Illinois

Amends the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity Law of the Civil Administrative Code of Illinois. Provides that provisions requiring the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity's official website to contain a comprehensive list of State, local, and federal economic benefits available to businesses in each of the State's counties and municipalities are repealed on July 1, 2026. Provides that the following reports shall be filed on or before January 31 of each year (instead of January 1): a report on entrepreneurial assistance centers; reports on the Enterprise Zone Loan Fund and the Large Business Attraction Fund; and reports concerning cannabis social equity. Amends the Southeastern Illinois Economic Development Authority Act. Makes changes concerning the membership of the Board of the Southeastern Illinois Economic Development Authority. Amends the Illinois Income Tax Act. Extends the sunset for the apprenticeship education expense tax credit, the research and development tax credit, the angel investment tax credit, and the River Edge Redevelopment Zone tax credit. Effective immediately.

Amends the Unified Code of Corrections. Provides that the Illinois Law Enforcement Training Standards Board and the Director of Corrections shall approve and shall issue concealed carry cards to all current and retired correctional officers that shall authorize the current or retired correctional officer to carry a concealed firearm off duty. Provides that the Director shall implement annual range qualification days for retirees to maintain their concealed carry cards. Provides that these range dates shall be offered no less than once per month, every month and may include weekends. Provides that the Director may charge a range fee of no more than $30 from each retiree for annual qualification. Provides that the proceeds from these fees shall be used to improve institutional firearms range facilities and training Department correctional officers. Provides that the Department of Corrections shall issue a retiree identification card to all employees at the conclusion of their employment at the Department of Corrections. Establishes information that must be placed on the cards. Effective immediately.

Amends the Illinois Governmental Ethics Act. Provides that, for purposes of determining the partisanship of any person who is appointed by the Governor to an office that either requires specific partisanship or limits the number of appointees from a single political party that may be appointed, the vote of that person in the 3 general primary elections immediately preceding the effective date of the appointment shall determine his or her partisanship for that person's term of office. Provides that a person who did not vote, or who voted but did not request a partisan ballot, in the 3 general primary elections immediately preceding the effective date of the appointment or who voted but requested partisan ballots for 2 or more different political parties in the 3 general primary elections immediately preceding the effective date of the appointment shall be deemed an independent for purposes of determining partisanship for that person's term of office.

Amends the State Officials and Employees Ethics Act. Provides that an employer shall not knowingly offer employment, compensation, or fees for services to a person if that person is prohibited by the Act's revolving door prohibitions from accepting employment, compensation, or fees for services from that employer. Grants the Executive Ethics Commission and the Legislative Ethics Commission jurisdiction over employers who make offers of employment, compensation, or fees for services in violation of this prohibition. Authorizes an ethics commission to impose a penalty of up to 3 times the total annual compensation that was offered in violation of this prohibition.

Amends the Department of Public Health Powers and Duties Law of the Civil Administrative Code of Illinois. Requires the Department of Public Health to establish the Abortion Access Fund Grant Program to award grants from the Abortion Access Fund to support access to abortion care services throughout the State. Provides that grants awarded under the Program shall only be used to fund abortion services for which the use of federal funds is prohibited for patients who are uninsured or underinsured with respect to those services. Allows the Department to establish rules necessary to implement the Abortion Access Fund Grant Program, including eligibility criteria, grant limits, application standards, requirements for the distribution and obligation of grant funds, accounting for the use of the funds, and standards for monitoring compliance with the requirements of the Program. Amends the State Finance Act to create the Abortion Access Fund as a special fund in the State treasury. Amends the Illinois Health Benefits Exchange Law. Requires specified health insurance issuers that have offered one or more qualified health plans through the Illinois Health Benefits Exchange to report to the Department of Insurance an accounting of receipts, disbursements, transfers of funds between accounts, total dollar claims paid, accrued interest, and the year-end balance for each reporting year for the separate allocation accounts that the issuer has established under specified provisions of federal law for abortion services for which federal funding is prohibited. Establishes further reporting requirements for health insurance issuers. Provides that, if the amount of premiums collected during the plan year for abortion services for which federal funding is prohibited exceeds total claims paid for such services rendered during the plan year, the Director of Insurance shall order the health insurance issuer to transfer funds, and the issuer shall complete the transfer, to the Abortion Access Fund. Makes other changes. Effective immediately.

