Illinois

Amends the Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly Act. Establishes a PACE Advisory Board to consult with the Department of Healthcare and Family Services on the administration of the Act. Provides that the Director of Healthcare and Family Services shall appoint the membership of the Advisory Board. Provides that the Advisory Board shall advise the Department on all aspects of its responsibilities under the Act, including, but not limited to, the format and content of any rules adopted by the Department and the development of capitation rate methodologies. Provides that any such rules, except emergency rules, adopted without obtaining the advice of the Advisory Board are null and void. Provides that, during its review of rules or rate methodologies, the Advisory Board shall analyze the economic and regulatory impact of those actions on the sustainability of PACE organizations and the quality of care provided to participants. Sets forth provisions concerning the membership of the Advisory Board and meetings of the Advisory Board.

Creates the Safe Autonomous Vehicle Act. Provides definitions. Provides that upon notification to the Secretary of State, a Motor Vehicle Manufacturer may commence a safe autonomous vehicle project with a vehicle installed with an Automated Driving System after providing notification to the Secretary of State and after self-certification under certain conditions. Provides that the Manufacturer shall determine the geographical boundaries of the project and shall maintain incident records and provide periodic summaries to the Secretary of State and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Provides that the Participating Fleet in the program shall be insured by the Manufacturer who shall assume liability for incidents where the automated driving system technology is at fault for that incident. Provides that any person operates a vehicle with automated driving system technology without first satisfying the eligibility requirements in the Act shall be fined $10,000 for a first violation and a second or subsequent violation is a Class A misdemeanor. Preempts home rule powers. Effective immediately.

Amends the Township Code and the Illinois Municipal Code. Provides that write-in candidates for township offices may not enter upon their duties if the number of votes the write-in candidates received in the election is less than the number of signatures on the petition the write-in candidates would have been required to obtain to appear on the ballot.

Amends the Illinois Act on the Aging. Provides that within 30 days after the effective date of the amendatory Act, rates for adult day services shall be increased to $17.84 per hour and rates for each way transportation services for adult day services shall be increased to $13.44 per unit transportation.

Amends the Automatic Contract Renewal Act. Provides that any person, firm, partnership, association, or corporation that sells or offers to sell any products or services to a consumer pursuant to a contract, where such contract automatically renews unless the consumer cancels the contract, shall provide a simple cancellation mechanism to the consumer.

Amends the Business Assistance and Regulatory Reform Act. Provides that the Office of Business Permits and Regulatory Assistance may establish a matching grant program to incentivize and assist units of local government in improving the use of technology tools for permitting and licensing processes. Sets forth reporting requirements for State agencies with jurisdiction over business permitting or licensing. Creates an Interagency Business Permitting and Licensing Reform Advisory Committee to coordinate business permitting and licensing processes. Sets forth provisions concerning membership of the advisory committee.

Amends the Nursing Home Care Act. In provisions concerning required posting of information, provides that the posting of information is not required if staffing was at 90% staffing of the minimum staffing requirements or if a facility has corrected the minimum staffing requirements before the posting deadline.

Creates the On-Premise Cannabis Consumption Act. Provides that a county or municipality may issue licenses for temporary events and cannabis hospitality venues that will allow for the consumption of cannabis or cannabis-infused products and for the sale of cannabis paraphernalia at such temporary events or venues. Requires ordinances with specified requirements for such temporary events and cannabis hospitality venues before any licenses are issued. Limits home rule powers. Makes conforming changes in the Smoke Free Illinois Act. Effective immediately.

Amends the Biometric Information Privacy Act. Defines "biometric identifier" to include neural data. Defines "neural data" as information that is generated by the measurement of activity of an individual's central or peripheral nervous system, and that is not inferred from non-neural information.

Amends the Department of Human Services Act. Requires the Department of Human Services to establish a Community Grief and Violence Prevention Pilot Program to interrupt cycles of violence and address grief and trauma in the City of Chicago and Southland region. Specifies that, under the Pilot Program, funds shall be allocated to deploy Community Grief Response Teams, which shall provide immediate, on-site trauma support to families and neighborhoods within 24 hours of a violent incident; shall provide long-term case management and grief counseling to survivors; and shall facilitate restorative justice circles to resolve community conflicts before they escalate to violence. Amends the School Code. Provides that, beginning with the 2026-2027 school year, every public elementary school shall incorporate grief literacy and restorative justice practices and programs into its social-emotional learning standards. Requires the Board of Trustees of the Chicago Public Schools to expand the Parent University Program to include mandatory modules on violence prevention, trauma-informed care, and recognizing signs of grief. Amends the Higher Education Student Assistance Act. Requires the Illinois Student Assistance Commission to establish a grant program to support the recruitment and retention of mental health professionals in communities disproportionately impacted by violence. Requires the State of Illinois to formally recognizes the Master of Social Work (MSW) as a professional degree essential to public health and safety. Effective immediately.

