Rep. Marti Deuter

Creates the Children's Social Media Safety Act. Provides that, no later than January 1, 2028, an operating system provider shall: (1) provide an accessible interface at account setup that requires an account holder to indicate the birth date, age, or both; (2) provide an operator who has requested a signal with respect to a particular user a signal that identifies the user's age by category; and (3) send only the minimum amount of information necessary to comply with the provision. Provides that an operator shall not offer a platform in the State without conducting age verification as required under the Act to determine whether a user is a minor. Provides that, for all users that the operator has actual knowledge to be a minor, the operator shall use specified default settings for the minor. Provides that a violation of the Act constitutes an unlawful practice under the Consumer Fraud and Deceptive Business Practices Act. Amends the Consumer Fraud and Deceptive Business Practices Act to make a conforming change. Effective January 1, 2027.

Amends the Student Transfer Achievement Reform Act. Provides that the Board of Higher Education and the Illinois Community College Board shall develop a policy to foster the reverse transfer of credit for any student who has accumulated at least 30 (rather than 15) hours of academic credit at a community college and a sufficient number of hours of academic credit at a State university in the prescribed courses necessary to meet a community college's requirements to be awarded an associate degree. Provides that each State university shall automatically notify any transfer student accepted to the State university with at least 30 hours of academic credit at a community college of the option for the reverse transfer of credit within the student's first term of enrollment. Provides that a community college shall provide notification to a student wishing to reverse transfer earned academic credit with instructions on application for conferral of an associate degree. Provides that a community college or State university may not charge an application, transfer evaluation, or graduation fee or any other fee associated with conferral of an associate degree through reverse transfer. Provides that a community college shall include each student awarded an associate degree through reverse transfer within its student information system. Effective immediately.

Amends the Criminal Code of 2012. Provides that a caregiver also commits criminal abuse or neglect of an elderly person or person with a disability when he or she knowingly: (1) performs acts that create the substantial likelihood that the person's life will be endangered, health will be injured, or pre-existing physical or mental condition will deteriorate; or (2) fails to perform acts that he or she knows or reasonably should know are necessary to maintain or preserve the life or health of the person and that failure creates a substantial likelihood that the person's life will be endangered, health will be injured, or pre-existing physical or mental condition will deteriorate. Provides that a violation is a Class A misdemeanor. Defines "voluntarily assumed the responsibilities for care". Changes the definition of "caregiver". In the statute concerning financial exploitation of an elderly person or a person with a disability, defines "undue influence".

Amends the State Officials and Employees Ethics Act. Provides that an officer of the executive branch, a member of the General Assembly, a person whose appointment to office is subject to the advice and consent of the Senate, or a person who is the head of a department, commission, board, division, bureau, authority, or other administrative unit within the government of the State who takes office after the effective date of the amendatory Act may not engage in activities at the State level that require registration under the Lobbyist Registration Act until 3 years after leaving office. Currently, officers of the executive branch and members of the General Assembly may not engage in activities at the State level that require registration under the Lobbyist Registration Act during the term of which he or she was elected or appointed until 6 months after leaving office. Effective immediately.

Amends the Community Living Facilities Licensing Act, the MC/DD Act, the ID/DD Community Care Act, the Community-Integrated Living Arrangements Licensure and Certification Act, and the Child Care Act of 1969. Requires the State agencies responsible for licensing facilities under those Acts to adopt, by December 31, 2026, rules requiring a facility to disclose upon initial application for licensure and on a quarterly basis thereafter, whether the facility, its subsidiaries, affiliates, parent companies, or contractual service providers are owned, managed, or contained within a fund owned or managed by an asset management company; and if so, to make certain disclosures about the asset management company's assets, the facility's debt, and other matters. Requires the State agencies to also adopt rules requiring such a facility to provide written notice of transactions and copies of agreements which would (i) sell or otherwise dispose of a material amount of the facility's assets or (ii) transfer control, responsibility, or governance of a material amount of the facility's assets or operations. Prohibits facilities owned or managed by an asset management company from engaging in certain transactions or actions that would result in the facility issuing debt-funded dividends or perform any other similar action causing the facility to become financially distressed. Provides that a violation of these requirements and prohibitions constitutes an unlawful practice within the meaning of the Consumer Fraud and Deceptive Business Practices Act. Requires the State agencies to publish disclosures, written notices, and copies of agreements submitted by facilities on the agencies' public websites. Imposes similar requirements and prohibitions on adult day service providers serving individuals with developmental disabilities under the Illinois Act on the Aging and providers of adult developmental training services under the Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities Administrative Act. Effective immediately.

Amends the School Code. Provides that, on or before the 2026-2027 school year, each school board shall adopt and implement a wireless communication device policy that: (1) prohibits a student from using a wireless communication device during instructional time, except as otherwise provided; and (2) includes guidance for secure and accessible storage of wireless devices during instructional time. Provides that the policy may not prohibit a student from using a wireless communication device during instructional time: (1) when a teacher or instructor has authorized the student to use a wireless communication device for educational purposes; (2) in an emergency or in response to an imminent threat to the health or safety of an individual; (3) when a licensed physician determines that the possession or use of a wireless communication device is necessary for the health or well-being of the student; or (4) to fulfill an Individualized Education Plan or a Section 504 plan developed under Section 504; or (5) when the wireless communication device is necessary for students who are English learners to access learning materials. Prohibits a district from enforcing the policy through fees, fines, the deployment of a School Resource Officer, or local law enforcement officer. Requires each school board to review the effectiveness of its wireless communication device policy at least every 3 years.

Amends the Governmental Account Audit Act. Modifies the audit procedures for governmental units under the Act for the governmental units fiscal years 2028 and after, including: (1) modifying the definitions of "audit report" and "report", and adds a definition for "annual financial report"; (2) requiring the governing body of each governmental unit to conduct an audit every 2 years (rather than annually) of the accounts of the unit to be made by an auditor or auditors, and modifying the requirements of the audits; (3) allowing an exception for a governmental unit receiving revenue of less than $1,400,000 for any fiscal year, with the amount to increase or decrease by a percentage equal to the Consumer Price Index-U as reported on January 1 of each year, to provide a 4-year audit report and annual financial report or annual financial report under specified requirements (rather than a governmental unit receiving revenue of less than $850,000 for any fiscal year providing a 4-year audit report and annual financial report or annual financial report under specified requirements); and (4) modifying the requirements for signing, copying, and filing completed reports. Amends the Township Code to make conforming changes. Effective immediately.

Amends the Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund (IMRF) Article of the Illinois Pension Code. Provides that no person who has earned creditable service through employment by the Fund shall be eligible to serve as a trustee.

Amends the Humane Care for Animals Act. Provides that a law enforcement officer who arrests the owner of a companion animal for a violation of the owner's duties may lawfully take possession of some or all of the companion animals in the possession of the owner. Allows a State's Attorney 30 days (rather than 14 days) after seizure of a companion animal to file a petition for forfeiture prior to trial, asking for permanent forfeiture of the companion animals seized.

Amends the Counties Code and the Illinois Municipal Code. Provides that county medical examiners and coroners are first responders for the purposes of provisions requiring a county to provide health insurance coverage for its employees who are first responders without imposing a deductible, coinsurance, copayment, or any other cost-sharing requirement.