Illinois

Amends the Illinois Power Agency Act. In provisions concerning the renewable portfolio standard for the Planning and Procurement Bureau, provides that, to ensure the successful development of new renewable energy projects supported through competitive procurements, for certain procurements, the Agency shall propose a process for post-award renegotiation of contract terms through its long-term renewable resources plan. Provides that such proposal shall allow for bilateral negotiation between the Agency and a winning bidder regarding contract terms, other than strike price and terms that impact strike price, that are not required under the Act. Provides that post-award renegotiation of competitively bid renewable energy credit prices shall be allowed only in cases where it is necessary to ensure the successful development of the underlying new renewable energy project based on circumstances that were unforeseeable at the time of the procurement event. Provides that, if, following the processes in the long-term renewable resources plan, the Agency and the winning bidder reach an agreement on amended terms or the winning bidder is entitled to a change in price, then, upon petition by the winning bidder or current seller, the Commission shall issue an order directing the utility counterparty to execute a form amendment drafted by the Agency with the revised terms or the new strike price. Provides that the Agency shall provide the amendment to the utility within 15 business days after the Commission's order and the utility buyer shall execute the amendment no more than 7 calendar days after delivery by the Agency. Provides that the Agency shall develop the form amendment following comments by interested parties. Effective immediately.

Creates the Community-Based Corrections Act. Provides that the Department of Corrections shall establish a program that funds community-based nonprofit providers to serve emerging adults as an alternative to traditional incarceration. Provides that community-based providers shall offer housing, workforce training, mental health counseling, and restorative justice programming in alignment with State guidelines. Provides that the program shall be subject to judicial discretion, allowing sentencing judges to assign eligible individuals to community-based settings instead of Department of Corrections facilities. Provides that all community-based providers must have a written agreement with a restorative justice court for all emerging adults within their care to participate in the restorative justice court programs. Provides that community-based providers shall be compensated at a rate equivalent to the monthly per-inmate cost of incarceration as determined by the Department in its Fiscal Impact Statement. Community-based providers shall be paid on a monthly basis for the number of individuals within their care. Provides that the Department of Corrections shall allocate existing budget authority for contractual services to fund the program created by the Act. Provides that the Department of Human Services shall establish operational standards, including housing conditions, workforce training quality, and mental health support services, to ensure program efficacy. Provides that the Department of Human Services shall monitor and evaluate providers to maintain compliance with State and judicial requirements. Provides that community-based providers shall submit annual reports to the Department of Corrections and the Department of Human Services detailing participant outcomes, including recidivism rates, employment statistics, and community reintegration success. Provides that the Department of Corrections shall report program performance to the General Assembly annually, including cost savings from reduced incarceration based on emerging adults participating with community-based providers for fewer years than they would serve in a Department of Corrections facility. Effective immediately.

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 Support Waiver for Children and Young Adults with Developmental Disabilities and the Adults with Developmental Disabilities Waiver to include a therapeutic recreation service for individuals using the self-directed service model known as Home Based Services. Defines "therapeutic recreation".

Creates the Statewide Innovation Development and Economy Act. Provides that the purpose of the Act is to promote, stimulate, and develop the general and economic welfare of the State of Illinois and its communities and to assist in the development and redevelopment of major tourism, entertainment, retail, and related projects within eligible areas of the State, thereby creating new jobs, stimulating significant capital investment, and promoting the general welfare of the citizens of this State, by authorizing municipalities and counties to issue sales tax and revenue (STAR) bonds for the financing of STAR bond projects and to otherwise exercise the powers and authorities granted to municipalities to provide incentives to create new job opportunities and to promote major tourism, entertainment, retail, and related projects within the State. Provides that the Office of the Governor, in consultation with the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, shall have final approval of all STAR bond districts and STAR bond projects established under this Act, which may be established throughout the 10 Economic Development Regions in the State as established by the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity. Provides that regardless of the number of STAR bond districts established within any Economic Development Region, only one STAR bond project may be approved in each of the 10 Regions, excluding projects located in STAR bond districts established under the Innovation Development and Economy Act. Provides that each STAR bond district in which a STAR bonds project has been approved may only receive 50% of the total development costs up to $75,000,000 in State sales tax increment. Provides that a STAR bond district under the Act may not be located either entirely or partially inside of a municipality with a population in excess of 2,000,000. Effective immediately.