Amends the Community Behavioral Health Care Professional Loan Repayment Program Act. Provides, that to be eligible for assistance under the Community Behavioral Health Care Professional Loan Repayment Program, the Illinois Student Assistance Commission must find that the applicant, among other requirements, at the time of application, is currently working as a behavioral health professional in a community mental health center. Provides that an applicant seeking a renewal award in a subsequent year must be employed by a community mental health center, behavioral health clinic, substance use treatment center, or State-operated psychiatric hospital in an underserved or rural federally designated Mental Health Professional Shortage Area in the State at the time of application and must provide evidence of continuous employment for the 12 months that precede the application for renewal. Defines "behavioral health professional". 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, beginning on January 1, 2027, tangible personal property that is purchased for the improvement of residential or nonresidential real estate by the installation of a solar energy system that is primarily used to provide electricity to the premises is exempt from taxation under the Acts.

Creates the Securing All Futures through Equitable Reinvestment (SAFER) Communities Act. Provides that the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity shall create a program to award grants to Navigators for specified purposes, including wage reimbursements for employers that employ certain formerly incarcerated individuals. Contains provisions concerning requirements for wage reimbursements. Provides that "Navigator" means an entity that has demonstrated expertise and effectiveness in administering workforce development programs for formerly incarcerated participants and is certified by the Department as a Navigator. Amends the Illinois Administrative Procedure Act. Authorizes the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity to adopt emergency rules to implement the Securing All Futures through Equitable Reinvestment (SAFER) Communities Act. Effective immediately.

Amends the Illinois Governmental Ethics Act. Provides that when a legislator chooses to take official action on a matter despite the existence of a conflict situation, he or she shall (in addition to serving the public interest) also disclose that he or she is taking official action by filing a statement with the Clerk of the House of Representatives or the Secretary of the Senate. Provides that the statement filed with the Clerk of the House of Representatives or the Secretary of the Senate shall be made a part of the official record of the legislation and posted on the Illinois General Assembly website with other documents related to the legislative matter at issue. Effective immediately.

Amends the Election Code. Provides that no later than December 31 of each even number year, the State Board of Elections shall report to the General Assembly (rather than to the General Assembly and the Federal Election Commission) the number of accessible and inaccessible polling places in the State on the date of the next preceding general election, and the reason for any instance of inaccessibility.

Amends the Illinois Power Agency Act and the Public Utilities Act. Provides that "agrivoltaic system" means a ground-mounted photovoltaic solar energy system that meets the following criteria: (1) the applicable farm plan and the system have been intentionally designed with agricultural producers, agrivoltaics experts, or both agricultural producers and agrivoltaics experts; (2) the system is constructed, installed, and operated to achieve an integrated and simultaneous production of both solar energy and current or future marketable agricultural products, including all products and activities described in the definition of "production agriculture" in the Use Tax Act and apiaries if the apiary is paired with another qualifying marketable agricultural product, by an agricultural producer; (3) the agricultural production of the system occur on land beneath or between rows of solar panels; and (4) the agricultural production of the system begins as soon as agronomically feasible and optimal for the agricultural producer after the commercial operation date of the solar panels and continues until decommissioning. Provides that "agrivoltaic system" does not include a system that has a pollinator habitat as the sole dual use of the system.

Amends the Department of Natural Resources (Conservation) Law of the Civil Administrative Code of Illinois. Provides that Department has the power to expend moneys appropriated to the Department from the Park and Conservation Fund in the State treasury for furtherance of the Department's programs or for use by the Department for the Department's normal operations and for the construction and maintenance of State owned, leased, and managed sites (rather than the ordinary and contingent expenses of the Department). Amends the State Finance Act. Provides that the Comptroller shall order transferred and the Treasurer shall transfer from the Park and Conservation Fund Account in the Build Illinois Fund to the Park and Conservation Fund 1/12 of $10,000,000, plus any cumulative deficiency in those transfers for prior months, for any purposes (rather than Conservation and Park purposes) as enumerated in Section 805-420 of the Department of Natural Resources (Conservation) Law or for the same purposes as specified in any other State general obligation bond Act. Amends the Illinois Vehicle Code. Provides that the moneys deposited in the Park and Conservation Fund shall be used as provided for in Section 805-420 of the Department of Natural Resources (Conservation) Law of the Civil Administrative Code of Illinois (rather than for the development and acquisition of bike paths).

