Illinois

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

Amends the Guardians for Adults with Disabilities Article of the Probate Act of 1975. Provides that a person is qualified to act as guardian of a person with a disability and as guardian of the estate of a person with a disability if, among other requirements, the court finds that the proposed guardian is capable of providing an active and suitable program of guardianship for the person with a disability and that the proposed guardian has not been found to be an unfit person, unless the court finds the appointment of the person to have previously been found unfit to be in the best interests of the person with a disability, and as part of the best interests determination, the court has considered the nature of the determination of unfitness, the date of the determination, and the evidence of the proposed guardian's determination. Effective immediately.

Creates the Government Communications Transparency and Security Act. Prohibits a government entity, government officer, or government employee from downloading, installing, accessing, activating, or using an end-to-end encryption platform with autodeletion on a government communication device. Prohibits an Internet service provider, telecommunications carrier, server operator, mobile application marketplace, or digital platform doing business in the State from enabling the download, installation, activation, or operation of an end-to-end encryption platform with autodeletion on a government communication device. Requires Internet service providers, telecommunications carriers, and digital platforms to implement reasonable technological measures to block access to, installation of, or operation of end-to-end encryption platforms with autodeletion on government communication devices. Establishes penalties for violations. Authorizes the Attorney General or an Illinois taxpayer to bring suit to enforce the Act, with recovery of attorney's fees and costs. Requires the Department of Innovation and Technology to adopt rules. Defines terms. Effective January 1, 2027.

Amends the Criminal Code of 2012. Provides that a prosecution for aggravated kidnaping resulting in death may be commenced at any time.

Amends the Counties Code. In provisions concerning energy storage systems, provides that the farmland drainage plan that a facility owner must file with a county shall include, among other things, plans to repair any subsurface drainage affected during construction or deconstruction using procedures outlined in the agricultural impact mitigation agreement (rather than outlined in the decommissioning plan) and procedures for the repair and restoration of surface drainage affected during construction or deconstruction. Provides that a county shall (rather than may) require a facility owner to provide a decommissioning plan to the county. Makes changes to the requirements of a decommissioning plan. Provides that a county shall (rather than may) require the facility owner to submit to the county (i) a commercial operation a commissioning report meeting specified requirements of specified publications of the National Fire Protection Association; (ii) a hazard mitigation analysis meeting specified requirements of specified publications of the National Fire Protection Association; (iii) an emergency operations plan meeting specified requirements of specified publications of the National Fire Protection Association; and (iv) a warning that complies with specified publications of the National Fire Protection Association. Provides that the energy storage system owner shall enter into one agricultural impact mitigation agreement for each energy storage system. Requires the agricultural impact mitigation agreement for an energy storage system to include specified plans. Requires a commercial renewable energy facility owner to make available a copy of the signed agricultural impact mitigation agreement at the site of the commercial renewable energy facility during any construction or deconstruction activities. Makes other changes.

Amends the Criminal Code of 2012. Provides that the penalty for aggravated battery is a Class 2 felony (rather than a Class 3 felony) when the person knows the individual battered to be a judge, State's Attorney, or Assistant State's Attorney: (1) performing his or her official duties; (2) battered to prevent performance of his or her official duties; or (3) battered in retaliation for performing his or her official duties. Effective immediately.

Amends the Department of Professional Regulation Law of the Civil Administrative Code of Illinois. Provides that, by no later than January 1, 2027, the Department of Financial and Professional Regulation shall develop, obtain, arrange for, or contract with a vendor to provide an automated continuing education tracking system that can be used by the Department to track compliance with any continuing education requirements for the renewal of a license. Provides that the amendatory Act applies to an application for renewal of a license that is received by the Department on or after January 1, 2027. Effective immediately.

Creates the Local Official Vacancy Posting Act. Provides that a unit of local government shall post every elected official vacancy on its website, if the full-time staff of the municipality maintain the website, and the county clerk shall also post the vacancy on the county clerk website. Provides that the unit of local government may not fill the vacancy until the posting has been on the municipality's website, or the county's website if the municipality does not have full-time staff maintaining a website, for at least 15 days. Limits home rule powers.

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

Amends the Illinois Income Tax Act. Creates an income tax credit for each taxpayer that is an eligible small employer in an amount equal to the amount paid during the taxable year by the eligible small employer to its employees as paid leave that is required by the Paid Leave for All Workers Act. Provides that an eligible small employer is an employer that employs 50 or fewer employees during the taxable year and is subject to the Paid Leave for All Workers Act. Effective January 1, 2027.

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

Provides that the Act may be referred to as the Intelligent Speed Assistance Monitoring Act. Amends the Unified Code of Corrections. Provides that a person convicted of excessive speeding under the Illinois Vehicle Code (driving at a speed that is 26 miles per hour or more in excess of the applicable maximum speed limit established under the Speed Restrictions Article of the Code or a local ordinance) shall be subject to all of the provisions of the Illinois Vehicle Code concerning a Monitoring Device Driving Permit, except the monitoring device in question shall be an intelligent speed assistance device. Defines "excessive speeding" and "intelligent speed assistance device".

Amends the Community Behavioral Health Care Professional Loan Repayment Program Act. Requires the Illinois Student Assistance Commission to award a $15,000 per year grant to qualified applicants who are licensed occupational therapists or licensed occupational therapy assistants.

