Rep. Joyce Mason

Creates the Illinois Portable Batteries Stewardship Act. Requires producers that are selling or distributing certain batteries to participate in a battery stewardship organization. Requires certain batteries to be marked with specified labeling for the purposes of later disposal. Provides for roles of retailers with respect to certain batteries. Prohibits retailers, producers, or battery stewardship organizations from charging a specific point-of-sale fee to consumers. Describes reporting and plan approval requirements. Provides that battery stewardship organizations must develop a system to collect charges from participating producers to cover expenses and duties of battery stewardship organizations. Provides for specified collection containers and locations for specified batteries. Provides that battery stewardship organizations must provide certain permanent collection sites and meet other requirements. Provides for use of existing waste collection services and facilities where practicable. Provides for educational and outreach requirements. Provides for an annual fee to the Agency to be deposited into the Solid Waste Management Fund. Describes responsibilities of the Agency. Provides for a $7,000 civil penalty for violations collected through a civil action brought by a State's Attorney or the Attorney General to be deposited into the Environmental Protection Trust Fund, as well as prohibitory or mandatory injunctive relief. Creates a Class 4 felony for fraud related to the Act. Sets requirements for battery disposal and collection. Prohibits certain types of battery disposal and collection. Provides for battery stewardship organizations to complete an assessment for the purposes of identifying any required adjustments to the program. Grants immunity to certain organizations from antitrust requirements and related laws. Grants rulemaking powers to the Agency. Contains other provisions. States findings and purposes. Defines terms. Effective immediately.

Creates the Parental Digital Choice Act. Provides that the Act may be referred to as Sammy's Law. Provides that, before August 1, 2025, or within 30 days after a service becomes a large social media platform after August 1, 2025, a large social media platform provider shall create, maintain, and make available to any third-party safety software provider a set of third-party-accessible real-time application programming interfaces, including any information necessary to use the interfaces, by which a child, if the child is 13 years of age or older, or a parent or legal guardian of a child, may delegate permission to the third-party safety software provider to: (1) manage the child's online interactions, content, and account settings on the large social media platform on the same terms as the child; and (2) initiate secure transfers of user data from the large social media platform in a commonly used and machine-readable format to the third-party safety software provider. Sets forth disclosure requirements to the child and the parents or guardians of a child; requirements of third-party safety software providers; and liability of third-party safety software providers. Provides that a violation of any of the provisions of the Act is an unlawful practice under the Consumer Fraud and Deceptive Business Practices Act. Amends the Consumer Fraud and Deceptive Business Practices Act to make a conforming change. Effective June 1, 2025.

Amends the Preventing Sexual Violence in Higher Education Act. Provides that all higher education institutions shall include in the comprehensive policy concerning sexual violence, domestic violence, dating violence, and stalking, information about how the higher education institution protects individuals who report from retaliation. Provides that the higher education institutions procedure for responding to a report shall also include protecting the survivor from retaliation, including a policy and process for early dismissal of any retaliatory claim by a respondent against a survivor, including, but not limited to, claims of defamation, harassment, bullying, and any other violation of policy claims where the actions alleged by the respondent are related to the survivor's report. Makes related changes in provisions concerning student notification of rights and options, confidential advisors, complaint resolution procedures, and campus training. Amends the Citizen Participation Act. Provides that a court shall not permit any person to pursue a defamation action to silence or retaliate against, a person reporting gender-based violence, including cases where the alleged perpetrator is publicly named. Provides that the exception to motions under this Act are when the acts are not genuinely aimed at procuring favorable government action, result, or outcome or when the plaintiff presents clear and convincing evidence that the reporting of gender-based violence constituted speaking with actual malice. Makes related changes.

Amends the Clinical Social Work and Social Work Practice Act and the Good Samaritan Act. Provides that a licensed clinical social worker or licensed social worker may possess and administer opioid antagonists. Makes conforming changes. Provides that if a person employs a licensed clinical social worker or licensed social worker and the licensed clinical social worker or licensed social worker possess an opioid antagonist in a professional capacity, then the person must provide training in the administration of opioid antagonists and establish a policy to control the acquisition, storage, transportation, and administration of opioid antagonists. Makes other changes.

