Labor & Employment

Provides that the Act may be referred to as the Zachary's Parent Protection Act. Amends the Family Bereavement Leave Act. Changes the name of the Act to the Bereavement Leave Act. Sets forth provisions concerning family bereavement leave, child extended bereavement leave, and general bereavement leave. Provides for the qualifying requirements, notice requirements, and length of leave provided under those circumstances. Provides that the bereavement leave provided under the Act is in addition to the unpaid leave time allowed under the federal Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993. Provides that the Department of Labor shall review complaints to determine whether there is cause for investigation. Makes changes to definitions. Repeals the Child Extended Bereavement Leave Act. Amends the Victims' Economic Security and Safety Act and the Child Labor Law of 2024 to make conforming changes.

Amends the Higher Education Student Assistance Act. Changes the name of the School and Municipal Social Work Shortage Loan Repayment Program to the Social Worker and School Counselor Shortage Loan Repayment Program. Allows a school counselor to apply for the Program. Provides that the Illinois Student Assistance Commission shall award a grant of up to $8,000 (rather than $6,500) per year for a maximum of 4 years to each qualified applicant. Provides that a grant shall be used for repayment of the recipient's educational loan instead of the Commission encouraging the recipient to use the grant to repay the recipient's educational loan. Makes other and conforming changes. Effective July 1, 2026.

Urges the Illinois Department of Human Services and the Pritzker Administration to delay cuts to Direct Service Professional (DSP) service hours set to begin January 1,2026, until such time as the State is prepared to implement the "Zero Hour" Staffing Model, to protect the services depended on by individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD).

Amends the Illinois Insurance Code. Establishes reimbursement rates for mental health and substance use disorder treatment services for all group or individual policies of accident and health insurance or managed care plans that are amended, delivered, issued, or renewed on or after January 1, 2027 or for any contracted third party administering the behavioral health benefits for the insurer. Requires a group or individual policy of accident and health insurance or managed care plan that is amended, delivered, issued, or renewed on or after January 1, 2026 or any contracted third party administering the behavioral health benefits for the insurer to cover certain medically necessary mental health and substance use disorder treatment services. Provides that, if the Department of Insurance determines that an insurer or a contracted third party administering the behavioral health benefits for the insurer has violated a provision concerning mental health and substance use parity, the Department shall by order assess a civil penalty of $1,000 for each violation. Excludes certain health care plans serving Medicaid populations who are enrolled under the Illinois Public Aid Code or under the Children's Health Insurance Program Act from provisions concerning mental health and substance use parity. Requires the Department to review the impact of the proposed mental health and substance abuse mandate on network adequacy for mental health and substance use disorder treatment and access to affordable mental health and substance use care. Permits the Department to examine out-of-network utilization and out-of-pocket costs for insureds for mental health and substance use treatment and services for all plans to compare with in-network utilization. Amends the State Employees Group Insurance Act of 1971, the Counties Code, the Illinois Municipal Code, and the School Code to require coverage under those provisions. Effective immediately.

Creates the Educator Health Insurance Task Force to study the feasibility of creating regional health insurance purchasing pools of school districts accessible to all public educators in school districts that have a population of less than 500,000.

Amends the State Universities Civil Service Act. Provides that nothing in the Act or any rules adopted under the Act prevents the parties to a collective bargaining agreement from agreeing to a provision that enhances employee rights. Effective immediately.

Amends the Health Care Violence Prevention Act. Makes changes to defined terms. In provisions concerning workplace safety, provides that a health care worker may not be discouraged from contacting law enforcement or the Department of Public Health regarding workplace violence, and a health care provider may not hold a policy that limits such contact. Adds additional requirements to the workplace violence prevention program, including reporting requirements and identifying the need for additional security and alarms, adequate exit routes, monitoring systems, barrier protections, lighting, entry procedures, and systems to identify and flag persons who have previously committed violent acts in the health care provider space. Sets forth provisions concerning violent incident investigations, and recordkeeping and reporting requirements for health care providers regarding violent incidents. Establishes penalties for failure to comply with the Act. Amends the Freedom of Information Act. Exempts from public disclosure workplace violence records maintained by health care providers as required under a specified provision of the Health Care Violence Prevention Act.

Amends the Illinois Health Benefits Exchange Law. Provides that the Illinois Health Benefits Exchange shall allow a special enrollment period for an uninsured taxpayer and the uninsured taxpayer's qualified dependents, if applicable, if the uninsured taxpayer requested health insurance benefit information through the easy enrollment program under the Illinois Income Tax Act and the uninsured taxpayer and the uninsured taxpayer's qualified dependents, if applicable, are eligible to enroll in a qualified health plan through the Exchange. Establishes notification requirements for the Exchange. Provides that the uninsured taxpayer and the uninsured taxpayer's dependents shall have 60 days from the date of the letter to select and enroll in a qualified health plan. Provides that coverage shall be effective the first day of the month that follows the plan selection. Grants the Department of Insurance and the Department of Healthcare and Family Services rulemaking authority to implement an easy enrollment special enrollment period. Effective immediately.

Creates the Family Neonatal Intensive Care Leave Act. Provides that an employee of an employer with 16 or more employees and no more than 50 employees shall be entitled to use a maximum of 10 days of unpaid neonatal intensive care leave while any child of the employee is a patient in a neonatal intensive care unit. Provides that an employee of an employer with 51 or more employees shall be entitled to use 20 days of unpaid neonatal intensive care leave while a child of the employee is a patient in a neonatal intensive care unit. Provides that, upon the conclusion of leave taken under the Act, an employee shall be reinstated to his or her former position or a substantially equivalent one with no loss of benefits held or accrued prior to taking leave. Sets forth provisions concerning unlawful employer practices; Department of Labor responsibilities; and enforcement. Amends the State Finance Act to create the Neonatal Intensive Care Leave Fund.

Amends the Transportation Benefits Program Act. Provides that the Act does not apply to a covered employer in the construction industry with respect to employees with whom the covered employer has entered into a bona fide collective bargaining agreement. Makes changes to definitions.