Amends various Acts relating to the governance of public universities in Illinois. Provides that each academic year the board of trustees of each public university shall offer a full-tuition waiver for undergraduate education at any campus under the board's governance or supervision to any Illinois resident who: (i) was serving in the Illinois National Guard, the United States Army, the United States Marine Corps, the United States Navy, the United States Air Force, the United States Space Force, or a Reserve Officers' Training Corps program related to any of these armed service branches and was relying on full-tuition or partial-tuition assistance to complete the person's undergraduate education; (ii) has been discharged from service, either forcibly or by being given the choice of voluntary discharge or forced discharge, due to changes in federal policy leading to that person's discharge for reasons unrelated to performance; and (iii) has lost that tuition assistance prior to completion of the person's undergraduate education. Provides that to be eligible to receive a waiver, the individual must: (i) apply for the waiver; (ii) provide documentary proof of service, of prior tuition assistance, and of discharge; and (iii) qualify for admission to the university under the same admission requirements, standards, and policies that the university applies to applicants for admission generally to the university's respective undergraduate colleges and programs. Provides that an eligible applicant who has continued to maintain satisfactory academic progress toward graduation may have the individual's waiver renewed until the individual has expended 4 years of undergraduate full-tuition benefits. Requires the board to adopt rules as necessary for implementation and administration.
Amends the Local Government Debt Reform Act. Provides that, in the case of bonds authorized to be issued under the School Code and approved by voters of Iroquois County Community Unit School District Number 9 in an April 2021 referendum, the bond approval, once obtained, remains for 10 years after the date of the referendum. Effective immediately.
Amends the Illinois Administrative Procedure Act. Creates emergency rulemaking procedures for the student teaching stipend program. Amends the Downstate Teacher Article of the Illinois Pension Code. Authorizes a person to establish optional credit for periods of service as a student teacher under a specified provision of the Board of Higher Education Act. In provisions requiring an additional employer contribution for certain salary increases greater than 6%, provides that the System shall exclude any stipends paid to an eligible cooperating teacher under the Board of Higher Education Act. Provides that any benefit increase that results from the amendatory Act is excluded from the definition of "new benefit increase". Amends the Board of Higher Education Act. Creates the student teaching stipend program. Defines terms. Provides that an educator preparation program shall notify the Board of Higher Education of all eligible students and eligible cooperating teachers who qualify for the stipend program. Creates requirements for the disbursement of stipend funds under the program. Provides that an educator preparation program may not prohibit an eligible student from participating in the stipend program or from receiving a stipend from the stipend program. Requires an eligible cooperating teacher who receives a stipend to complete specific training. Requires the Board to issue a report in collaboration with the State Board of Education evaluating the impact of the stipend program. Permits the Board to adopt emergency rules regarding the administration of the stipend program in certain circumstances subject to the Illinois Administrative Procedure Act. Effective immediately.
Amends the Illinois Articulation Initiative Act. Provides that, by May 1, 2026 and May 1 of each subsequent year, each public institution of higher education shall provide the Board of Higher Education with a report describing any course for which a student who transfers to a public 4-year institution from another State institution of higher education is not granted: (1) academic credit at the receiving institution; or (2) if the student has declared a major and has not changed majors, academic credit toward the student's major at the receiving institution. Requires the report to include: (1) the course name and type, including program, school, major or minor, and credits or units, if any; (2) which institution of higher education provided academic credit for the course; and (3) the reason why the receiving institution did not grant academic credit for the course. Requires the Board to compile the data and deliver a report to the Governor and General Assembly no later than October 1, 2026 and October 1 of each subsequent year.
Amends the Diversifying Higher Education Faculty in Illinois Act. Makes changes concerning definitions; the Program Board; program policy; grant eligibility; institution and institutional representative responsibilities; applying for, determining, and administering awards; award conditions; penalties; the Illinois Grant Funds Recovery Act; and applicability. Repeals a Section concerning continuing participants. Amends the Higher Education Student Assistance Act. Makes changes concerning the Minority Teachers of Illinois scholarship program, the Golden Apple Scholars of Illinois Program, Post-Master of Social Work School Social Work Professional Educator License scholarships, the School and Municipal Social Work Shortage Loan Repayment Program, and the iGROW Tech Scholarship Program. Repeals a Section concerning equal opportunity scholarships. Amends the Community Behavioral Health Care Professional Loan Repayment Program Act to remove a provision with respect to reserving a portion of funds for awards to certain minority applicants. Amends the Transitions in Education Act to make a conforming change. Effective immediately.
