HB 5309 amends Illinois' Wildlife Code to explicitly exclude mute swans (Cygnus olor) from the category of "migratory game birds" that receive legal protection under the law. This change means mute swans will no longer be covered by regulations that protect migratory waterfowl like ducks and geese, altering how they are managed under state wildlife law. The bill directly affects wildlife management practices and hunting regulations for mute swans in Illinois, removing their previous protected status. This is a technical classification change in the law, not a new hunting season or policy. The bill specifies the exclusion in Section 2.2 of the Wildlife Code.
Amends the Illinois Municipal Code. Provides that a detention center facility may not be located, constructed, or operated within 1,500 feet of the property boundaries of any school, day care center, day care home, cemetery, public park, forest preserve, public housing, private residence, or place of religious worship, regardless of address. Defines "detention center facility" and "federal immigration authority". Effective immediately.
Amends the Illinois Domestic Violence Act of 1986. Provides that whenever a law enforcement officer has reason to believe a person is a victim under the Act from a family or household member, if the alleged offender is a juvenile, the officer may, based on the totality of the circumstances and using the abbreviated version of the Adolescent Domestic Battery Typology Tool created by the Kane County State's Attorney's Office, choose not to arrest the juvenile and instead may divert the juvenile or may assist the juvenile and the juvenile's family in finding alternative placement.
Amends the Common Interest Community Association Act and the Condominium Property Act. Requires the board of directors to provide a website that unit owners can access on the Internet that includes information about board and association meetings, agendas, and minutes of the last meeting. Requires that the board must transmit quarterly to the members electronically via email a statement of the association's financial data, to include, but not be limited to, receipts, expenses, invoices, contracts, and obligations. Requires any fee increase of any kind that is more than 10% must be approved by 75% of the unit owners notwithstanding any other provision in this Act or in the association's instruments.
Amends the School Code. Makes changes to provisions regarding departments and functions of the State Board of Education, the teacher supply and demand report, waivers and modifications of mandates and administrative rules, audits of a school district's accounts, statements of affairs, the Illinois Purchased Care Review Board, evidence-based funding, the State Educator Preparation and Licensure Board, qualifications of educators, provisional educator endorsements on Educator Licenses with Stipulations, educator testing exemptions, the Teacher Performance Assessment Advisory Committee, teacher and principal model evaluation templates, children and students who are parents, expectant parents, or victims of domestic or sexual violence, the advisory committee under the Critical Health Problems and Comprehensive Health Education Act, and charter school renewals. Changes the following terms: "Teacher Certificate Fee Revolving Fund" to "Teacher Licensure Fee Revolving Fund"; "foreign countries" to "countries other than the United States"; "ethnic school" to "community-based heritage language school"; "foreign language" to "world language"; and "epinephrine injector" to "epinephrine delivery system". Repeals the Community Service Education Act, and makes changes in the Postsecondary and Workforce Readiness Act. Makes other and conforming changes in the School Code, the State Finance Act, and various Acts relating to the governance of public universities. Effective immediately.
Amends the Attorney Act. Prohibits a private equity group, hedge fund, or any entity owned, operated, or controlled by a private equity group or hedge fund, including management services organizations, that is involved with a law firm or an attorney's practice from: (1) interfering with the professional judgment of attorneys in representing clients; (2) exercising control over or being delegated the power to own or determine the content of client records, select, hire, or terminate the employment of attorneys or allied legal staff in whole or in part based on competency or proficiency; or set competency or proficiency parameters for attorneys or allied legal staff; or (3) charging any fee to the attorney or law firm that is directly or indirectly based on the fees, revenues, or profits of the attorney or law firm. Prohibits an attorney from sharing legal fees directly or indirectly with an out-of-state alternative business structure unless: (1) the attorney is also licensed in the state in which the alternative business structure is approved; (2) the fees are compensation for providing legal services in that state; and (3) the law of that state is controlling under the Illinois Rules of Professional Conduct or a successor rule. Provides for the recovery of statutory damages, attorney's fees and costs, and injunctive or declaratory relief as a remedy for violation. Defines terms. Contains applicability provisions. Effective immediately.
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 Higher Education Student Assistance Act. Provides that the Post-Master of Social Work School Social Work Professional Educator License scholarships may also be known as School Social Work scholarships. Includes, as a qualified applicant subject to meeting the other requirements, (i) a person who is pursuing a clinical social work license or social work license and (ii) a person who will obtain a master's degree in social work from an approved program before enrolling the academic program that the scholarship would support. Allows scholarships to be applied to the payment of tuition and mandatory fees at a private, not-for-profit institution of higher education in the State that prepares students to obtain an Illinois Professional Educator License with an endorsement in School Social Work. Provides that a scholarship for a recipient attending a private, not-for-profit institution shall not exceed the maximum grant payable to a student enrolled in the most expensive comparable program of study at a public university in the State. Effective July 1, 2026.
Amends the Responsible Outdoor Lighting Control Act. Provides that all new luminaires purchased or installed after June 30, 2032, must have a correlated color temperature less than or equal to 2,700 Kelvin. Provides that the act does not apply if it is necessary to use uplighting for statuary lighting and historical façade lighting. In cases where uplighting is the only viable solution for these items, the lighting should have a color corrected temperature of no more than 2,700 degrees Kelvin, must be minimized to no more than 25% above ANSI/IES standards, must exceed an illuminance of one lux as measured at ground level both horizontally and vertically at the property boundary, and must be extinguished every night no later than 12:00 a.m. Provides that, after January 1, 2027, any new placement or replacement of uplighting of State historic statuary and State historical facade lighting shall be approved by the State Historic Preservation Office. Makes other changes.
Amends the Illinois Identification Card Act. Changes references from "electronic credential" to "mobile identification card". Provides that no relying party, including law enforcement, may take physical possession of a mobile identification card holder's mobile device for purposes of verifying the mobile identification card holder's identity. Amends the Illinois Vehicle Code. Inserts conforming provisions concerning requirements for mobile driver's licenses. Makes other changes.
Amends the Specialized Mental Health Rehabilitation Act of 2013. Provides that each consumer shall be offered at least 15 hours of treatment programming per week and encouraged to attend the treatment domains that meet the consumer's needs, as reflected in the consumer's treatment plans. Provides that each consumer's program engagement and attendance shall be documented in the consumer's clinical record, and each consumer shall be prompted to attend programming regularly as documented in the consumer's clinical record at least quarterly. Effective July 1, 2026.
Amends the School Code. In a provision concerning twice-exceptional children, changes references from "children" to "students" and defines "twice-exceptional student". Provides that in the development of an individualized education program (IEP) or federal Section 504 plan for a twice-exceptional student, if the student's ability or achievement indicates that the student would benefit from advanced academic programs, then those abilities or achievement levels shall be recognized and addressed in the student's IEP or Section 504 plan and be reflected in the individualized services, goals, accommodations, and objectives for the student, while continuing to provide appropriate services and support for the student's disabilities in all educational settings. Sets forth what the services, goals, objectives, accommodations, and best practices for identifying and addressing the educational and related needs of a twice-exceptional student may include. Effective immediately.
