Illinois

Amends the Illinois Vehicle Code. Provides that a public transit agency may use an electronic rearview monitoring system on commercial motor vehicles owned by the agency as an alternative to the mirror requirements of the Code and the Code of Federal Regulations so long as an exemption to the Code of Federal Regulations granted by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration remains in effect. Provides that the electronic rearview monitoring system shall be equipped with any combination of lens or surface coatings, electrical circuits, or mechanical devices designed to prevent the buildup of ice and water on surfaces that might obstruct the view presented by the electronic rearview monitoring system. Prohibits the electronic rearview monitoring system from being equipped with audio or video recording capabilities or facial recognition software or used in conjunction with facial recognition software.

Appropriates $5,000,000 to the Department of Agriculture for grants to Illinois public institutions of higher education for research and development focused on alternative protein research. Effective July 1, 2026.

Creates the Short Line Railroad Modernization Act. Creates an income tax credit for taxpayers that incur qualified railroad expenditures or qualified new rail infrastructure expenditures. Sets forth the amount of the credit and limitations on the amount of the credit that may be awarded. Amends the Illinois Income Tax Act to make conforming changes. Effective immediately.

Declares May 23, 2026 as Italian Beef Day in the State of Illinois. Commends this iconic sandwich as a proud symbol of the State's culinary heritage, immigrant history, and community spirit. Extends thanks to the families and proprietors of Italian beef establishments across the State of Illinois in recognition of their enduring contributions to this shared heritage. Affirms commitment to honoring the cultural and economic contributions of the restaurants, food vendors, and hardworking Illinoisans who have kept this tradition alive for generations. Extends sincere congratulations and gratitude to the creators, cast, and crew of The Bear for their extraordinary portrayal of Chicago's Italian beef culture, for shining a national and international spotlight on the State of Illinois, and for inspiring pride in the State's rich culinary and cultural identity.

Amends the Common Interest Community Association Act. Requires a common interest association to conduct and update a reserve study every 5 years. "Reserve study" means an analysis of the reserves required for future major maintenance, repairs, and replacements of the common elements. Grants a 5-year window for an association to conduct a reserve study or update a current study. Requires a reserve study to be made available to any prospective purchaser of a unit upon request for a resale of any unit in the community. Exempts an association with 15 or fewer units but still requires the board to comply with the budgeting and reserve requirements elsewhere in the Act. Amends the Condominium Property Act to make similar changes.

Amends the Adoption Act. Requires the following information to be provided to adoptive parents if the child was placed in foster care before adoption: (1) whether the child was in the care of more than one foster home before adoption and the reason why the child was moved from one foster home to another foster home; (2) whether other children lived in the foster home during the time of the child's placement in the foster home; (3) basic information and details about each foster parent who cared for the child; and (4) any developmental milestones that occurred before adoption.

Recognizes His Holiness Pope Leo XIV for his extraordinary spiritual leadership, his lifelong commitment to service, and the inspiration his historic papacy brings to the people of Illinois, the United States, and the world.

Amends the Hospital Licensing Act. Provides that a hospital licensed under the Act shall not charge a covered hospital employee more than 10% of the total health insurance premium cost. Provides that any agreement permitting a charge to a covered hospital employee in excess of 10% of the total health insurance premium cost shall be deemed invalid, void, and unenforceable. Provides that a hospital in violation of those provisions shall pay a civil penalty of $500 to the Department of Public Health for each impacted covered hospital employee.

