Rep. Bob Rita

Amends the Illinois Aeronautics Act. Amends the Illinois Aeronautics Act. Defines "critical infrastructure". Provides that a provision regarding publicly owned or controlled property that is intended or permitted to be used for recreational or conservation purposes does not authorize restricting or limiting the use of unmanned aircraft systems when such usage is by commercial users for business operations in connection with critical infrastructure. Provides that any rules adopted under a provision related to publicly owned or controlled property that is intended or permitted to be used for recreational or conservation purposes shall not: supersede the operation of an unmanned aircraft system by a person or entity for a commercial purpose in compliance with applicable Federal Aviation Administration authorization, regulations, or exemptions; or preclude an individual licensed under the Illinois Professional Land Surveyor Act of 1989 or the Professional Engineering Practice Act of 1989 from operating an unmanned aerial vehicle within the scope of his or her professional practice. Effective immediately.

Amends the Public Community College Act. Allows the board of trustees of a community college district to establish and offer a baccalaureate degree program and confer a bachelor's degree if specified conditions are met. Requires the board of trustees to demonstrate that the community college district has the expertise, the resources, and sufficient student demand to offer a baccalaureate degree. Sets forth the application requirements. Prohibits a community college district from using semester credit hours generated in a baccalaureate degree program for certain grants. Sets forth limitations on community college districts for establishing baccalaureate programs. Requires a community college district that offers a baccalaureate degree program to submit an annual report to the Illinois Community College Board. Requires the Illinois Community College Board and the Board of Higher Education to conduct a statewide evaluation of all baccalaureate degree programs established under the amendatory Act and report the results of the evaluation on or before 5 years after the effective date of the amendatory Act, in addition to being made publicly available online. Effective immediately.

Creates the Food Reform to Ensure Student Health Act. Requires each school district in the State to begin to eliminate ultraprocessed foods of concern and restricted school foods by July 1, 2029. Provides that, beginning July 1, 2032, a vendor may not offer to a school either an ultraprocessed food of concern or a restricted school food. Requires food vendors to report to the Department of Public Health certain information about ultraprocessed foods of concern and restricted school foods that they have sold to schools. Requires the Department, in consultation with the State Board of Education, to submit to the General Assembly and Governor annual summary reports of the data submitted to it by food vendors. Directs the Department to post these reports on its website. Requires the Department of Public Health to adopt rules establishing definitions of the terms "ultraprocessed foods of concern" and "restricted school foods" for purposes of these requirements. Requires the Department to review those rules and, if needed, update them every 5 years. Requires the Department to consult with the State Board of Education and to provide compliance training for school food service and procurement staff. Describes the topics to be covered by the Department in the training. Provides for the repeal of the Act on January 1, 2034. Amends the State Mandates Act to require implementation without reimbursement.

Amends the Environmental Protection Act. Provides that, beginning July 1, 2027, an amount equal to 10 cents of every fee collected for the sale of new or used tires at retail shall be allocated to the Department of Public Health for a grant to the Illinois Lyme Association's Tick Research, Education, and Evaluation project. Increases an extra fee collected for the sale of new or used tires at retail for the Emergency Public Health Fund, beginning July 1, 2027, from 50 cents per tire to 60 cents per tire.

Amends the Counties Code and the Illinois Municipal Code. Provides that neither a county nor a municipality may impose a tax on businesses calculated based on the number of employees of the business. Effective immediately.

Amends the Hospital Licensing Act. Removes provisions requiring the Department on Aging to adopt rules to address instances when a case coordination unit is unable to complete an assessment in a hospital prior to the discharge of a patient 60 years or older to a nursing home to ensure that the patient is able to access nursing home care, the nursing home is not penalized for accepting the admission, and the patient's timely discharge from the hospital is not delayed, to the extent permitted under federal law or regulation.