Amends the Property Tax Code. In provisions concerning charitable exemptions granted to limited liability companies, removes a requirement that the limited liability company must be a disregarded entity for federal and Illinois income tax purposes.

Amends the Nuclear Safety Law of 2004. Directs the Illinois Emergency Management Agency and Office of Homeland Security to convene an advisory body, to be known as the Small Modular Reactor Advisory Committee, which shall consist of relevant stakeholders and members of the public, including, but not limited to, members of the environmental community, electric utilities, appropriately credentialed academics, energy economists, energy engineers, public interest organizations, consumer protection organizations, and others whose insights are relevant to the preparation of the small modular reactor study and small modular reactor rules to be adopted under the Act. Directs the Small Modular Reactor Advisory Committee to provide current, expert information germane to the topic, critique and fact-check the development of the draft modular reactor study and rules, provide meaningful point and counter-point analysis on the small modular reactor issue, and provide additional access and referrals to additional experts in fields relating to the preparation of the draft small modular reactor study. Specifies that members shall not be compensated for service on the Small Modular Reactor Advisory Committee but shall be reimbursed by the Illinois Emergency Management Agency and Office of Homeland Security, not less than quarterly, for such items as travel to meetings, meals, copying expenses, and other related expenses. Repeals the new provisions on July 1, 2027. Effective immediately.

Amends the Medical Assistance Article of the Illinois Public Aid Code. Requires the Department of Healthcare and Family Services to apply for a Home and Community-Based Services State Plan amendment and any federal waiver necessary to reimburse legally responsible family caregivers as providers of personal care or home health aide services under the Illinois Title XIX State Plan Home and Community-Based Services benefit and the home and community-based services waiver program authorized under the Social Security Act for persons who are medically fragile and technology dependent. Provides that to be eligible for reimbursement, a legally responsible family caregiver must be a certified nursing assistant or certified nurse aide and must provide services to a medically fragile relative who is receiving in-home shift nursing services coordinated by the University of Illinois at Chicago, Division of Specialized Care for Children. Provides that upon federal approval of the State Plan amendment and waiver, the Department shall adopt rules that define who qualifies for reimbursement as a legally responsible family caregiver, specify which personal care and home health aide services are eligible for reimbursement if the provider is a legally responsible family caregiver, establish oversight policies to ensure legally responsible family caregivers meet and comply with licensing and program requirements, and adopt any other policies or procedures necessary to implement the amendatory Act.

Amends the School Boards Article of the School Code. Provides that no public high school of a school district may punish or penalize a student because of an unpaid balance on the student's school account. Removes a provision making the prohibition on withholding a student's grades, transcripts, or diploma because of an unpaid balance inoperative beginning 3 years from May 6, 2022. Effective immediately.

Amends the Paid Leave for All Workers Act. Removes a provision that the Act shall not apply to any employee who is covered by a bona fide collective bargaining agreement with an employer that provides services nationally and internationally of delivery, pickup, and transportation of parcels, documents, and freight. Provides that the definition of "employee" does not include an employee as defined in the Federal Employers' Liability Act.

Amends the Homeowners' Energy Policy Statement Act. Prohibits a homeowners' association, common interest community association, or condominium unit owners' association from adopting a bylaw or exercising any power that prohibits the installation of a rain water collection system or composting system. Provides that if a building is subject to a homeowners' association, common interest community association, or condominium unit owners' association, no deed restrictions, covenants, or similar binding agreements running with the land shall prohibit a rain water collection system or composting system from being installed on a building erected on a lot or parcel covered by the deed restrictions, covenants, or binding agreements. Provides that a property owner may not be denied permission to install a rain water collection system or composting system by any entity granted the power or right in any deed restriction, covenant, or similar binding agreement to approve, forbid, control, or direct alteration of property. Provides that an entity may establish location or design requirements for rain water collection systems or composting systems. Provides that a rain water collection system or composting system shall meet application standards and requirements imposed by State and local permitting authorities. Provides that if approval is required for the installation of a rain water collection system or composting system, an application for approval shall be processed by the appropriate approving entity of the association within 90 days after the submission of the application. Makes corresponding changes.