Illinois

Creates the Protective Medical Equipment Freedom Act. Provides that every individual has the right to wear protective medical equipment in any place of public accommodation where they have a lawful right to be without obligation to disclose health status or any other protected information, and no person, entity, or authority shall deny, restrict, or infringe upon this right. Operators and public officials shall not discriminate against or penalize medical device wearers for exercising their right to wear protective medical equipment. Discrimination under this Act includes, but is not limited to: denial of service; eviction from premises; any form of harassment to remove or refrain from wearing such equipment for any amount of time; and specified actions taken by employers. Sets forth provisions concerning protection against retaliation; exceptions for security requirements and operational safety; enforcement by the Attorney General; and penalties for violating the Act. Effective immediately.

Amends the Garden Act. Provides that a person may save the seeds grown in a vegetable garden for personal consumption or non-commercial sharing. Provides that a unit of local government may not adopt a regulation or ordinance that precludes saving seeds grown in vegetable gardens.

Amends the Illinois Police Training Act. Provides that the Illinois Law Enforcement Training Standards Board shall develop or approve a course to assist law enforcement officers in identifying and interacting with individuals with epilepsy. Provides that the course must be fully consistent with the best practice guidelines issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Provides that the Board shall conduct or approve the epilepsy identification and treatment training course no later than 2 years after the effective date of the amendatory Act. Provides that the Board may consult with the Department of Public Health or the Department of Human Services to develop and update the curriculum as needed. Provides that, every 3 years, a law enforcement officer shall complete training on identifying and interacting with individuals with epilepsy.

Creates the Health Care Funding Act. Establishes the Health Care Funding Association for the primary purpose of equitably determining and collecting assessments for the cost of immunizations and health care information lines in the State that are not covered by other federal or State funding. Requires assessed entities, which include, but are not limited to, writers of individual, group, or stop-loss insurance, health maintenance organizations, third-party administrators, fraternal benefit societies, and certain other entities, to pay a specified quarterly assessment to the Association. Sets forth provisions concerning membership of the Association; powers and duties of the Association; methodology for calculating the assessment amount; reports and audits; immunities; tax-exempt status of the Association; an administrative allowance to the Department of Public Health; and other matters. Amends the State Finance Act to make conforming changes. Effective immediately.

Amends the Counties Code and the Illinois Municipal Code. Provides that, by January 1, 2027, every county and municipality shall create a process by which a resident can report a business, including a retail tobacco store, that the resident has reason to believe is committing an offense of unlawful manufacture or delivery of nitrous oxide. Provides that, by January 1, 2027, every county and municipality shall adopt regulations to ensure that a business, including a retail tobacco store, is not selling nitrous oxide to consumers, with the intent to breathe, inhale, or ingest for the purpose of causing a condition of intoxication, elation, euphoria, dizziness, stupefaction, or dulling of the senses or for the purpose of, in any manner, changing, distorting, or disturbing the audio, visual, or mental processes. Provides that the regulations required by the provision shall outline how the municipality or county shall regulate a business when the municipality or county obtains actual knowledge that a business, including a retail tobacco store, committed an offense of unlawful manufacture or delivery of nitrous oxide. Limits home rule powers. Effective immediately.

Amends the Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities Administrative Act. Requires the Department of Human Service to publish annually, beginning January 1, 2027, the assessment instruments used by the Department's Bureau of Accreditation, Licensure, and Certification to survey and license providers of community-integrated living arrangement homes for individuals with intellectual or developmental disabilities. Requires rulemaking. Effective immediately.

Amends the Illinois Income Tax Act. Creates a corporate income tax deduction for hemp business establishments in an amount equal to 50% of the income generated by the sale of products made by businesses owned by minority and other specific priority-population-owned businesses. Amends the Tobacco Products Tax Act of 1995 to exclude hemp-cannabinoid products subject to tax under the Industrial Hemp Act from the definition of tobacco products. Amends the Liquor Control Act of 1934 to provide that hemp extract and hemp-cannabinoid products made in compliance with State law are considered fit for human consumption. Authorizes liquor license holders to manufacture, distribute, and sell such products. Amends the Industrial Hemp Act to establish a comprehensive regulatory framework for hemp and hemp-derived cannabinoid products, including licensing, registration, packaging and labeling standards, age verification, laboratory testing, recordkeeping, enforcement, and penalties. Creates the Hemp Social Equity Fund to support loans, grants, and technical assistance for social equity applicants. Makes conforming changes to the State Finance Act. Effective January 1, 2027.