Amends the Department of Human Services Act. Creates the Illinois Guaranteed Income Fund as a special fund in the State treasury. Provides that subject to appropriation, the Department of Human Services shall administer the Fund and provide grants to eligible entities for the purpose of operating pilot programs and programs, or "projects", that provide a guaranteed income to participants. Requires the Department to prioritize funding for projects that serve Illinois residents who: (1) are pregnant individuals or have become new parents in the last 3 years; (2) are facing homelessness or seeking shelter or transitioning to housing after a period of homelessness; (3) are formerly incarcerated and returning to the community, or supporting a formerly incarcerated family member who was released within a year of application; or (4) are enrolled in educational or vocational programs. Contains provisions on the methodology and manner of distributing grants; benefits counseling for individuals who receive guaranteed income payments; Department reviews and evaluations on the economic impact of the guaranteed income programs and projects; reporting requirements and the public posting of such reports; and other matters. Effective immediately.

Creates the Municipal and Cooperative Electric Utility Planning and Transparency Act. Provides that, by November 1, 2025, and by November 1 every 3 years thereafter, all electric cooperatives with members in the State, municipal power agencies, and municipalities shall file with the Illinois Power Agency an integrated resource plan. Sets forth provisions concerning the plan. Amends the Illinois Power Agency Act. Authorizes the Illinois Power Agency to develop capacity procurement plans and conduct competitive procurement processes for the procurement of capacity needed to ensure environmentally sustainable long-term resource adequacy across the State at the lowest cost over time. Amends the Public Utilities Act. Changes the cumulative persisting annual savings goals for electric utilities that serve less than 3,000,000 retail customers but more than 500,000 retail customers for the years of 2025 through 2030. Provides that the cumulative persisting annual savings goals beyond the year 2030 shall increase by 0.9 (rather than 0.6) percentage points per year. Changes the requirements for submitting proposed plans and funding levels to meet savings goals for an electric utility serving more than 500,000 retail customers (rather than serving less than 3,000,000 retail customers but more than 500,000 retail customers). Provides that an electric utility that has a tariff approved within one year of the amendatory Act shall also offer at least one market-based, time-of-use rate for eligible retail customers that choose to take power and energy supply service from the utility. Sets forth provisions regarding the Illinois Commerce Commission's powers and duties related to residential time-of-use pricing. Provides that each capacity procurement event may include the procurement of capacity through a mix of contracts with different terms and different initial delivery dates. Sets forth the requirements of prepared capacity procurement plans. Requires each alternative electric supplier to make payment to an applicable electric utility for capacity, receive transfers of capacity credits, report capacity credits procured on its behalf to the applicable regional transmission organization, and submit the capacity credits to the applicable regional transmission organization under that regional transmission organization's rules and procedures. Makes other changes. Effective immediately.

Amends the Right to Privacy in the School Setting Act. Makes a technical change in a Section concerning the short title.

Amends the Economic Development for a Growing Economy Tax Credit Act. Provides that certain taxpayers that are primarily engaged in the business of pharmacy, health, and wellness may elect to claim the Credit under the Act against their obligation to pay over withholding taxes under the Illinois Income Tax Act.

Amends the Underserved Health Care Provider Workforce Act. Changes the definition of "designated shortage area" to mean an area designated as a medically underserved area or a health professional shortage area (rather than a physician shortage area, a medically underserved area, or a critical health manpower shortage area). Changes the term "eligible medical student" to "eligible student", and includes in the definition of that term a person who is studying optometry in an optometry college or institution located in Illinois and that a person may agree to practice full-time in a designated shortage area as an optometrist or anesthesiologist one year for each year he or she is a scholarship recipient. Includes a rural health center, a federally qualified health center, a federally qualified health center look alike, and an optometric office in the definition of "medical facility". Includes an optometrist in the definition of "eligible health care provider". Includes an obstetrician or gynecologist in the definition of "primary care physician". Includes loan repayment recipients in a provision regarding scholarship recipients who fail to fulfill specified obligations, and provides that the amounts paid by these scholarship or loan repayment recipients shall be deposited into the fund where the payment originated from (rather than the Community Health Center Care Fund). Repeals a different provision defining "primary care physician". Effective January 1, 2026.

Reinserts the provisions of the introduced bill with changes. Provides that each Climate Works Hub that receives funding from the Energy Transition Assistance Fund shall: (i) dedicate at least one-third of Program placements to applicants who reside in an area that is both an R3 Area and an environmental justice community; (ii) dedicate at least two-thirds of Program placements to applicants who reside in an area that is either an R3 Area or an environmental justice community; and (iii) prioritize the remaining Program placements according to certain stated criteria. Adds provisions amending the Illinois Works Jobs Program Act. Provides that contractors or subcontractors may be eligible to earn bid credits under the Illinois Works Bid Credit Program for apprentices who have completed the Climate Works Preapprenticeship Program or the Highway Construction Careers Training Program.

