Illinois

Repeals the Firearm Dealer License Certification Act. Amends the Gun Trafficking Information Act, the Illinois State Police Law of the Civil Administrative Code of Illinois, the Illinois Procurement Code, and the Criminal Code of 2012 to make conforming changes. Effective immediately.

Bids a fond farewell to State Representative Paul Jacobs as he pursues a new chapter of his life. Congratulates him for his dedicated service in the Illinois House of Representatives and to his faith, his colleagues, his constituents, and most of all, his family.

Creates the Capital Area Tourism Authority Act. Establishes the Capital Area Tourism Authority as a political subdivision and unit of local government for the benefit of the general public and for the promotion of business, industry, commerce, conventions, and tourism in the City of Springfield, Sangamon County, and the State of Illinois. Sets forth the powers of the Authority. Contains provisions concerning the membership of the Board of the Authority; meetings and records of the Board of the Authority; approval of the Capital Area Tourism District and Capital Area Tourism Projects; the issuance and repayment of capital area revenue bonds; reporting requirements; exemptions from taxation; investigatory authority; rulemaking; and other matters. Creates the Capital City Downtown Medical District Act. Establishes the Capital City Downtown Medical District and the Capital City Downtown Medical District Commission. Contains provisions concerning the duties and membership of the Commission; the powers of the Commission, including, but not limited to, the power to apply for and accept grants, loans, or appropriations, to acquire property, to construct facilities, to provide relocation assistance, and to sell, convey, transfer, or lease property; the Commission's rulemaking powers; judicial review of Commission actions; and other matters. Effective immediately.

Amends the Firearm Owners Identification Card Act. Provides that if the Illinois State Police fails to renew a Firearm Owner's Identification Card within 60 business days, provided the applicant submitted his or her renewal application prior to the expiration of his or her Firearm Owner's Identification Card, the renewal application for the Firearm Owner's Identification Card shall be granted unless subject to revocation or suspension. Provides that failure of the Illinois State Police to approve or deny an application or renew an application within the time frames under these provisions shall constitute a civil violation, and in addition to any other penalty provided by law, may incur a civil penalty in an amount not to exceed $500 for each violation and, in the case of a continuing violation, every day such violation continues shall be deemed a separate violation. Provides that penalties shall be collected by the State Treasurer, who shall deposit the money into the General Revenue Fund.

Amends the Higher Education Student Assistance Act. Makes a technical change concerning the Act's purpose.

Amends the Veterans' Employment Act. Makes a technical change in a Section concerning the short title.

Amends the Uniform Electronic Transactions in Dental Care Billing Act. Makes a technical change in a Section concerning the short title.

Amends the Eminent Domain Act. Makes a technical change in a Section concerning the short title.

Mourns the death of Bishop George Lee Dowell of Danville.

Amends the Prior Authorization Reform Act and the Illinois Public Aid Code. Provides that a health insurance issuer, the fee-for-service medical assistance program, and a Medicaid managed care organization may not require prior authorization for the following prescription drug types and their therapeutic equivalents approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration: human immunodeficiency virus pre-exposure prophylaxis and post-exposure prophylaxis medication or human immunodeficiency virus treatment medication. Effective January 1, 2027.

Creates the Adequate and Equitable Public University Funding Act. Provides that, after the effective date of the Act, all general operating expenses for public universities shall be distributed by the Board of Higher Education through a funding formula for eligible public institutions and shall be administered by the Board. Defines "eligible public institution". Sets forth provisions concerning the adequacy targets and resource profiles of eligible public institutions. Provides for the distribution of State appropriations and the calculation of the base funding minimum for each eligible public institution. Provides that the Board shall oversee an accountability and transparency framework for assessing the distribution and use of all funds appropriated by the funding formula and evaluating the funds' effects on institutional outcomes pertaining to student affordability, enrollment, persistence, and outcome metrics. Provides for reporting and the establishment of an Accountability and Transparency Committee. Provides that the Board shall establish a Funding Formula Review Panel tasked with studying and reviewing topics pertaining to the implementation and impact of the funding formula. Contains provisions concerning the Board's annual budget request and the collection of data. Amends the Board of Higher Education Act. Removes certain provisions concerning budget proposals. Effective immediately.

Amends the Illinois Procurement Code. Provides that the advertisement of bids for small business set-asides shall be uniformly distributed to the small business community in this State. Provides that each chief procurement officer shall, in consultation with State agencies, develop a scorecard for the assessment of bids from businesses that have annual gross sales of less than $15,000,000 as evidenced by the federal income tax return of the business.

Amends the Burn Injury Reporting Act. Makes a technical change in a Section concerning the short title.

Amends the Property Tax Code. Creates a homestead exemption in the amount of a reduction of $5,000 from the equalized assessed value of property of the surviving spouse of a police officer or firefighter who is killed in the line of duty. Effective immediately.

Congratulates Carol Gieske on her retirement from the Elgin Area Chamber of Commerce.

Mourns the passing of Pui Yip Chiu of Chicago.

Amends the Suicide Prevention, Education, and Treatment Act. Makes a technical change in a Section concerning the short title.

