Rep. Stephanie Kifowit

Amends the Illinois Community Reinvestment Act. Makes technical changes in a Section concerning the short title.

Amends the Illinois Pension Code. Provides that a security employee of the Department of Corrections or the Department of Juvenile Justice under the Tier 2 provisions is entitled to an annuity calculated under the alternative retirement formula, in lieu of the regular or minimum retirement annuity, only if the person has withdrawn from service with not less than 20 years of eligible creditable service and has attained age 55 (instead of age 60). With regard to Tier 2 members and participants under the Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund (IMRF), Chicago Municipal, Cook County, State Employees, and State Universities Article: changes the retirement age to age 60 with 20 years of service or age 67 with 10 years of service; changes the final average salary calculation to the total salary during the 60 months (instead of 96 months) of service within the last 120 months of service in which the total salary was the highest; rescinds an election for certain benefits for persons under the Chicago Municipal Article; provides that the automatic annual increase in retirement annuity shall be calculated at 3% or one-half the annual unadjusted increase in the consumer-price index-u, whichever is greater (instead of whichever is less) of the originally granted retirement annuity; and makes other changes. Provides that the changes made by the amendatory Act are intended to be retroactive to January 1, 2011 and are applicable without regard to whether a member or participant was in active service on or after the effective date. Amends the State Mandates Act to require implementation without reimbursement.

Amends the Illinois Pension Code. Provides that a security employee of the Department of Corrections or the Department of Juvenile Justice under the Tier 2 provisions is entitled to an annuity calculated under the alternative retirement formula, in lieu of the regular or minimum retirement annuity, only if the person has withdrawn from service with not less than 20 years of eligible creditable service and has attained age 55 (instead of age 60). With regard to Tier 2 members and participants under the Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund (IMRF), Chicago Municipal, Cook County, State Employees, and State Universities Article: changes the retirement age to age 60 with 20 years of service or age 67 with 10 years of service; rescinds an election for certain benefits for persons under the Chicago Municipal Article; provides that any retirement annuity or supplemental annuity shall be subject to annual increases on January 1 in the manner and with the same eligibility requirements provided for members or participants under the applicable Article who first became members or participants in that Article before January 1, 2011; and makes other changes. Provides that the changes made by the amendatory Act are intended to be retroactive to January 1, 2011 and are applicable without regard to whether a member or participant was in active service on or after the effective date. Authorizes SLEP status under IMRF for a person who is a county correctional officer or probation officer. Amends the State Mandates Act to require implementation without reimbursement.

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 General Provisions, Downstate Police, Downstate Firefighter, and State Employees Articles of the Illinois Pension Code. Provides that a security employee of the Department of Corrections or the Department of Juvenile Justice or a security employee of the Department of Human Services subject to the Tier 2 provisions is entitled to an annuity calculated under the alternative retirement annuity provisions, in lieu of the regular or minimum retirement annuity, only if the person has withdrawn from service with not less than 20 years of eligible creditable service and has attained age 55, regardless of whether the attainment of age 55 occurs while the person is still in service. Provides that any benefit increase that results from the amendatory Act is excluded from the definition of "new benefit increase". In the Downstate Police and Downstate Firefighter Articles, in a provision that reduces the amount of the pension for a Tier 2 firefighter or Tier 2 police officer who retires with at least 10 years of creditable service before attaining age 55, provides that the pension of a Tier 2 firefighter or Tier 2 police officer who is retiring after attaining age 50 with 20 or more years of creditable service shall not be reduced. Makes a conforming change. Provides that each annual increase for Tier 2 firefighters shall be increased on the January 1 occurring either on or after the attainment of age 55 (instead of age 60) or the first anniversary of the pension start date, whichever is later. Amends the State Mandates Act to require implementation without reimbursement. Effective immediately.