Amends the Property Tax Code. Provides that each property tax bill shall contain a statement of any exemption that was granted to the property in the immediately preceding tax year but was not granted to the property in the current tax year. Effective immediately.

Amends the Election Code. Provides that, if a person chooses to register to vote on the day of election, the person shall only be allowed to cast a provisional ballot, and the election authority shall mail to the provisional voter a voter registration application to the provisional voter's address. Provides that a provisional ballot cast under the provision is valid and shall be counted as a vote if the voter completes and returns the voter registration application that the election authority mailed to the voter upon casting the provisional ballot within 14 days after the day of election.

Amends the Illinois Income Tax Act. Provides that each individual taxpayer who incurs debt that does not exceed $60,000 in connection with the financing of a qualified motor vehicle is entitled to a deduction in an amount equal to the interest paid on the qualified motor vehicle loan during the taxable year. Effective immediately.

Amends the School Code. Provides that all mandated categorical programs under the Code and the School Breakfast and Lunch Program Act shall be funded at 100% of their required levels as calculated by the State Board of Education, without proration. Provides that, beginning with Fiscal Year 2027, the General Assembly shall appropriate funds for each fiscal year sufficient to fully reimburse school districts for all services and costs under mandated categorical programs, as required under the Code. Requires the State Board to annually provide to the General Assembly, no later than May 1 of each year, the appropriation levels needed to fully fund mandated categorical grant funding for the upcoming fiscal year. With respect to the evidence-based funding formula, provides that the State shall increase annual new State funds to ensure full funding of the formula beginning with Fiscal Year 2027. Requires the State Board to annually determine and report the amount necessary to bring all Tier 1 and Tier 2 organizational units to 100% of their adequacy targets, and requires the General Assembly to appropriate sufficient funds to meet this requirement no later than Fiscal Year 2027. Provides that no organizational unit may receive less than the amount determined under the formula in any fiscal year. Effective immediately.

Amends the Community Behavioral Health Care Professional Loan Repayment Act. Adds a licensed occupational therapist and a licensed occupational therapy assistant to the list of health care professionals that may receive a grant of $15,000 or less per year from the Illinois Student Assistance Commission, subject to appropriation, for a maximum of 4 years.

Amends the Consumer Fraud and Deceptive Business Practices Act. Provides that it is an unlawful practice for a high-impact social media company in the State to fail to make available to its customers, at no cost, a customer support service for customers to notify the company of any harmful content that the customer believes is illegal or violates the high-impact social media company's terms of service. Provides that the customer support service must timely respond to customers within one business day after a customer initially contacts the company. Provides that the customer support service must take active steps to resolve the customer's issue or complaint and communicate the steps taken to resolve the issue or complaint with the customer by mail, telephone, or email, as requested by the customer, within 3 business days after a customer initially contacts the company. Provides that the customer support service shall communicate with the customer at least once every 3 business days until the issue has been resolved or until the issue has been determined to be unsolvable. Provides that the Attorney General may bring an action against a high-impact social media company that does not comply with these provisions. Provides that any company that violates these provisions shall be fined $1,000 per day per violation. Provides that fines collected under these provisions shall be deposited into a fund to support mental health awareness in Illinois. Effective January 1, 2027.

Amends the Video Gaming Act. Provides that the provisions setting forth the current tax on net terminal income are inoperative on July 1, 2025. Provides that, beginning July 1, 2025, a tax of 45% is imposed on net terminal income and shall be collected by the Illinois Gaming Board, and that of the tax collected 66.67% shall be deposited into the Capital Projects Funds, 11.11% shall be deposited into the Local Government Video Gaming Distributive Fund, 21.11% shall be deposited into the General Revenue Fund, and 1.11% shall be deposited into the State Gaming Fund which shall be transferred to the Department of Human Services' fund for the administration of programs for the treatment of compulsive gambling. Effective immediately.

