Illinois

Amends the Jury Act. Increases the number of petit jurors that may be drawn to serve from 14 up to and including 16 if alternate jurors are required. Amends the Code of Civil Procedure. Allows the court to impanel up to and including 4 alternative jurors instead of 1 or 2. Applies to actions commenced or pending on or after January 1, 2026.

Amends the Holocaust and Genocide Commission Act to make changes concerning Commission members. Amends the School Code. Provides that the State Board of Education shall have departments (rather than divisions) within the State Board. Makes changes concerning block grants for Chicago. Removes language encouraging the State Superintendent of Education to establish a program of academic credit for Tech Prep work-based learning for secondary school students with an interest in pursuing such career training. With respect to a school district's required account audit, provides that the auditing firm for each school district shall file with the State Board the Annual Financial Report no later than February 15 following the end of each fiscal year and makes other changes. With respect to a school financial condition statement, removes language providing that any district from which a report is not received when required shall have its portion of the distributive fund withheld for the next ensuing year until the report is filed and makes other changes. Makes changes concerning a statement of affairs and a report on contracts. Removes language providing for enrollment of an English learner in a program in transitional bilingual education for a period of 3 years. Repeals provisions concerning: the Mathematics and Science Block Grant Program Article; rewards; the Reading Improvement Block Grant Program; the Continued Reading Improvement Block Grant Program; the School STEAM Grant Program; and civic education advancement. Makes conforming and other changes in the School Code and the Bikeway Act. Repeals the Illinois Summer School for the Arts Act and the Interagency Board for Children who are Deaf or Hard-of-Hearing and have an Emotional or Behavioral Disorder Act.

Amends the Clinical Psychologist Licensing Act, the Clinical Social Work and Social Work Practice Act, the Marriage and Family Therapy Licensing Act, the Music Therapy Licensing and Practice Act, and the Professional Counselor and Clinical Professional Counselor Licensing and Practice Act. Allows an applicant for licensure under those Acts to temporarily practice under supervision while the applicant's application for licensure is pending under specified circumstances. Removes good moral character standards as qualification requirements for the licensing of social workers and music therapists. Creates procedures for placing a license on inactive status for social workers and professional counselors. Provides that the Department of Financial and Professional Regulation must allow reasonable exam accommodations for licensed marriage and family therapists and clinical psychologists whose primary language is not English if a test in the therapist's or psychologist's primary language is not available.

Amends the Sexual Assault Survivors Emergency Treatment Act. Defines "acute sexual assault" as a sexual assault that has recently occurred within a specified time. Replaces various references to "sexual assault" with "acute sexual assault". Deletes the definition of "prepubescent sexual assault survivor". Changes provisions regarding hospitals located in counties with a population of less than 1,000,000 and within a 20-mile radius of a 4-year public university with respect to a sexual assault treatment plan approved by the Department of Public Health. Makes changes in various provisions concerning plans of correction and penalties for hospitals that commit specified violations of the Act. In provisions regarding requirements for medical forensic services, provides that the provisions of the Act are not intended to prohibit a qualified medical provider from offering an Illinois Sexual Assault Evidence Collection Kit to a sexual assault survivor who presents at a treatment hospital or approved pediatric health care facility with a nonacute complaint of sexual assault if there is a compelling reason for evidence collection, or upon the request of the survivor. In provisions regarding the prohibition on billing sexual assault survivors directly for certain services, changes references to the Office of the Attorney General to references to the Department of Healthcare and Family Services.

Amends the Sanitary District Act of 1917. Provides that the board of trustees of the Bloomington and Normal Water Reclamation District may enter into an agreement to sell, convey, or disburse treated wastewater to a private entity located within 50 miles of the District's boundaries. Provides that the Bloomington and Normal Water Reclamation District may accept wastewater for treatment from a private entity located within 50 miles of the district's boundaries. Provides that the Bloomington and Normal Water Reclamation District may acquire and accept, by gift, grant, purchase, or otherwise fee simple interest or any lesser interest as may be desired in real property necessary to carry out its powers under the provisions. Effective immediately.

