Illinois

Amends the Illinois Insurance Code and the Workers' Compensation Act. Provides for increases in the rate of the Illinois Workers' Compensation Commission Operations Fund Surcharge, the Illinois Workers' Compensation Commission Operations Fund Fee, and payments to the Rate Adjustment Fund. Effective immediately.

Amends the Chicago Police Article of the Illinois Pension Code. Provides that a policeman who applies for disability benefits under the Article and has been denied reinstatement as a policeman by his or her employer because of a physical or mental incapacity shall be presumed to be disabled as that term is used in the Article. Provides that no policeman who otherwise meets the requirements for a disability benefit shall be denied a disability benefit unless and until the policeman's employer reinstates him or her as a policeman or offers him or her a limited-duty position. Provides that any policeman who has been denied a disability benefit without an offer of reinstatement or a limited-duty position after the effective date of the amendatory Act is entitled to disability benefits. Amends the State Mandates Act to require implementation without reimbursement. Effective immediately.

Amends the Sales Finance Agency Act. Makes changes to defined terms. Provides that applicants for a license shall apply in a form prescribed by the Secretary of Financial and Professional Regulation. Prohibits any person, partnership, association, corporation, limited liability company, or other entity engaged in a business regulated by the Act from operating the business under a name other than the real names of the entity and individuals conducting the business. Grants the Secretary authority to issue a license upon completion of the specified filing and investigatory requirements. Sets forth further licensing requirements. Provides that all moneys received by the Secretary under the Act in conjunction with the provisions relating to sales finance agencies shall be paid into the Financial Institution Fund. Prohibits a sales finance agency from aiding or seeking to aid any person in the violation of the Retail Installment Sales Act or the Motor Vehicle Retail Installment Sales Act. Grants additional investigatory, disciplinary, and examination authority to the Secretary. Establishes rulemaking provisions. Grants the Department authority to adopt rules to provide for review within the Department of the Secretary's decisions affecting the rights of persons or entities under the Act. Allows the Secretary to request a circuit court to assess a civil penalty of up to $10,000 (rather than $1,000) for violations of the Act. Repeals various provisions of the Act. Makes other changes. Effective immediately.

Amends the Firefighter Training Leave of Absence Act. Makes a technical change in a Section concerning the short title.

Amends the Property Tax Code. Provides that a person may apply for the senior citizens homestead exemption if the person is 64 years of age or older, as long as the person will be 65 years of age during the assessment year for which the exemption is sought. Effective immediately.

Amends the Criminal Code of 2012. Makes a technical change in a Section concerning the short title.

Amends the Code of Civil Procedure. Makes a technical change in the short title Section.

Amends the State Tax Preparer Oversight Act. Makes a technical change in a Section concerning the short title.

Amends the Unemployment Insurance Act. Provides that an individual shall be ineligible for benefits for a period totaling and not to exceed 2 weeks (rather than an individual shall be ineligible for benefits for any week) with respect to which it is found that his total or partial unemployment is due to a stoppage of work which exists because of a labor dispute at the factory, establishment, or other premises at which he is or was last employed. Provides that, after the 2-week period, the individual will be eligible for benefits.

Amends the Regional Transportation Authority Act. Provides that the Northern Illinois Transit Authority may not withdraw moneys from the Authority's ADA Paratransit Fund unless the Authority: (1) implements a program to collect data about the reliability of paratransit services that evaluates each driver's performance; (2) requires regular training sessions, including training to assist visually impaired and deaf riders traveling door-to-door, for drivers who received poor evaluations; and (3) requires all reservation methods to permit caregivers to book rides for visually impaired and deaf riders.

Amends the Educator Licensure Article of the School Code with respect to the Illinois Teaching Excellence Program. Provides that a maximum of $2,000 (rather than $1,000) shall be given as monetary assistance and incentives toward the National Board for Professional Teaching standards' renewal application fee. Removes other monetary assistance and incentives. Provides that the State Board of Education shall provide an annual stipend of $4,000 for up to 5 years to teachers who hold current National Board for Professional Teacher Standards certification. Provides that to receive the $4,000 annual stipend, the National Board certified teacher must be employed as a public school teacher and must hold a valid National Board for Professional Teacher Standards certificate throughout each year of the stipend. Provides that if there are adequate funds available, mentoring programming must be made available to support qualified educators in their pursuit of National Board certification. Sets forth specific incentives, and provides that funds may also be used for (i) professional development training provided by National Board certified teachers or (ii) instructional leadership training for qualified educators interested in supporting implementation of the Illinois Learning Standards or teaching and learning priorities of the State Board of Education or both. Provides that the selection of teachers who hold both a National Board for Professional Teaching Standards designation and a current corresponding certificate issued by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards shall be encouraged for other mentoring programs.

Amends the Illinois Pension Code. Makes a technical change in a Section concerning prohibited transactions.

Amends the Rebuild Illinois Mental Health Workforce Act. Makes a technical change in a Section concerning the short title.

