Rep. Marcus Evans

Urges the implementation of interventions to support vaccine uptake and reduce disparities in vaccine coverage among children. Urges the Illinois Department of Health, the Illinois State Board of Education, and the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services to work with pediatricians, clinicians, families, and other stakeholders to ensure infants and children are vaccinated on time and students begin school fully vaccinated. Urges the Illinois Department of Health, the Illinois State Board of Education, and the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services to continue to invest in immunization initiatives and infrastructure to ensure timely reporting of vaccine coverage to ensure children are protected from vaccine-preventable illness in public and private schools, child care facilities, and pre-kindergarten programs and beyond.

Appropriates $6,000,000 from the General Revenue Fund to the Department of Human Services for a grant to the Neighborhood Housing Services of Chicago for costs associated with funding equitable mortgage lending, homeownership rehabilitation and development, and homebuyer subsidies and support. Effective July 1, 2025.

Appropriates $18,000,000 from the General Revenue Fund to the Illinois Emergency Management Agency and Office of Homeland Security for deposit into the IEMA State Projects Fund for grants and operational expenses associated with the administration of Illinois’ Not-For-Profit Security Grant Program. Effective July 1, 2025.

Amends the Freedom of Information Act. Exempts images from cameras under the Expressway Camera Act and all automated license plate reader (ALPR) information used and collected by the Illinois State Police from inspection and copying. Amends the Expressway Camera Act. Provides that, as used in the Act, "forcible felony" means trafficking in persons and involuntary servitude (in addition to other specified offenses). Includes the counties of Lee, Ogle, and Whiteside in the program to increase cameras along expressways and the State highway system. Provides that images from the cameras, including, but not limited to, images of license plates collected by state-operated cameras and cameras operated by the Illinois State Toll Highway Authority, may be used by any law enforcement agency conducting an active law enforcement investigation. Removes provision allowing images from the cameras to be used by any law enforcement agency conducting an active law enforcement investigation. Provides that all images from the cameras that are exported through a law enforcement database shall be deleted from that law enforcement database within 120 days, unless the images are relevant to an ongoing investigation or pending criminal trial. Provides that any forcible felony, gunrunning, or firearms trafficking offense, as specified, respectively, committed on an expressway monitored by a camera system funded by money from the Road Fund or money from the Illinois State Toll Highway Authority and investigated by officers of the Illinois State Police may be prosecuted by the Attorney General or the State's Attorney where the offense was committed. Provides that the Act supersedes provisions in the Toll Highway Act regarding the confidentiality of personally identifiable information obtained through electronic toll collection systems. Provides that the Act is repealed on July 1, 2028 (rather than July 1, 2025). Effective immediately.

Amends the Telephone Solicitations Act. Provides that no person shall solicit the sale of goods or services in the State through automatic dialing, the use of an auto dialer, or the use of a computer program designed to mimic a human operator, unless the person being contacted has expressly consented to be contacted in this manner. Provides that, if a person has previously consented to be contacted in the manner otherwise prohibited, the consent shall only be valid for a period of one year and the person shall be allowed to withdraw that consent at any time in the same manner that the consent was given. Provides that a person to whom consent has been given shall not sell, give, transfer, or assign that consent to another person. Provides for exemptions to the provision. Provides that any customer who is subject to a violation of the provision may bring an action for damages of $500 per violation, plus costs and reasonable attorney's fees. Makes a change to the definition of "emergency telephone number".

Amends the State Treasurer Act. Provides that, subject to appropriation, the State Treasurer may make a matching contribution of $50 to an ABLE account opened on or after January 1, 2026 for a beneficiary who is a resident of Illinois. Provides that the matching contribution shall be limited to one contribution per beneficiary and shall not be treated differently from any other contributions to the account. Provides that if there are insufficient funds available, the State Treasurer may reduce the matching contribution amount or forgo contributions. Provides that the Illinois ABLE Matching Contribution Fund shall be the official repository of all contributions, appropriated funds, interest, and dividend payments, gifts, or other financial assets received by the State Treasurer in connection with matching contributions to ABLE accounts. Amends the State Finance Act. Creates the Illinois ABLE Matching Contribution Fund.

Amends the Energy Transition Act. Adds electrification industries to clean energy jobs. 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, 2025. 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. Effective immediately.

Amends the Illinois Procurement Code. Provides that any contract that provides for the storage of any State data shall include a requirement that the State data must be processed, stored, and disposed of within the territory of the United States. Provides that, for any contract that provides for the storage of State data, the Chief Procurement Officer shall allocate to any qualified bidder an earned credit of: (1) 2% of the contract base bid for ensuring that all State data that is included in the contract is stored within the State of Illinois; and (2) an additional 4% of the contract base bid for ensuring that all such State data is stored within an opportunity zone. Contains provisions concerning data centers.

Creates the Chicago Downtown Revitalization Task Force Act. Includes legislative findings. Creates the Chicago Downtown Revitalization Task Force. Includes provisions on Task Force membership, meetings, compensation, and administrative support. Requires the Task Force to (1) conduct an analysis of all taxes and economic incentives, monetary or otherwise, that impact downtown Chicago, including analyzing all taxes and incentives levied or administered directly by the State of Illinois as well as those authorized by State law but are implemented by units of local government, including the City of Chicago; (2) research and review trends impacting downtown Chicago, including, but not limited to, population growth, office occupancy rates, commercial office vacancy and valuation figures, retail sales, restaurant sales, hotel occupancy rates, and cultural event attendance; (3) examine national best practices in the area of post-pandemic revitalization of large urban centers and consider the applicability of such policies to downtown Chicago; (4) assess existing and potential industry clusters based on current and anticipated trends to consider policy solutions that may optimize the marketability and overall appeal of downtown Chicago to potential growth sectors; and (5) make recommendations regarding changes to existing policy or the implementation of new policies to enhance economic activity in and increase the overall vitality of downtown Chicago. Requires the Task Force to submit a report no later than 12 months after the effective date of the Act and periodically thereafter. Dissolves the Task Force 5 years after the effective date of the Act. Repeals the Act on January 1, 2032.

Maddy summaryHB 248 makes a technical amendment to the Bias-Free Child Removal Pilot Program Act. Specifically, it revises a section related to the short title of that existing act.