Amends the Small Estates Article of the Probate Act of 1975. Allows a small estate affidavit to be used to transfer personal property in a decedent's estate if: (1) no letters of office are outstanding on the decedent's estate and no petition for letters is contemplated or pending in the State or in any other jurisdiction; and (2) the decedent's personal estate passing to any party by intestacy or under a will is limited to tangible and intangible personal property not exceeding $150,000 and motor vehicles registered with the Secretary of State. Makes a corresponding change in the form for a small estate affidavit. Provides that the changes made to the Act apply to a decedent whose date of death is on or after the effective date of the amendatory Act. Effective immediately.

Amends the Children with Disabilities Article of the School Code. Provides that, by the school year in which a student turns 16, the transition planning process must include discussions with the student's individualized education program (IEP) team regarding the student's graduation status and the implications of high school graduation. Requires the transition planning process to include informing the student, the student's parent or guardian, and the student's designated representative that (i) graduation with a regular high school diploma terminates the student's eligibility for a free appropriate public education (FAPE) and (ii) the student can continue to receive IEP services until the end of the school year in which the student turns 22 when appropriate to meet the student's IEP goals. Effective immediately.

Amends the Common Interest Community Association Act, the Condominium Property Act, and the Condominium and Common Interest Community Ombudsperson Act. Extends the repeal date of the Acts from January 1, 2026 to January 1, 2029. Effective immediately.

Makes changes to defined terms in provisions concerning billing for emergency services. Removes provision that made emergency billing provisions inapplicable to ground ambulance services. Sets forth provisions concerning coverage for ground ambulance services provided by nonparticipating ground ambulance service providers. Provides that, beginning on October 1, 2026, and each October 1 thereafter, each nonparticipating ground ambulance service provider shall file annually with the Department of Public Health, in the form and manner prescribed by the Department, its average gross charge rates and any other information required by the Department, by rule, for each of the specified ground ambulance charge descriptions. Requires the Department to publish the submitted rate information by January 1, 2027 and every January 1 thereafter. Permits the Department to request other information, as provided. Requires the Department of Insurance to direct the health insurance issuer to the location in which the information reported to the Department of Public Health is stored. Provides that a home rule unit may not regulate payments for ground ambulance service in a manner inconsistent with the specified provisions concerning billing for emergency services. Makes conforming changes. Effective immediately.

Amends the Unified Code of Corrections. In the provision concerning parole review of persons under the age of 21 at the time of the commission of an offense, provides that any date after serving the minimum term of years to become eligible for parole review or up to 3 years prior to becoming eligible for parole review, the eligible person may file his or her petition for parole review with the Prisoner Review Board. Provides that within 30 days of receipt of this petition, the Prisoner Review Board shall determine whether the petition is appropriately filed, and if so, shall set a date for parole review 3 years from receipt of the petition or the date the person is eligible for parole review, whichever date is sooner, and notify the Department of Corrections within 10 business days. Provides that in no such circumstance shall the hearing be scheduled sooner than one year from the date of the determination that the petition is appropriately filed.

Reinserts the provisions of the engrossed bill with the following changes. Amends the Illinois Municipal Code, the Public Water District Act, the Water Service District Act, the Water Authorities Act, and the Water Commission Act of 1985 to repeal provisions added by Public Act 100-178.

Reinserts the provisions of the engrossed bill with the following changes. Further amends the Department of Public Health Powers and Duties Law of the Civil Administrative Code of Illinois. Provides that the Department of Public Health shall adopt rules requiring a local health department to make public announcements for the purpose of informing the general public when a positive case of Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever is detected within a county or area under the local health department's jurisdiction. Effective immediately.

