Rep. Dave Vella

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.

Amends the Department of Transportation Law of the Civil Administrative Code of Illinois. Provides that the Department of Transportation shall develop and implement a life-cycle costs analysis for each new construction, reconstruction, or replacement road project, except for State rehabilitation and preservation projects, under its jurisdiction for which the total pavement costs exceed $500,000. Amends the Illinois Municipal Code. Provides that the employee of the Aeronautics Division of the Department of Transportation who is a member of the advisory committee that determines which homes contain windows or doors that cause offensive odors and thus are eligible for replacement shall only cast a vote when breaking a tie. Amends the Illinois Vehicle Code. Provides that every crash report required to be made in writing must be electronically submitted to the Administrator using an electronic format approved by the Administrator (rather than made on an approved form or in an approved electronic format provided by the Administrator). Makes conforming changes. Effective immediately, except that the changes made to the Illinois Vehicle Code are effective January 1, 2027.

Amends the Self-Service Storage Facility Act. Requires that the notice to the occupant in an enforcement of lien action must include the website information where the online bidding of the lien sale may take place, if applicable.

Amends the Illinois Integrity, Notification, and Fairness in Online Retail Marketplaces for Consumers (INFORM Consumers) Act. Provides that an online marketplace shall verify and certify that each consumer product advertised on its platform by a high-volume third-party seller was produced, procured, purchased, or acquired in a lawful manner. Provides that an online marketplace shall identify, on its Internet website or application, the high-volume third-party sellers that are certified as operating in a legal and ethical manner and develop a means of making the certification. Provides that an online marketplace shall alert local, regional, or State law enforcement agencies if it suspects that a person or entity is selling or attempting to sell stolen goods to a resident of the State. Provides that an online marketplace shall prevent a person or entity from utilizing its platform or other services if it suspects that a person or entity is selling stolen goods. Provides that, if the Attorney General has reason to believe that any person has violated the Act, the Attorney General may bring an action against the person for a civil penalty not to exceed $10,000 per violation and reasonable attorney's fees and costs.

Amends the Strengthening Community Media Act. Provides that, for the fiscal year following the effective date of the amendatory Act, and each fiscal year thereafter, a State agency shall direct at least 5% of its total spending on advertising to local news organization publications, provided that a State agency may seek an exemption from this requirement upon a showing to the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity that the purposes of the advertising are inconsistent with placement in a local news organization. Provides that the Department shall maintain a list of eligible local news organizations. Provides that all State agencies are prohibited from discriminating among local news organizations based on editorial content, unless that content is objectively relevant to the target audience and articulated purposes of the advertising. Provides that, no later than 3 months after the effective date of the amendatory Act, the Department shall publish on its website a report on the implementation of the Act. Provides that, for the first full fiscal year following the effective date of the amendatory Act, and each fiscal year thereafter, the Department shall publish an annual report that includes specified information. Defines "State agencies".

Amends the Illinois Wage Payment and Collection Act. Makes changes to administrative fees paid to the Department of Labor. Makes changes in provisions concerning the collection of unpaid wages, penalties, damages, fines, and fees. Effective immediately.

Amends the Illinois Vehicle Code. Provides that no person shall affix tape to any registration plate, temporary registration plate, digital registration plate, registration sticker, or other evidence of registration issued by the Secretary of State. Makes a conforming change. Provides that it is unlawful to operate any vehicle that is equipped with a manual, electronic, or mechanical device that hides or obscures a registration plate.

Amends the Counties Code and the Illinois Municipal Code. Provides that a county or a municipality may use a utility pole that is owned by the State or a unit of local government or a public right-of-way that is owned by the State or a unit of local government for public safety purposes, including, but not limited to, the placement of equipment associated with public safety. Provides that any fee charged by the owner of a utility pole for use by a county or municipality shall be at the lowest rate charged by the owner and shall not exceed the owner's costs.

Creates the Rooftop Safety for First Responders Act. Requires the installation of a parapet, extended masonry, or guard for low-sloped roofs. Sets forth requirements for skylights and other openings located in the plane of a low-sloped roof. Requires municipalities to complete a survey of buildings in their jurisdiction. Requires sharing the results of the surveys with local police and fire departments. Defines terms.

Amends the Fire Protection District Act and the Illinois Municipal Code. Provides that municipalities and fire protection districts may fix, charge, and collect reasonable fees from an individual, an assisted living facility, or a nursing home facility for all nonemergency lift-assist services rendered by a fire department, firefighter, an emergency response unit, public safety employee of a municipal department, or fire protection district in connection with providing nonemergency lift-assist services to a patient or other individual. Provides that the fees may not exceed the actual personnel and equipment costs for all services rendered by the municipality or fire protection district in connection with providing lift-assist services to a patient or other individual.