Rep. Nicolle Grasse

Amends the Department of Transportation Law of the Civil Administrative Code of Illinois. Requires, by August 1 of each calendar year, the Department of Transportation to make a report in writing to the Governor and the General Assembly, stating in detail the Department's efforts in the prior fiscal year to fill open mechanics positions. Requires the Department to establish and maintain a goal of filling at least 85% of all authorized and budgeted mechanic positions within the Department in each fiscal year. Requires the General Assembly to review the report and may request additional information or hold hearings regarding the Department's staffing levels, recruitment strategies, and efforts to meet the 85% workforce goal.

Amends the State Treasurer Act. Provides that the State Treasurer may establish and administer a non-profit investment pool and an electronic payment processing program to supplement and enhance investment opportunities and secure electronic payment options otherwise available to not-for-profit corporations in the State. Provides that the Treasurer may receive funds paid into the pool for the purpose of holding and investing those funds. Provides for surety bonds payable to not-for-profit corporations who participate in the pool. Provides that the Treasurer shall adopt rules for the efficient administration of the pool.

Amends the Temporary Assistance For Needy Families Article of the Illinois Public Aid Code. Requires the Department of Human Services to implement the federal Family Violence Option created by the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996, P.L. 104-193, and other specified federal provisions that permit state agencies to waive TANF work and self-sufficiency requirements for individuals who are the victims of domestic or sexual violence. Contains provisions on how individuals may apply for a "good cause" waiver of TANF requirements due to domestic or sexual violence, including, provisions concerning required documentation or third-party verification to support a good cause waiver claim; and the option to self-attest to a claim of domestic or sexual violence in support of a good cause waiver claim. Contains provisions on notification requirements imposed on the Department; crisis assistance funding; rulemaking; and data reporting requirements.

Maddy summaryThis bill is a memorial resolution that officially mourns the death of Linda N. Hoefert, a resident of Mount Prospect.

Recognizes that politically motivated violence, whether in the form of a mass shooting or a mass deployment of masked troops empowered to instill fear, is a threat to our democracy. Condemns politically motivated violence in all of its forms, whether caused by individuals radicalized by extreme rhetoric or by extremists who use political violence to advance their own agendas.

Creates the Mink Facility Disease Prevention Act. Requires a person who breeds, possesses, or intends to breed or possess mink for certain purposes to obtain a license from the Department of Public Health. Lists requirements for a license application and license, including weekly and other testing for SARS-CoV-2, Influenza A subtype H5N1, and other pathogens. Requires each mink facility to pay to the Department an annual fee of $1,000. Creates the Mink Facility Fund. Describes the responsibilities of the Department. Sets out provisions concerning the euthanasia of mink. Provides that a licensee who violates any provision of the Act or any rules adopted under the Act shall be subject to revocation of license and confiscation of all mink at the mink facility. Provides for enforcement by the Attorney General or by the Department subject to rulemaking by the Department. Grants rulemaking powers to the Department. Provides that the Department shall maintain a publicly available list of potentially harmful viruses for testing. Makes findings. Defines terms. Makes corresponding changes to the State Finance Act.

Amends the Unified Code of Corrections. Creates the Juvenile Detention Center Strategic Utilization Task Force to review and study the necessity of juvenile detention centers, complaints that arise out of the county juvenile detention centers in the State, and community-based alternatives to juvenile detention. Includes provisions about Task Force membership and duties. Provides that on or before January 1, 2026, the Task Force shall publish a final report of its findings and recommendations. Repeals the provisions on January 1, 2027. Effective immediately.

Amends the Juvenile Court Act of 1987. Provides that a minor found to be guilty may be committed to the Department of Juvenile Justice if the minor is at least 14 (rather than 13) years and under 20 years of age, provided that the commitment to the Department of Juvenile Justice shall be made only if the minor was found guilty of a felony offense or first degree murder. Provides that when a minor of the age of at least 14 (rather than 13) years is adjudged delinquent for the offense of first degree murder, the court shall declare the minor a ward of the court and order the minor committed to the Department of Juvenile Justice until the minor's 21st birthday, without the possibility of aftercare release, furlough, or nonemergency authorized absence for a period of 5 years from the date the minor was committed to the Department of Juvenile Justice. Amends the Juvenile Court Act of 1987. Provides that on or after July 1, 2026 and before July 1, 2027, any minor 12 years of age or older arrested pursuant to the Act if there is probable cause to believe that the minor is a delinquent minor and that secure custody is a matter of immediate and urgent necessity, in light of a serious threat to the physical safety of a person or persons in the community or in order to secure the presence of the minor at the next hearing, as evidenced by a demonstrable record of willful failure to appear at a scheduled court hearing within the past 12 months, may be kept or detained in an authorized detention facility. Provides that on or after July 1, 2027, minors age 12 years of age and under 13 years of age and charged with first degree murder, aggravated criminal sexual assault, aggravated battery in which a firearm was used in the offense, or aggravated vehicular hijacking, may be kept or detained in an authorized detention facility. Provides that no minor under 13 (rather than under 12) years of age shall be detained in a county jail or a municipal lockup for more than 6 hours. Provides that instead of detention, minors under the age of 13 who are in conflict with the law may be held accountable through a petition under the Minors Requiring Authoritative Intervention Article of the Act, or may be held accountable through a community mediation program.

Amends the Property Tax Code. Provides that an applicant who receives the homestead exemption for persons with disabilities and who submits documentation by the examining provider that the applicant is totally and permanently disabled need not be reexamined to receive the exemption in a subsequent taxable year, provided that (i) the applicant attaches the original documentation of total and permanent disability to his or her application in the subsequent taxable year, (ii) the exemption has not been deemed erroneous since the last application, and (iii) the claimant has not reported their ineligibility to receive the exemption.

Creates the Human Services Equitable Pay Act. Requires the Department of Human Services to commission a Human Services Compensation Study on the rate of compensation, including wages and benefits, of positions funded by the Department of Human Services and how they compare to similar positions in the human services sector in Illinois and nationally. Requires the study to include an analysis of wage and benefit levels in different settings and for different education levels, including a comparison of compensation for: (1) State employees; (2) human service providers; and (3) for-profit private sector employees with similar roles and titles. Requires the study to be completed and submitted to the Human Services Compensation Task Force by June 30, 2026. Requires the Department to establish the Human Services Compensation Task Force on or before December 31, 2025. Provides that members shall be appointed by the Governor and shall include at least 3 BIPOC executive directors of community-based human service organizations and 2 co-chairs. Requires the Task Force to provide, on or before December 1, 2026, a report to the General Assembly and the Governor's Office of Management and Budget that includes: (i) recommendations on how to strengthen recruitment and retention of human services workers employed by human services providers that have contracts with the State; (ii) recommended rate levels; and (iii) a proposed schedule to increase rates to the recommended rate levels by July 1, 2030. Requires the Department to submit annual reports to the Task Force and the General Assembly that includes salary disparities between professionals employed by human services providers in the Department and comparable employees contracted with the State agency for the delivery of human services, the amount needed to be annually appropriated to the Department in order to reduce such salary disparities, and other matters. Effective immediately.