Rep. Nicolle Grasse

Amends the School Code. Provides that, no Later than July 1, 2026, the State Board of Education shall create educational materials that shall be posted publicly on its website and distributed to all school districts in the State that serve any grades kindergarten through 8 on the implementation of American Sign Language instruction into a school's curriculum. Includes a list of educational materials. Allows the State Board to receive assistance from outside organizations, State agencies, or individuals with expertise in American Sign Language that the State Board deems appropriate to assist with the creation of the education materials.

Amends the Illinois Sports Facilities Authority Act. Modifies legislative findings. Provides that "facility" includes stadiums, arenas, or other structures for the holding of athletic contests and other events and gatherings, including, without limitation, professional women's sports. Provides that a person may not, on the basis of sex, be prohibited from participating in or receiving any of the benefits of programs or activities at facilities funded under the Act, including facilities established or supported by bonds issued under the Act. Requires the Illinois Sports Facilities Authority to report to the Governor and the General Assembly on any male or female professional sports projects brought to the Authority by a professional sports team in the State. Provides that the Authority shall notify the Governor, Speaker of the House of Representatives, Minority Leader of the House of Representatives, President of the Senate, and Minority Leader of the Senate of the proposal within 2 weeks of receiving a formal request or inquiry. Provides that, before the General Assembly authorizes the issuance of additional bonds under the Act to fund facilities for professional men's sports teams, each chamber of the General Assembly may hold a hearing to publicly review any proposal submitted to the Authority. Repeals provisions relating to a dissolved advisory board. Effective immediately.

Amends the Criminal Code of 2012. Changes the statute of limitations for grooming to provide that when the victim is under 17 years of age at the time of the offense, a prosecution for grooming may be commenced within 10 years after the victim or the person with a disability attains 17 years of age. Changes the name of the offense of child pornography to child sexual abuse material. Deletes references to criminal transmission of HIV in various statutes. In the Sex Offenses Article of the Criminal Code of 2012, provides a definition for "unable to give knowing consent" and changes the definition of "family member" to include a sibling and an accused who has resided in the household for at least 3 (rather than 6) months. Provides that a person commits sexual exploitation of a child if in the presence or virtual presence, or both, of a child and with knowledge that a child or one whom he or she believes to be a child would view his or her acts, that person knowingly entices, coerces, or persuades a child to participate in the production of the recording or memorializing a sexual act of persons ages 18 or older. Provides that a violation of this provision of sexual exploitation of a child is a Class 4 felony. Provides that a defendant, in order to commit grooming, must be 5 years or more older than the groomed child, or hold a position of trust, authority, or supervision in relation to the child at the time of the offense. Amends the Code of Criminal Procedure of 1963. Provides that the court may set any conditions it finds just and appropriate on the taking of testimony of a victim or witness who is under 18 years of age or an intellectually disabled person or a person affected by a developmental disability (rather than a victim who is a child under the age of 18 years or a moderately, severely, or profoundly intellectually disabled person or a person affected by a developmental disability) involving the use of a facility dog in any criminal proceeding. Makes other changes concerning the admissibility of evidence in cases involving involuntary servitude, involuntary sexual servitude of a minor, and trafficking in persons. Amends various Acts to change references from "child pornography" to "child sexual abuse material".

Amends the Prevailing Wage Act. Provides that the definition of "public works" includes all federal construction projects administered or controlled by a public body if the prevailing rate of wages is equal to or greater than the prevailing wage determination by the United States Secretary of Labor for the same locality for the same type of construction used to classify the federal construction project. Makes a conforming change. Effective July 1, 2025.

Provides that the Act may be referred to as the Illinois Statewide Trauma-Informed Response to Human Trafficking Act. Amends the Children and Family Services Act. Provides that the Department of Children and Family Services shall maintain a human trafficking unit to coordinate services, initiate prevention efforts, and provide access to resources for case-management staff to serve youth in care who have been determined to be victims of human trafficking or assessed to be at high risk of becoming a victim of human trafficking, as well as ensure a prompt response by the Department to recover youth in care in the custody of law enforcement. Provides that the Department shall incorporate services for all child trafficking victims into the community-based services provided by the Department. Amends the Department of Human Services Act. Provides that the Department of Human Services shall develop a strategic plan, in consultation with advocates and survivors, to establish a statewide system of identification and response to survivors of human trafficking and recommended levels of funding for phase-in of comprehensive victim-centered, trauma-informed statewide services for victims of human trafficking, including adults and children, and to sex and labor trafficking victims and require victim-centered, trauma-informed human trafficking training for caseworkers, treatment providers, investigators, foster parents, and residential home personnel. Amends the Illinois State Police Law of the Civil Administrative Code of Illinois. Provides that the Illinois State Police shall develop a strategic plan to improve victim-centered, trauma-informed law enforcement response to victims of human trafficking across the State. Amends the Illinois Police Training Act. Provides that the Illinois Law Enforcement Training Standards Board shall work with the Illinois State Police, local law enforcement, victim-centered, trauma-informed human trafficking service providers, and survivor leaders to develop, curriculum standards for training on victim-centered, trauma-informed detection, investigation, and response to human trafficking victims certified by the Illinois Law Enforcement Training Standards Board. Amends various other Acts concerning various agencies responsibilities of addressing human trafficking. Effective January 1, 2026.

