Illinois

Congratulates Richard "Rick" Kwasneski on his retirement from public service during the summer of 2026. Thanks him for his profound contributions to the infrastructure and economy of northeastern Illinois. Wishes him the very best in his future endeavors.

Creates the Emerging and Socially Disadvantaged Farmers Infrastructure and Market Access Grant Program. Provides that the Department of Agriculture shall administer grants to eligible applicants to increase agricultural production, strengthen farm viability, and expand market access. Defines "emerging farmer," "socially disadvantaged farmer," and related terms. Specifies allowable uses of grant funds, priorities for awards, and reporting requirements. Effective July 1, 2026.

Appropriates $450,000 from the General Revenue Fund to the Illinois Community College Board for competitive per capita grants for prison education programs that assist incarcerated students in attaining associate degrees. Appropriates $350,000 from the General Revenue Fund to the Board of Higher Education for competitive per capita grants for prison education programs that assist incarcerated students in attaining bachelor's degrees. Effective July 1, 2026.

Amends the Illinois Income Tax Act. Makes changes to the amount of the child tax credit based on the taxpayer's adjusted gross income. Effective immediately.

Amends the Illinois Estate and Generation-Skipping Transfer Tax Act. Makes changes concerning the taxes due under the Act on estates that contain qualified farm property. Provides that, for the purposes of calculating the State Death Tax Credit, those estates are subject to an exemption of $6,000,000 (rather than an exclusion amount of $4,000,000), which shall be deducted from the net estate value after the net estate value is computed in accordance with the Act. Provides that the exemption shall be adjusted each year according to the increase in the Consumer Price Index. Makes changes concerning the calculation of the deceased spousal unused exclusion amount for those estates. Provides for a special use valuation to provide that the value of the qualified farm property shall be calculated without regard to certain limitations under the Internal Revenue Code. Makes changes concerning the definition of "qualified heir". Effective January 1, 2027.

Amends the Election Code. Provides that an election authority shall not permit a law enforcement agent to enter and remain in a polling place, unless the law enforcement agent is called upon by the election authority or judges of election or required by court order. Provides that an election authority shall ensure that any law enforcement agent who is permitted to enter and remain in a polling place has provided the election authority with a valid pollwatcher credential. Provides that no judge of election, pollwatcher, or other person shall engage in any practice that is intended to intimidate a voter within any polling place, within 100 feet of any polling place, or on any of the property of that church or private school that is a polling place. Provides that nothing in the provisions shall (i) prohibit a law enforcement agent from serving as a pollwatcher when the law enforcement agent is not performing law enforcement duties or (ii) apply to other spaces within a municipal building that are not specifically being used as polls.

Creates the Stop Online Booking Scams Act. Provides that a third-party hotel booking website shall not facilitate the reservation or booking of physical accommodations in the State without making clear and conspicuous disclosures to the consumer. Sets forth provisions concerning the placement of the disclosure. Provides that the Attorney General may enforce violations of the Act as an unlawful practice under the Consumer Fraud and Deceptive Business Practices Act. Amends the Consumer Fraud and Deceptive Business Practices Act to make a conforming change. Effective January 1, 2027.

Amends the Election Code. Provides that the amendatory Act may be referred to as the Voting Rights Act of 2026. Creates the Voting Rights Act of 2026 Article in the Code. Provides that a political subdivision, State agency, or any other government official or entity responsible for election administration shall not implement or enforce any election policy or practice or take any other action or fail to take any action that results in, is likely to result in, or is intended to result in disparate outcomes. Creates the Language Access in Elections Article in the Code. Provides that a local election authority shall provide language assistance for elections conducted in a political subdivision if that political subdivision meets specified conditions. Amends the State Finance Act to make a conforming change. Effective July 1, 2026.

Honors the American Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, and Marines from the State of Illinois who have made the ultimate sacrifice since the previous tribute.

