Illinois

Amends the Central Illinois Economic Development Authority Act. Makes a technical change in a Section concerning the short title.

Amends the Illinois Procurement Code. Provides that certain provisions concerning design-bid-build construction apply to contracts in excess of $500,000 (currently, $250,000).

Amends the Civil Administrative Code of Illinois. Makes a technical change in a Section concerning the short title.

Amends the Water and Sewer Financial Assistance Act. Makes a technical change in a Section concerning the short title.

Amends the Illinois Administrative Procedure Act. Deletes a provision which specifies that pay rates established under a specified provision of the Personnel Code shall be amended or repealed within 30 days after it becomes necessary to do so due to a conflict between the rates and the terms of a collective bargaining agreement covering the compensation of an employee subject to the Personnel Code. Amends the Personnel Code. Requires the Department of Central Management Services to make publicly available on its website, or through other equivalent means, compensation information, including (i) an explanation and summary of adjustments made to compensation since the last version of the compensation information was published and (ii) the effective date of those adjustments. Requires the Department to update the compensation information as is reasonable, including within 120 days after ratification of any new collective bargaining agreement and throughout the calendar year when adjustments or other modifications are made.

Amends the Clinical Psychologist Licensing Act. Makes a technical change in a Section concerning the short title and policy of the Act.

Amends the Illinois Human Rights Act. Expands the definition of "source of income" to include any lawful, verifiable income paid directly to a veteran, or to a representative of a veteran, or paid to a housing owner or landlord on behalf of a veteran, including federal, State, or local public assistance, and federal, State, or local housing subsidies, including, but not limited to, federal Department of Housing and Urban Development Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing vouchers.

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

Amends the Public Utilities Act. Makes a technical change in a Section concerning the short title and applicability of the Electric Service Customer Choice and Rate Relief Law of 1997.

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

Amends the Illinois Administrative Procedure Act. Makes a technical change in a Section concerning the short title.

Creates the Ground-Based Sparkler Purchaser Excise Tax Act. Imposes a tax, beginning July 1, 2026, upon purchasers for the privilege of using ground-based sparklers and not for the purpose of resale at the rate of 3% of the purchase price of ground-based sparklers. Prohibits certain retail combinations or bundles. Requires every retailer required to collect the tax to apply to the Department of Revenue for a certificate of registration. Provides that any retailer required to collect the tax shall be liable to the Department for the tax, whether the tax has been collected, and any such tax shall constitute a debt to the State. Provides for the making of returns. Provides that from the revenue collected, the Department shall pay 25% into the Fireman's Annuity and Benefit Fund, 25% into the Firefighters' Pension Investment Fund, and 50% into the General Revenue Fund. Provides for recordkeeping requirements. Establishes penalties for violations of the Act. Provides that the Department shall have full power to administer and enforce the Act. Allows for the arrest of any person who violates the Act, the search of any place of business to inspect all ground-based sparklers, and the seizure of any ground based-sparklers without a warrant. Sets forth hearing requirements after seizure. Allows the Department to adopt rules. Amends the Fireworks Regulation Act of Illinois. Allows a municipality to prohibit the sale and use of ground-based sparklers on public property. Prohibits ground-based sparklers from being sold to a person under the age of 18 years. Amends the Pyrotechnic Use Act. Prohibits ground-based sparklers from being sold to a person under the age of 18 years. Effective January 1, 2026.

Creates the Household Hazardous Waste Stewardship Act. Requires manufacturers, beginning January 1, 2027, to implement a stewardship program for covered products. Details manufacturer obligations under the stewardship program, including in the context of a stewardship organization comprised of manufacturers. Requires registration by April 1, 2026, and annually, for each manufacturer who sells covered products in the State and each stewardship organization. Details the roles of retailers and collections sites. Outlines stewardship plan components. Provides requirements for the Environmental Protection Agency for stewardship plan approval. Details requirements for a stewardship organization implementing a stewardship plan, as well as other statewide collection requirements. Details reporting requirements. Requires a stewardship organization to pay to the Agency an annual fee of $200,000, split if there is more than one stewardship organization. Provides for responsibilities for the Agency. Provides for immunity from antitrust laws. Provides for rulemaking authority for the Agency. Provides for civil and criminal penalties. Allows collection of covered products by a premium collection service. Makes findings. Defines terms. Effective immediately.