Amends the Consumer Fraud and Deceptive Business Practices Act. Provides that a person shall not use artificial intelligence while engaging in trade and commerce to communicate with a consumer in a manner that may mislead or deceive a reasonable consumer into believing that the consumer is engaging with a human, unless the consumer is notified in a clear and conspicuous manner that the consumer is not engaging with a human. Provides that a person shall not use artificial intelligence to sell or offer to sell goods or services unless the consumer is notified in a clear and conspicuous manner that artificial intelligence is being used to sell or offer to sell goods or services and the consumer is given an option to request more information regarding the specific use of the artificial intelligence. Provides that a business entity that uses artificial intelligence while engaging in trade and commerce to communicate with a consumer shall give the consumer the option to communicate with a human during the business entity's ordinary business hours. Provides that a violation of the provisions constitutes an unlawful practice within the meaning of the Act.

Appropriates the sum of $1,250,000 from the General Revenue Fund to the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity for a grant to the Illinois Restaurant Association for all costs associated with workforce development and training. Effective July 1, 2026.

Creates the Commission on Strengthening Fathers and Families Act. Provides that the purpose of the Act is to promote the recognition of the importance of the participation of both parents in the lives of their children. Creates the Strengthening Fathers and Families Initiative (Initiative) with the goal of increasing the awareness of the problems created when a child grows up without the presence and support of a caring and loving father, identifying strategies that are successful in overcoming identified obstacles that discourage the active engagement of fathers, and other specified goals. Requires the Initiative to also promote positive interactions between fathers and their children, while promoting positive interactions between fathers and the mothers of their children. Creates the Commission on Strengthening Fathers and Families to carry out the purposes, goals, and initiatives of the Act. Contains provisions on the Commission's membership, goals, and duties, including, but not limited to, (i) developing a comprehensive plan that promotes the positive involvement and engagement of fathers and that advances family strengthening strategies, (ii) evaluating State programs, governmental policies, and community initiatives related to fatherhood and family strengthening, (iii) making recommendations to the Governor, the Deputy Governor of Health and Human Services, and the General Assembly, (iv) developing criteria for grants to fatherhood and family strengthening projects, and (v) receiving grants, contributions, and other funds for projects and activities related to advancing father involvement and engagement, and family strengthening. Provides that the Department of Human Services shall provide staffing support to the Commission. Creates the Fatherhood and Family Strengthening Fund to hold grants, contributions, and other funds received by the Commission to be expended for the purposes of the Act. Amends the State Finance Act to add the Fatherhood and Family Strengthening Fund to the list of State funds.

Amends the Sustainable Agriculture Act. Provides that the (b) The Department of Agriculture and the Environmental Protection Agency shall conduct a joint study and publish the findings of such study to evaluate the extent to which carbon could be stored through widespread adoption of practices promoting soil carbon sequestration in the State, and what soil management practices that can be utilized to promote soil carbon sequestration. Provides that the Department of Agriculture and the Environmental Protection Agency may consult with and seek assistance from (1) similar state agencies in other states and (2) federal agencies, to the extent that such coordination aids in furthering the purposes of this study. Provides that the joint study shall consider how changes in seasonality and weather patterns, driven by climate change, may impact the efficacy of soil carbon sequestration. Provides that the joint study shall be published on a publicly available website no later than January 1, 2028, and suitable copies shall be delivered to the Governor and members of the General Assembly.

Amends the Illinois Pre-Need Cemetery Sales Act. Provides that a written sales contract shall contain a description of any additional costs that will be incurred by the person, if known, who is to receive the cemetery merchandise, cemetery services, or the completed interment, entombment, or inurnment spaces under the contract at the time of burial and that are not contemplated within the contract.

Amends the Employee Blood Donation Leave Act. Provides that an employee who does not have available paid leave is entitled to take one hour of unpaid leave every 56 days to donate blood. Provides that the leave to serve as an organ donor is unpaid unless the employer has a policy allowing the leave to be paid or unless the employee has available paid leave. Provides that, if the employer does not have a policy providing paid leave and the employee does not have enough available paid leave to cover the absence, the employee is entitled to up to 10 days of unpaid leave in any 12-month period in order to serve as an organ donor. Makes other changes.