Illinois General Assembly - Bill Status for SB1553

Deletes everything after the enacting clause. Amends the State Employees Group Insurance Act of 1971. Extends indefinitely the Teacher Retirement Insurance Program, which had been scheduled to terminate on July 1, 2004. Specifies contribution and subsidy rates for fiscal years after 2004. Creates a TRIP Committee to make recommendations concerning the Program. Amends the State Pension Funds Continuing Appropriation Act. Provides for a required $13,000,000 annual appropriation from the General Revenue Fund to the State Comptroller for deposit into the Teachers Health Insurance Security Fund in State fiscal years 2005 through 2007 that is in addition to other payments required under that Act. Amends the School Code. Provides that instructional expenditures of school districts shall be included in the State Board of Education's report to the Governor and General Assembly concerning the condition of schools. Amends the Teacher Certification Article of the School Code. Makes changes concerning out-of-state candidates. Provides for a fee for using a credit card to pay a certification fee. Provides that an initial teaching certificate shall be automatically extended for one year for all persons who (i) have been issued an initial certificate that expires on June 30, 2004 and (ii) have not met, prior to July 1, 2004, standard certificate requirements. Changes certain requirements in order to receive a standard certificate (including the induction and mentoring requirement, the completion of an advanced degree requirement, and the accumulation of continuing professional development units requirement), and adds other requirements. Makes changes concerning the process in which standard certificates are issued. Makes changes with regard to the renewal of administrative certificates. Removes the requirement that a certificate holder develop a certificate renewal plan for satisfying continuing professional development requirements. Removes some of the requirements that participation in continuing professional development activities must meet. Provides that participation in Illinois Administrators' Academy courses must total a minimum of 30 (instead of 36) continuing professional development hours, and removes the documentation requirement. Requires the certificate holder to complete a verification form developed by the State Board of Education and certify that 100 hours of continuing professional development activities and 5 Administrators' Academy courses have been completed. With regard to certain certificate holders, provides that certificate holders who evaluate certified staff must complete a 2-day teacher evaluation course. Provides that a teacher holding an early childhood, elementary, high school, or special certificate may substitute teach for a period not to exceed 120 paid school days or 600 paid school hours in any one school district in any one school term (now, allowed only through the 2003-2004 school year). Makes changes concerning what a master certificate holder in an area of science or social science is eligible to teach. Provides that an initial teaching certificate is renewable every 4 years until the person completes 4 years of teaching (now, nonrenewable), and allows a person who has completed 4 years of teaching but has not completed the professional development requirements to have his or her certificate reinstated for one year. Makes changes concerning what a standard or master certificate holder needs to do to satisfy the continuing professional development requirements, and makes changes concerning the renewal process. Removes provisions requiring school districts to be paid a certain amount for administrative costs. Removes provisions requiring an evaluation of the certificate renewal system. With regard to the suspension and revocation of certificates, makes changes concerning requests to delay a hearing, stays of proceedings, and the number of days within which a revocation hearing must be held before the State Teacher Certification Board. Makes other changes. Amends the School Construction Law. Provides that the State Board of Education may not make any material changes to the standards in effect on May 18, 2004 for determining priority needs for school construction projects, unless the State Board of Education is specifically authorized by law. Provides that school districts must be allowed to choose the architect and engineer for their school construction projects, and no project may be disapproved by the State Board of Education or the Capital Development Board solely due to a school district's selection of an architect or engineer. Provides that the Capital Development Board may not make any material changes in the administration of its powers granted under the School Construction Law from how it administered those powers on May 18, 2004, unless specifically authorized by law. Amends the State Mandates Act to require implementation without reimbursement. Effective immediately.

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