Amends the Election Code. Provides that, beginning on January 1, 2028, a person convicted of a felony, or otherwise under sentence in a correctional institution, shall have his or her right to vote restored and shall be eligible to vote not later than 14 days following his or her conviction. Provides that a person who is serving a sentence in a correctional institution starting prior to January 1, 2027 shall have his or her right to vote restored not later than January 14, 2028. Provides that a person may not be denied the right to vote because of a past criminal conviction. Provides that each local election authority shall coordinate with the correctional institution, Illinois Department of Corrections, and other correctional agencies incarcerating eligible voters to facilitate voting by mail for those voters eligible to vote in that election jurisdiction who are incarcerated in the correctional institution. Provides that the Attorney General, any individual aggrieved by a violation of these provisions, any entity whose membership includes individuals aggrieved by a violation of these provisions, any entity whose mission would be frustrated by a violation of these provisions, or any entity that would expend resources in order to fulfill its mission as a result of a violation of these provisions may file an action in a court of competent jurisdiction. Provides that the Act is intended to benefit and protect the rights of individual voters and to provide a remedy for infringing on the rights granted under this Act. Amends the Re-Entering Citizens Civics Education Act. Changes the short title of the Act to the Reintegration and Civic Empowerment Act. Provides that the Department of Corrections shall conduct the civics peer education program each of the 3 sessions not less than twice a month at each correctional institution totaling not less than 6 sessions per month at each correctional institution. Provides that the civics peer education program and workshops must be made available to all committed persons regardless of the date they were first committed or the length of their sentence. Amends the Illinois Administrative Procedure Act and the Unified Code of Corrections to make conforming changes. Effective January 1, 2028.

Amends the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity Law of the Civil Administrative Code of Illinois. Provides that, in addition to other activities, the Office of Economic Equity and Empowerment shall provide assistance to employment social enterprises. Defines "employment social enterprise".

Reinserts the provisions of the introduced bill, as amended by Senate Amendment No. 2, with the following changes. In a provision concerning the members of the Illinois Psilocybin Advisory Board, provides that if there is a vacancy for any reason, the applicable appointing authority shall appoint an individual to fill the vacancy in a timely manner (rather than appoint an individual to serve as a member in an acting capacity until the individual is approved by the Board as a member of the Board for the remainder of the unexpired term). Provides that the report the Board shall submit to the Governor and the General Assembly shall include an evaluation of (rather than a recommendation on) the medical efficacy of listed psychedelic substances based on medical, psychological, and scientific studies, research, clinical trials in the United States, and other information related to the safety and efficacy of each substance. Removes from the report the necessity to include recommendations concerning whether listed psychedelic substances may be included in an appropriate statutory or regulatory framework to avoid an unregulated de facto market for entheogenic substances other than psilocybin. Provides that the report shall include recommendations on the availability of Medicaid coverage for psilocybin (rather than entheogens) and associated services. Effective immediately.

Creates the Illinois Educational Choice for Children Act. Provides that on or before January 1, 2027 and annually thereafter, the Governor shall submit to the United States Secretary of the Treasury a list of scholarship granting organizations to opt-in to the federal school choice program under the federal Educational Choice for Children Act. Allows the Governor to develop the list of scholarship granting organizations in consultation with other appropriate State agencies. Requires the submission of the list of scholarship granting organizations to be in compliance with the Internal Revenue Code. Requires the Governor to send a copy of the list of scholarship granting organization to the General Assembly, the State Board of Education, and the Department of Revenue. Effective immediately.

Creates the Fixing Illinois Higher Education Funding Act. Requires the Board of Higher Education to study the cost drivers of State universities and develop a comprehensive, 10-year plan to ensure the long-term performance and sustainability of higher education in the State that ensures funding supports education outcomes, assesses the affordability of higher education for students, and supports long-term economic and workforce development goals. Sets forth factors to be studied. Requires the Board to issue a report based on the findings of the study to the Governor and the General Assembly no later than March 31, 2027. Effective immediately.

Appropriates the amount of $1,000,000 from the General Revenue Fund to the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity for a grant to the Clean Energy Jobs and Justice Fund for costs associated with contingent and operational expenses. Effective July 1, 2026.

Amends the Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Systems Act. Makes changes to defined terms. Replaces references to Primary Stroke Centers with Stroke Centers. Provides that a hospital that no longer meets nationally recognized, evidence-based standards for Stroke Centers, loses its Stroke Center certification, or has any change to its designation level shall notify the Department of Public Health and the Regional EMS Advisory Committee within 5 business days. Requires the Department to consult with the State Stroke Advisory Subcommittee for the adoption or deletion of approved stroke designation levels. Provides that the approved stroke designation levels shall coincide with the stroke designation levels recognized by Department-approved certifying bodies. Requires the Department to establish reporting requirements for designated Stroke Centers to capture information using new or existing electronic reporting tools for statewide data collection and certification purposes. Removes provisions concerning previous Stroke Center designations. Makes other changes.