Amends the Illinois Municipal Code. Provides that the corporate authorities of a municipality may impose a tax upon all persons engaged in the business of acting as a resale facilitator within the municipality. Provides that the tax may not be imposed on (i) the original sale of a ticket or license by the owner, operator, or manager of an amusement, either directly or through a third party; (ii) the resale of a ticket or license to a ticket broker registered with the Office of the Secretary of State under the Ticket Sale and Resale Act; or (iii) the resale of a ticket or license by a ticket broker to another ticket broker registered with the Office of the Secretary of State under the Ticket Sale and Resale Act.

Amends the State Comptroller Act. Prohibits the State Comptroller from withholding, offsetting, or otherwise applying against any debt any funds payable to a unit of local government if those funds are restricted for a specific purpose by federal or State law, county ordinance, or grant agreement. Amends the Code of Civil Procedure. Exempts all funds, revenues, or accounts that are restricted by federal law, State, law, county ordinance, or grant agreement for a specific public purpose from garnishment, attachment, or any other legal process to satisfy a judgment or debt. Effective immediately.

Appropriates $5,000,000 to the State Board of Education to implement Public Act 103-1076, referred to as the Faith by Plate Act. Effective July 1, 2026.

Creates the Surveillance-Based Price and Wage Discrimination Act. Provides that a person shall not use surveillance data as part of an automated decision system to inform the individualized price assessed to a consumer for goods or services. Provides that a person shall not use surveillance data as part of an automated decision system to inform the individualized wage paid to an employee. Sets forth exemptions to the provisions. Provides that the Attorney General shall enforce the Act. Sets forth provisions concerning private rights of action and penalties for violations.

Amends the Smart Start Illinois Act. Expands eligibility under the Smart Start Child Care Workforce Compensation Program to Head Start and Early Head Start programs.

Amends the State Finance Act. Provides that the State shall not expend or invest any public funds in any organization, nonprofit organization, religious organization, or any other entity to be used for conversion therapy. Provides that the State shall not enter into any contract for the provision of conversion therapy. Provides that any contract entered into or renewed after the effective date of the amendatory Act that is used or will be used for conversion therapy shall be void and unenforceable as contrary to public policy. Defines "conversion therapy".

Creates the Agricultural Land Conservation Act. Provides that, beginning on January 1, 2027, a Farmland Conversion Fee of $275 per acre shall be paid by the buyer or lessee of a transaction for any agricultural land that will be removed from production for the specific purpose of developing an industrial park, a commercial area, a single-family or multi-family dwelling or for being put to any other use that removes the agricultural land from production. Provides that the fee shall be collected by the Department of Agricultural. Provides for the creation of the Farmland Conversion Fee Fund as a special fund in the State Treasury. Provides that all Farmland Conversion Fees collected by the Department of Agriculture shall be contributed to the Fund. Further provides that moneys in the Fund may be exclusively used for the following purposes: (i) supporting education and programs that support healthy soil clean water, and climate-smart agricultural practices; (ii) supporting operations funding for soil and water conservation districts; (iii) covering costs associated with administering the Act; (iv) any other purposes that the Department of Agriculture determines are consistent with the purposes of the Act. Provides that, before expending moneys for any other purposes, the Department of Agriculture shall, subject to the availability of moneys in the Fund, ensure that during each State fiscal year, $10,000,000 is distributed to soil and water conservation districts, for the purpose of supporting their operations funding. Provides that $500,000 shall be distributed to the Department of Agriculture for the purposes of collecting fees and administering the program created under the Act. Provides for penalties. Effective immediately.

Appropriates $15,000,000 from the General Revenue Fund to the Illinois Community College Board for the Pipeline for the Advancement of the Healthcare Workforce (PATH) Program. Effective July 1, 2026.

