Illinois

Amends the Juvenile Court Act of 1987. Provides that the State's Attorney may file a written petition, at any time prior to commencement of the minor's trial, to designate the proceeding as an extended jurisdiction juvenile prosecution when the petition alleges the commission by a minor 15 (rather than 13) years of age or older of any offense that would be a felony if committed by an adult. Provides that, upon filing of a petition, the judge shall conduct a hearing at which he or she shall first determine whether there is probable cause to believe that the allegations in the petition and motion are true. Provides that, if probable cause is found, the judge may enter an order designating the proceeding as an extended jurisdiction juvenile proceeding if the judge makes a finding based on clear and convincing evidence that sentencing under the Unified Code of Corrections may be appropriate for the minor based on an evaluation of certain factors. Provides that the judge shall consider: (1) the minor's age, impetuosity, and level of maturity at the time of the offense, including the ability to consider risks and consequences of behavior, and any presence of cognitive or developmental disability, or both, including if a comprehensive mental health evaluation of the minor was conducted by a qualified mental health professional, the outcome of the evaluation; and (2) the history of the minor, including the minor's family, home environment, educational and social background, including any history of parental neglect, domestic or sexual violence, sexual exploitation, physical abuse, or other childhood trauma, including adverse childhood experiences. Makes other changes.

Amends the Unified Code of Corrections. Provides that the annual report of the Prisoner Review Board transmitted to the Director of Corrections shall list how many C-Number Cases and Good Conduct Requests are considered, granted, and denied by the Board, disaggregated by offense, including, but not limited to, murder and offenses involving sexual conduct or sexual penetration, and indicate if the victims were under 18 years of age or members of law enforcement. Provides that the Prisoner Review Board's annual report shall be published on the Board's website no later than March 1 of each year.

Amends the Illinois Vehicle Code. Allows a unit of local government that engages in the operation of fleet of motor vehicles to register and license the fleet for operations in the State.

Repeals the Interchange Fee Prohibition Act. Effective immediately.

Amends the Illinois Vehicle Code. Permits the operation of recreational off-highway vehicles meeting certain criteria on any street, roadway, or highway in the State, unless the highway is an interstate system, is near a grade-separated portion of the highway, is within a municipality, or has a posted speed limit higher than 55 miles per hour. Provides that a recreational off-highway vehicle may be registered in the same manner as provided for snowmobiles and shall comply with the registration, fees, insurance, and other requirements for snowmobiles under the Snowmobile Registration and Safety Act. Provides for the distribution of registration fees. Outlines the vehicle equipment requirements for the operation of a recreational off-highway vehicle on a roadway.

Amends the Criminal Code of 2012 concerning child sexual abuse material. Provides that if the creator of the images or materials is a minor and the sole subject of the depiction, the minor is not subject to criminal penalties under the statute. Deletes provision that the charge of child sexual abuse material does not apply to the creator of a film, video, photograph, or other similar visual image or depiction in which the creator is the sole subject of the film, video, photograph, or other similar visual image or depiction. Effective immediately.

Creates the Immigration Enforcement Act. Provides that a State entity, local entity, or law enforcement agency may not adopt or maintain a law, ordinance, resolution, rule, regulation, policy, directive, order, practice, or procedure, formal or informal, written or unwritten, that prohibits or materially restricts the State entity, local entity, or law enforcement agency from complying with or assisting in the enforcement of immigration laws. Includes mandatory duties of law enforcement agencies regarding immigration detainers. Requires a county jail, municipal jail, and the Department of Corrections to enter into an agreement with the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement or other federal agency for temporarily housing persons who are the subject of immigration detainers and for the payment of the costs of housing and detaining those persons. Requires implementation of the Act in a manner consistent with federal laws and regulations governing immigration and discrimination, protecting the civil rights of all persons, and respecting the privileges and immunities of United States citizens. Limits home rule powers by providing that regulation of immigration enforcement is an exclusive power and function of the State. Repeals the Illinois TRUST Act. Makes corresponding changes in various other Acts. Repeals provisions in the Illinois Public Aid Code and the Illinois Administrative Procedure Act relating to medical services for certain noncitizens. Amends the Department of Human Services Act. Creates the Asylum Travel Expense Program in the Department of Human Services to provide noncitizens seeking asylum who are residing in Illinois transportation and travel expenses for travel to another state that prohibits law enforcement or other governmental agencies from assisting the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement or other federal government agency with immigration enforcement or to the country of origin of the noncitizen seeking asylum. Requires the method of transportation selected by the Department to be by the cheapest means to transport the noncitizen seeking asylum to the noncitizen's desired destination. Provides for the transfer of $10,000,000 from the General Revenue Fund into the Asylum Travel Expenses Fund to fund the Program. Amends the State Finance Act to create the Fund. Effective immediately.

