Rep. Abdelnasser Rashid

Creates the Passenger Rail Planning Act. Sets forth intercity passenger rail routes serving or originating in the State. Requires the Department of Transportation to incorporate the aspirational frequencies into the Illinois State Rail Plan and the Long-Range Statewide Transportation Plan. Authorizes the Department to nominate corridors for inclusion in the Federal Railroad Administration's Corridor Identification and Development Program and enter into memoranda of understanding or other cooperative agreements for each identified interstate corridor to provide for shared data, joint investment prioritization, and aligned performance measures and planning schedules. Requires the Department to include a recurring section titled Progress Toward High-Speed and Intercity Passenger Rail within each update to the Illinois State Rail Plan and Statewide Transportation Improvement Program. Requires each Metropolitan Planning Organization in the State to: (1) recognize the target intercity and long-distance passenger rail frequencies; (2) identify relevant rail corridors within or adjacent to the Metropolitan Planning Organization planning area; and (3) include a narrative discussion of how regional transportation investments can support achievement of those frequency targets. Requires the Department and each Metropolitan Planning Organization to consider progress toward the target passenger rail frequencies when developing project prioritization criteria for multimodal investments. Contains other provisions. Effective immediately.

Amends the Illinois Act on the Aging. Provides that, subject to federal approval, on and after January 1, 2027, rates for in-home services shall be increased to $33.92 to sustain a minimum wage of $20.75 per hour for direct service workers. Requires rates in subsequent State fiscal years to be no lower than the rates put into effect upon federal approval. Provides that in order for a provider of in-home services to be eligible to receive the $33.92 rate, the provider must pay a minimum wage of $20.75 per hour to all direct service workers employed by the provider. Requires providers of in-home services to certify to the Department on Aging that they remain in compliance with the mandated wage increase for direct service workers. Requires each provider of in-home services to submit cost reports to the Department consistent with a specified administrative rule in order to be eligible for the $33.92 rate for in-home services. Provides that fringe benefits shall not be reduced in relation to the described rate increases. Requires the Department, beginning January 1, 2027, to ensure that each in-home service provider spends a minimum of 79% of the total payments the provider receives for home care aide services it furnishes under the Community Care Program on total compensation for direct service workers who furnish those services. Requires annual direct service worker cost reports from providers; and requires the Department to amend existing rules on financial reporting and minimum direct service worker costs to reflect the increase in the direct service worker spending requirement from 77% to 79%.

Creates the Police Mental Health Leave Act. Provides that a law enforcement officer suffering from a mental illness as a result of a traumatic event shall be entitled to use 5 days of paid mental health leave during any 12-month period. Requires a law enforcement agency to adopt a mental health leave policy that includes specified provisions. Sets forth provisions concerning existing leave policies; employee protections; retaliation; and recordkeeping. Provides for a private right of action.

Amends the School Code. Provides that, subject to appropriation, the State Board of Education, in consultation with the Department of Public Health, shall develop an educational document explaining, at a minimum, the values of good indoor air quality and shall supply the document to school districts. Provides that, subject to funding from the State Board, a school district shall ensure that all active classrooms are equipped with an air quality monitor.

Amends the Administration Article of the Illinois Public Aid Code. Requires the Department of Human Services to, subject to available funding, establish a Families Receiving Emergency Support for Hunger (FRESH) Program to provide FRESH benefits to households subject to termination of the household's Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, or a reduction in the household's monthly SNAP benefit allotment, if the termination or reduction in SNAP benefits occurred as a result of one or more members of the household failing to meet SNAP work requirements. Provides that, for eligible households whose SNAP benefits were reduced or terminated, FRESH benefits shall be provided as a one-time lump sum payment distributed via an Electronic Benefits Transfer card. Requires the Department to make FRESH program applications available online and at local Family and Community Resource Centers immediately upon the first of the month following the effective date of the amendatory Act. Provides that an application for FRESH benefits shall not be deemed an application for any other public aid provided under the Code. Requires the Department to provide within a specified time frame FRESH benefits to households' that experience a reduction or termination of SNAP benefits prior to or after the first month following the effective date of the amendatory Act, if certain application submission deadlines are met. Requires the Department to publish monthly data reports on the FRESH program and to include such data in the Department's annual report to the General Assembly. Prohibits the Department and local governmental units from considering a household's receipt of FRESH benefits when determining the household's eligibility for other assistance provided under the Code. Provides that the provisions of the amendatory Act are inoperative on and after January 1, 2028. Effective immediately.

