Rep. Maura Hirschauer

Amends the Election Code. Provides that the county board or board of election commissioners may use public school buildings as polling places only if a school board or a local school council approves the use of that school. Provides that, if the county board or board of election commissioners uses all convenient and available public buildings and determines that a public school building is needed as a polling place, it shall send a written request to use the public school building to the school board or local school council. Sets forth provisions concerning the contents of the request and the response to the request. Amends the School Code. Provides that each school board or local school council shall have the power to approve or deny, in accordance with the school board or local school council's rules and policies, any request of a county board or board of election commissioners to use a school building as a polling place. Makes corresponding changes. Effective immediately.

Amends the Illinois Income Tax Act. Creates an income tax credit for each taxpayer who makes a contribution during the taxable year to a domestic violence shelter or domestic violence service program administered by the Department of Human Services in an amount equal to 70% of the contribution amount, but not to exceed $50,000 per taxpayer in any taxable year. Effective immediately.

Amends the Property Tax Code. Provides that, for the purposes of assessment, property registered in perpetuity with the register of areas under the Illinois Natural Areas Preservation Act is considered to be encumbered by a public easement and shall be depreciated to a level at which its value is $5 per acre, and any improvement, dwelling, or other appurtenant structure present on that land shall be valued at 33 1/3% of its fair cash value. Provides that a conservation right on land preserving a habitat for plant and animal species that are native to Illinois (currently, State or federal endangered or threatened species or federal candidate species) is considered to provide a demonstrated public benefit. Provides that a conservation right on land located adjacent to a park, conservation area, nature preserve, or other land or water area that is publicly owned or otherwise permanently protected for conservation purposes is considered to provide a demonstrated public benefit if the conservation right on that land furthers the conservation purposes of the adjacent protected area. Effective immediately.

Creates the Municipal and Cooperative Electric Utility Planning and Transparency Act. Sets forth legislative findings and objectives. Provides that beginning on November 1, 2024, and every 3 years thereafter on November 1, all electric cooperatives with members in the State, municipal power agencies, and municipalities shall file with the Illinois Power Agency an integrated resource plan. Includes provisions regarding the purposes and available resources for the integrated resource plan and rulemaking powers of the Agency. Requires the Agency to maintain a list of qualified experts or expert consulting firms for the purpose of developing integrated resource plans. Sets forth meeting requirements for an electric cooperative and publishing and posting requirements for specific information related to an electric cooperative. Amends the Open Meetings Act. Provides that a public body may hold closed meetings to consider the operation by a municipality of a municipal utility or the operation of a municipal power agency or municipal natural gas agency when the discussion involves certain topics. Amends the Illinois Municipal Code. Allows any additional municipality which operates an electric utility system to join a municipal power agency consistent with the bylaws of the municipal power agency, and upon payment of any termination obligations. Outlines a number of requirements for a municipal power agency. Makes other changes. Amends the Public Utilities Act. In a provision regarding net electricity metering, defines "electricity provider" and "electric utility". Makes other changes. Amends the Eminent Domain Act. Provides that for all acquisitions where the property, or any right or interest in property, is to be used for utility purposes, and where the condemning authority is an entity required to submit an integrated resource plan under the Municipal and Cooperative Electric Utility Planning and Transparency Act, the rebuttable presumption that such acquisition of that property is primarily for the benefit, use, or enjoyment of the public and necessary for a public purpose shall only apply if the most recent integrated resource plan filed by the condemning authority identified the facility or articulated a need for a facility of similar capacity and type to the facility for which the property or right or interest is sought. Effective immediately.

Amends the Uranium and Thorium Mill Tailings Control Act. Provides that the Illinois Emergency Management Agency and Office of Homeland Security may approve a request for license termination following adoption and implantation by the municipality or county in which the material milling facility is located of one or more ordinances restricting the use of groundwater on the property that has been licensed for the milling of source material and the property downgradient from that property if the ordinance ensures public health and safety and is in effect at the time of license termination. Requires the ordinances adopted for the purpose of terminating a license to remain in effect until the Agency approves in writing that the ordinances are no longer needed.