Amends the Illinois Estate and Generation-Skipping Transfer Tax Act. Increases the exclusion amount from $4,000,000 to $12,060,000 for persons dying on or after January 1, 2027. Effective immediately.

Amends the Medical Assistance Article of the Illinois Public Aid Code. Provides that beginning January 1, 2027, for a person who is a resident in a facility licensed under the ID/DD Community Care Act or the MC/DD Act for whom payments are made under the Article throughout a month and who is determined to be eligible for medical assistance, the State shall pay an amount in addition to the minimum monthly personal needs allowance authorized under the Social Security Act so that the person's total monthly personal needs allowance from both State and federal sources equals $90. Provides that beginning January 1, 2028, the personal needs allowance described in the amendatory Act shall increase annually at the same rate as the Social Security cost-of-living adjustment to take effect on January 1 of each year.

Amends the Counties Code. Provides that, if Cook County is delinquent in distributing property tax proceeds to taxing districts the proceeds of property taxes imposed by the taxing districts that Cook County is required to collect from taxpayers and distribute to the taxing districts, then Cook County shall reimburse the taxing districts for (i) the interest that the taxing districts would have earned from keeping the proceeds of property taxes in reserves and (ii) the interest that taxing districts paid on debts incurred because Cook County is delinquent in distributing property tax proceeds to taxing districts.

Amends the Property Tax Code. In provisions concerning the homestead exemption for veterans with disabilities, provides that: (1) if the veteran has a service-connected disability of 30% or more but less than 50%, then the annual exemption is 30% of the assessed value of the property; (2) if the veteran has a service-connected disability of 50% or more but less than 70%, then the annual exemption is 50% of the assessed value of the property; and (3) if the veteran has a service-connected disability of 70% or more, then the property is exempt from taxation. Effective immediately.

Creates the Consumer Data Privacy Act. Sets forth provisions concerning agreements between personal data processors and controllers. Provides for consumer personal data rights, including the right to opt out of the processing of personal data concerning the consumer for purposes of targeted advertising, the sale of personal data, or profiling in furtherance of automated decisions that produce legal effects. Sets forth provisions concerning the responsibilities of controllers; requirements for small businesses; and data privacy and protection assessments. Provides for civil penalties. Preempts home rule. Amends the Freedom of Information Act to make a conforming change. Effective January 1, 2027.

Amends the Landlord and Tenant Act. Provides that in any eviction proceeding in which the trier of fact determines that the tenant has complied with the terms of the last written and signed lease as to the amount and timeliness of rent payments, the proceedings shall be sealed.

Amends the Garden Act. Changes the short title of the Act from the Garden Act to the Vegetable Garden and Backyard Chicken Protection Act. Provides that a person shall have the right to keep backyard chickens on the property where the person resides. Provides that municipalities may establish reasonable regulations governing backyard chickens, including, but not limited to, setbacks, sanitation requirements, enclosure standards, nuisance control requirements, predator-proofing requirements, and limitations on the number of hens that may be kept. Provides that municipalities may require notice to adjacent property owners regarding backyard chickens, if the notice does not require or solicit any form of neighbor consent as defined in this Act. Provides that no municipality may condition the cultivation of vegetable gardens or the keeping of backyard chickens on neighbor consent. Provides that nothing in the Act shall be construed to limit the authority of homeowners' associations, condominium associations, or properties subject to restrictive covenants to regulate or prohibit vegetable gardens or backyard chickens pursuant to the terms of those governing documents. Provides that landlord consent may be required for tenants seeking to keep backyard chickens. Limits the concurrent exercise of home rule powers. Provides for enforcement of the Act's requirements.

Creates the Household Hazardous Waste Stewardship Act. Requires that manufacturers implement a stewardship plan, beginning January 1, 2028, and establishes related prohibitions. Requires a manufacturer to establish, fund, and implement a stewardship program individually or collectively as part of a stewardship organization, with certain funding requirements. Lists other manufacturer and stewardship organization obligations and requirements. Requires each manufacturer who sells covered products in the State to register with a stewardship organization by April 1, 2027, and annually thereafter, and subsequently also with the Environmental Protection Agency. Requires stewardship organizations to post certain information on a website by January 1, 2028. Prohibits a manufacturer from selling a covered product, beginning in program year 2028, unless the manufacturer is registered and operates a stewardship program or is part of a stewardship organization. Requires stewardship organizations to jointly prepare, no later than January 1, 2027, a household hazardous waste needs assessment. Prohibits a retailer from selling a covered product unless the manufacturer is identified as a participant in a stewardship organization with an approved stewardship plan. Requires collection sites to keep certain records and provide certain data. Lists requirements and procedures for stewardship plans. Lists collection convenience standard requirements. Requires each stewardship organization to jointly submit, by June 1, 2029, and annually thereafter, a report to the Agency. Requires a stewardship organization to pay an annual fee to the Agency and lists responsibilities of the Agency. Exempts activities under the Act from antitrust laws. Allows the Agency to adopt rules. Provides civil penalties for violations. Specifies that it is a Class 4 or Class 3 felony to make a fraudulent material statement to the Agency under the Act. Allows for collection of covered products using a premium collection service. Makes findings. Defines terms. Effective immediately.

