Rep. Marti Deuter

Creates the Family Neonatal Intensive Care Leave Act. Provides that an employee of an employer with 16 or more employees and no more than 50 employees shall be entitled to use a maximum of 10 days of unpaid neonatal intensive care leave while any child of the employee is a patient in a neonatal intensive care unit. Provides that an employee of an employer with 51 or more employees shall be entitled to use 20 days of unpaid neonatal intensive care leave while a child of the employee is a patient in a neonatal intensive care unit. Provides that, upon the conclusion of leave taken under the Act, an employee shall be reinstated to his or her former position or a substantially equivalent one with no loss of benefits held or accrued prior to taking leave. Sets forth provisions concerning unlawful employer practices; Department of Labor responsibilities; and enforcement. Amends the State Finance Act to create the Neonatal Intensive Care Leave Fund.

Amends the Children with Disabilities Article of the School Code. Provides that, by no later than the beginning of a student's third year of high school or by the student's 16th birthday, whichever occurs first, the transition planning process must include a consideration of whether the student is a candidate for graduation. Requires this process to involve discussions with the student's individualized education program team, including the parent and the student. Provides that the discussions must address the implications of graduating with a regular diploma, particularly how it affects the student's right to receive a free appropriate public education (FAPE). Effective immediately.

Amends the Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities Code. Provides that the circuit court has jurisdiction under the Admission, Transfer and Discharge Procedures for the Mentally Ill Chapter of the Code over persons not charged with a felony who are subject to involuntary admission on an inpatient basis. Provides that the circuit court has jurisdiction over all persons who are subject to involuntary admission on an outpatient basis under the Admission on an Outpatient Basis by Court Order Article of that Chapter of the Code, whether or not they are charged with a felony. Provides that a petition that the respondent is subject to involuntary admission on an outpatient basis must be accompanied by one certificate (rather than 2 certificates) of a physician, qualified examiner, psychiatrist, advanced practice psychiatric nurse, or clinical psychologist which certifies that the respondent is subject to involuntary admission on an outpatient basis. Provides that a court order placing the respondent in the care and custody of a relative or other person willing and able to properly care for him or her or committing the respondent to alternative treatment at a community mental health provider may include provisions requiring that the respondent participate in: case management services, individual or group therapy, day or partial day programs, educational or vocational training, supervised living, assertive community treatment team services, substance use disorder treatment and testing and any other service that would help prevent relapse or deterioration resulting in hospitalization. Provides that psychotropic medication or electroconvulsive therapy and accompanying tests may be ordered only pursuant to the administration of psychotropic medication and electroconvulsive therapy upon application to a court provisions of the Code. Provides that the court may also order the custodian or treatment provider to file periodic reports with the court, and provide copies to the State's Attorney and respondent's counsel, reflecting the respondent's participation in treatment and his or her clinical condition.

Amends the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity Law of the Civil Administrative Code of Illinois. Removes language requiring the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity to establish a freight rate information service for U.S. and foreign shippers. Repeals certain duties of the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity related to a local government clearing house. Provides that the Department of Insurance (currently, the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity) shall provide administrative support to the Student Career Development Liability Insurance Advisory Committee. Amends the Department of Insurance Law of the Civil Administrative Code of Illinois to make conforming changes. Repeals the Illinois Emergency Employment Development Act. Amends the Music and Musicians Tax Credit and Jobs Act. Repeals certain provisions requiring the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity to submit reports under that Act. Amends the Eliminate the Digital Divide Law. Sets forth provisions concerning grants from the Digital Divide Elimination Fund. Makes other changes. Effective immediately.

Amends the Illinois Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act. Provides that on and after January 1, 2026, a person may not sell, distribute, or offer for sale baby food in the State that contains toxic heavy metals that exceed the limits established by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Defines "toxic heavy metal" as arsenic, cadmium, lead, or mercury and defines other terms. Provides that beginning January 1, 2026, each manufacturer of baby food shall test a representative sample of each production aggregate of the manufacturer's final baby food product for each toxic heavy metal. Requires monthly testing. Beginning January 1, 2027, requires each manufacturer of baby food to make certain information publicly available. Provides that if a consumer believes, based on information gathered through the use of the code included on the baby food product label, that baby food is being sold in the State with toxic heavy metals that exceed limits established by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the consumer may report that baby food to the Department of Public Health.

