Declares December 26, 2023 and December 26, 2024 as Cold War Veterans Recognition Day in honor of the contributions and sacrifices made by members of the Armed Forces during the Cold War.
Declares the week of May 7 through May 13, 2023 as Read with Your Child Week in the State of Illinois. Encourages all Illinois schools to promote Read with Your Child Week with appropriate activities.
Creates the Illinois Rust Belt to Green Belt Pilot Program Act. Creates the Illinois Rust Belt to Green Belt Fund as a special fund in the State treasury and makes a conforming change in the State Finance Act. Provides that the Fund shall be used by the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity to encourage and facilitate the employment of construction workforces located in underrepresented populations. Provides that applicants that are applying for a new utility-scale offshore wind project with the Illinois Power Agency shall file with the Department, as part of the applicant's application, an equity and inclusion plan. Amends the Illinois Power Agency Act. In provisions concerning the procurement of renewable energy credits, provides that in addition to the amount of renewable energy credits to be procured from wind projects, the Illinois Power Agency shall procure at least 700,000 renewable energy credits, delivered annually for at least 20 years, from one new utility-scale offshore wind project. In provisions concerning the development of a long-term renewable resources procurement plan, provides that the total of renewable energy resources procured under the procurement plan shall be reduced for all retail customers based on the amount necessary to limit the annual estimated average net increase due to the costs of these resources included in the amounts paid by eligible retail customers in connection with electric service to no more than 4.25% of the amount paid per kilowatthour by those customers during the year ending May 31, 2009, and to no more than 4.5% of that amount as of the billing month following the expected date that a new utility-scale offshore wind project commences commercial operations and is expected to begin delivering power to the PJM Interconnection, LLC transmission grid. Provides that the Agency shall conduct at least one new utility-scale offshore wind procurement within 360 days after the effective date of the amendatory Act. Defines terms. Makes other changes. Effective immediately.
Amends the Unified Code of Corrections. Provides that the Department of Corrections shall establish an Office of Workplace Safety. Provides that the Office shall assess the Department's compliance with the Occupational Safety and Health Act and any other applicable health and safety rules, and make recommendations for improvements to processes and procedures to improve safety in the workplace. Provides that the Office shall also prepare an annual report on the Department's state of compliance with all applicable health and safety laws and rules, plans for the future to increase compliance and further promote safety in the workplace, and any serious accident which occurred resulting in serious injury or death including lessons learned from those accidents and remedial measures undertaken as a result. Provides that this report shall be sent to the Director of Corrections, the Governor, and the General Assembly. Provides that the Director of Corrections shall appoint the Chief Workplace Safety Officer to administer the Office, who shall have a professional background and training in industrial and workplace safety or industrial hygiene. Provides that the Chief Workplace Safety Officer may employ subordinate employees at the Chief Workplace Safety Officer's discretion to assist the Chief Workplace Safety Officer in carrying out the Chief Workplace Safety Officer's duties. Provides that the Chief Workplace Safety Officer or any designated employee of the Office may conduct a workplace safety inspection of any property, equipment, or workplace under the control or supervision of the Department at any time, and shall conduct random unannounced inspections as often as deemed necessary. Provides that any person who fails to cooperate with an investigation inspection or who gives false testimony or documentary evidence shall be subject to discipline, or in the case of a person committed to the Department of Corrections a loss of privileges. Provides that violent actions by committed persons and the use of force by correctional officers and staff shall not be within the purview of the Office of Workplace Safety. Provides that the provisions of the amendatory Act are subject to appropriations.
Amends the Prior Authorization Reform Act. Provides that a health insurance issuer may not require prior authorization for a prescription drug prescribed to a patient by a health care professional for 6 or more consecutive months, regardless of whether the prescription drug is a non-preferred medication pursuant to the patient's health insurance coverage; or for specified prescription drugs, including insulin, human immunodeficiency virus prevention medication; human immunodeficiency virus treatment medication; viral hepatitis medication; estrogen; and progesterone.
Amends the Illinois Insurance Code. Requires insurance policies to be written in language easily readable and understandable by a person of average intelligence and education. Provides the factors the Director of Insurance shall consider in making the determination that the policy is easily readable and understandable by a person of average intelligence and education.
Amends the School Code. Provides that a school nurse or other designated person employed by a school district shall remove a tick from a student in accordance with guidelines issued by the Department of Public Health. After the tick has been removed, requires (i) the school nurse or other designated person to notify the parent or guardian of the student (and sets forth what the notice must state), (ii) the school to provide the parent or guardian with an information sheet from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention or the Department of Public Health regarding the signs and symptoms of Lyme disease and Rocky Mountain spotted fever and testing labs for ticks, and (iii) the school to preserve the tick for 72 hours so that the parent or guardian may send the tick to a lab for testing and provide information to the parent or guardian on how to send the tick to a lab for testing (but allows the parent or guardian to give the school permission to dispose of the tick before the 72-hour time period has expired). Provides that the Department of Public Health shall issue guidelines on how to remove a tick, publish those guidelines on the Department of Public Health's Internet website, and, in consultation with the State Board of Education, provide the guidelines to school districts. Provides that a school district and its employees and agents shall incur no liability, except for willful or wanton conduct, as a result of any injury arising from the removal of a tick if the removal of the tick followed the guidelines issued by the Department of Public Health. Effective July 1, 2024.
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 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 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.