Amends the Rivers, Lakes, and Streams Act. Provides that penalty fees collected for violating the Act and application fees for permits shall be deposited into the Water Resources Fund (rather than the State Boating Act Fund).

Amends the Leveling the Playing Field for Illinois Retail Act. Makes a technical change in a Section concerning the short title.

Amends the Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities Confidentiality Act. Requires any physician, clinical psychologist, or qualified examiner evaluating a patient on whether the patient qualifies to receive a FOID card or have one revoked to be trained and certified in mental illness and treating suicidal tendencies. Requires that each patient must undergo a minimum number of evaluations before such a determination may be made as adopted by rule by the Department of Human Services.

Amends the State Revenue Sharing Act. Makes a technical change in a Section concerning the short title.

Creates the Crossing of Electric Utility Property Act. Requires a public utility to provide an expedited review and grant of a crossing application and may not unreasonably withhold an allowance for a crossing, unless a public utility provides a reasonable justification that the crossing will impair or harm the right-of-way. Authorizes an occupant to commence use of a crossing within 90 days after meeting the following conditions: (i) notice is sent to the public utility that occupant owns or controls land on both sides of the public utility property and that a crossing is reasonably required to expand or maintain operations on the occupant's property or to benefit the public; (ii) provides to the public utility engineering specifications to demonstrate that the proposed crossing will not impair the public utility's occupancy and use of the right-of-way; (iii) affirms to the public utility that the occupant must maintain and repair the owner's own crossing and must bear responsibility for the owner's own acts and omissions concerning use of the crossing; and (iv) provides to the public utility a payment for establishment of the crossing and the first year of crossing fees. Prohibits a public from unreasonably denying a crossing and lists conditions that make a denial unreasonable. Requires that the occupant provide the public utility reasonable access to the crossing to inspect and monitor, and the occupant provide engineering studies that demonstrate that the crossing will not reasonably interrupt or impair the public utility's right-of-way.

Amends the Foster Parent Law. Makes a technical change in a Section concerning the short title.

Amends the Illinois Governmental Ethics Act. Makes a technical change in a Section concerning the short title.

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

Amends the Election Code. Provides that a candidate seeking election to an office for which candidates of political parties are nominated by caucus who is a participant in the caucus and who has signed a petition of another established political party, a new political party, or an independent candidate is ineligible to be listed on the ballot at that general or consolidated election as a candidate of the political party holding the caucus. Makes conforming changes. Amends the Township Code. Provides that no participant shall be able to participate or vote at any township or multi-township caucus if the person signed a petition for a candidate of another established political party, a new political party, or an independent candidate at anytime during the 12 months before the caucus.

Amends the Small Business Job Creation Tax Credit Act. Amends the Small Business Job Creation Tax Credit Act. Creates a second set of incentive periods beginning on July 1, 2025 and ending on June 30, 2031. Provides that the basic wage for the second set of incentive periods is $20 per hour. Provides that the credit may not exceed $2,500 per new employee hired, except that, if the new employee is a returning citizen, then the credit for that employee may not exceed $3,500. Provides that the term "returning citizen" means an individual who (i) is a resident of Illinois, (ii) was formerly incarcerated in a federal, State, or local correctional institution, and (iii) is a new employee. Provides that the aggregate amount of credits that may be awarded under the Act is (i) $20,000,000 for new employees other than returning citizens and (ii) $5,000,000 for returning citizens. Adds provisions concerning recapture of the credit if the employee is terminated by the taxpayer within one year after the credit is awarded. Effective immediately.

Amends the Student Investment Account Act. Makes a technical change in a Section concerning the short title.

Amends the Foster Parent Law. Makes a technical change in a Section concerning the short title.