Amends the Video Gaming Act. Prohibits a terminal operator from compensating a sales agent and broker based on a percentage of the after-tax profits from a video gaming terminal, the net terminal income from a video gaming terminal or attributed to licensed establishments, or any other compensation metric based upon the performance of a video gaming terminal in various licensed establishments. Provides that a terminal operator shall not enter into any contract or agreement for the sharing, splitting, or payment of net terminal income with any other person. Prohibits any contract or agreement for the sharing, splitting, or payment of net terminal income with any other person executed before January 1, 2025 from being amended, modified, or extended. Allows a terminal operator to enter into a contract or agreement for the sharing, splitting, or payment of net terminal income with any other person if such contract is approved by the Illinois Gaming Board. Prohibits a sales agent and broker from giving anything of value to a current or potential licensed establishment. Prohibits a sales agent and broker that is not an owner of a terminal operator to solicit or procure a use agreement or any other contract or agreement that purports to control or authorize the placement or operation of a video gaming terminal on behalf of a terminal operator from a current or potential licensed establishment if that person is an immediate family member of a direct or indirect owner, officer, director, manager, employee, or a person who otherwise significantly influences or controls the licensed establishment. Provides that any use agreement currently authorizing the placement and operation of video gaming may continue as a valid and enforceable use agreement through the end of the current use agreement term, but shall not be amended, modified, extended, or renewed after the effective date of the amendatory Act. Prohibits a current or potential licensed establishment from accepting anything of value from a terminal operator or sales agent and broker as any incentive or inducement to locate video gaming terminals in that establishment and licensed establishments. Makes other changes.

Amends the Illinois Controlled Substances Act concerning the Prescription Monitoring Program. Provides that interstate data sharing agreements shall be mutual. Provides that the Department of Human Services shall only share data if the reciprocal state provides equal access to data of the reciprocating state to all authorized users, licensed health care entities, and application vendors regardless of their method of connection to the Prescription Monitoring Program for interstate data sharing. Effective immediately.

Creates the Ground-Based Sparkler Purchaser Excise Tax Act. Imposes a tax, beginning July 1, 2025, upon purchasers for the privilege of using ground-based sparklers and not for the purpose of resale at the rate of 6% of the purchase price of ground-based sparklers. Prohibits certain retail combinations or bundles. Requires every retailer required to collect the tax to apply to the Department of Revenue for a certificate of registration. Provides that any retailer required to collect the tax shall be liable to the Department for the tax, whether the tax has been collected, and any such tax shall constitute a debt to the State. Provides for the making of returns. Provides that from the revenue collected, the Department shall pay 25% into the Fireman's Annuity and Benefit Fund, 25% into the Firefighters' Pension Investment Fund, and 50% into the General Revenue Fund. Provides for recordkeeping requirements. Establishes penalties for violations of the Act. Provides that the Department shall have full power to administer and enforce the Act. Allows for the arrest of any person who violates the Act, the search of any place of business to inspect all ground-based sparklers, and the seizure of any ground based-sparklers without a warrant. Sets forth hearing requirements after seizure. Allows the Department to adopt rules. Amends the Fireworks Regulation Act of Illinois. Allows a municipality to prohibit the sale and use of ground-based sparklers on public property. Prohibits ground-based sparklers from being sold to a person under the age of 18 years. Amends the Pyrotechnic Use Act. Prohibits ground-based sparklers from being sold to a person under the age of 18 years. Effective July 1, 2025.

Amends the Juvenile Court Act of 1987 and the Code of Criminal Procedure of 1963. Provides that unreliable statements to law enforcement made during a custodial interrogation conducted at a police station or other place of detention by a defendant are inadmissible at trial in any criminal court proceeding or juvenile court proceeding for the prosecution of a homicide. Provides that in any proceeding under this provision, the prosecution shall timely disclose prior to any relevant evidentiary hearing or trial its intent to introduce a statement made during a custodial interrogation conducted at a place of detention. Provides that at that time, the prosecution must tender any electronic recordings of the statement and any documents relating to the circumstances under which the statement was obtained and any other evidence the State intends to rely upon to determine the statement's reliability. Provides that before trial, a defendant may move to exclude a statement alleged to be unreliable. Provides that the defendant shall specifically identify the statement or statements alleged to be unreliable. Provides that at the hearing, it shall be the burden of the prosecutor to prove by a preponderance of the evidence that the statement is reliable. Provides that when deciding a statement's reliability, a court should consider: (1) whether the details in the statement fit with the evidence known before the interrogation, especially details that describe unusual or not easily guessed facts of the crime that had not been made public; (2) whether the statement provides any new details or any new evidence not known before the interrogation that can be independently corroborated after the interrogation; (3) whether facts of the crime were disclosed to the defendant rather than originated with the defendant; (4) whether the defendant recanted the defendant's statement at any time and the circumstances of that recantation; (5) whether the statement was electronically recorded; and (6) any other information relevant to the reliability of the statement.