Creates the Higher Education Violation Reporting Act. Provides that each public and private institution of higher education shall maintain a report publicly reporting actual findings of violations by any student organization, athletic team, or living group of the institution's code of conduct or anti-hazing policy or State or federal laws relating to hazing or alcohol, drugs, sexual assault, or physical assault. Provides that an institution of higher education shall provide hazing prevention education to employees. Provides that if an employee or volunteer at an institution of higher education has reasonable cause to believe that hazing has occurred, the employee or volunteer shall report the incident. Amends the Criminal Code of 2012. In provisions concerning hazing, provides that a person commits hazing when he or she knowingly requires the performance of any act by a student or other person in a school, college, university, or other educational institution of this State for the purpose of induction or admission into or maintenance of membership in (instead of only for the purpose of induction or admission into) any group, organization, or society associated or connected with that institution if the act meets certain requirements; makes changes to the requirements. Provides that an act may be considered hazing regardless of whether the student or other person is willing to participate in the act. Effective July 1, 2024.

Amends the Illinois Insurance Code. Provides that a health plan shall limit the total amount that a covered person is required to pay for a covered prescription inhaler at an amount not to exceed $25 per 30-day supply and shall limit the total amount that a covered person is required to pay for all covered prescription inhalers at an amount not to exceed $50 in total per 30 days. Provides that coverage for prescription inhalers shall not be subject to any deductible. Provides that nothing in the provisions prevents a health plan from reducing a covered person's cost sharing to an amount less than the cap. Authorizes rulemaking and enforcement by the Department of Insurance. Effective January 1, 2025.

Amends the Illinois Pension Code. Provides that the Retirement Systems Reciprocal Act (Article 20 of the Code) is adopted and made a part of the Downstate Police Article, but only with respect to a person who, on or after the effective date of the amendatory Act, is entitled under those Articles or through a participating system under the Retirement Systems Reciprocal Act to begin receiving a retirement annuity or survivor's annuity and who elects to proceed under the Retirement Systems Reciprocal Act. In the State Universities Article, provides that a Tier 2 member who has at least 20 years of service in the System as a police officer is entitled to a retirement annuity upon written application on or after the attainment of age 55 (instead of age 60) if a specified rule is applicable to the participant. Provides that any benefit increase that results from the amendatory Act is excluded from the definition of "new benefit increase". Amends the State Mandates Act to require implementation without reimbursement.

Amends the Property Tax Extension Limitation Law in the Property Tax Code. Provides that a levy authorized for contributions to a Firefighters' Pension Fund for a municipality with a population of 500,000 or less is not considered a new rate. Effective immediately.

Amends the Illinois Pension Code. Makes changes to Tier 2 benefits for members or participants under the 5 State-funded retirement systems and the Chicago Teachers Pension Fund, including changes to automatic annual increases, age and service requirements for retirement, and limits on the amount of salary for annuity purposes. Establishes an accelerated pension benefit payment option for the General Assembly, Downstate Police, Downstate Firefighter, Chicago Teachers, and Judges Articles of the Code. Establishes a deferred retirement option plan for certain members who are otherwise eligible to retire under the Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund (IMRF), State Employees, State Universities, Downstate Teachers, or Chicago Teachers Article of the Code under which a participant may continue in active service for up to 5 years while having his or her retirement pension paid into a special account. Requires the State Treasurer to administer the deferred retirement option plan for the State Employees, State Universities, Downstate Teachers, and Chicago Teachers Articles. Amends the General Obligation Bond Act. Provides that each fiscal year after certain State pension funding bonds and income tax proceed bonds are retired, the Comptroller shall order and the State Treasurer shall transfer $500,000,000 from the General Revenue Fund to the Pension Unfunded Liability Reduction Fund each fiscal year, which shall be used for making additional contributions to the 5 State-funded retirement systems. Restricts participation in the General Assembly Retirement System and Judges Retirement System to persons who become participants before January 13, 2027. Provides for participation in the State Employees Retirement System by judges and members of the General Assembly. Authorizes the transfer of service credit from those Systems to the State Employees Retirement System. Authorizes investigators for the Department of the Lottery and Tier 2 security employees of the Department of Corrections and security employees of the Department of Human Services to establish eligible creditable service under the alternative annuity provisions of the State Employees Article. Provides that the Retirement Systems Reciprocal Act (Article 20 of the Code) is adopted and made a part of the Downstate Police and Downstate Firefighter Articles. Makes other changes. Effective July 1, 2025.