Rep. Katie Stuart

Amends the Use Tax Act and the Retailers' Occupation Tax Act. Provides that, for the purposes of those Acts, a corporation, limited liability company, society, association, foundation, or institution organized and operated exclusively for educational purposes shall include nonprofit corporations that solely conduct extracurricular activities on behalf of tax-supported public schools.

Amends the Children with Disabilities Article of the School Code. Provides that "separate public special education day school" does not mean any school in a school district that exceeds its Adequacy Target under the evidence-based funding formula. Effective immediately.

Amends the Architectural, Engineering, and Land Surveying Qualifications Based Selection Act. Provides that certain provisions of the Act concerning notice, evaluation procedures, and selection procedures do not apply to architectural, engineering, and land surveying contracts with an estimated basic professional services fee of less than $55,000 (currently, $25,000).

Amends the State Commemorative Dates Act. Designates August 27 of each year as Hero Day, to be observed as a day throughout the State to recognize those whose unwavering commitment to public safety has earned them our great respect, esteem, and gratitude. Effective immediately.

Amends the Illinois Procurement Code. Provides that the Code does not apply to the following procurements made by or on behalf of public institutions of higher education: (1) non-construction procurements under $250,000; (2) construction procurements under $500,000; (3) procurements and purchases made under the Illinois Public Higher Education Cooperative; and (4) all post-award procurement activities and documentation.

Amends the Illinois Procurement Code. In provisions concerning job order contracting, provides that public institutions of higher education may procure construction contracts via job order contracting through the use of competitive sealed bidding.

Amends the Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund (IMRF) Article of the Illinois Pension Code. Authorizes sheriff's law enforcement employee (SLEP) status for a person who is not eligible to participate in a downstate firefighter fund and is employed on a full-time basis by a participating municipality to perform duties as a paramedic, emergency medical technician (EMT), emergency medical technician-intermediate (EMT-I), or advanced emergency medical technician (A-EMT); but only if the governing authority of that municipality has approved sheriff's law enforcement employee status for such employees by adoption of an affirmative resolution. Provides that the resolution must specify that SLEP status shall be applicable to such employment occurring on or after the adoption of the resolution and that the resolution shall be irrevocable. Amends the State Mandates Act to require implementation without reimbursement.

Amends the Sports Wagering Act. Requires, beginning July 1, 2026, the State to impose and collect 2% of the adjusted gross receipts from sports wagers to be appropriated to local government fire departments, fire districts, and local government EMS ambulance departments.

Amends the Capital Development Board Act. Provides that the Capital Development Board shall establish uniform statewide minimum qualification requirements for code inspectors and shall maintain a statewide registry and certification program for qualified inspectors to demonstrate their compliance with the minimum qualification requirements. Provides that any municipal building code or county building code must ensure that all code inspectors meet at least the minimum certification requirements required by the Board for non-building code jurisdictions. Limits home rule powers. Amends the Public Community College Act. Provides that the Illinois Community College Board shall create a specific listing in its directory of programs for courses and programs that prepare students to become code inspectors. Provides that the State Board shall conduct a survey of all community colleges in the State to determine the current and historical enrollment in currently existing building code-related courses.

Maddy summaryHB 3557 exempts public institutions of higher education in Illinois from most provisions of the state's Procurement Code. It specifically allows universities to bypass standard procurement rules for 13 categories of purchases, including athletic events, library materials, student placements, sponsored research, and medical services at university health facilities. The bill requires universities to publicly report contracts over $100,000 in these exempt categories within 14 days of signing, and submit monthly reports to the Chief Procurement Officer, with annual summaries to the Governor and General Assembly. This change streamlines procurement for specific educational and operational needs while maintaining transparency through reporting requirements.