Rep. Will Guzzardi

Creates the Building Remedies to End Abusive Tear Gas and Harmful Exposures Act. Establishes the Chemical Agent Review Board within the Department of Public Health, and sets forth the Board's membership and duties. Prohibits deployment or possession of lachrymatory agents in the State, except for limited purposes. Requires the Department to adopt rules for approval of pepper spray formulations, including safety standards, testing protocols, and restrictions on delivery mechanisms. Directs the Department to maintain a public database of approved formulations and adverse event reports. Provides for reporting of chemical irritant deployments other than for personal self-defense. Creates a private right of action and enforcement authority for the Attorney General and certain organizations, with remedies including damages, civil penalties, and injunctive relief. Establishes the Illinois Human Rights Enforcement Fund. Includes home rule limitation and severability provisions and transition and compliance periods. Amends the State Finance Act to make conforming changes. Effective immediately.

Amends the Medical Practice Act of 1987. In provisions concerning legend drugs, provides that, at the request of a person dispensing a drug or medicine, the label affixed to a box, bottle, vessel, or package containing mifepristone, misoprostol, or any generic alternative may include the name of the dispensing health care practice instead of the name of the person dispensing the drug or medicine. Amends the Pharmacy Practice Act. In provisions concerning the label of a drug, medicine, or poison that is lawfully sold or dispensed, provides that, at a prescriber's request, the label affixed to a box, bottle, vessel, or package containing mifepristone, misoprostol, or any generic alternative may include the name of the prescribing health care practice instead of the name of the prescriber.

Creates the Protective Medical Equipment Freedom Act. Provides that all individual in the State have the right to wear protective medical equipment in any place of public accommodation where they have a lawful right to be without obligation to disclose health status or any other protected information, and no person, entity, or authority shall deny, restrict, or infringe upon this right. Provides that operators and public officials shall not discriminate against or penalize medical device wearers for exercising their right to wear protective medical equipment. Provides that discrimination under the Act includes, but is not limited to: denial of service; eviction from premises; any form of harassment to remove or refrain from wearing such equipment for any amount of time; specified actions taken by employers; and provision of unequal goods, services, facilities, advantages, or accommodations. Sets forth provisions concerning the protection against retaliation, the exceptions for security requirements, operational safety, age and identity restricted products, and financial institution customer identification, and an undue hardship exemption. Effective immediately.

Amends the Illinois Vehicle Code. Provides that an individual operating a bicycle approaching a stop sign may proceed through the intersection without stopping if the individual slows to a reasonable speed and the individual yields the right-of-way to pedestrians and traffic. Sets forth exemptions.

Creates the Let the People Lift the Ban Act. Includes legislative findings and purpose. Defines terms. Excludes specified types of residences and occupancies from the Act. Includes provisions relating to rental agreements, tenant and landlord rights and obligations, tenant and landlord remedies, security deposits, retaliatory conduct, lockouts, and conflict with other provisions of law. Amends the Rent Control Preemption Act. Provides that a prohibition on a unit of local government enacting, maintaining, or enforcing an ordinance or resolution that would have the effect of controlling the amount of rent charged for leasing private residential or commercial property does not apply if the voters of the unit of local government have approved a referendum allowing rent control. Adds provisions about local rent control regulation, including regulation within a district, precinct, ward, or other similar subdivision of a unit of local government. Changes the home rule preemption of the Act to concurrent exercise of home rule powers by a unit rather than exclusive exercise by the State. Repeals the Retaliatory Eviction Act. Effective immediately.

Creates the Employee Ownership Development Act. Provides that the State Treasurer shall segregate a portion of the Treasurer's State investment portfolio in the Employee Ownership Development Account. Provides that moneys in the Employee Ownership Development Account shall be invested by the State Treasurer to provide employee ownership capital to employee ownership development projects seeking to locate, expand, or remain in the State. Sets forth provisions concerning Employee Ownership Development Account-Recipient Funds. Provides that the Employee Ownership Development Fund is created as a non-appropriated trust fund within the State treasury, which may receive a portion of earnings from the Employee Ownership Development Account. Provides for reporting requirements. Provides that the State Treasurer may adopt rules necessary to implement the Act. Effective immediately.

Amends the Charter Schools Law of the School Code. Provides that upon approval of a charter renewal by an authorizer, the charter operator shall execute the renewal agreement no later than 90 days after the date of the authorizer's final renewal approval. Provides that a charter school that is deemed nonrenewed is ineligible to receive any payments from a school district. Provides that a charter operator that fails to execute a renewal agreement within a specified period may not continue to operate the charter school beyond the expiration of the existing charter term and is subject to closure procedures. Requires every charter operator to maintain closure security. Provides that failure to maintain closure security is a basis for the authorizer to withhold a portion of per-pupil payments until compliance is achieved and for consideration in denying a charter renewal or revoking the charter or ineligibility to operate additional charter campuses. Provides that if the closure security is insufficient to cover the costs of a closure event, the authorizer or the State Board of Education may bring a civil action against the charter operator to recover the unpaid amounts and seek to impose a lien on any property owned by the charter operator to secure recovery. Provides that if an authorizer determines that a charter school is in financial distress, the authorizer may require the charter operator to submit a financial remediation plan within 30 days. Provides that if the authorizer determines that the charter school has failed to implement an approved remediation plan or the financial distress presents an immediate risk to students, employees, or public funds, the authorizer may initiate financial intervention by appointing an independent fiscal manager approved by the authorizer and the State Board. Allows the fiscal manager to exercise authority limited to financial matters. Provides that financial intervention is temporary and may not exceed 180 days, except that the authorizer may extend the intervention once for good cause. Makes other changes. Effective immediately.

Maddy summaryThis bill removes the requirement that cannabis (both medical and adult-use) must be stored in an odor-proof, child-resistant container in vehicles. It affects medical cannabis cardholders, caregivers, cultivation center agents, dispensing agents, and adult cannabis users who possess cannabis in any vehicle area while driving. The change simplifies storage rules but maintains existing prohibitions against possessing cannabis in passenger areas of vehicles. The bill amends Sections 11-502.1 (medical cannabis) and 11-502.15 (adult-use cannabis) of the Illinois Vehicle Code.

Amends the Illinois Human Rights Act. Provides that in the Articles governing employment, financial credit, and public accommodations it is a civil rights violation to use criteria or methods including practices, policies, and groups of practices or policies that has the effect of subjecting individuals to discrimination prohibited under the Act. Changes the definition of "unlawful discrimination" to mean discrimination against a person, whether by purpose or effect, because of his or her actual or perceived: race, color, religion, national origin, ancestry, age, sex, marital status, order of protection status, disability, military status, sexual orientation, pregnancy, reproductive health decisions, or unfavorable discharge from military service as those terms are defined in the Act.

Amends the Property Tax Code. Authorizes Chief County Assessment Officers in counties with 3,000,000 or more inhabitants to renew an individual's low-income senior citizen exemption under the Code without an annual application if the applicant has previously provided the full social security number or individual taxpayer identification numbers for all members of the applicant's household. Provides that, if a Chief County Assessment Officer is unable to verify that an applicant remains eligible for the low-income senior citizen exemption, then the Chief County Assessment Officer shall notify the applicant and provide the applicant with an opportunity to demonstrate the applicant's eligibility for the exemption. Amends the Freedom of Information Act. Exempts from disclosure under the Act information submitted to a Chief County Assessment Officer in applications for the low-income senior citizen exemption under the Property Tax Code.