Amends the Children with Disabilities Article of the School Code. With respect to impartial due process hearings, provides that no mediation agreement, resolution agreement, or settlement agreement may include, as a condition of settlement, that a parent, a student (if at least 18 years of age or emancipated), or the designated representative of a student who is at least 18 years of age prospectively waive a free, appropriate public education or prospectively waive the right to assert claims for the nonimplementation of a free, appropriate public education. Provides that any mediation agreement, resolution agreement, or settlement agreement containing such prospective waivers is unenforceable in an administrative proceeding or in a State or federal court. Effective immediately.

Amends the O'Hare Driver Safety Act. Defines "Department" as the Illinois Department of Transportation. In a provision prohibition stopping or standing within one-half mile of O'Hare International Airport, provides that "traffic route" refers to all routes within the defined radii, including routes that are under the jurisdiction or partial jurisdiction of the Department. Effective immediately.

Amends the Sexual Assault Survivors Emergency Treatment Act. Defines "acute sexual assault" as a sexual assault that has recently occurred within a specified time. Replaces various references to "sexual assault" with "acute sexual assault". Deletes the definition of "prepubescent sexual assault survivor". Changes provisions regarding hospitals located in counties with a population of less than 1,000,000 and within a 20-mile radius of a 4-year public university with respect to a sexual assault treatment plan approved by the Department of Public Health. Makes changes in various provisions concerning plans of correction and penalties for hospitals that commit specified violations of the Act. In provisions regarding requirements for medical forensic services, provides that the provisions of the Act are not intended to prohibit a qualified medical provider from offering an Illinois Sexual Assault Evidence Collection Kit to a sexual assault survivor who presents at a treatment hospital or approved pediatric health care facility with a nonacute complaint of sexual assault if there is a compelling reason for evidence collection, or upon the request of the survivor. In provisions regarding the prohibition on billing sexual assault survivors directly for certain services, changes references to the Office of the Attorney General to references to the Department of Healthcare and Family Services.

Amends the School Code. Requires the State Board of Education to analyze the use of grant fund requests for a consolidation analysis or consolidation expenses in relation to the School District Reorganization Feasibility Studies. Requires the State Board to create a list of overlapping or bordering school districts with the most similar operating tax rates and percentage of adequacy funding per pupil. Requires the State Board to communicate to the superintendents and school boards of those school districts on the list that the State Board's analysis makes the school district a good candidate for the grant funds. Requires the school board to hold a public hearing to review the State Board's written communication and decide whether to apply for the grant funds. Requires the State Board to report to the General Assembly as to whether the school districts on the list applied for the grant funds, whether a grant was awarded, and what, if any, State Board action was taken in response to the grant-funded consolidation analysis. Requires the State Board to also provide to interested school districts a list of neutral parties to conduct an independent consolidation analysis with the grant funds.

Amends the State Universities Article of the Illinois Pension Code. In provisions concerning the determination of the final rate of earnings for Tier 2 members, provides that, for an employee who is paid on an hourly basis or who receives an annual salary in installments during 12 months of each academic year, the average annual earnings is obtained by dividing by 8 the total earnings of the employee during the 96 consecutive months in which the total earnings were the highest within the last 120 months prior to termination or the average annual earnings during the 8 consecutive academic years of service within the 10 years of service prior to termination in which the employee's earnings were the highest, whichever is greater (instead of only the average annual earnings obtained by dividing by 8 the total earnings of the employee during the 96 consecutive months in which the total earnings were the highest within the last 120 months prior to termination). Provides that the changes made by the amendatory Act are corrections and clarifications of existing law and are intended to be retroactive to January 1, 2011 (the effective date of Public Act 96-1490). Effective immediately.