Amends the Department of Human Services Act. Provides that the Department of Human Services is authorized to implement and administer the 9-8-8 National Suicide Prevention Lifeline system in compliance with the National Suicide Hotline Designation Act of 2020, the Federal Communication Commission's rules adopted to administer the National Suicide Hotline Designation Act of 2020, and national guidelines for crisis care. Amends the State Finance Act. In provisions concerning the Statewide 9-8-8 Trust Fund, provides that the Fund is administered by the Department of Human Services. Defines "statewide 9-8-8 suicide prevention and mental health crisis system". Amends the Telecommunications Excise Tax Act. Increases the rate of tax on interstate and intrastate telecommunications from 7% to 8.65%. Provides that the 1.65% increase in the rate shall be designated as the "statewide 9-8-8 surcharge" and is established to support and enhance the 9-8-8 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline in compliance with the National Suicide Hotline Designation Act of 2020. Sets forth the distribution of proceeds from the tax imposed under the Act. Effective immediately.

Amends the Counties Code. Provides that a county shall not require a school district organized under the School Code or a park district organized under the Park District Code to provide paid leave to the employees of the school district or park district. Limits home rule powers.

Amends the Higher Education Student Assistance Act. In the definitions of "institution of higher learning", "qualified institution", and "institution", provides that the exclusion of academic programs for incarcerated students does not apply to the monetary award program. Effective July 1, 2026.

Amends the Student Debt Assistance Act. Redefines "institution of higher education" to mean any publicly or privately operated university, college, community college, business, technical, or vocational school, or other educational institution in this State offering degrees and instruction beyond the secondary school level. Includes the following in the report regarding financial-based transcript and registration holds to the Board of Higher Education or the Illinois Community College Board: the amount of student debt owed to the institution, number of students, and amounts written off, over certain time periods; the number of students with outstanding debt whose transcripts were released and the amount of the debt, the number of students with outstanding debt whose diplomas were released and the amount of the outstanding debt, and the number of students with outstanding debt whose transcripts were withheld because the request for release was not for a purpose outlined in the Act and the amount of outstanding debt; and the total number of students whose registration privileges are being withheld for financial reasons, the amount of outstanding debt for those students, and the total portion of that debt that has been written off for accounting purposes but the registration hold remains.

Creates the Highway Work Zone Safety Act. Requires the Department of Transportation, in coordination with the Illinois State Police, to establish the Highway Work Zone Speed Control Program for the purposes of enforcing the speed limits established for construction or maintenance speed zones. Requires the Illinois State Police, in conjunction with the Department of Transportation and the Illinois State Toll Highway Authority, to set up and operate automated traffic control systems in highway construction and maintenance speed zones to detect violations of posted work zone speed limits. Allows the Department of Transportation or the Illinois State Police to employ automated traffic control system operators to operate automated traffic control systems in construction or maintenance speed zones. Provides, with exceptions, that information and photographs or recorded images collected under the Program are not discoverable by court order as evidence in a proceeding. Requires information and photographs or recorded images collected under the Program to be destroyed not later than 2 years after the date the information and photographs or recorded images are collected. Provides that information and photographs or recorded images collected under the Program are the exclusive property of the State and not the property of the manufacturer or vendor of the automated traffic control system. Prohibits the use of a photograph or recorded image obtained through the use of an automated traffic control system for the purpose of enforcing a traffic offense. Provides that a person who owns a motor vehicle that is identified by an automated traffic control system as operating in a construction or maintenance speed zone at a speed in excess of the posted speed limit commits a civil law violation that is punishable by a minimum fine of $100 and a maximum fine of $200. Grants rulemaking authority to the Department of Transportation to implement and administer the Act. Makes other changes. Makes corresponding changes in the Freedom of Information Act and the Illinois Vehicle Code. Repeals the Automated Traffic Control Systems in Highway Construction or Maintenance Zones Act. Effective January 1, 2027, except provisions regarding procurement and rulemaking are effective immediately.

Amends the Electric Vehicle Rebate Act. Authorizes rebates for electric vehicles that are electric motorcycles. Specifies that, for a purchaser to be eligible to receive a rebate under the Act, the purchaser must, among other things, apply for the rebate within 180 days (rather than 90 days) after purchase, during an open rebate cycle as identified by the Agency, and certify that the purchaser qualifies as low-income. Provides that amounts appropriated to and deposited into the Electric Vehicle Rebate Fund from the General Revenue Fund, or any other fund, (rather than only the General Revenue Fund) shall be distributed from the Electric Vehicle Rebate Fund to fund the electric vehicle rebate program established under the Act. Makes changes to definitions. Effective July 1, 2025.

