Illinois

Amends the Unified Code of Corrections. Provides that, except for certain types of first degree murder, the court may, in its discretion, sentence a defendant who was under 21 years of age at the time of the commission of the offense to a sentence that is less than the applicable minimum determinate sentence of imprisonment for the offense authorized by the Code. Provides that the court, at the sentencing hearing, shall consider certain mitigating factors when a person commits an offense and the person is under 21 (rather than 18) years of age at the time of the commission of the offense. Effective immediately.

Amends the Department of Insurance Law of the Civil Administrative Code of Illinois. Creates the Public Adjuster Advisory Board within the Department of Insurance. Provides that the Board shall review and recommend changes to the licensure, license issuance, and requirements for licensed public adjusters in the State. Provides that the Board shall also prepare rules that may be adopted by the Department to protect commercial and residential consumers in situations where a catastrophic event has taken place. Sets forth provisions concerning membership, compensation, administrative support, and meetings. Provides that, no later than January 1, 2026, and each year thereafter, the Board shall submit a report to the Governor and the General Assembly concerning any issues relating to the licensing and operations of public adjusters in the State and any recommend policy changes to address those issues. Effective immediately.

Amends the Election Code. Provides that any person appointed to fill a vacancy in the United States Senate shall be affiliated with the same political party as the person vacating the office if the person vacating the office was elected as a member of an established political party that is still in existence at the time of appointment. Provides that the appointee shall establish his or her political party affiliation by his or her record of voting in party primary elections or by holding or having held an office in a political party organization before appointment. Effective immediately.

Amends the Illinois Dental Practice Act. Creates a license for dental therapists. Sets forth requirements for licensure, a written collaborative management agreement, the examination of applicants, and the scope of practice. Requires the Department of Financial and Professional Regulation to maintain a list of the names and addresses of all dentists, dental therapists, and dental hygienists and of all persons whose licenses have been suspended or revoked, together with other information relative to the enforcement of the Act. Makes conforming changes.

Amends the Regional Water Commission Division of the Illinois Municipal Code. Provides that in connection with a contract by a commission for the construction of all or any portion of a waterworks system or other public improvement of the commission, the commission must enter into a project labor agreement with the applicable local building trades council or the applicable local buildings trades council must enter into a project labor agreement with the general contractor selected by the commission (rather than the commission must enter into a project labor agreement with the applicable local building trades council) prior to the commencement of any and all construction, building, renovation, demolition, or any material change to the structure or land. Effective immediately.

Amends the Illinois Municipal Code. Provides that, if a Public Act transfers State real property to a municipality for nominal consideration and the Public Act requires the property to be used for "public purposes" without defining that term, "public purposes" means any lawful purposes when used in a Public Act with an effective date prior to, on, or after the effective date of the amendatory Act. Makes conforming changes to a Division heading.

Amends the Illinois Municipal Code, the Park District Code, the Illinois Local Library Act, and the School Code. In provisions concerning vacancies in certain elected offices, requires that, if a vacancy occurs in a specified office with at least 32 months remaining in the term of the office and at least 141 days before the next election for that office, then the vacancy shall be filled in that election. Provides that, if a vacancy occurs in a specified office with less than 32 months remaining in the term of the office or less than 141 days before the next election for that office, then the vacancy shall be filled for the remainder of the term by the person that was appointed to the office to fill the vacancy. In provisions concerning vacancies in offices with 2-year terms, requires that, if a vacancy occurs in a specified office at least 141 days before the next election for that office, then the vacancy shall be filled in that election.

Creates the Office of Civility Act. Makes findings. Defines terms. Establishes the Office of Civility within the Office of the Governor, with support from specific other State agencies. Provides that the operations of the Office shall be subject to appropriations. Provides the purpose of the Office. Provides for an Advisory Board to assist the Office, with certain membership and other requirements and duties. Requires the Advisory Board to submit a report to the Office of Civility, General Assembly, and Governor's Office by December 31, 2026, after which the Advisory Board is dissolved. Effective immediately.

Amends the School Code. Requires each school board to adopt a policy that outlines how schools should track, meet, and adhere to the medical dietary requirements of students and the legal accommodations for the religious dietary needs of students.

Amends the Children and Family Services Act. Provides that beginning on and after January 1, 2026, a foster family home that includes a pregnant or parenting youth in care and any child of the parenting youth shall be eligible to receive additional foster care payments from the Department of Children and Family Services to cover all reasonable costs incurred by the foster family in caring for the pregnant or parenting youth and any child of the parenting youth. Provides that the parenting youth must be the full-time custodial parent of the child for whom the foster family is requesting additional payment. Permits the Department to prescribe by rule which costs and expenses qualify as "reasonable costs" eligible for payment. Grants the Department rulemaking authority. Effective January 1, 2026.

Creates the Northeast Regional Drinking Water Authority Act. Contains only a short title provision.

Amends the Illinois Income Tax Act. Provides that the maximum amount for the credit for instructional materials and supplies shall be $500 for each semester in the taxable year for taxable years beginning on or after January 1, 2026 (currently, $500 per taxable year). Effective immediately.

Amends the Child Care Act of 1969. Directs the Department of Children and Family Services to amend its rules establishing licensing standards for group day care homes to provide a revised maximum authorized extended capacity for group day care homes that is applicable through July 1, 2027. Provides that the revised maximum extended capacity rules adopted by the Department shall, at a minimum, allow one caregiver and 2 assistants to have the option of caring for 2 additional children who are 30 months of age or older, as well as 2 additional children who are attending school full-time, notwithstanding any other provision of the Act. Requires the revised rules not only to provide that the second full-time assistant shall be present at all times when there are more than 12 children in the home, but also to prohibit the total capacity of the group day care home from exceeding 16 children. Effective immediately.