Amends the Criminal Code of 2012. Provides that a person commits the offense of concealment of homicidal death when he or she knowingly permits the concealment or disposal of a body on property under the person's control with knowledge that the other person has died by homicidal means. Increases the penalty for concealment of homicidal death from a Class 3 felony to a Class 2 felony. Provides that a person commits the offense of concealment of death when he or she knowingly permits the concealment or disposal of a body on property under the person's control with the intent of concealing information regarding the place or manner of death of that person, or the identity of any person with information regarding the death of that person. Increases the penalty for concealment of death from a Class 4 felony to a Class 3 felony. Effective immediately.

Amends the Good Samaritan Act. Provides that a licensed health care provider who renders medical services voluntarily and without compensation or the expectation or promise of compensation and does not seek reimbursement from charitable or governmental sources is not liable for any civil damages for any act or omission resulting from the rendering of the services unless the act or omission was the result of the licensed health care provider's gross negligence or willful misconduct. Requires notice and consent to be made in writing for a voluntary, noncompensated service before rendering the service in the case of a nonemergency and provides that notice and consent may be given through the use of an electronic medical record device.

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

Amends the Downstate Public Transportation Act. Provides, in Articles concerning Downstate Public Transportation Assistance and Nonurbanized Area Public Transportation Assistance, that the term "operating deficits" does not include revenue from advertising.

Amends the School Code. Requires a school board to create a policy that prohibits all school personnel from using a showering or bathing facility accessible to a student during school hours. Sets forth provisions concerning policy requirements and school personnel duties and prohibitions. Provides that school personnel that violate the policy may be subject to corrective action. Requires the school board to review the policy annually and update the policy as needed to comply with any changes to the law, best practices, or feedback from school personnel.

Creates the Wind Turbine Stewardship and Takeback Program Act. Provides that, on and after January 1, 2028, a wind turbine owner shall participate in a wind turbine stewardship and takeback program under which, where realistic, the wind turbine owner shall recycle wind turbine components that are not toxic after their useful life instead of disposing them in landfills. Requires wind turbine owners to file plans for the wind turbine stewardship and takeback program with the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency. Provides that the Agency shall develop guidance for wind turbine stewardship and takeback programs established under the Act. Allows the Agency to adopt rules to implement the Act.

Amends the Illinois Governmental Ethics Act. Supersedes part of Executive Order 15-9 regarding supplemental statements of economic interests. Requires each executive branch State employee who files a statement of economic interests to disclose: (i) certain real property interests involving the State; (ii) any nongovernmental positions held and related compensation; and (iii) any litigation involving the State in which the employee has a financial interest. Directs the Secretary of State to prepare and provide forms, receive filings, and make disclosures publicly available. Requires employees to report material changes promptly.

Amends the Unified Code of Corrections. Restores provisions regarding sentencing guidelines for individuals with prior felony firearm-related or other specified convictions that were repealed on January 1, 2004. Applies to offenses committed on or after the effective date of the amendatory Act. Eliminates sunset provision. Amends the Criminal Code of 2012 to make conforming changes.

Amends the Illinois Municipal Code. In provisions relating to preemption of certain taxes in home rule municipalities, provides that nothing in the provisions shall prevent a tax based upon the number of units of cigarettes, on other tobacco products, or both if the home rule municipality imposed a tax either based on the number of units of cigarettes or on other tobacco products before July 1, 1993 (rather than, if a home rule municipality had not imposed a tax based on the number of units of cigarettes or tobacco products before July 1, 1993, the home rule municipality may not impose such a tax after that date).

Creates the Weather Radar Interference Mitigation Act. Provides that, if a National Weather Service Forecast Office issues a winter storm advisory, a winter storm watch, a winter storm warning, a blizzard warning, a severe thunderstorm watch, a severe thunderstorm warning, a tornado watch, or a tornado warning for an area within the State and if a wind turbine operator owns, operates, or manages a wind turbine located within 40 miles of the weather radar station operated by that National Weather Service Forecast Office, then the wind turbine operator shall pause operation of that wind turbine during the inclement weather alert. Provides that, beginning August 1, 2027, no person shall construct a wind turbine within 7 miles of a weather radar station operated by a National Weather Service Forecast Office or a wind turbine with a height that is greater than 60 meters within 10 miles of a weather radar station operated by a National Weather Service Forecast Office. Provides that a wind turbine owner or operator who knowingly violates the Act after receiving a written warning is guilty of a business offense and subject to a fine in excess of $1,000 but not exceeding $5,000. Makes findings. Defines terms. Effective immediately.

Amends the Unified Code of Corrections. Provides that the court shall sentence the defendant to a term of natural life imprisonment for first degree murder if the defendant, at the time of the commission of the murder, had attained the age of 18, and is found guilty of the first degree murder of a child under the age of 5 who is determined by the court, upon testimony of a physician, to have died from abusive head trauma caused by the defendant. Provides that "abusive head trauma" includes shaken baby syndrome. Defines "abusive head trauma" and "shaken baby syndrome".

Supports the principles put forth by Illinois ASCD/PD365 regarding the ethical and effective use of artificial intelligence in K-12 classrooms. Urges the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE), in collaboration with school districts, educators, technology experts, and stakeholder organizations, to develop statewide guidelines for the ethical and responsible use of artificial intelligence in education, including protections for student data, expectations for algorithmic transparency, monitoring for bias, and the incorporation of digital and AI literacy into Illinois curricula to ensure students can thoughtfully and ethically engage with emerging technologies. Encourages investment in educator professional development and equitable access to technology, including broadband infrastructure, one-to-one devices, and AI-enabled tools to ensure that all Illinois educators and students are prepared to use artificial intelligence responsibly, effectively, and fairly across all schools.