Rep. Michelle Mussman

Amends the Illinois Estate and Generation-Skipping Transfer Tax Act. Makes changes concerning the taxes due under the Act on estates that contain qualified farm property. Provides that, for the purposes of calculating the State Death Tax Credit, those estates are subject to an exemption of $6,000,000 (rather than an exclusion amount of $4,000,000), which shall be deducted from the net estate value after the net estate value is computed in accordance with the Act. Provides that the exemption shall be adjusted each year according to the increase in the Consumer Price Index. Makes changes concerning the calculation of the deceased spousal unused exclusion amount for those estates. Provides for a special use valuation to provide that the value of the qualified farm property shall be calculated without regard to certain limitations under the Internal Revenue Code. Makes changes concerning the definition of "qualified heir". Effective January 1, 2027.

Amends the Illinois Vehicle Code. Provides that the design and color of registration plates shall be wholly within the discretion of the Secretary of State. Provides that plates for veterans with disabilities who have been approved for benefits under the Senior Citizens and Persons with Disabilities Property Tax Relief Act shall pay a specified fee (instead of $24). Authorizes the Secretary to suspend or revoke a certificate or the special plates issued to tow truck or wrecker operator upon determining that the person is not lawfully entitled thereto or has made or knowingly permitted any illegal use of the plates or has committed fraud in the registration of vehicles or failed to give notices of transfers. Prohibits a vehicle from being registered in the name of a person who is not an owner or lessee of that vehicle. Requires a vehicle owner seeking to register a vehicle in the State to register that vehicle to a State address. Provides that it is a violation for a person to alter, forge, or counterfeit a license plate or digital license plate. Provides that if no assignable title is available when auctioning a vehicle, the auctioneer or dealer must apply for Illinois title for the purpose of assigning title. Provides that the renewal fee for licenses and permits issued to 18, 19, and 20 year olds is $5. Provides that the Secretary shall issue a meter-exempt decal or device to the parent of a person with a disability who is under 18 years of age and incapable of driving or the legal guardian of a person with a disability incapable of driving. Makes other changes.

Amends the Environmental Protection Act, Energy Efficient Building Act, Illinois Power Agency Act, Public Utilities Act, and related statutes to establish comprehensive environmental, water, and energy regulations for hyperscale data centers. In the Environmental Protection Act, requires cumulative impact assessments, public notice, and community benefits agreements for data centers; prohibits nondisclosure agreements; and creates the Data Center Community Intervenor Compensation Fund and Hyperscale Data Center Public Benefits and Affordability Fund funded by annual fees based on peak demand. Mandates water resource planning, quarterly water usage reporting, water scarcity plans, and Water Impact Permits with public hearings and renewal every 5 years. Requires compliance with stringent energy codes and annual energy and water reporting to the Illinois Commerce Commission. Expands renewable energy procurement programs, establishes a hyperscale data center self-direct program, and strengthens equity, transparency, and labor standards in clean energy initiatives. Creates the Residential Automated Solar Permitting Platform Act to require municipalities and counties to adopt a residential automated solar permitting platform on or before July 1, 2027, and authorizes persons to file a civil action against a municipality or county in violation.

Amends the Pharmacy Practice Act. Provides that prescriptions for drugs in Schedule II of the Illinois Controlled Substances Act may be transferred only once and may not be further transferred, consistent with federal regulations. Amends the Illinois Controlled Substances Act. Provides that the prescriber shall not be required to issue prescriptions electronically if the prescriptions need to be filled outside of typical retail pharmacy operating hours or may be difficult to obtain because of drug shortages or pharmacy inventory limitations. Effective immediately.

Amends the Construction Site Temporary Restroom Facility Act. Changes the Act's short title to the Construction Site Temporary Restroom Facility and Sanitary Conditions for Menstruation and Lactation Act. Repeals a provision which specifies that separate toileting facilities are not required for males and females if individual portable toilet facilities are used by an owner of a portable building or building under construction to provide access to a restroom. Provides that, if a woman or an individual who menstruates is present on a work site and there are 10 or more workers of any gender at the work site, then a separate toilet facility shall be provided at the work site and designated for use by women and individuals who menstruate. Requires employers in the construction industry to provide their workers who menstruate and are performing construction activities on a work site with minimum sanitary conditions. Describes the required minimum sanitary conditions. Requires employers in the construction industry, upon request, to provide their workers who are lactating and performing construction activities on a work site with reasonable accommodations needed to express breast milk. Describes reasonable accommodations for lactation. Provides that, on or before January 1, 2027, the Department of Public Health shall provide guidance to employers on the accommodations to be provided. Authorizes employees of construction sites to call the certified local public health agency with jurisdiction over a construction site to request an inspection if noncompliance with the Act is suspected. Prohibits retaliation by employers if a call is made by an employee on a construction site for suspected noncompliance with the Act. Provides that any owner who fails or refuses to comply with the provisions of the Act commits a petty offense and is subject to a fine to be determined by the certified local public health agency (rather than only being subject to a petty offense). Defines "employer". Effective immediately.

