Rep. Ann Williams

Honors the memory of the Jewish people who were victims of the Holocaust and recognizes the bravery of survivors who have shared their stories with the world. Honors the memory of the millions of additional people, including prisoners of war, ethnic Poles, Romani people, Serbian civilians, people with disabilities, political opponents and dissenters, people labeled as asocial, Jehovah's Witnesses, gay, bisexual, and transgender people, and Black Germans, who were persecuted and murdered by the Nazi state and their collaborators. Expresses gratitude for the soldiers, resistance fighters, and all those who helped defeat the Nazi regime and end the Holocaust. Expresses gratitude for the American soldiers who fought around the world during World War II, including the over 980,000 men and women from Illinois who served in the U.S. Armed Forces and the approximately 22,000 who gave their lives in pursuit of liberty. Expresses gratitude for the American forces that liberated the Buchenwald concentration camp on April 11, 1945, and who would go on that month to liberate concentration camps at Dachau, Dora-Mittelbau, and Flossenburg before liberating Mauthausen in early May 1945. Urges all Illinoisans to commit to learning about the Holocaust in order to ensure that such atrocities are never perpetrated again. Urges all Illinoisans to enhance their efforts to combat antisemitism, bigotry, intolerance, and racism.

Declares March 25, 2025 as Equal Pay Day in the State of Illinois. Encourages the citizens of this State to learn about the pay gap that women experience in society and to learn about these various dates that bring attention to the pay gap that specific groups experience.

Amends the Illinois Act on the Aging. In provisions concerning the Community Care Program, provides that, subject to federal approval, on and after January 1, 2026, rates for in-home services shall be increased to $32.75 to sustain a minimum wage of $20 per hour for direct service workers. As a condition of their eligibility for the $32.75 in-home services rate, requires in-home services providers to (i) certify to the Department on Aging that they remain in compliance with the mandated wage increase for direct service workers and (ii) submit cost reports. Provides that fringe benefits shall not be reduced in relation to the rate increases. Provides that beginning January 1, 2028, the Department shall ensure that each in-home service provider spends a minimum of 80% of total payments the provider receives for homecare aide services it furnishes under the Community Care Program on total compensation for direct service workers who furnish those services. Requires the Department to adopt rules on financial reporting and minimum direct service worker costs. Authorizes the Department to sanction a provider that fails to meet the requirements of the amendatory Act. Defines terms.

Designates Rooms 105 and 109 of the Illinois State Library at 300 South Second Street in Springfield as the "Jim Edgar Reading Room" that houses the Illinois Authors' Collection in honor of the lasting legacy and impact of former Illinois Governor and Illinois Secretary of State Jim Edgar.

Amends the Public Utilities Act. Provides that a gas utility may cease providing service if the Illinois Commerce Commission determines that adequate substitute service is available at a reasonable cost to support the existing end uses of the affected utility customers. Provides for cost-effective energy efficiency measures for natural gas utilities that supersede existing provisions concerning natural gas energy efficiency programs and take effect beginning January 1, 2027. Provides that gas main and gas service extension policies shall be based on the principle that the full incremental cost associated with new development and growth shall be borne by the customers that cause those incremental costs. Provides that, no later than 60 days after the effective date of the amendatory Act, the Commission shall initiate a docketed rulemaking reviewing each gas public utility tariff that provides for gas main and gas service extensions without additional charge to new customers in excess of the default extensions as specified in administrative rule. Adds the Clean Building Heating Law Article to the Act, with provisions concerning emissions standards for heating in buildings, as well as related and other provisions. Adds the 2050 Heat Decarbonization Standard Article to the Act, with provisions concerning options for compliance, measures for customer emission reduction, customer emission reductions, tradable clean heat credits, banking of emission reductions, equity in emission reductions, enforcement, the 2050 Heat Decarbonization Pathways Study, gas infrastructure planning, a study on gas utility financial incentive reform, and reporting requirements. Adds the Statewide Navigator Program Law Article to the Act, with provisions concerning creation of a statewide navigator program, as well as related and other provisions. Amends the Energy Transition Act to add electrification industries to clean energy jobs. Effective immediately.

