Rep. Bob Rita

Amends the Illinois Insurance Code. Provides that a health plan shall limit the total amount that a covered person is required to pay for a covered prescription inhaler at an amount not to exceed $25 per 30-day supply and shall limit the total amount that a covered person is required to pay for all covered prescription inhalers at an amount not to exceed $50 in total per 30 days. Provides that coverage for prescription inhalers shall not be subject to any deductible. Provides that nothing in the provisions prevents a health plan from reducing a covered person's cost sharing to an amount less than the cap. Authorizes rulemaking and enforcement by the Department of Insurance. Effective January 1, 2025.

Amends the Illinois Municipal Code. Provides that a municipality shall receive a waiver from paying a required match to a State grant of State moneys if the municipality meets all the other requirements needed for approval of the grant and submits documentation to the Governor's Office of Management and Budget, in a form and manner prescribed by the Office, that the municipality: (1) has a population under 25,000; (2) has over 13% of its residents under the federal poverty guidelines; (3) has had a negative fund balance within the past 5 years; or (4) has at least twice the debt compared to the retail market value of the municipality's real and personal property and moneys in the municipality's accounts. Effective July 1, 2025.

Amends the Property Tax Code. Provides that a claim for a refund resulting from a final order of the Property Tax Appeal Board shall not be allowed unless the claim is filed within 20 years after the date the right to a refund arose. Provides that the aggregate total of refunded taxes and interest shall not exceed $5,000,000 in any calendar year for claims filed more than 7 years after the right to the refund arose. Effective immediately.

Amends the Preventing Sexual Violence in Higher Education Act. Provides that all higher education institutions shall include in the comprehensive policy concerning sexual violence, domestic violence, dating violence, and stalking, information about how the higher education institution protects individuals who report from retaliation. Provides that the higher education institutions procedure for responding to a report shall also include protecting the survivor from retaliation, including a policy and process for early dismissal of any retaliatory claim by a respondent against a survivor, including, but not limited to, claims of defamation, harassment, bullying, and any other violation of policy claims where the actions alleged by the respondent are related to the survivor's report. Makes related changes in provisions concerning student notification of rights and options, confidential advisors, complaint resolution procedures, and campus training. Amends the Citizen Participation Act. Provides that a court shall not permit any person to pursue a defamation action to silence or retaliate against, a person reporting gender-based violence, including cases where the alleged perpetrator is publicly named. Provides that the exception to motions under this Act are when the acts are not genuinely aimed at procuring favorable government action, result, or outcome or when the plaintiff presents clear and convincing evidence that the reporting of gender-based violence constituted speaking with actual malice. Makes related changes.

Amends the Property Tax Code. In provisions concerning charitable exemptions granted to limited liability companies, removes a requirement that the limited liability company must be a disregarded entity for federal and Illinois income tax purposes.

Amends the Charter Schools Article of the School Code. In provisions concerning contract contents, provides that for a charter granted or renewed on or after the effective date of the amendatory Act by a local school board, administrative fees withheld from a charter school under the charter for the purpose of conducting administrative duties shall be capped at 3% or less of the total annual public dollars allocated to the charter school. Provides that the 3% total administrative fee collected from a charter school shall include a 2% or less administrative fee collected by a local school board for the purpose of conducting administrative duties related to the administration of charter school contracts, oversight, and authorizing services, and a 1% fee to be either (i) given to a statewide charter school membership association for the purpose of administering State-mandated board governance training, and compliance and technical assistance to charter schools for the purpose of meeting academic, financial, and operational reporting requirements, or (ii) sub-granted by a statewide charter school membership association to charter schools for the purpose of meeting academic, financial, and operational requirements as agreed upon with the authorizer in the charter school's contract. In provisions concerning the term of a charter, provides that an authorizer shall grant renewal for a term of no fewer than 5 years if the charter's average annual summative designation over the term of the charter is in the top 3 summative designations on the State report card prepared by the State Board of Education.

Amends the Illinois Municipal Code and the Fire Protection District Act. Provides that an individual who is not a citizen but is legally authorized to work in the United States under federal law is authorized to apply for the position of firefighter, subject to all requirements and limitations, other than citizenship, to which other applicants are subject. Effective January 1, 2024.

Amends the Illinois Income Tax Act. Creates a child tax credit in an amount equal to the product of a specified credit amount multiplied by the number of qualifying children of the taxpayer. Effective immediately.

Amends the Preventing Youth Vaping Act. Provides that any distributor, secondary distributor, or retailer who sells, offers for sale, or distributes electronic cigarettes shall (i) obtain certification by the manufacturer stating that the electronic cigarettes are not adulterated; (ii) not sell, offer for sale, or distribute any electronic cigarettes for which it has not obtained a certification; (iii) maintain, for at least 2 years, a copy of any certification provided to it by a manufacturer; and (iv) produce a copy of any certification provided by a manufacturer upon request by the Department of Revenue, the Attorney General, or any entity with enforcement authority under the Act. Provides that no manufacturer of electronic cigarettes shall provide any false or misleading statement in any certification.

Creates the Department of Early Childhood Act. Creates the Department of Early Childhood to begin operation on July 1, 2024 and transfers to it certain rights, powers, duties, and functions currently exercised by various agencies of State Government. Provides that, beginning July 1, 2026 the Department of Early Childhood shall be the lead State agency for administering and providing early childhood education and care programs and services to children and families including: home-visiting services; early intervention services; preschool services; child care services; licensing for day care centers, day care homes, and group day care homes; and other early childhood education and care programs and administrative functions historically managed by the State Board of Education, the Department of Human Services, and the Department of Children and Family Services. Makes conforming changes to various Acts including the Department of Human Services Act, the Illinois Early Learning Council Act, the Illinois Procurement Code, the School Code, the Illinois Public Aid Code, the Early Intervention Services System Act and the Children and Family Services Act. Effective immediately.