Amends the Genetic and Metabolic Diseases Advisory Committee Act. Changes the name of the Genetic and Metabolic Diseases Advisory Committee to the Universal Newborn Screening Advisory Committee. Adds duties for the Committee, including duties to hold quarterly meetings, review conditions, make recommendations, and prepare reports. Makes conforming changes in the short title of the Act, the Newborn Metabolic Screening Act, and the Rare Disease Commission Act. Effective immediately.

Maddy summaryHB 616 makes a technical amendment to the Youth Mental Health Protection Act. Specifically, it updates a section of the Act that concerns its short title. This bill does not introduce new policy but rather clarifies existing legislative language.

Amends the Illinois Vehicle Code. Allows an applicant for a driver's license to submit, with the application for a driver's license, documentation confirming an intellectual disability or autism spectrum disorder so such information may be included on the person's driver's license. Provides that any such documentation is confidential. Defines "autism spectrum disorder" and "intellectual disability".

Amends the Children and Family Services Act. In provisions requiring the Department of Children and Family Services to establish rules concerning transition planning for youth aging out of care, requires the Department to consult with the Statewide Youth Advisory Board to determine the effectiveness of existing programs, to identify new programming that supports youth transitions to independence, and to advise on how information about transitional services is communicated to youth in a clear, timely, and age-appropriate manner. Requires the Department to develop, by July 1, 2027, procedures setting forth a process by which: (i) a youth or a youth's representative can request an accounting or explanation of financial decisions made by the Department or child welfare contributing agency for any monies held on behalf of the youth; and (ii) the Department or child welfare contributing agency acknowledges receipt of the request, provides a written response within a defined period, and outlines steps for review or correction when an error or dispute regarding the accounting is identified. Requires the Department to ensure that each youth in care, if applicable, receives age-appropriate financial guidance designed to build financial literacy and informed decision-making regarding the youth's Social Security benefits, Supplemental Security Income benefits, veterans benefits, or Railroad Retirement benefits. Contains provisions on the development of tailored youth-driven transition plans; notification to youth on the location of necessary documents and any financial accounts open in their name; the development of a curriculum guided program for youth transitioning out of care; written and verbal notice on a youth's scheduled Successful Transition to Adulthood Review (STAR) hearings; requirements on residential treatment centers, group homes, transitional living programs, and the Department to ensure a youth's attendance at a scheduled STAR hearing; and other matters. Amends the Juvenile Court Act of 1987. In provisions concerning STAR hearings, requires the Department to allow a minor the opportunity to express to the court the minor's goals, preferences, and concerns regarding the minor's transition to independence. Requires the court to review and ensure the Department is in compliance with its statutory obligation to support the minor's meaningful engagement in STAR hearings.

Amends the Children's Advocacy Center Act. Provides that Multidisciplinary Team members shall work together, share information, and maintain confidentiality throughout the investigative process. Provides that Multidisciplinary Team members shall coordinate, communicate, and keep nonoffending parents, caregivers, and their families aware of the status of child abuse investigations. Provides that Children's Advocacy Centers shall be (rather than may be) established to coordinate the activities of the various agencies involved in the investigation, prosecution, and treatment of child maltreatment. Provides that every Child Advocacy Center shall include a multidisciplinary systems approach that includes all Multidisciplinary Team members as equal partners in the investigation of child maltreatment. Provides that an investigation into child maltreatment shall include a comprehensive interagency notification procedure for all Multidisciplinary Team partners. Amends the Privacy of Child Victims of Criminal Sexual Offenses Act. Provides that a multidisciplinary team member shall not reveal the identity of any child who is the victim of a criminal sexual offense or is allegedly the victim of a criminal sexual offense in a criminal proceeding or a related investigation, unless permitted by a court order. Amends the Code of Criminal Procedure of 1963. Provides that certain exceptions to the hearsay rule shall apply to prosecutions for physical or sexual acts perpetrated upon or against a child or youth who is a victim of trafficking in persons, involuntary servitude, and related offenses. Amends the Bill of Rights for Children. Provides that every child reported to the Department of Children and Family Services to be a victim of a physical act, trafficking in person, involuntary servitude, and related offenses has the right to a forensic interview. Provides that notice of this right must be given by investigative personnel. Amends the Bill of Rights for children. Provides that every child reported to the Department of Children and Family services to be a victim of a physical act, trafficking in persons, involuntary servitude, and related offenses has the right to a forensic interview. Provides that notice of this right must be given by investigation personnel. Makes other changes.