Amends the Film Production Services Tax Credit Act of 2008. Provides that the term "Illinois labor expenditure" does not include: (1) above-the-line spending exceeding 40% of the total Illinois production spending for the production, unless the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity determines that the inclusion of such excess above-the-line spending is necessary for the production to be accredited; (2) above-the-line spending paid to related parties that exceeds, in the aggregate, 12% of the total Illinois production spending for the production; or (3) below-the-line spending paid to a related party that exceeds the fair market value of the transaction. Defines "above-the-line spending" and "below-the-line spending". Provides that the term "Illinois production spending" includes the fair market value of any transaction that (i) is entered into between the taxpayer and a related party or the taxpayer and an unrelated party, (ii) is related to the accredited production, and (iii) has terms that reflect the fair market value of the transaction.

Amends the School Code. Provides that, subject to appropriation, the State Board of Education shall conduct research using mixed methodologies to understand the experience of educators teaching history to students across all grade levels in accordance with applicable learning standards and mandated units of study. Requires the State Board of Education to report its findings and recommendations from this research to the General Assembly by December 15, 2026. Provides that, subject to appropriation, the State Board of Education shall provide professional learning opportunities for educators across all grade levels to further support the inclusive, inquiry-based teaching of history in schools.

Amends the Court Record and Document Accessibility Act. Makes a technical change in a Section concerning the short title.

Amends the Election Code. Requires that each election authority maintain a website. Provides that each election authority shall update the election results on its website each time a new batch of votes is tabulated or every 12 hours, whichever is less. Provides that each election authority shall also update on its website, every 12 hours, the number of vote by mail ballots, by precinct, that have been: (i) requested but not received by the election authority; (ii) received but have not been tabulated by the election authority; and (iii) rejected by the election authority.

Creates the Road Usage Charge Act. Establishes the Road Usage Charge Advisory Committee to guide the development and evaluation of the road usage charge pilot program and to assess the potential for mileage-based revenue as an alternative to the current system of taxing highway use through motor fuel taxes. Sets forth the membership and duties of the committee. Requires the Department of Transportation, in consultation with the Secretary of State and based on the recommendations of the Committee, to implement a statewide pilot program by January 1, 2026 to assess a user fee on owners of motor vehicles that is based on the number of miles traveled on public roadways in this State by those vehicles. Amends the Metropolitan Transit Authority Act. Provides that, on and after February 1, 2026, the Chicago Transit Board shall have 8 members (currently 7 members). Makes changes to the number of affirmative votes by Directors required to issue bonds. Amends the Regional Transportation Authority Act. Provides that the Annual Budget and 2-Year Financial Plan must show that the aggregate of all projected fare revenues from fares and charges for mass transportation provided by, or under grant or purchase of service contracts of, the Service Boards received in fiscal years 2026 and 2027 shall equal at least 25%, and in fiscal years 2028 and 2029 and every year thereafter at least 15%, of the aggregate cost of providing such public transportation in those fiscal years. Provides that, beginning July 1, 2026, the Regional Transportation Authority shall be the sole agency responsible for the management and oversight of the fare collection systems used on all public transportation provided by the Service Boards. Makes changes to the membership of the Suburban Bus Board and the Commuter Rail Board. Makes changes to the number of affirmative votes required by the Directors of the Authority to approve decisions regarding the strategic plan, coordination of fares and service, appointment of officers and employees, paratransit services, powers of the Commuter Rail Board, labor, budget, taxes, distribution of revenues, issuing and pledging bonds and notes, budget review powers, the annual capital improvement plan, and rate protection contracts. Makes other changes. Effective January 1, 2026.

Amends the Counties Code and the Illinois Municipal Code. Limits home rule powers in provisions allowing a county or municipality to provide by ordinance for a system of administrative adjudication for ordinance or code violations.

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 July 1, 2025, the 1% rate of tax on modifications to a motor vehicle for the purpose of rendering the motor vehicle usable by a person with a disability applies to tangible personal property that is installed in or on a motor vehicle before, during, or after the purchase of the motor vehicle for the purpose of rendering the motor vehicle usable by a person with a disability. Provides that the 1% rate of tax on that property applies only if the tangible personal property is separately itemized on the bill or invoice for the sale of the motor vehicle or if the tangible personal property is purchased separately from the motor vehicle and is separately itemized on a bill or invoice. Effective immediately.

Creates the Back-to-School Sales Tax Holiday Act. Provides that no sales tax shall be imposed on eligible merchandise purchased by any individual or entity in the State of Illinois during the sales tax holiday period. Provides that the sales tax holiday period is the period beginning at 12:01 a.m. on the first Friday in August and ending at 11:59 p.m. on the following Sunday. Provides that "sales tax" means the taxes imposed under the Use Tax Act, the Service Use Tax Act, the Service Occupation Tax Act, and the Retailers' Occupation Tax Act. Effective immediately.

Amends the ID/DD Community Care Act. Makes a technical change in a Section concerning the short title.