Amends the Illinois Finance Authority Act. In provisions concerning bond authorization and financing limits for clean coal projects, coal projects, energy efficiency projects, PACE projects, and renewable energy projects, provides that the limitations apply to outstanding bonds (instead of issued bonds). Provides that those limitations do not include bonds issued to refund the bonds of the Illinois Finance Authority or bonds of predecessor authorities. Provides that no member, officer, or employee of the Illinois Finance Authority may be in any manner financially interested in any contract or agreement upon which that person may be called to act or vote. Requires those members, officers, and employees to abstain from deliberating or voting on the award or material modification of any contract or agreement in which that person holds a financial interest. Provides that no member, officer, or employee of the Illinois Finance Authority may take or receive, or offer to take or receive, any money or other thing of value as a gift, bribe, or means of influencing that person's vote or action in that person's official capacity. Amends the Public Officer Prohibited Activities Act. Provides that certain provisions do not apply to the members and officers of the Illinois Finance Authority. Makes other changes.

Amends the Use Tax Act, the Service Use Tax Act, the Service Occupation Tax Act, and the Retailers' Occupation Tax Act. Provides that, beginning on January 1, 2027, hearing aids are exempt from the taxes under those Acts. Effective immediately.

Amends the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity Law of the Civil Administrative Code of Illinois. Provides that the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity shall establish an office to serve as a single point of contact for the purpose of guiding businesses through the various registrations required by Illinois law and any unit of local government. Provides that the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity shall prepare a report on the various registration or licensing requirements for small business and provide the report to the Governor and the General Assembly by December 31, 2026. Effective immediately.

Amends the Property Tax Code. In provisions concerning the homestead exemption for persons with disabilities, provides that, if the person with a disability is eligible to receive disability benefits under the federal Social Security Act and has a household income that does not exceed 200% of the federal poverty level, then the property is exempt from taxation under the Code. Effective immediately.

Amends the School Code. In a provision granting a school board the power to award certain contracts to the lowest responsible bidder, provides for an exception for contracts that give a preference to State, regional, or local suppliers (rather than only State or regional suppliers) that source local food products.

Amends the Administration Article of the Illinois Public Aid Code. Requires the Department of Healthcare and Family Services, in consultation with the Department of Human Services, to submit the necessary application to the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to amend the State's home and community-based services waiver programs for children and adults with developmental disabilities to provide coverage under the Home-Based Services Program for any therapeutic recreation programs offered by park districts, health clubs, and community colleges.

Amends the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity Law of the Civil Administrative Code of Illinois. Provides that the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity may, upon an ordinance adopted by a municipality or a county, certify an area as a food desert opportunity zone if the area is a food desert and if the area meets other specified criteria. Provides that grocery stores that open in a food desert opportunity zone may receive certain incentives under the Illinois Income Tax Act, the Use Tax Act, the Service Use Tax Act, the Service Occupation Tax Act, and the Retailers' Occupation Tax Act. Amends those Acts to make conforming changes.

Amends the State Employees Group Insurance Act of 1971. Provides that the Department of Central Management Services shall require all contracts, managed care arrangements, and third-party administrator agreements under the State Employees Group Insurance Program to apply site-neutral payment principles for covered services. Grants the Department rulemaking authority, including specified rules. Amends the Illinois Insurance Code. Requires the Department of Insurance to instruct health insurance companies operating in the State to apply site-neutral payment principles for any covered service for any health insurance product the health insurance company sells, manages, offers, or markets in the State. Grants the Department rulemaking authority, including specified rules. Effective January 1, 2027.

Specifies that the amendatory Act may be referred to as the Public Office Eligibility and Criminal Conviction Clarification Act. Amends the Township Code. Repeals a provision that makes a person ineligible to hold any office under the Code if the person, at the time required for taking the oath of office, has been convicted of a felony. Amends the Illinois Municipal Code. In a provision concerning qualification for specified elective offices, deletes provisions which prohibit a person from taking the oath of office if the person has been convicted of a felony.

Amends the Cannabis Regulation and Tax Act. Requires waiver of 50% of any nonrefundable license application fees, any nonrefundable fees associated with purchasing a license to operate a cannabis business establishment, and any surety bond or other financial requirements for a Social Equity Applicant who promises to open and operate the business in a Disproportionately Impacted Area and who promises to hire and employ at least 40% of all employees and contracted labor from persons residing in or headquartered in the Disproportionately Impacted Area where the business will be located. Provides that a breach of a promise by an applicant under those provisions shall constitute a violation of the Act. Provides that fee waivers or other requirement waivers under 2 different specified provisions relating to Social Equity Applicants may not be cumulative, and an applicant who qualifies under both may only choose one.

