Amends the Illinois Income Tax Act. Creates a child tax credit in an amount equal to the product of a specified credit amount multiplied by the number of qualifying children of the taxpayer. Effective immediately.
Amends the Interscholastic Athletic Organization Act. Provides that, for the benefit of the physical and mental health of athletes, beginning in the 2024-2025 school year, all practices, games, or contests by a State high school athletic program or team that is a part of an association or other entity that has, as one of its purposes, promoting, sponsoring, regulating, or in any manner providing for interscholastic athletics or any form of athletic competition among high schools and high school students within this State shall meet all specified requirements pertaining to athletic practice time limits. Provides that an association or other entity that has as one of its purposes promoting, sponsoring, regulating, or in any manner providing for interscholastic athletics or any form of athletic competition among schools and students within this State shall enforce a penalty for a State high school athletic program or team exceeding practice maximums, which may include, but are not limited to, a loss of a practice day or other sanctions determined by the Illinois High School Association for each violation and shall be imposed as appropriate to the level, extent, and duration of the penalty. Effective immediately.
Creates the Department of Early Childhood Act. Creates the Department of Early Childhood to begin operation on July 1, 2024 and transfers to it certain rights, powers, duties, and functions currently exercised by various agencies of State Government. Provides that, beginning July 1, 2026 the Department of Early Childhood shall be the lead State agency for administering and providing early childhood education and care programs and services to children and families including: home-visiting services; early intervention services; preschool services; child care services; licensing for day care centers, day care homes, and group day care homes; and other early childhood education and care programs and administrative functions historically managed by the State Board of Education, the Department of Human Services, and the Department of Children and Family Services. Makes conforming changes to various Acts including the Department of Human Services Act, the Illinois Early Learning Council Act, the Illinois Procurement Code, the School Code, the Illinois Public Aid Code, the Early Intervention Services System Act and the Children and Family Services Act. Effective immediately.
Amends the Property Tax Code. Provides that a veteran may submit an application for the homestead exemptions for veterans with disabilities to the chief county assessment officer with respect to a specific property before the veteran purchases the property. Effective immediately.
Amends the Election Code. Provides that any person who carries or possess a firearm while present in a polling place, except a peace officer in the performance of his or her official duties, shall be guilty of a Class C misdemeanor.
Amends the Chicago School District Article of the School Code. Prohibits, until February 1, 2027, the Chicago Board of Education from closing any attendance center within the school district that has selective admission requirements that are approved by the Board. Prohibits, until February 1, 2027, the Board from changing the standards for admission to any attendance center within the school district that has selective admission requirements that are approved by the Board. Provides that, notwithstanding any other provision of the Code, the Board may not take any action, until February 1, 2027, that results in a decrease in either the total amount or percentage of funds allocated to an attendance center within the school district that has selective admission requirements that are approved by the Board. Effective immediately.
Mourns the death of Cook County Clerk Karen Yarbrough.
Amends the Firearm Concealed Carry Act. Provides that nothing in the Act prohibits a forest preserve district from prohibiting persons from carrying a firearm into any botanic garden, campground, aquatic center, grounds of an aquatic center, boat launch, boating center, athletic venue, picnic grove, nature center, grounds of a nature center, pavilion, grounds of a pavilion, golf course, parking lot, driving range, adventure course, grounds of an adventure course, zipline building, grounds of a zipline, equestrian center, grounds of an equestrian center, exercise venue, grounds of an exercise venue, any Illinois nature preserve, land and water reserve, or any public or private gathering or special event conducted on property that requires the issuance of a permit. Defines "grounds".
Amends the Educator Licensure Article of the School Code. Allows an applicant to qualify for a Short-Term Substitute Teaching License if the applicant has retired in good standing while holding a valid paraprofessional educator endorsement on an Educator License with Stipulations.
Creates the Climate-Safe Affordable Housing Act. Requires the Department of Natural Resources, in consultation with the Illinois Emergency Management Agency, the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency, the Illinois Housing Development Authority, the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development, the Department of Insurance, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago, the Illinois State Water Survey of the University of Illinois, and other State, regional, and local storm water management agencies, thought leaders, and interested parties as the Director of Natural Resources deems appropriate, to submit, to the General Assembly and the Governor, a report that reviews and evaluates the latest available information, research, laws, regulations, policies, procedures, and institutional knowledge concerning climate-safe affordable housing. Details information upon which the recommendations are based. Defines term. Effective immediately.
