal Code, Economic Development Project Area Tax Increment Allocation Act of 1995, School Code, and Educational Opportunity for Military Children Act. Provides that the State aid formula provisions of the School Code apply through the 2016-2017 school year. Provides for an evidence-based funding formula beginning with the 2017-2018 school year. Sets forth provisions concerning an adequacy target calculation, a local capacity calculation, a base funding minimum calculation, a percent of adequacy and final resources calculation, an evidence-based funding formula distribution system, State Superintendent of Education administration of funding and school district submission requirements, and a Professional Judgment Panel. Makes other changes.

Provides that the Regional Transportation Authority Board shall adopt regulations to ensure that the construction or acquisition by the Authority or a Service Board other than the Chicago Transit Authority of services or public transportation facilities (other than real estate) involving a cost of more than the small purchase threshold set by the Federal Transit Administration (rather than $40,000) shall be after public notice and with public bidding.

Amends the Criminal Code of 2012. Provides that person also commits cyberstalking when he or she knowingly, surreptitiously, and without lawful justification, installs or otherwise places electronic monitoring software or spyware on an electronic communication device as a means to harass another person and: (1) at any time transmits a threat of immediate or future bodily harm, sexual assault, confinement, or restraint and the threat is directed towards that person or a family member of that person; (2) places that person or a family member of that person in reasonable apprehension of immediate or future bodily harm, sexual assault, confinement, or restraint; or (3) at any time knowingly solicits the commission of an act by any person which would be a violation of this Code directed towards that person or a family member of that person. Provides exemptions. Defines “electronic communication device” and “electronic monitoring software or spyware”.