Amends the School Code. Requires the State Board of Education to establish an Artificial-Intelligence Use in Education Commission to collect information and submit recommendations relative to best educational practices and policies for smartphone and artificial-intelligence use in schools and compile research and collaborate to learn more on what recommendations are most effective for student-learning outcomes. Sets forth the Commission's membership, meetings, responsibilities, and support and reporting requirements. Repeals the provisions on January 1, 2030. Effective January 1, 2027.

Amends the Substance Use Disorder Act. Provides that disclosure of nonexempt records protected under the Act may be disclosed for research activities under the Domestic Violence Fatality Review Act. Amends the Developmental Disabilities Confidentiality Act. Provides that staff and any designee of the Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority, members of the Ad Hoc Statewide Domestic Violence Fatality Review Committee of the Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority Board, and the regional domestic violence fatality review teams are entitled to receive, inspect, copy, and share HIV-related information of any person subject to a domestic violence fatality review as part of and in accordance with the provisions of the Domestic Violence Fatality Review Act. Provides that the information disclosed is subject to the confidentiality requirements of the Domestic Violence Fatality Review Act. Effective immediately.

Creates the 340B Grantee Contract Pharmacy Access Act. Provides that no person, including a pharmaceutical manufacturer, may deny, restrict, or otherwise limit the acquisition of a 340B drug by a 340B grantee or a 340B contract pharmacy authorized to receive 340B drugs on behalf of the 340B grantee unless the acquisition is prohibited by federal law. Provides that the Department of Financial and Professional Regulation is authorized to enforce the Act and investigate possible violations of the Act by any person, including a pharmaceutical manufacturer. Sets forth provisions concerning preemption. Effective immediately.

Amends the Illinois Marriage and Dissolution of Marriage Act. Provides that when a child with a disability that substantially impairs the child's ability to make independent decisions regarding parental relationships reaches the age of majority, the court may allocate parenting time by considering the specified factors as modified by the child's capacity's and expressed preferences.

Amends the Election Code. Provides that no image, symbol, or slogan shall appear in the heading of a petition for nomination other than the required information. Provides that any emblem or label indicating that the petition for nomination was printed by a union printer shall not be considered an image, symbol, or slogan.

Amends the Medical Assistance Article of the Illinois Public Aid Code. Expands medical assistance coverage to certain categories of lawfully present noncitizens. Sets income guidelines for qualifying persons age 19 through 64 and income guidelines for persons 65 years of age or older. Removes a provision permitting medical assistance coverage for up to 24 continuous months from the initial eligibility date, if otherwise eligible.

Amends the Freedom of Information Act. Changes the definition of "commercial purpose". Defines "business day" or "working day", as well as "mass requester" and "vexatious requester". Requires a public body to respond to a request for records submitted by a mass requester within 21 days after receipt. Sets forth procedures and requirements regarding mass requesters. Provides that it is a violation of the Act to knowingly obtain a public record as a mass requester without disclosing the person's status as a mass requester, if requested to do so by the public body. Requires persons denied access to inspect or copy any public record to first notify the public body of intent to file suit and provide an opportunity to confer orally, within 10 business days after receipt of the notification, about curing or resolving the issue. Requires a court to award a public body attorney's fees and costs against a commercial purpose requester, a recurrent requester, a mass requester, or a vexatious requester. Allows a public body to petition the Public Access Counselor for relief from a requester that the public body alleges is a vexatious requester, including an order that the public body need not comply with the current request and other requests from the vexatious requester for up to one year. Sets forth procedures and requirements regarding vexatious requesters. Makes conforming changes.

Amends the Common Interest Community Association Act. Provides that financial records of the association for the last 7 years must be made available to unit owners upon request. Provides that financial records include, but are not limited to, the income statement, balance sheet, check register, current budget with monthly variation, detailed records of receipts and expenditures affecting the operation and administration of the association, reserve account details, tax returns and other appropriate accounting records. Amends the Condominium and Common Interest Community Ombudsperson Act. Provides that if the Ombudsperson is unable to resolve the complaint through the dispute resolution process, the Ombudsperson may investigate the complaint. Provides that the Department of Financial and Professional Regulation must examine the issues and the records, make findings of fact and conclusions of law, and issue to the parties a written determination in response to the complaint. Provides that the determination is binding on both the parties, subject to administrative review. Provides that the respondent must comply with the requirements of a written determination from the Department within 7 days after the notice of violation is received. Provides that if a respondent fails to comply with the requirements of a notice of violation within the required time period, and the Department has not received written notice of the respondent's request for an administrative hearing, the Department may impose a penalty, up to a maximum of $5,000 per violation per day, for each day that a violation remains uncorrected. Amends the Condominium Property Act to make some conforming changes.