Amends the Property Tax Code. Establishes a homestead exemption for qualified homestead property that has been continuously owned, used, and occupied as the primary residence by the qualified taxpayer for at least 30 years prior to January 1 of the taxable year for which the exemption would apply. Requires taxpayers who have been granted an exemption to reapply on an annual basis. Provides that the assessor or chief county assessment officer may determine the eligibility of residential property to receive the homestead exemption by application, visual inspection, questionnaire, or other reasonable methods. Sets forth provisions concerning the review of exemptions granted under the provisions. Defines "qualified homestead property" and "qualified taxpayer". Amends the State Mandates Act to require implementation without reimbursement. Effective immediately.

Amends the Innovations for Transportation Infrastructure Act. Makes a technical change in a Section concerning the short title.

Amends the Illinois Vehicle Code. Prohibits a person from driving or being in actual physical control of any vehicle within the State while the person has, within 2 hours of driving or being in actual physical control of a vehicle, a tetrahydrocannabinol concentration in the person's whole blood or other bodily substance, unless extenuating circumstances exist preventing the transportation of the driver from the scene to an authorized location where blood can be drawn due to the medical condition of the driver or safety issues at the accident location, but in no event shall the period exceed 3 hours after driving or being in actual physical control of a vehicle. Removes language providing that the 2-year time limit does not apply to the lawful consumption of cannabis by a qualifying patient who is in possession of a valid registry card, unless that person is impaired by the use of cannabis.

Amends the Illinois Controlled Substances Act. Makes structural and other changes to the list of controlled substances. Adds xylazine as a Class III controlled substance. Provides that notwithstanding the scheduling of xylazine as a Schedule III controlled substance, xylazine shall not be considered a controlled substance when: (1) used by licensed Illinois veterinarians dispensing or prescribing for, or administering to, a nonhuman species of a drug containing xylazine that has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration; (2) used by licensed Illinois veterinarians dispensing or prescribing for, or administering to, a nonhuman species that is permissible under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act; (3) manufactured, distributed, or used as an active pharmaceutical ingredient for manufacturing an animal drug approved under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act; (4) used by a licensed certified euthanasia technician employed by a certified euthanasia agency; or (5) used by a wildlife biologist engaged in legal or authorized fieldwork under the indirect supervision of a veterinarian. Defines "isomer". Effective January 1, 2027.

Amends the Criminal Code of 2012. Increases by one class the penalties for trafficking in persons, involuntary servitude, and involuntary sexual servitude of a minor. Provides that if the penalty is a Class X felony, the person shall be sentenced to a term of imprisonment of not less than 9 years and not exceeding 45 years.

Amends the Toll Highway Act. Requires the Illinois State Toll Highway Authority to establish an option to pay with tangible legal United States currency at every toll plaza and toll location point.

Amends the General Provisions and State Employee Articles of the Illinois Pension Code. Provides that the alternative retirement annuity under the State Employee Article applies to a security employee of the Department of Human Services subject to the Tier 2 provisions. Provides that a security employee of the Department of Human Services subject to the Tier 2 provisions may convert up to 8 years of service credit established before the effective date of the amendatory Act as a security employee of the Department of Human Services under the State Employee Article into eligible creditable service by filing a written election with the Board under that Article, accompanied by a specified payment. Excludes a benefit increase resulting from the amendatory Act from the definition of "new benefit increase". Effective immediately.

Amends the Invest in Illinois Act. Provides that no award of economic incentives may be made under the Act to an entity if (i) the entity is organized under the laws of or has its principal place of business in a foreign country of concern or (ii) the government of a foreign country of concern has a controlling interest in the entity.

Amends the Medical Assistance Article of the Illinois Public Aid Code. In provisions concerning the supportive living facilities program, removes a provision permitting applications for the expansion of supportive living dementia care settings, involving sites not approved by the Department of Healthcare and Family Services, to include new elderly non-dementia units in addition to new dementia care units.

Amends the Criminal Code of 2012. Provides that a person commits disorderly conduct when he or she knowingly transmits or causes to be transmitted in any manner a threat of destruction of a child care institution or day care center building or property, or a threat of violence, death, or bodily harm directed against persons at a child care institution or day care center, a child care institution or day care center function, or a child care institution or day care center event, whether or not the child care institution or day care center is in session. Provides that a violation is a Class 4 felony. Effective immediately.