Amends the Mine Subsidence Insurance Article of the Illinois Insurance Code. Makes changes to defined terms. Provides that the moneys in the Illinois Mine Subsidence Insurance Fund shall be derived primarily from premiums for mine subsidence insurance ceded by insurers to the Fund pursuant to the Article and from investment income. In establishing mine subsidence insurance premium rates, provides that the Fund shall give due consideration to factors reasonably considered by an insurer when setting premium rates and to the fact that the Fund does not receive taxpayer funding or have the ability to issue assessments to the insurance industry to support its long-term financial viability. Changes terms related to the appointment of directors in provisions concerning management of the Fund and establishes 3-year staggered terms for the directors. Provides that all directors shall be independent and owe a duty of care and duty of loyalty to the Fund. In provisions concerning mine subsidence coverage, provides that the loss covered shall be the loss in excess of any applicable deductible or retention in the policy, subject to the limit of insurance for mine subsidence damage stated in the policy. For all policies issued or renewed on or after January 1, 2027, provides that there shall be no deductible or retention applicable to mine subsidence damage. For all policies issued or renewed on or after the effective date of the amendatory Act, provides that the maximum amount of reinsured loss per residence, per commercial building, and per living unit shall be the amounts established by the Fund and approved by the Director. Provides that the residential and living unit coverage provided under the Article may also cover specified costs of debris removal, moving and storage of contents, and repair or replacement of landscaping. Makes changes in provisions concerning division of the Fund; exemptions; rights of insurers to refuse to provide mine subsidence coverage; arbitration; reinsurance agreements; distribution of premiums; reporting requirements; right of recourse and setoffs; subrogation; and powers of the Director of Insurance.

Amends the Illinois Highway Code. Makes a technical change in a Section concerning the short title.

Repeals the Messages Tax Act. Makes changes concerning cross-references to that Act. Amends the Use Tax Act, the Service Use Tax Act, the Service Occupation Tax Act, and the Retailers' Occupation Tax Act, and various Acts imposing local use and occupation taxes to replace references to "alcoholic beverages" with "alcoholic liquor taxable under Section 8-1 of the Liquor Control Act". Makes technical changes concerning incorporation of provisions of the Retailers' Occupation Tax Act into various other Acts. Amends the Hotel Operators' Occupation Tax Act to make changes concerning re-renters of hotel rooms. Effective immediately.

Amends the Illinois Nuclear Safety Preparedness Act. Makes a technical change in a Section concerning the short title.

Amends the Student Transfer Achievement Reform Act. Provides that the Board of Higher Education and the Illinois Community College Board shall develop a policy to foster the reverse transfer of credit for any student who has accumulated at least 30 (rather than 15) hours of academic credit at a community college and a sufficient number of hours of academic credit at a State university in the prescribed courses necessary to meet a community college's requirements to be awarded an associate degree. Provides that each State university shall automatically notify any transfer student accepted to the State university with at least 30 hours of academic credit at a community college of the option for the reverse transfer of credit within the student's first term of enrollment. Provides that a community college shall provide notification to a student wishing to reverse transfer earned academic credit with instructions on application for conferral of an associate degree. Provides that a community college or State university may not charge an application, transfer evaluation, or graduation fee or any other fee associated with conferral of an associate degree through reverse transfer. Provides that a community college shall include each student awarded an associate degree through reverse transfer within its student information system. Effective immediately.

Amends the Nurse Practice Act. Provides that an advanced practice registered nurse licensed under the Act may administer radiation to a human being and may supervise the administration of radiation by a person accredited to administer radiation to a human being by the Illinois Emergency Management Agency and Office of Homeland Security. Amends the Radiation Protection Act of 1990. In provisions concerning the limitations on the application of radiation to human beings, adds advanced practice registered nurses licensed under the Nurse Practice Act to the professionals who may intentionally administer radiation to a human being and to the professionals who may supervise a physician assistant, a technologist, a nurse, or other assistant administering radiation. Makes conforming changes in provisions concerning the accreditation of administrators of radiation.

Amends the Illinois Municipal Code. Makes a technical change in a Section concerning the short title.

Amends the Public Utilities Act. Makes a technical change in a Section concerning the short title.

Amends the Counties Code and the Illinois Municipal Code. Provides that neither a county nor a municipality may impose a tax on businesses calculated based on the number of employees of the business. Effective immediately.

Amends the Illinois Procurement Code. Provides that the Code does not apply to contracts arising from a grant award if the contract is with a partner whose specific experience and expertise was used as a condition of securing the grant and followed the selection provisions outlined in the grant application. Provides that the chief procurement officer appointed by the Secretary of Transportation is the chief procurement officer for procurements related to construction support and the purchase of rolling stock under the jurisdiction of the Department of Transportation. Amends the Governmental Joint Purchasing Act. Provides for the use of joint purchasing for contracts procured by agencies of other states.

Amends the Illinois Procurement Code. In provisions concerning mid-size businesses, provides that the Illinois State Toll Highway Authority may award up to 4 contracts per calendar year under the provisions and may award up to a total of 10 contracts under the provisions. Provides that the provisions concerning mid-size businesses are inoperable 5 years after the award of the first contract under the provisions. Repeals the provisions on July 1, 2031 (instead of January 1, 2030).