Amends the Small Business Job Creation Tax Credit Act. Renews the program for incentive periods beginning on or after July 1, 2018 and ending on or before June 30, 2025. Removes language concerning the Put Illinois to Work Program for the second series of incentive periods. Provides that the term "full-time employee" means an individual who is employed for a basic wage for at least 35 hours each week (currently, employed for a basic wage for at least 35 hours each week or renders any other standard of service generally accepted by industry custom or practice as full-time employment). Provides that a net increase in the number of full-time Illinois employees shall be treated as continuous if a different new employee is hired as a replacement within 8 weeks after the position becomes vacant (currently, a reasonable time). Effective immediately.

Amends the General Provisions Article of the Illinois Pension Code. Removes provisions requiring the Illinois Investment Policy Board to include companies that boycott Israel in its list of restricted companies. Makes conforming changes. Effective immediately.

Amends Department of Public Health Powers and Duties Law of the Civil Administrative Code of Illinois. In provisions regarding a Safety-Net Hospital Health Equity and Access Leadership (HEAL) Grant Program, changes references to safety-net hospitals to references to community safety-net hospitals. Updates references to dates in those provisions. Defines "community safety-net hospital", "health system", and "medically underserved area". Makes changes to required provisions in the report to the General Assembly regarding criteria for a community safety-net hospital to be eligible for the program, deletes required provisions in the report to the General Assembly regarding potential projects eligible for grant funds, and adds required provisions in the report to the General Assembly regarding an application process and criteria, as well as policies, standards, and procedures to administer the program and ensure accountability.

Creates the Isolated Confinement Restriction Act. Provides that the Act may be referred to as the Nelson Mandela Act. Provides that a committed person may not be in isolated confinement for more than 10 consecutive days. Provides that a committed person may not be in isolated confinement for more than 10 days in any 180-day period. Provides that the provision of basic needs and services, such as nutritious food, clean water, hygiene supplies, clothing, bedding and mattress, religious materials, legal materials, access to grievance forms, and access to medical and mental health, shall not be restricted as a form of punishment or discipline for committed persons in isolated confinement. Provides that a committed person in protective custody may opt out of that status by providing informed, voluntary, written refusal of that status. Provides that a committed person shall not be placed in isolated confinement if the committed person: (1) is 21 years of age or younger; (2) is 55 years of age or older; (3) has a disability as defined in the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990; or (4) is pregnant or postpartum. Provides that nothing in the Act is intended to restrict any rights or privileges a committed person may have under any other statute, rule, or regulation. Amends the Unified Code of Corrections to make conforming changes. Effective immediately.

Amends the Medical Assistance Article of the Illinois Public Aid Code. Provides that any person who was initially determined to be eligible for medical assistance and is receiving institutional services or home and community-based services as authorized under the Article shall be presumed eligible for a continuation of coverage for such services during any redetermination process, unless the person experiences a material change in financial circumstances that results in the loss of eligibility. Requires any person who experiences a material change in financial circumstances that results in the loss of eligibility to notify the Department of Healthcare and Family Services. Permits the Department to conduct a redetermination of eligibility. Requires the Department to notify the person before the commencement of any redetermination and after the redetermination is concluded along with the results of the redetermination and the effective date of any eligibility change. Requires the Department to seek federal authorization, no later than January 1, 2028, to exempt persons with disabilities who are otherwise eligible for medical assistance from annual eligibility redeterminations, except that a full redetermination shall be conducted at least once every 5 years, regardless of whether a material change in financial circumstances has occurred.