Rep. Michelle Mussman

Amends the Illinois Administrative Procedure Act. Creates emergency rulemaking procedures for the student teaching stipend program. Amends the Downstate Teacher Article of the Illinois Pension Code. Authorizes a person to establish optional credit for periods of service as a student teacher under a specified provision of the Board of Higher Education Act. In provisions requiring an additional employer contribution for certain salary increases greater than 6%, provides that the System shall exclude any stipends paid to an eligible cooperating teacher under the Board of Higher Education Act. Provides that any benefit increase that results from the amendatory Act is excluded from the definition of "new benefit increase". Amends the Board of Higher Education Act. Creates the student teaching stipend program. Defines terms. Provides that an educator preparation program shall notify the Board of Higher Education of all eligible students and eligible cooperating teachers who qualify for the stipend program. Creates requirements for the disbursement of stipend funds under the program. Provides that an educator preparation program may not prohibit an eligible student from participating in the stipend program or from receiving a stipend from the stipend program. Requires an eligible cooperating teacher who receives a stipend to complete specific training. Requires the Board to issue a report in collaboration with the State Board of Education evaluating the impact of the stipend program. Permits the Board to adopt emergency rules regarding the administration of the stipend program in certain circumstances subject to the Illinois Administrative Procedure Act. Effective immediately.

Calls for the release of all files related to the crimes of Jeffrey Epstein and his alleged accomplices with redactions limited solely to shielding the identities of survivors as outlined in the Epstein Transparency Act. Further calls for the appointment of a special prosecutor independent of the Trump Administration's influence to review prosecution decisions stemming from the Epstein investigation to investigate whether the Trump Administration illegally redacted or withheld documents to shield individuals for political purposes.

Condemns President Donald J. Trump's racist social media post and his attempts to erase history. Expresses that members will continue to honor the 100th recognition of Black History Month in the State of Illinois by committing to learn from history rather than hiding from it.

Provides that the Act may be referred to as the Health Care at Home Workforce Protection Act. Amends the Criminal Code of 2012. Provides for enhancement of assault or battery to aggravated assault or aggravated battery under certain circumstances if the person knows that the individual assaulted or battered is a health care at home provider or the health care at home provider's family or household members. Creates the offense of threatening a health care at home provider. Provides that a person commits the offense when: (1) that person knowingly delivers or conveys, directly or indirectly, to a health care at home provider by any means a communication containing a threat that would place that person or a member of his or her immediate family in reasonable apprehension of immediate or future bodily harm, sexual assault, confinement, or restraint; (2) at the time of the threat, the person knows or should have known that the victim is a health care at home provider or is an immediate family member of a health care at home provider; (3) the threat was conveyed because of an action taken by the health care at home provider acting in his or her employment or volunteer capacity or because of the victim's professional or employment status; (4) there is no consent by the person threatened; and (5) the threat contains specific facts indicative of a unique threat to the health care at home provider or his or her immediate family and not a generalized threat of harm. Provides that threatening a health care at home provider is a Class 4 felony for a first offense and a Class 3 felony for a second or subsequent offense. Defines "health care at home provider".

Maddy summaryHB 5548, titled "HEALTH-TECH," is a technical correction to the Developmental Disability and Mental Disability Services Act. It changes Section 0.01 to correct the act's short title citation (currently listed as "the Developmental Disability and Mental Disability Services Act" instead of "the Developmental Disability and Mental Disability Services Act"). This bill does not alter any services, eligibility, or funding for people with developmental or mental disabilities. It is purely a procedural fix to the act's legal citation, with no substantive policy changes.

Amends the Illinois Municipal Code. Provides that the following information for a customer premises shall not be deemed customer-specific information for the purpose of a request for information from a municipality conducting an audit of a public utility: (i) the premises address and zip code; (ii) the classification of the premises as designated by the public utility, such as residential, commercial, or industrial; (iii) monthly usage information sufficient to calculate taxes due, in therms, kilowatts, minutes, or other such other unit of measurement used to calculate the taxes; (iv) the taxes actually assessed, collected, and remitted to the municipality; (v) the first date of service for the premises, if that date occurred within the period being audited; and (vi) any tax exemption claimed for the premises and any additional information that supports a specific tax exemption, if the municipality requests that information, including the customer name and other relevant data. Provides that a municipality may request certain customer-specific information from a utility for the purpose of conducting an audit of the utility's taxes and the enforcement of any related tax claim.

Creates the Prohibition of Discriminatory Disability Mascots Act. Restricts a public educational institution from the adoption or continued use of discriminatory disability mascots. Allows a public educational institution to continue to use uniforms or other materials bearing a prohibited name, logo, or mascot that were purchased on or before the effective date of the Act until September 1, 2028 if certain requirements.

Maddy summaryThis Illinois House Resolution (HR 620) calls on Congress to reinstate healthcare subsidies that were part of the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022, which expired on January 1, 2026. It directly addresses Illinois residents, small businesses, and self-employed individuals who rely on the Get Covered Illinois marketplace, as they face significantly higher premiums and deductibles without these subsidies. The resolution requests immediate action to reverse the expiration of these cost-saving subsidies, which the bill claims would prevent up to 140,000 Illinoisans from affording coverage. Note: The resolution inaccurately attributes the subsidy expiration to former President Trump; the Inflation Reduction Act was enacted under President Biden, and subsidies expired due to legislative inaction, not Trump's policies. This is a symbolic resolution, not a binding law.

Condemns President Donald Trump's effort to freeze funds for affordable childcare. Calls for the immediate release of all congressionally appropriated childcare funds.

Amends the Zoning Division of the Illinois Municipal Code. Provides that, for all new development after January 1, 2026, each city with a population of 25,000 or more shall allow the development of all middle housing types on lots or parcels with a total area greater than 5,000 square feet and that are zoned for any type of residential use. Provides that each city with a population of more than 10,000 and less than 25,000 shall allow the development of a duplex on each lot or parcel zoned for residential use that allows for the development of detached single-family dwellings. Provides that municipalities may regulate siting and design of middle housing provided that the regulations do not, individually or cumulatively, discourage the development of all middle housing types permitted in the area through unreasonable costs or delay. Provides that municipalities may regulate middle housing to comply with protective measures adopted under statewide land use planning goals. Limits home rule powers.