Amends the Hospital Services Trust Fund Article of the Illinois Public Aid Code. In provisions concerning the hospital rate reform payment system, provides that reimbursement for inpatient general acute care services shall utilize the All Patient Refined Diagnosis Related Grouping (APR-DRG) software, version 30, distributed by Solventum previously known as 3MTM Health Information System. Provides that Solventum shall be the exclusive provider of this software unless the Department of Healthcare and Family Services determines that Solventum is unable to meet the required operational or contractual terms. Provides that only under such circumstances may an alternative authorized provider of the software be considered. Adds corresponding provisions regarding software used to process reimbursements for outpatient services.

Amends the School Boards Article of the School Code. Includes LGBTQ+ inclusivity in the topics covered in the required 4-hour training for every voting member of a school board of a school district. Lists information that must be included in the LGBTQ+ inclusivity training. Requires the State Board of Education to develop a training program in collaboration with individuals or organizations that affirm LGBTQ+ people and have recognized expertise in supporting LGBTQ+ young people or adopt a training program previously developed by such individuals or organizations.

Amends the Public Utilities Act. Requires the Illinois Commerce Commission to adopt rules to allow a land owner to request to have an unused telecommunications utility box removed from the land owner's property by the telecommunications carrier.

Amends the Freedom of Information Act. Defines "automated request" as a request that a public body has a reasonable belief was drafted with the assistance of artificial intelligence or submitted without any specific, affirmative action taken by a human. Provides that a public body shall respond to an automated request within 5 business days after receipt and provide certain types of notice to the requester. Provides procedures for the requester to dispute having the request treated as an automated request. Adds automated requests to certain provisions regarding requests for a commercial purpose and voluminous requests. Allows a public body to charge requesters for the costs of any search for and review of the records or other personnel costs associated with reproducing the records associated with an automated request. Provides that a person whose request to inspect or copy a public record is treated as an automated request may not file a request for review with the Public Access Counselor, with certain exceptions.

Amends the Property Tax Code. Provides that, for taxable years 2026 and thereafter, provisions concerning erroneous homestead exemptions also apply to persons who received an erroneous low-income senior citizens assessment freeze homestead exemption in a county with less than 3,000,000 inhabitants. Effective immediately.

Amends the Wildlife Code. Provides that striped skunks and raccoons may be released alive. Requires the Department of Natural Resources to adopt rules to implement the amendatory Act.

Amends the Chicago Firefighter Article of the Illinois Pension Code. Provides that any active fireman who has completed 7 or more years of service and is unable to perform his duties in the Fire Department by reason of breast cancer resulting from service as a fireman shall be entitled to receive an occupational disease disability benefit during any period of such disability for which he does not have a right to receive salary. Amends the State Mandates Act to require implementation without reimbursement. Effective immediately.

Amends the School Code. In a provision regarding student athletes and concussions and head injuries, further defines "physician" to include a chiropractic physician as defined in the Medical Practice Act of 1987. In a provision regarding health examinations and immunizations, allows a chiropractic physician licensed under the Medical Practice Act of 1987 to be responsible for the performance of an athletic physical examination and requires the chiropractic physician to sign all report forms required for the athletic physical examination. Makes conforming changes.

Amends the Budget Stabilization Act. Provides a transfer of specified amounts from the General Revenue Fund to the Pension Stabilization Fund for fiscal years 2031 through 2041. Amends the Illinois Pension Code. With regard to each of the 5 State-funded retirement systems, provides that for State fiscal years 2027 through 2035, the minimum contribution to the System to be made by the State for each State fiscal year shall be an amount determined by the System to be sufficient to bring the total assets of the System up to 100% of the total actuarial liabilities of the System by the end of State fiscal year 2049. Makes conforming and other changes to the funding formulas. Provides that any person who earned service as a Tier 1 member or participant in any retirement system or pension fund established under this Code shall continue to earn service as a Tier 1 member and shall remain a Tier 1 member in any other retirement system or pension fund. Makes changes to the Tier 2 calculation of final average salary; the Tier 2 retirement age; and the amount of the automatic annual increases to Tier 2 annuities. Provides that, for a person who has reached the maximum percentage of salary allowed under the applicable system and who is within 5 years of the normal retirement age applicable for that member or participant, the reduction under provisions that reduce the retirement annuity due to age shall be 0%. Makes other changes. Amends the State Mandates Act to require implementation without reimbursement. Provides that the Act takes effect January 1, 2028, except that certain provisions take effect upon becoming law.

Amends the Economic Development for a Growing Economy Tax Credit Act. Provides that certain taxpayers that are primarily engaged in the recycling and melting of steel products and in the manufacturing of new steel wire and rod products may elect to claim the credit under the Act against their withholding tax liability instead of their income tax liability. Effective immediately.

Amends the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity Law of the Civil Administrative Code of Illinois. Provides that, on and after July 1, 2025, a local tourism and convention bureau may not be certified to receive local tourism funds if all or part of the geographic area served by the local tourism and convention bureau is represented by another tourism and convention bureau that is certified by the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity. Effective immediately.

Amends the Illinois Vehicle Code. Provides that any person convicted of the offense of aggravated fleeing or attempting to elude a peace officer commits: a Class 3 felony if the convicted person causes bodily injury to any bystander or member of the public; a Class 2 felony if the convicted person causes bodily injury to the pursuing peace officer; and a Class 1 felony if the convicted person causes great bodily injury or disablement to the pursuing peace officer.