Amends the Counties Code and the Illinois Municipal Code. Repeals provisions prohibiting ordinances penalizing tenants who contact the police or other emergency services. Adds provisions prohibiting a county or municipality from enacting a program, ordinance, resolution, or other regulation that: (1) penalizes landlords or tenants, guests, or others for contact with a law enforcement agency; (2) requires or encourages landlords to evict or penalize tenants or household members for contact with a law enforcement agency, a criminal conviction, or alleged unlawful conduct, including through cooperating agreements with law enforcement agencies; (3) requires or promotes the use of criminal background checks of prospective and current tenants; (4) defines nuisance behavior to include contact with a law enforcement agency; (5) requires tenants to secure certificates of occupancy as a condition of leasing rental housing or turning on utilities; (6) creates or promotes the use of a registry of individual tenants for the purpose of discouraging landlords from renting to those tenants or otherwise excluding such individuals from rental housing within the subject jurisdiction; (7) penalizes tenants, guests, or others for contact made to police or other emergency services; or (8) requires or promotes the use of a lease addendum that penalizes tenants, guests or others for any of the above-listed conditions or is contrary to or inconsistent with requirements under federal law. Provides that a program, ordinance, resolution, or other regulation that violates the provisions is void and must be repealed no later than one year after the effective date of the amendatory Act. Allows for legal action to enforce the provisions. Limits the concurrent exercise of home rule powers. Amends the Housing Authorities Act to make similar changes for housing authorities. Effective immediately.

Creates the Native Language Transparency Act. Requires the translation into a language other than English in the requester's native language of a lease, real estate contract, mortgage, or real estate disclosure document if the tenant, lessee, mortgagor, or purchaser so requests. Provides that if the landlord, lessor, mortgagee, or seller refuses to provide a translation, this Act allows the tenant, lessee, mortgagor, or purchaser to void the lease, contract, or mortgage and seek actual damages.

Amends the Election Code. Provides that a person shall not distribute, or enter into an agreement with another person to distribute, materially deceptive media if: (1) the person knows the media falsely represents a depicted individual; (2) the distribution occurs within 90 days before an election; (3) the person intends the distribution to harm the reputation or electoral prospects of a candidate in an election and the distribution is reasonably likely to cause that result; and (4) the person intends the distribution to change the voting behavior of electors in an election by deceiving the electors into incorrectly believing that the depicted individual in fact engaged in the speech or conduct depicted, and the distribution is reasonably likely to cause that result. Sets forth exceptions to the provision and penalties for violations of the provision. Effective immediately.

Amends the Criminal Code of 2012. Provides that the Public Act may be referred to as the Safe Firearm Storage Act. Provides that it is unlawful for any person to store or leave a firearm outside of that person's immediate possession or control (rather than within premises under his or her control if the person knows or has reason to believe that a minor under the age of 14 years who does not have a Firearm Owners Identification Card is likely to gain access to the firearm without the lawful permission of the minor's parent, guardian, or person having charge of the minor, and the minor causes death or great bodily harm with the firearm) unless the firearm is secured in a manner that renders it inaccessible to anyone but the owner or another lawfully authorized user: (1) by a device or mechanism, other than the firearm safety, designed to render a firearm temporarily inoperable; or (2) locked box or container. Deletes provisions that the law does not apply: (1) if a minor under 14 years of age gains access to a firearm and uses it in a lawful act of self-defense or defense of another; or (2) to any firearm obtained by a minor under the age of 14 because of an unlawful entry of the premises by the minor or another person. Deletes a provision that the firearm may be placed in some other location that a reasonable person would believe to be secure from a minor under the age of 14 years. Effective January 1, 2025.

Appropriates $2,000,000 from the General Revenue Fund to the Department of Transportation for the Statewide Railway Program for salaries and other expenses related to adding the professional staff in the rail division of the Office of Intermodal Project Implementation. Effective July 1, 2024.