Amends the Illinois Pension Code. Makes changes in provisions and sets forth provisions concerning: the cancellation of pensions as a result of re-employment under the Chicago Teachers Article; persons who held elective office under the Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund (IMRF) Article; the transfer of service credit; employer contributions; establishing credit for military service and certain other service; the ordinary disease benefit under the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District (MWRD) Article; the computation of service under the Chicago Teachers Article; indemnification of trustees; the occupational disease benefit under the Chicago Firefighters Article; the election of members to Board of the Firefighters' Pension Investment Fund; the calculation of final rate of earnings and survivors insurance benefits under the State Universities Article; the optional defined contribution benefit under the Downstate Teachers Article; the deferred compensation plan under the State Universities Article; an estimated payment for members eligible to receive an alternative retirement annuity under the State Employees Article; an additional employer contribution for employing affected annuitants under the State Universities Article; and other provisions. Amends the State Mandates Act to requirement implementation without reimbursement. Certain provisions are effective immediately

Amends the Courses of Study Article of the School Code. In provisions concerning bullying and cyber-bullying, provides that bullying includes posting or distributing sexually explicit images. Provides that, beginning with the 2026-2027 school year, the term "cyber-bullying" includes the posting or distribution of a digital replica by electronic means. Defines "artificial intelligence", "digital replica", and "generative artificial intelligence". Effective July 1, 2026.

Reinserts the provisions of the introduced bill concerning the amendatory changes to the Department of Public Health Powers and Duties Law of the Civil Administrative Code of Illinois. Replaces the changes to the Illinois Insurance Code. Provides that beginning January 1, 2027, a health insurance issuer shall develop a plan to provide adequate coverage and access to a broad spectrum of pain management services, including, but not limited to, nonopioid, nonnarcotic pain management services and non-medication pain management services that serve as alternatives to the prescribing of opioid or narcotic drugs in accordance with guidelines developed by the Department of Insurance. Provides that a health insurance issuer shall file the plan required under this provision with the Department of Insurance and shall post information about the pain management plan on the insurer's publicly accessible website. Replaces the amendatory changes to the Illinois Public Aid Code. Provides that in establishing and maintaining the Illinois Medicaid Preferred Drug List, the Department of Healthcare and Family Services shall ensure that nonopioid drugs on the Department's preferred drug list, and approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, for the treatment or management of pain shall not be disadvantaged or discouraged with respect to coverage relative to any opioid or narcotic drug for the treatment or management of acute pain as long as the Department retains its authority to manage the Preferred Drug List process pursuant to State or federal law, rules, regulations, and policies and the Department's authority over the Preferred Drug List process is not undermined or compromised.

Amends the Tax Increment Allocation Redevelopment Act of the Illinois Municipal Code. Extends the estimated dates of completion of redevelopment projects and the retirement of obligations issued to finance redevelopment project costs for various ordinances adopted by the City of Lewistown, the City of Elgin, the City of Carbondale, the City of Pittsfield, the City of Fairview Heights, the City of Vienna, the Village of Lyons, and the Village of Bridgeview. Effective immediately.

Amends the Transportation Benefits Program Act. Provides that the Act does not apply to a covered employer in the construction industry with respect to employees with whom the covered employer has entered into a bona fide collective bargaining agreement. Makes changes to definitions.

Reinserts the provisions of the introduced bill with the following changes. Provides that an employee or volunteer of a day care center, day care home, or group day care home (rather than each child care facility license applicant and each employee and volunteer of a child care facility or non-licensed service provider) shall authorize a criminal background investigation every 5 years, as required under the Child Care and Development Block Grant. Removes provisions concerning the requirement that the Department of Early Childhood establish a secure background check portal that has certain capabilities; the filing of applications by certain organizations and the examination by the Department of Children and Family Services of certain facilities; licenses, permits, and the Department of Early Childhood; and the public consumer education website database of day care homes, group day care homes, and day care centers. Removes the requirement that the annual comprehensive report that the Department of Children and Family Services provides to the General Assembly include details regarding the processing of background checks, including the average number of days it takes for the background check unit to complete a series of background checks and issue a background check clearance required under the Child Care and Development Block Grant. Removes provisions concerning the Missing Children Records Act. Makes other changes.