Amends the Child Care Act of 1969. Provides that an early childhood teacher must meet one of the following qualifications: (1) complete 60 semester hours from an accredited college or university with either 6 semester hours in early childhood education or complete the Gateways Early Childhood Education Credential Level 1 training; (2) complete 1,560 clock hours of child development experience and 30 semester hours from an accredited college or university with either 6 semester hours in early childhood education or Gateways Early Childhood Education Credential Level 1 training; (3) complete 2,080 clock hours of child development experience as a teacher assistant in a day care center, complete the Gateways Early Childhood Education Credential Level 1 training, and provide proof of enrollment from an accredited college or university until 30 semester hours are attained or proof of enrollment in an early childhood teacher credentialing program, either of which must be completed in no more than 5 years from the date of initial enrollment; or (4) complete a credentialing program approved by the Department of Children and Family Services in accordance with administrative rule.
Amends the School Code. Creates the Out-of-School Time (OST) Advisory Council for the purpose of providing information and advice to the Governor and State agencies regarding State and federal policy and funding issues affecting out of school time programs. Sets forth membership, co-chairperson's and meetings. Provides that the OST Advisory Council shall: (1) provide information on the status of funding provided for OST programs in each fiscal year; (2) provide recommendations on legislative and administrative action needed to ensure that funding for before and after school programs is allocated promptly to qualified providers of OST programs; (3) provide information on the quality of services and accountability measures that are appropriate for school-age children and youth; (4) provide information regarding challenges faced by OST programs that impede the provision of the best possible services; (5) provide recommendations on the equitable reach of OST programs to ensure that the State has policies in place that promote access to the children and youth most in need of services; (6) make recommendations to the Governor and State agencies on reporting requirements, priority points, statewide evaluation, and licensure for OST programs; and (7) create and deliver to the Governor and General Assembly an annual report on statewide successes in OST and areas of growth for the future. Effective July 1, 2025.
Amends the Children with Disabilities Article of the School Code. Provides that for a child residing in a long-term, acute care facility serving a majority of patients who are (i) minor children and (ii) Medicaid-eligible in Harvey School District 152, if a parent or guardian moves out of the State after the child is placed in such a facility, that parent or guardian shall enroll the child in a school in the other state to initiate reimbursement to Illinois. With respect to determining the location of a student's parent or guardian, provides that the information submitted to the State Superintendent of Education must include an affidavit from that school district's superintendent or the facility's director attesting that the location of the parent or guardian is unknown and at least 3 satisfactory attempts (rather than 4 items of documentary evidence that a minimum of 4 separate attempts) were made on 3 separate days to locate the parent or guardian and no response was received from the parent or guardian within 14 days after such satisfactory attempts. Provides that for a child residing in a long-term, acute care facility serving a majority of patients who are (i) minor children and (ii) Medicaid-eligible in Harvey School District 152, the following apply: (1) if the child is not currently enrolled in a school district or if the resident school district is unknown, the appropriate resident school district must be identified and the child must be enrolled in that district prior to the placement of the child, except in emergency situations; (2) for a child with an out-of-state resident district whose out-of-state resident district has refused to enroll the child in the district, despite being contacted by both the nonpublic school within the applicable facility and the State Board of Education, the resident district shall be the student's most recent resident district in Illinois and that resident district shall be the responsible payee; and (3) the equivalent of each applicable child's tuition receipts for the 2025-2026 school year shall be paid to the resident district. Makes other changes. Effective immediately.
Amends the School Code. Provides that immediately upon the determination of a substantial deficiency in reading or the characteristics of dyslexia based upon (i) screening, diagnostic, progress monitoring, or assessment data, (ii) statewide assessments, or (iii) teacher observations, the parent or legal guardian of a student in grades 1 through 3 who exhibits a substantial deficiency in reading must be notified in writing by the student's teacher of the following: (1) that the student has been identified as having a substantial deficiency in reading; (2) a description of the services that the school district currently is providing to the student; (3) a description of the proposed supplemental instructional services and supports that are designed to remediate the identified area of reading deficiency which the school district plans to provide the student; and (4) strategies for parents and guardians to use in helping the student to succeed in reading proficiency.
Amends the Illinois Insurance Code. Provides that a group or individual policy of accident and health insurance or a managed care plan that is amended, delivered, issued, or renewed on or after January 1, 2026, shall not impose any prior authorization or utilization management controls on covered behavioral health services. Makes conforming changes to the State Employees Group Insurance Act of 1971, the Illinois Municipal Code, the School Code, the Health Maintenance Organization Act, and the Medical Assistance Article of the Illinois Public Aid Code. Requires the Department of Insurance and the Department of Healthcare and Family Services to establish a process for receiving complaints from providers and covered individuals for violations of the mandate. Grants the Department of Insurance and the Department of Healthcare and Family Services the authority to issue cease and desist orders and administrative fines. Amends the Prior Authorization Reform Act. Provides that the Department of Healthcare and Family Services shall adopt rules consistent with the Act. Provisions amending the Prior Authorization Reform Act are effective immediately.