Amends the Private Detective, Private Alarm, Private Security, Fingerprint Vendor, and Locksmith Act of 2004. Reduces the number of members on the Private Detective, Private Alarm, Private Security, Fingerprint Vendor, and Locksmith Board from 13 to 11, removing one licensed locksmith and one licensed private detective or licensed private security contractor who provides canine odor detection services. Provides that each licensed member of the Board shall have at least 3 years' of experience (instead of 5 years) as a licensee in the professional area in which the person is licensed and be in good standing and actively engaged in that profession.

Amends the Chicago Teacher Article of the Illinois Pension Code. Requires charter schools and contract schools to retain all payroll records and contribution information for a minimum of 5 years after the payroll records and contribution information are created. Effective immediately.

Creates the Prohibition of Nicotine Sales Near Schools Act. Provides that, beginning January 1, 2027, a county or municipality may not permit the sale of nicotine-containing products near a school or day care center, unless (i) a county or municipality has adopted an ordinance or regulation that regulates the sale of nicotine-containing products near a school or day care center before January 1, 2027; (ii) the establishment selling nicotine-containing products is established before January 1, 2027; or (iii) the establishment selling nicotine-containing products was not near a school or day care center when it was established. Defines terms. Limits the concurrent exercise of home rule powers. Effective immediately.

Declares May 2026 as ALS Awareness Month and urges all Americans to join in supporting ALS research, advocating for increased funding, and standing in solidarity with those affected by this relentless disease.

Specifies that the amendatory Act may be referred to as the Affordability Crisis in Housing Act. Amends the Financial Institutions Act. Requires that the Department of Financial and Professional Regulation establish, maintain, and publish on its website a registry of nominees of mortgagees. Amends the Counties Code. Requires each county board to adopt revisions to its predictable fee schedule to include an additional $150 fee for a nominee of a mortgagee to record a mortgage, including an assignment, extension, amendment, or subordination, beginning no later than one year after the effective date of the amendatory Act. Creates an exception for the recording of a release of mortgage by the nominee of the mortgagee. Provides that of the additional $150, $120 is to be collected by the county as an additional Rental Housing Support Program State surcharge and deposited into the Rental Housing Support Program Fund, and $30 is to be collected by the county as a county fee with $25 to be used by the county for development and maintenance of its affordable housing capacity and $5 to be deposited into the recorder's special funds created to defray the cost of providing electronic or automated access to the county's property records. Amends the Code of Civil Procedure. Provides that a lien is not created if a nominee of a mortgagee fails to provide the recorder with the cover sheet required to accompany a mortgage under the Conveyances Act. Amends the Conveyances Act. Requires that all mortgages or assignments of mortgage recorded by or for a nominee must be recorded with a cover sheet explaining any fees that are charged, the identity of the nominee of the mortgagee, and the process that may be used by the mortgagor to track the mortgage.

Appropriates $4,000,000 from the General Revenue Fund to the Illinois State Police for the partnership with the Illinois Association of Chiefs of Police for grants for State and local police agencies for the purchase, expansion, and maintenance of equipment services that support the National Integrated Ballistics Information Network (NIBIN) and other ballistic technology equipment for ballistic imaging. Effective July 1, 2026.

Amends the Home Rule Cigarette Tax Restriction Act. Makes a technical change in a Section concerning the short title.

Commends the efforts of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc. and Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc. on their advocacy day at the Illinois State Capitol on May 19, 2026. Further commends the members of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc. and Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc. for their unwavering commitment to service, advocacy, and community advancement.

Amends the Grant Accountability and Transparency Act. Provides that the advice and technical assistance provided to State grant-making agencies by the Governor's Office of Management and Budget for the purpose of ensuring compliance with the Act shall include training for State agency staff. Sets forth requirements for the training. Provides that a State grant-making agency that awards a grant must issue the grant agreement associated with the grant within 60 days after the grant's effective date. Sets forth requirements for the grant agreement.