Amends the Illinois State Police Law of the Civil Administrative Code of Illinois. Reorganizes and expands the training overseen by the Division of the Academy and Training. Provides that functions of the Division of Forensic Services include issuing reports for certain drug tests, overseeing training in entering medical and dental information into certain databases, and providing information to local law enforcement agencies about best practices for handling death scene investigations. Requires the Illinois State Police to make a report containing the number of juvenile records that the Illinois State Police received in that quarter (rather than requiring the Illinois State Police to submit the report to the General Assembly). Provides that the Illinois State Police may receive revenue and real and personal property from any legal source, grants, pass-through grants, donations, and lawful appropriations. Requires the Illinois State Police to establish a State Missing Persons Clearinghouse as a resource to promote an immediate and effective community response to missing children. Provides that, beginning January 1, 2026, the Governor shall designate the chair of the Illinois Forensic Science Commission for a 2-year term. Changes references to districts to troops in the Volunteer Firefighting Unit Use Act. Amends the Statewide Organized Gang Database Act. Defines "LEADS" as the Law Enforcement Agencies Data System, which is a statewide communication and processing system that permits law enforcement and criminal justice agencies to have direct access to centralized data. Replaces references to "SWORD" with "LEADS". Makes conforming changes in the Illinois Police Training Act. Replaces "Division of Investigation" with "Division of Criminal Investigation" in the Intergovernmental Drug Laws Enforcement Act and the Illinois Vehicle Code. Makes other changes. Effective January 1, 2026.

Amends the Nurse Practice Act. Ratifies and approves the Nurse Licensure Compact, which allows for the issuance of multistate licenses that allow nurses to practice in their home state and other compact states. Provides that the Compact does not supersede existing State labor laws. Provides that the State may not share with or disclose to the Interstate Commission of Nurse Licensure Compact Administrators or any other state any of the contents of a nationwide criminal history records check conducted for the purpose of multistate licensure under the Nurse Licensure Compact. Provides that an employer who employs nurses, as defined in the Article, shall provide the nurses under its employment with the opportunity to obtain the required continuing education hours. Requires that nurses subject to the Nurse Licensure Compact complete 20 hours of approved continuing education per every 2-year license renewal cycle. Provides that the Nurse Licensure Compact does not apply to an advanced practice registered nurse. Adds provisions concerning employer attestations.

Amends the Interagency Children's Behavioral Health Services Act. Requires the Department of Human Services, in coordination with a statewide association representing a majority of hospitals, to establish and offer a voluntary training that will be recorded and made available on the Department's website to all hospital social workers, clinicians, and administrative staff to inform them of BEACON, a centralized resource for Illinois youth and families seeking services for behavioral health needs, with the goal of encouraging families to seek assistance through BEACON and the Interagency Children's Behavioral Health Services Team. Provides that the training shall include how families and hospital staff can access BEACON, the process once a case is entered into BEACON, and State and community programs accessible through BEACON. Amends the Medical Assistance Article of the Illinois Public Aid Code. Requires a psychiatric hospital to contact a youth or the youth's parents, guardian, or caregiver about the BEACON portal (rather than the Family Support Program and the Specialized Family Support Program) prior to referring the youth to the Department of Children and Family Services because the youth was left at the psychiatric hospital beyond medical necessity. Amends the School Code. Requires the State Board of Education, in consultation with the Children's Behavioral Health Transformation Team in the Office of the Governor and relevant stakeholders, to report its work and make available resource materials, including model policies and guidance informed by a phased approach to implementing universal mental health screening in schools. Requires the State Board of Education to report its work by September 1, 2026. Provides that mental health screenings shall be offered by school districts to students enrolled in kindergarten through grade 12, at least once a year, beginning with the 2027-2028 school year.

Creates the Tracking Infectious Cases Knowledgeably Act. Provides that the Act may be referred to as the TICK Act. Provides that the Department of Public Health shall adopt rules no later than January 1, 2026, requiring medical reporters to report cases of alpha-gal syndrome and Lyme disease to the local health department and the Department of Public Health on the date of the diagnosis under the Control of Communicable Diseases Code. Provides that the rules shall dictate that the Department of Public Health shall track cases of alpha-gal syndrome and Lyme disease statewide and within counties and shall publish the results of the tracking of cases of alpha-gal syndrome and Lyme disease publicly on the Department's website in a timely manner. Provides that any case of alpha-gal syndrome or Lyme disease present in an Illinois resident that has been diagnosed by a medical professional shall be reported to, and tracked by, the Department, independent from or concurrent with reporting and tracking by the federal government. Defines terms. Makes findings. Effective immediately.

Amends the Administration Article of the Illinois Public Aid Code. Provides that subject to federal approval if required, a household that includes one or more veterans or members of the armed forces shall be considered categorically eligible for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits if the gross income of such a household is at or below 200% of the nonfarm income poverty guidelines.