Amends the Pharmacy Practice Act. Defines "large pharmacy chain" and "retail pharmacy". Provides that a large pharmacy chain operating in the State shall ensure that each of the large pharmacy chain's retail pharmacy locations maintains, at minimum, an inventory that is sufficient to cover the needs of existing patients for up to 14 days without needing to restock. Requires each retail pharmacy location to implement a predictive restocking practice to prevent or mitigate future inventory shortages. Provides that, if a patient attempts to fill a prescription that a retail pharmacy location does not have in stock, the retail pharmacy location shall provide timely mail-order fulfillment, up to and including overnight shipping, if necessary to provide a medication approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration in time to ensure no missed doses.

Amends the School Code. Requires, by no later than January 1, 2027, the State Board of Education, in consultation with water safety experts, to develop or adopt and make available to school districts a model program of instruction on water safety. Requires the State Board to provide to all public and nonpublic schools an informational notice regarding water safety developed by the Department of Public Health, and requires the school to distribute the notice to the parent or legal guardian of each student enrolled in the school. Includes website posting requirements by the State Board, school districts, and nonpublic schools regarding the informational notice. Sets forth liability exemptions. Makes conforming changes in the Department of Health Powers and Duties Law of the Civil Administrative Code of Illinois. Effective immediately.

Amends the Illinois Emergency Management Agency Act. Provides that the Illinois Emergency Management Agency and Office of Homeland Security (IEMA-OHS) shall, in consultation with the Mutual Aid Box Alarm System (MABAS) and the Illinois Law Enforcement Alarm System (ILEAS), annually determine what funding is necessary for MABAS and ILEAS to sufficiently alleviate difficulties that emergency responders face in coordinating and providing personnel and equipment from participating agencies and units of local government when responding to all-hazard emergencies in this State and establish a formula for the distribution of that funding. Provides for a continuing appropriation of that funding, with reductions in the case of federal funding. Changes a definition. Effective immediately.

Amends the Hospital Provider Funding Article of the Illinois Public Aid Code. Provides that, beginning January 1, 2027, if an Illinois freestanding psychiatric hospital reopens a previously closed hospital facility within 4 calendar years of that hospital facility's closure, and the previously closed hospital facility qualified for fee-for-service supplemental payments, then the Illinois freestanding psychiatric hospital shall receive an annual payment equal to $200 per covered inpatient day contained in paid fee-for-service claims and $200 per paid fee-for-service outpatient claim for dates of service of the closed hospital facility in Calendar Year 2019 in the Department of Healthcare and Family Services' Enterprise Data Warehouse as of May 11, 2020. Provides that "closed hospital facility" includes hospitals that have been terminated from participation in the medical assistance program. Effective immediately.

Amends the Medical Assistance Article of the Illinois Public Aid Code. Provides that, on and after January 1, 2027, the reimbursement rates for all orthodontic services for children shall be increased 50% above the rates in effect on December 31, 2026. Requires the Department of Healthcare and Family Services to do an evaluation of the network adequacy of Medicaid providers of orthodontic services statewide, and give priority consideration to rural/Downstate areas of the State. Effective January 1, 2027.

Creates the Standardized Protections for Residential Tenants Act. Prohibits a landlord, lessor, sub-lessor, or grantor from requiring a deposit or advance that exceeds the amount of one month's rent, unless the deposit or advance is for a seasonal use dwelling unit or unless the deposit or advance is for an owner-occupied cooperative apartment. Prohibits a landlord, lessor, sub-lessor, or grantor from charging an application fee that exceeds $20. Allows a fee for a background check or credit check of $20 or the actual cost, whichever is less. Exempts entrance fees charged licensed continuing care retirement communities, licensed assisted living providers, licensed adult care facilities, senior residential communities, or not-for-profit independent retirement communities that offer personal emergency response, housekeeping, transportation, and meals to their residents. Prohibits any payment, fee, or charge for the late payment of rent unless the payment of rent has not been made within 5 days of the date it was due, and the payment, fee, or charge does not exceed $50 or 5% of the monthly rent, whichever is less; provided a cooperative housing corporation shall be permitted to charge a tenant or lessee that is a dwelling unit owner or shareholder of such cooperative housing corporation a fee of up to 8% of the monthly maintenance fee for the late payment of the monthly maintenance fee if the proprietary lease or occupancy agreement provides for such a fee. Voids any agreement by a lessee or tenant of a dwelling waiving or modifying the rights in the Act. Authorizes the Attorney General to enforce the Act and adopt rules to implement and administer the Act. Provides that a violation of the Act is a violation of the Consumer Fraud and Deceptive Practices Act. Preempts home rule.

Amends the Video Gaming Act. Replaces provisions concerning restrictions on advertising with language that provides that a licensee may advertise its video gaming operation through permanent physical signage, as long as the signage is securely affixed and not temporary or movable.