Appropriates $700,000 from the General Revenue Fund to the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity for a grant to the Illinois Center for Employee Ownership for the purpose of expanding education, outreach, and technical assistance related to employee ownership transitions and supporting small businesses in evaluating and pursuing succession through employee ownership. Effective July 1, 2026.

Amends the Illinois Pension Code. Provides that the Retirement Systems Reciprocal Act (Article 20 of the Code) is adopted and made a part of the Downstate Firefighter and Downstate Police Articles, but only with respect to a person who, on or after the effective date of the amendatory Act, is entitled under the Downstate Firefighter Article or Downstate Police Article to begin receiving a retirement annuity or survivor's annuity and who elects to proceed under the Retirement Systems Reciprocal Act. Amends the State Mandates Act to require implementation without reimbursement by the State.

Amends the Property Tax Code. Establishes a homestead exemption for qualified homestead property that has been continuously owned, used, and occupied as the primary residence by the qualified taxpayer for at least 30 years any time prior to January 1 of the taxable year for which the exemption would apply. Requires taxpayers who have been granted an exemption to reapply on an annual basis. Provides that the assessor or chief county assessment officer may determine the eligibility of residential property to receive the homestead exemption by application, visual inspection, questionnaire, or other reasonable methods. Sets forth provisions concerning the review of exemptions granted under the provisions. Defines "qualified homestead property" and "qualified taxpayer". Amends the State Mandates Act to require implementation without reimbursement. Effective immediately.

Amends the Illinois Controlled Substances Act. Provides that in addition to any other penalties provided by law, a person unlawfully selling or dispensing any scheduled drug containing a detectable amount of fentanyl is guilty of a Class X felony and shall be sentenced to a term of imprisonment of not less than 9 years and not more than 40 years or fined not more than $250,000, or both. Provides that it shall be a Class 1 felony for which a fine not to exceed $100,000 may be imposed for any person to knowingly use an electronic communication device in the furtherance of controlled substance trafficking involving a substance containing any amount of fentanyl. Provides that this penalty shall be in addition to any other penalties imposed by law. Defines "electronic communication device".

Amends the Illinois Vehicle Code. Provides that a person who operates a motorcycle without proper registration plates shall have the motorcycle seized and auctioned of to State or motorcycle programs to reduce the purchase of new motorcycles for any State or motorcycle program. Provides that any person who owns a business that profits from selling merchandise promoting illegal street racing shall be fined $500 for a first offense and, for a second offense, shall be charged with a Class 4 felony and, for a third offense, shall be charged with a Class 3 felony.

Amends the Criminal Code of 2012. Deletes provisions that prohibit the possession or use of any device or attachment of any kind designed, used, or intended for use in silencing the report of any firearm. Amends the Code of Criminal Procedure of 1963 to make conforming changes.

Amends the Criminal Code of 2012. Provides that when compensation for labor or services is ordinarily paid immediately upon the rendering of the labor or services, the trier of fact may infer that the labor or services were obtained by deception if the person refuses to pay or absconds without payment or without an offer to pay for the labor or services. Effective immediately.

Amends the Illinois Insurance Code. Provides that if an insurer tenders the lesser of the policy limits or the amount demanded by the claimant in a statutory or common law action alleging bad faith within 90 days after receiving actual notice of a claim accompanied by sufficient evidence to support the amount of the claim, no liability may be imposed against the insurer. Provides that if a named insured, omnibus insured, or named beneficiary is awarded a declaratory judgment in an action in State or federal court to determine insurance coverage after the insurer has made a total coverage denial of a claim, the court must award reasonable attorney's fees to the named insured, omnibus insured, or named beneficiary who has prevailed in the action. Creates a presumption that, in any action by or against a company, if there is an issue of the liability of a company, and it appears to the court that such action or delay is vexatious and unreasonable, the court may allow as part of the taxable costs in the action reasonable attorney's fees, as determined by the lodestar fee method of multiplying the number of hours reasonably spent on a case by a reasonable hourly rate, adjusted up or down by a multiplier to account for factors such as the quality of the work, complexity of the case, or risk of loss. Provides that this presumption may be overcome only in rare and exceptional circumstances. Amends the Code of Civil Procedure. Changes the percentage from 25% to 50% that triggers joint and several liability of a defendant of all damages. Provides criteria for the admissibility of unpaid, past, and future medical expenses in personal injury and wrongful death cases. Amends the Premises Liability Act. Provides that in an action for damages against the owner, lessor, operator, or manager of commercial or real property brought by a person lawfully on the property who was injured by the criminal act of a third party, the trier of fact must consider the fault of all persons who contributed to the injury. Makes other changes. Applies to all actions filed on or after the effective date of the amendatory Act. Effective immediately.