Creates the Municipal and Cooperative Electric Utility Planning and Transparency Act. Provides that, by November 1, 2025, and by November 1 every 3 years thereafter, all electric cooperatives with members in the State, municipal power agencies, and municipalities shall file with the Illinois Power Agency an integrated resource plan. Sets forth provisions concerning the plan. Amends the Illinois Power Agency Act. Authorizes the Illinois Power Agency to develop capacity procurement plans and conduct competitive procurement processes for the procurement of capacity needed to ensure environmentally sustainable long-term resource adequacy across the State at the lowest cost over time. Amends the Public Utilities Act. Changes the cumulative persisting annual savings goals for electric utilities that serve less than 3,000,000 retail customers but more than 500,000 retail customers for the years of 2025 through 2030. Provides that the cumulative persisting annual savings goals beyond the year 2030 shall increase by 0.9 (rather than 0.6) percentage points per year. Changes the requirements for submitting proposed plans and funding levels to meet savings goals for an electric utility serving more than 500,000 retail customers (rather than serving less than 3,000,000 retail customers but more than 500,000 retail customers). Provides that an electric utility that has a tariff approved within one year of the amendatory Act shall also offer at least one market-based, time-of-use rate for eligible retail customers that choose to take power and energy supply service from the utility. Sets forth provisions regarding the Illinois Commerce Commission's powers and duties related to residential time-of-use pricing. Provides that each capacity procurement event may include the procurement of capacity through a mix of contracts with different terms and different initial delivery dates. Sets forth the requirements of prepared capacity procurement plans. Requires each alternative electric supplier to make payment to an applicable electric utility for capacity, receive transfers of capacity credits, report capacity credits procured on its behalf to the applicable regional transmission organization, and submit the capacity credits to the applicable regional transmission organization under that regional transmission organization's rules and procedures. Makes other changes.

Declares April 2025 and April 2026 as Deaf History Month in the State of Illinois and encourages Illinoisans to become familiar with and celebrate the contributions of deaf Illinoisans to our state and nation.

Amends the Cycle Rider Safety Training Act. Removes motor driven cycle and moped from the definition of "cycle". Defines "Cycle Rider Safety Training Course Provider" and "Provider" as a for-profit or nonprofit business, community agency, community organization, community college, or State university that is capable of providing courses. Provides that the Department of Transportation shall put out notices to the public seeking Cycle Rider Safety Training Course Providers to provide courses in the State, and that such courses shall be open to all residents of the State who hold a currently valid driver's license and who have reached their 16th birthday before the first day of the course to be held. Allows providers to charge a nominal registration fee set by the Department. Provides that responses from potential providers shall include the location where classes are to be held at, the number of students they intend to train, whether they would be providing motorcycles or using motorcycles owned by the Department, and the cost for courses provided on a per student basis. Provides that contracts shall be awarded by the Department to providers based on training needs and cost effectiveness of each bid or proposal. Provides that a provider shall only be paid grant funds under one of the following conditions: a course was held; expenses submitted related to the maintenance of department owned equipment; or submitting other non-personnel expenses. Provides that a provider awarded a contract with grant funding shall: submit proof that each instructor employed by the provider meets the qualifications to teach the curriculum for the courses; have at least one employee on staff certified to do quality assurance or quality control visits where instructors are evaluated per curriculum standards on teaching; perform at least one quality assurance or quality control visit on each instructor employed during the year and submit the results of those visits to the Department; maintain appropriate liability insurance to cover training activities; submit requests for payment in a timely manner; and adhere to additional program rules and regulations. Prohibits a provider awarded a contract with grant funding from adopting any policy, requirement, or expectation regarding employee's manner of dress outside of the employee's scheduled work hours. Makes other changes. Effective January 1, 2026.

Specifies that the amendatory Act may be referred to as the Equality for Every Family Act. Amends the Illinois Parentage Act of 2015. Declares it to be the public policy of Illinois that a child has the same rights and protections under law to parentage without regard to the marital status, age, gender, gender identity or sexual orientation of their parents, or the circumstances of the child's birth, including whether the child was born as a result of assisted reproduction or surrogacy. Changes the burden of proof for challenging a presumption of parentage from clear and convincing evidence to a preponderance of the evidence. Provides that a person who gave birth to a child and an alleged genetic parent of the child, a presumed parent under the Illinois Parentage Act of 2015, or an intended parent under the assisted reproduction provisions may sign an acknowledgment of parentage to establish the parentage of the child. Prohibits genetic testing from being used to: (i) challenge the parentage of a person who is a parent by assisted reproduction under the Illinois Parentage Act of 2015 or the Gestational Surrogacy Act; or (ii) establish the parentage of a person who is a donor. Changes the venue provisions for a proceeding to adjudicate parentage and the related notice provisions in such a proceeding. Provides that an individual who consents to assisted reproduction with the intent to be a parent of a child conceived by assisted reproduction is a parent of the child. Amends the Illinois Gestational Surrogacy Act. Contains provisions describing the consequences if a change in the martial status of a surrogate occurs. Sets out provisions concerning the termination of a gestational surrogacy agreement. Amends the Adoption Act. Provides a process for a confirmatory adoption for children born through assisted reproduction. Defines terms. Makes other changes. Effective immediately.

Amends the Administration Article of the Illinois Public Aid Code. Provides that any program of study at a public institution of higher education improves employability and shall be considered equivalent to an acceptable SNAP Employment and Training (E&T) program component, unless prohibited by federal law. Defines "public institution of higher education". Requires the Department of Human Services to adopt any rules necessary to implement the amendatory Act. Provides that rulemaking shall not delay full implementation of the amendatory Act. Effective immediately.