Rep. Dee Avelar

Amends the Children with Disabilities Article of the School Code. Provides that in the development of the individualized education program for a student who is 17 years of age or older, or will be during that academic year, the IEP team shall consider voter registration as an appropriate goal or competency to be included in the IEP plan, and, if appropriate, when and how voter registration shall be accomplished. Provides that any resulting decisions shall be included in the IEP plan.

Creates the Legislative Employee Labor Relations Act. Authorizes legislative employees to bargain collectively through the representatives of their choosing on questions of wages, hours, and other conditions of employment. Specifies that the General Assembly is not required to bargain on specified matters of inherent managerial policy. Establishes the Office of State Legislative Labor Relations. Directs the Office of State Legislative Labor Relations to manage the interests of the General Assembly in collective bargaining with legislative employees. Grants the State Panel of the Illinois Labor Relations Board jurisdiction over collective bargaining matters between employee organizations and the General Assembly of the State of Illinois. Contains additional provisions concerning the following topics: the duty to bargain collectively; fair-share agreements; grievance procedures; election and recognition of labor organizations as exclusive representatives; unfair labor practices; mediation; fact-finding; exhaustion of nonjudicial remedies; strikes during session periods; and multiyear collective bargaining agreements. Specifies that the Open Meetings Act does not apply to collective bargaining negotiations and grievance arbitration proceedings under the Act. Sets forth definitions. Amends the Criminal Code of 2012, the State Lawsuit Immunity Act, and the Workplace Violence Prevention Act to make conforming changes. Effective July 1, 2026.

Creates the Office of Language Equity and Access Act. Provides that the Office of Language Equity and Access is created in the Governor's Office of New Americans to ensure equitable and meaningful access to State information, services, programs, and activities for persons who have limited English proficiency. Provides that the Director of the Office shall work with State agencies and use available resources within the Office of New Americans and Office of Equity to ensure that, among other things, each State agency takes reasonable steps to ensure meaningful access to services, programs, and activities by persons with limited English proficiency. Provides that the Office shall have a full-time Director who is bilingual and has experience in serving immigrant populations. Describes the duties and responsibilities of the Director. Provides that there shall be a bilingual employment plan, which would require designations of positions as bilingual and result in the hiring of qualified personnel who are bilingual. Provides that the Director shall comply with specified requirements concerning the need for interpreters and translators. Provides that the Director shall develop a template and mechanism for collecting, storing, and analyzing language access plans.

Congratulates Chef Atzimba Perez on her accomplishments as a chef and as a community advocate. Congratulates her on becoming a legal resident of the United States.

Amends the Illinois Administrative Procedure Act. Provides that all agency rules establishing procedures for contested cases may include procedures for requesting language assistance. Provides that, in a contested case, all parties shall be afforded an opportunity for an administrative hearing after reasonable notice in the preferred spoken language of the parties, if known by the agency. Provides that notice for the administrative hearings shall include instructions at the top of the notice, written in, at a minimum, English, Spanish, Polish, Gujarati, Urdu, Mandarin, Cantonese, Korean, and Tagalog, for assistance in translating the contents of the notice, and a statement written in those languages. Defines "language assistance". Provides that the administrative law judge has the duty to inquire and determine if a participant in the hearing needs language assistance to participate in or understand the hearing. Provides that if an individual for whom English is a second language knows some English, it should not prohibit that individual from being allowed to receive language assistance. Provides that the examination of the individual believed to be in need of language assistance must be done on the record, and the conclusion of the administrative law judge must be stated on the record. Provides that any party or witness has the right to request language assistance to participate in or understand the hearing at any time during the course of the hearing. Creates qualifications for the certification of administrative hearing interpreters.

Amends the Government Electronic Records Act. Makes a technical change in a Section concerning the short title.

Amends the Protect Health Data Privacy Act. Provides that a regulated entity shall disclose and maintain a health data privacy policy that, in plain language, clearly and conspicuously disclosures specified information. Provides that a regulated entity shall prominently publish its health data privacy policy on its website homepage. Provides that a regulated entity shall not collect, share, sell, or store categories of health data not disclosed in the health data privacy policy without first disclosing the categories of health data and obtaining the consumer's consent prior to the collection, sharing, selling, or storing of such data. Prohibits the collection, sharing, selling, or storing of health data. Describes the regulated entity's duty to obtain consent; the consumer's right to withdraw consent; prohibitions on discrimination; prohibitions on geofencing; a private right of action; enforcement by the Attorney General; and conflicts with other laws. Makes other changes.

Amends the State Commemorative Dates Act. Provides that the month of September of each year is designated as Alopecia Awareness Month to be observed throughout the State to bring awareness to the disease of alopecia.

Amends the Illinois Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act. In provisions allowing the filling or refilling of personal containers with bulk food, refers to restaurants and retailers (rather than just retailers). Allows restaurants and retailers to fill or refill a consumer-owned container with ready-made food. Allows clean consumer-owned containers provided or returned to a restaurant or retailer for filling or refilling to be filled or refilled and returned to the same consumer if the consumer-owned container is filled or refilled by either an employee of the restaurant or retailer or the owner of the consumer-owned container. Requires filled or refilled consumer-owned containers to be designed and constructed for reuse in accordance with specified federal requirements. Contains requirements for restaurants and retailers. Directs the Department of Public Health to produce materials for restaurants and retailers on or before January 1, 2024 indicating that consumer-owned containers are not prohibited for use under Illinois law and specifying best practices for food safety requirements for consumer-owned containers. Effective immediately.

Provides that the Act may be referred to as the Mental Health Equity Access and Prevention Act. Amends the Department of Public Health Powers and Duties Law. Provides that subject to appropriation, the Department of Public Health shall undertake a public educational campaign to bring broad public awareness to communities across the State on the importance of mental health and wellness. Amends the Illinois Insurance Code. Provides that a group or individual policy of accident and health insurance or a managed care plan that is amended, delivered, issued, or renewed on or after January 1, 2025 shall cover all medically necessary out-of-network mental health visits, treatment, and services provided by a mental health provider or facility. Provides that a group or individual policy of accident and health insurance or managed care plan that is amended, delivered, issued, or renewed on or after January 1, 2025 shall provide coverage for 2 annual mental health prevention and wellness visits for children and for adults. Provides that a group or individual policy of accident and health insurance or managed care plan that is amended, delivered, issued, or renewed on or after January 1, 2025 shall not require the diagnosis of a mental, emotional, or nervous disorder or condition to establish medical necessity for mental health care, services, or treatment. Provides that the Department of Insurance shall contract with an independent third party with expertise in analyzing commercial insurance premiums and costs to perform an independent analysis of the impact of the coverage of services pursuant to the provisions has had on insurance premiums. Provides that the Department shall adopt any rules necessary to implement the provisions by no later than October 31, 2024. Makes other changes. Effective immediately.