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 enter into grants, contracts, or other agreements to provide technical assistance in support of regional manufacturing partnerships in collaboration with the following: (1) employer associations representing manufacturers; (2) secondary and postsecondary institutions, including public universities and community colleges; and (3) workforce stakeholders, including local workforce innovation boards and local workforce innovation areas.

Amends the Illinois State Police Law. Provides that the community outreach program to promote awareness of the Endangered Missing Person Advisory developed by the Illinois State Police, in coordination with the Illinois Department of Human Services, may promote awareness of the Endangered Missing Person Advisory to people with developmental disabilities, as defined in Section 1-116 of the Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities Code, communities of people with developmental disabilities, and organizations that serve people with developmental disabilities.

Amends the Uniform Electronic Transactions in Dental Care Billing Act. Provides that beginning January 1, 2028 (instead of 2026), no dental plan carrier is required to accept from a dental care provider eligibility for a dental plan transaction or dental care claims or equivalent encounter information transaction. Sets forth exemptions from the requirements of the Act, and requires a dental care provider who is exempt from the requirements of the Act to file a form with the Department of Insurance indicating the applicable exemption. Requires each dental plan carrier to establish a portal that provides certain benefit and billing information. Requires a dental plan carrier to establish an electronic portal that allows dental care providers to submit claims electronically and directly to the dental care provider; accept attachments in an electronic format with the initial electronic claim's submission; and provide remittance advice with the corresponding payment. Provides that nothing in the Act requires a dental care provider to only accept electronic payment from a dental plan carrier. Provides that dental plan carriers shall allow alternative forms of payment, without additional fees or charges, to a dental care provider, if requested. Effective immediately.

Amends the Urban and Community Forestry Assistance Act. Provides that requests for grant assistance shall include, but not be limited to, those activities that will implement or enhance: (1) current Illinois Forest Action Plan objectives; (2) local forestry program management objectives as determined by an urban and community forestry management plan; (3) tree canopy capacity in underserved and disadvantaged areas of communities or counties; or (4) urban and community forest canopy in Illinois communities and counties. Makes changes in provisions concerning duties of the Department of Natural Resources, grants amounts, and applications for assistance. Defines additional terms. Amends the State Forest Act. Makes changes to the list of designated State forests.

Amends the Illinois Vehicle Code. Includes any recreational off-highway vehicle, all-terrain vehicle, watercraft, or aircraft that is designated or authorized by proper local authorities for fire department use in the definition of "fire department vehicle". Effective immediately.

Reinserts the provisions of the engrossed bill. Provides that the provisions of the engrossed bill do not apply to a municipality with more than 500,000 inhabitants that has entered into one or more comprehensive or project-specific agreements with the Capital Development Board establishing terms explicitly agreed upon as alternative or supplemental to this Section. Provides that the provisions of the engrossed bill do not relieve the Capital Development Board from the obligation to compensate units of local governments for fair and reasonable connection, restoration, or impact costs (in the engrossed bill, fair and reasonable connection or impact costs).

Makes changes to the definitions of terms defined in the Act. Requires a municipality with a population over 500,000 to establish a network to network interface with the State. Provides that, before January 1, 2026, all local public agencies operating a 9-1-1 system shall operate under a plan that has been filed with and approved by the Commission or the Administrator. Makes changes to the method of calculating and collecting surcharges imposed under the Act. Provides that an entity engaged in the business of installing, managing, or operating multiline telephone systems in the State shall comply with applicable federal laws. Removes references to "enhanced 9-1-1". Repeals provisions concerning the responsibilities of emergency telephone system boards; local wireless surcharges; grandfathered private residential switch or MLTS 9-1-1 service; grandfathered private business switch or MLTS 9-1-1 service; wireless emergency 9-1-1 service; requirements for MLTS installed after February 16, 2020; compliance with certification of 9-1-1 system providers by the Illinois Commerce Commission; configuration of MLTS; transfer of rights, functions, powers, duties, and property to Illinois State Police; rules and standards; and savings provisions. Provides that the Act is repealed on December 31, 2027 (rather than December 31, 2025). Makes other changes. Effective immediately.