Rep. Sharon Chung

Amends the Illinois Insurance Code. Creates the Rates for Fire and Extended Coverage Insurance Article. Provides that the Article applies to policies of fire and extended coverage insurance and establishes policies that are exempt from the Article. Provides that rates shall not be excessive, inadequate, or unfairly discriminatory, as specified. Sets forth provisions concerning filing requirements for insurers in competitive and noncompetitive markets and the monitoring duties of the Director of Insurance concerning market competition and the availability of insurance for the policies of insurance to which the Article applies. Provides that a competitive market is presumed to exist for a line of insurance unless the Director, after a hearing, issues an order stating that a reasonable degree of competition does not exist in the market. Provides that the ruling of the Director regarding market competition is subject to judicial review under the Administrative Review Law. Effective January 1, 2028.

Amends the State Employees Group Insurance Act of 1971. Adds to the definition of "community college benefit recipient" a person who is receiving retirement income from a self-managed plan account under the State Universities Article of the Illinois Pension Code and who meets other requirements. Amends the State Universities Article of the Illinois Pension Code. In the definition of "retire" and "retirement", provides that a participant in the self-managed plan retires, and the participant's retirement begins, when the participant is eligible for retirement under the Article, and the Retirement System Reciprocal Act (Article 20 of the Code) if applicable, and the participant begins receiving retirement income from the participant's self-managed plan account.

Amends the Higher Education Student Assistance Act. Provides that beginning July 1, 2026, funds for the special education teacher scholarship program shall be continuously appropriated from the General Revenue Fund to the Illinois Student Assistance Commission. Provides that this requirement constitutes an irrevocable and continuing appropriation of all amounts necessary for the purpose specified by the requirement to the fullest extent such appropriation is required. Effective July 1, 2026.

Creates the Household Hazardous Waste Stewardship Act. Requires that manufacturers implement a stewardship plan, beginning January 1, 2028, and establishes related prohibitions. Requires a manufacturer to establish, fund, and implement a stewardship program individually or collectively as part of a stewardship organization, with certain funding requirements. Lists other manufacturer and stewardship organization obligations and requirements. Requires each manufacturer who sells covered products in the State to register with a stewardship organization by April 1, 2027, and annually thereafter, and subsequently also with the Environmental Protection Agency. Requires stewardship organizations to post certain information on a website by January 1, 2028. Prohibits a manufacturer from selling a covered product, beginning in program year 2028, unless the manufacturer is registered and operates a stewardship program or is part of a stewardship organization. Requires stewardship organizations to jointly prepare, no later than January 1, 2027, a household hazardous waste needs assessment. Prohibits a retailer from selling a covered product unless the manufacturer is identified as a participant in a stewardship organization with an approved stewardship plan. Requires collection sites to keep certain records and provide certain data. Lists requirements and procedures for stewardship plans. Lists collection convenience standard requirements. Requires each stewardship organization to jointly submit, by June 1, 2029, and annually thereafter, a report to the Agency. Requires a stewardship organization to pay an annual fee to the Agency and lists responsibilities of the Agency. Exempts activities under the Act from antitrust laws. Allows the Agency to adopt rules. Provides civil penalties for violations. Specifies that it is a Class 4 or Class 3 felony to make a fraudulent material statement to the Agency under the Act. Allows for collection of covered products using a premium collection service. Makes findings. Defines terms. Effective immediately.

Amends the Department of Agriculture Law of the Civil Administrative Code of Illinois. Requires the Department of Agriculture to adopt rules establishing, implementing, and administering the Illinois Down Payment Assistant Grant Program to offer up to $20,000 grants for eligible applicants purchasing their first farms that are eligible farm purchases. Provides that, if more eligible applicants apply than grants are available, then the recipients shall be chosen with a random lottery process determined by the Department, with priority given to priority applicants. Defines terms.

Amends the School Code. Changes the term "epinephrine injector" to "epinephrine delivery system" in a provision regarding the self-administration, self-carry, and administration of epinephrine delivery systems. Defines "epinephrine delivery system" as any form of epinephrine that is approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration and that is used to administer epinephrine into the human body to prevent or treat a life-threatening allergic reaction. Requires the entity or individual conducting the training curriculum to recognize and respond to anaphylaxis to issue a certificate to each person who successfully completes the anaphylaxis training program. Allows the anaphylaxis training to include the proper techniques for administering non-injector epinephrine options. Effective July 30, 2026.

Amends the Illinois Municipal Code. Provides that if a municipality (rather than any municipality located within DuPage County) belongs to a not-for-profit organization headquartered in the county in which the municipality is located and if that not-for-profit organization is recognized by the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity as a certified local tourism and convention bureau entitled to receive State tourism grant funds, then not less than 50% (rather than 75%) of the amounts collected pursuant to the municipal hotel operators' occupation tax and municipal hotel use tax shall be expended by the municipality to promote tourism and conventions within that municipality or otherwise to attract nonresident overnight visitors to the municipality, and the remainder of the amounts collected by the municipality pursuant to the municipal hotel operators' occupation tax and municipal hotel use tax may be expended by the municipality for economic development or capital infrastructure. Removes provisions repealing the municipal hotel operators' occupation tax and the municipal hotel use tax on January 1, 2027. Effective immediately.

Creates the Higher Education Enrollment Fraud Act. Requires the Board of Higher Education to convene a working group to develop policies and procedures for institutions of higher education to prevent fraudulent enrollment in online courses for the purpose of gaining access to financial aid, campus information technology systems, and student support services. Requires each institution of higher education to complete an annual cybersecurity self-assessment of its information technology infrastructure to determine its Information Technology Laboratory score and annually report local and systemwide technology and data security measures that support improved oversight of fraud mitigation, online learning quality, and cybersecurity efforts to the Board. Requires the self-assessment and report to be submitted to the Board by December 15, 2026 and each December 15 thereafter and the Board to compile a report of these submissions and submit that report to the General Assembly by January 15, 2027 and each January 15 thereafter. Includes other information an institution of higher education must submit related to enrollment fraud. Effective immediately.

Amends the Lobbyist Registration Act. Directs the Secretary of State to grant a waiver of the lobbyist registration fee for any not-for-profit entity with an annual budget of less than $5,000,000 that is classified as tax-exempt under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, including a waiver for any lobbyist that exclusively lobbies on behalf of such an entity.

Amends the Video Gaming Act. Prohibits a home rule unit of local government with a population of over 1,000,000 from enforcing any local ordinance passed prior to the effective date of the amendatory Act prohibiting the operation of video gaming terminals within the corporate limits of the municipality. Prohibits a home rule unit of government with a population of over 1,000,000 from imposing any fee for the operation of a video gaming terminal in excess of $250 per year.