Amends the Unified Code of Corrections. Creates the End-of-life Care Peer Support Program. Provides that the program is available to terminally ill persons committed to the Department of Corrections. Provides that the program shall be administered by the Department of Corrections in partnership with certain health care providers. Provides that individual patients may accept or decline care or participation in the program. Provides that individual patients shall define the scope of peer support, including the option to opt out of certain aspects of support. Provides that patient care plans shall be developed with the individual patient, the patient's peer support attendants, and the interdisciplinary team. Provides that participating patients shall be subject to the least restrictive security measures possible, with access to comfort items such as blankets, memorabilia, music, and books. Provides that participating patients shall have the following rights: (1) the right to dignity, privacy, respect, and culturally competent care; (2) the right to request peer support services; (3) the right to refuse services; and (4) the right to request family visitation. Provides that all participants in the program, including patients and peer support attendants, shall have access to grief counseling and mental health care services as needed. Provides that the program shall be funded through: (1) the Individual Benefit Fund; (2) direct appropriations from the General Revenue Fund; and (3) federal appropriations if applicable.

Creates the Comprehensive Charitable Food System Coordination Act. Provides that State agencies involved in administering or appropriating State or State-managed federal grant funds for hunger relief shall consult and coordinate, to the extent practicable, with all categories of actors within the charitable food system. Further provides that those State agencies shall ensure that grant solicitations and funding criteria reflect the interconnected roles of food providers, distributors, producers, facilitators, and data systems. Requires those State agencies to consider proposals that strengthen coordination, efficiency, resiliency, and equity across the charitable food system. Provides that State agencies may establish advisory groups composed of representatives from food providers and distributors. Provides that each State agency administering hunger relief grant funds shall submit an annual report to the appropriate State oversight entity describing: how actors in the charitable food system were engaged in grant planning, allocation, and evaluation; measurable impacts on food access, food quality, and community resilience; and barriers or opportunities identified through cross-sector collaboration. Amends the Department of Human Services Act. Provides that the Department of Human Services shall make grants to food banks and providers (rather than food banks only). Defines "provider" as a public or charitable organization that is unaffiliated with a food bank, that maintains an operation involving the provision of food or edible commodities, and that, as an integral part of its normal activities, provides meals or food to feed needy persons on a regular basis. Effective July 1, 2026.

Urges State Fire Marshal Michele Pankow and local fire departments to replace current foams with the non-carcinogenic, non-toxic, environmentally friendly SoyFoam.

Creates the Family First Housing Act. Provides that an owner-occupied residential property may contain one accessory dwelling unit for occupancy by a parent of the property owner or the property owner's spouse. Sets forth parameters of accessory dwelling units for family care. Defines terms. Effective January 1, 2027.

Amends the Election Code. Provides that a public question may be initiated by the filing with the clerk or secretary of the governmental unit of a petition signed by a number of qualified electors equal to or greater than at least 4% of the total votes cast for candidates for Governor in the preceding gubernatorial election (rather than 8% of the total votes cast for candidates for Governor in the preceding gubernatorial election), requesting the submission of the proposal for such action to the voters of the governmental unit at a regular election. Makes conforming changes.

Mourns the death of Mayor Jeffrey Joseph "Jeff" Walik of the Village of Stickney.

Amends the Counties Code and the Illinois Municipal Code. Provides that a county or municipality may establish standards for the classification of infrastructure services as major utilities and services or minor utilities and services. Requires electrical substations to be classified as minor utilities and services if limited in scale and designed to minimize the impacts on surrounding properties. Further requires electrical substations to be classified as major utilities and services if the electrical substation has a net site area or floor area of 0.5 acres or more; is located on a site that is within 660 feet of a residential, business, commercial, park, or open space zoning district or a residential building; or includes outdoor equipment yards. Defines terms.

Amends the School Code. Provides that, subject to appropriation, the State Board of Education, in consultation with the Department of Public Health, shall develop an educational document explaining, at a minimum, the values of good indoor air quality and shall supply the document to school districts. Provides that, subject to funding from the State Board, a school district shall ensure that all active classrooms are equipped with an air quality monitor.