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

Creates the Restock the Block Act. Defines terms. Imposes an annual fee on covered entities equal to 10% of the property value of each residential property owned in excess of 10 properties, increasing by an additional 10% for each additional block of 10 properties, up to a maximum of 50%. Provides that fees are deposited into the Illinois Affordable Housing Trust Fund for public housing projects, developments, and rental and mortgage assistance. Provides that a residential property sold or transferred in a disqualified sale continues to be treated as owned by the covered entity for purposes of the fee. Prohibits covered entities from purchasing or acquiring any interest in residential property unless the property has been listed for sale to the general public for at least 90 days, with the 90-day period restarting if the seller changes the asking price. Establishes civil penalties for violations. Requires covered entities making an offer to purchase residential property to provide a signed and notarized disclosure form to the seller and to file that form with the Department of Human Services within 3 days. Requires the Department to adopt rules, including reporting requirements, and provides for a $25,000 penalty for failure to report or providing incorrect information. Amends the Illinois Affordable Housing Act to authorize the Trust Fund to receive and use moneys deposited under the Restock the Block Act. Effective July 1, 2027.

Amends the Educator Licensure Article of the School Code. Provides that short-term approval of a paraprofessional educator endorsement on an Educator License with Stipulations shall be given to an individual who meets the requirements in the Illinois Administrative Code. Provides that the short-term approval expires on June 30 immediately following 5 full fiscal years after the approval was given. Effective July 1, 2026.

Amends the Use Tax Act, the Service Use Tax Act, the Service Occupation Tax Act, and the Retailers' Occupation Tax Act. Provides that, for aircraft purchased on or after January 1, 2025, "use as rolling stock moving in interstate commerce" occurs when, during a 24-month period (currently, a 12-month period), the rolling stock has carried persons or property for hire in interstate commerce for more than 50% of its total trips for that period or for more than 50% of its total miles for that period. Effective immediately.

Creates the Hemp Consumer Products Act. Sets forth provisions concerning definitions; prohibitions and compliance; applications and licensing for hemp consumer product manufacturers; requirements for licensees; registration of hemp consumer CBD products; requirements of hemp consumer CBD products; packaging and labeling of hemp consumer CBD products; testing requirements; marketing and sale of hemp consumer CBD products; penalties; the administration and enforcement of the Act and rulemaking, including emergency rulemaking, by the Department of Agriculture; and other matters. Amends the Cannabis Regulation and Tax Act. Provides that a violation of provisions concerning unlicensed practice is an unlawful practice under the Consumer Fraud and Deceptive Business Practices Act. Sets forth penalties for unlicensed practice as a cultivation center, infuser, or craft grower. Sets forth provisions concerning the use of hemp in cannabis-infused products. Allows a craft grower and infuser to purchase a hemp-derived intoxicating product from a hemp consumer product manufacturer and offer a hemp-derived intoxicating product for sale to another cannabis establishment, after which the product is considered cannabis and the craft grower or infuser must ensure the product meets all the requirements of the Act. Makes other changes. Amends the Illinois Administrative Procedure Act, the Illinois Procurement Code, the State Finance Act, the Industrial Hemp Act, the Cannabis Control Act, and the Consumer Fraud and Deceptive Business Practices Act to make conforming changes. Effective immediately.

Amends the Paid Leave for All Workers Act. Provides that the definition of "employee" does not include a worker participating in the H-2A temporary agricultural program. Effective immediately.

Urges Illinois Health Information Management Association (ILHIMA) to form a working group to evaluate the following: (1) Patient identity challenges across care settings, including acute care, ambulatory, long-term care, public health, and others; (2) Data quality issues that impact matching accuracy, including data capture, standardization, and governance; (3) Operational, workflow, and policy factors influencing patient identification; (4) Interoperability and information exchange considerations; (5) Workforce, education, and best-practice gaps; and (6) Existing state and federal initiatives related to patient identity. Urges this working group to focus on drafting a comprehensive set of recommendations that include potential legislative suggestions designed to improve and expand on the aforementioned items for evaluation in relation to patient identity, data quality, privacy, and information governance. Requests the working group's findings and recommendations to be presented to the Illinois General Assembly to help inform legislative efforts aimed at better supporting the needs of ILHIMA and patients while ensuring patient safety, privacy, and data integrity.

Amends the Charter Schools Law of the School Code. Provides that on July 1, 2027, any charter school (i) that is authorized by the State Board of Education, (ii) that is located outside of the Chicago school district, and (iii) whose authorization allows for the charter school to enroll students who reside within the geographic boundaries of more than one school district or to enroll students who reside within the geographic boundaries of a school district that has a student enrollment of at least 29,000 students shall have the charter school's authorization transferred to the school board or boards of the districts from which the charter school draws enrollment. Provides that all charter contract terms shall remain in full force and effect unless amended by mutual agreement of the parties, except that the term of the contract shall be 7 years starting July 1, 2027. Provides that if a State-authorized charter school that is subject to transfer is authorized to enroll students from more than one school district, the school boards of the school districts from which the charter school draws enrollment must establish a joint charter management team that consists of, at minimum, one administrator from each school district to develop and execute a charter oversight plan that is submitted to the State Board as part of the charter certification process. Allows the State Board to adopt any rules that may be necessary to implement the provisions of the amendatory Act. Makes other changes.