Rep. Harry Benton

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.

Amends the State Fire Marshal Act. Provides that, beginning no later than 6 months after the effective date of the amendatory Act, the Office of the State Fire Marshal shall track and record the manner of death for all firefighters in Illinois, including suicide and the various types of cancer.

Amends the Illinois Parentage Act of 2015. Provides that the court shall apply Illinois law, including the rules on choice of law, to adjudicate the parent-child relationship, and that such applicable law may (rather than does not) depend on the place of birth of the child or the past or present residence of the child. Effective immediately.

Appropriates $10,000,000 from the General Revenue Fund to the Department of Public Health for local health protection grants for health protection programs. Effective July 1, 2025.

Amends the Illinois State Police Law. Provides that, beginning January 1, 2026, all 9-1-1 telecommunicators who provide dispatch for emergency medical conditions shall be required to be trained, utilizing the most current nationally recognized emergency cardiovascular care guidelines, in high-quality telecommunicator cardiopulmonary resuscitation (T-CPR). Defines telecommunicator cardiopulmonary resuscitation for the purposes of the provisions.

Creates the Child Welfare Agency Liability Task Force to develop and recommend a permanent solution to address the unavailability of liability insurance for child welfare agencies in the State.

Urges full restoration of all eliminated direct support professionals (DSP) hours in the final FY26 State budget to protect the services individuals with intellectual/developmental disabilities (I/DD) depend on.

Declares April 2025 as Second Chance Month. Encourages leaders in both the public and private sectors to adopt policies that remove unnecessary barriers to employment and reintegration for individuals with criminal records.

Urges the implementation of interventions to support vaccine uptake and reduce disparities in vaccine coverage among children. Urges the Illinois Department of Health, the Illinois State Board of Education, and the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services to work with pediatricians, clinicians, families, and other stakeholders to ensure infants and children are vaccinated on time and students begin school fully vaccinated. Urges the Illinois Department of Health, the Illinois State Board of Education, and the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services to continue to invest in immunization initiatives and infrastructure to ensure timely reporting of vaccine coverage to ensure children are protected from vaccine-preventable illness in public and private schools, child care facilities, and pre-kindergarten programs and beyond.

Amends the Preventing Sexual Violence in Higher Education Act. Requires each higher education institution to biennially (rather than annually) conduct a sexual misconduct climate survey of all students at the institution. Adds the Executive Director of the Illinois Community College Board, members appointed by the Board of Higher Education, and members appointed by the Illinois Community College Board to the Task Force on Campus Sexual Misconduct Climate Surveys. Removes some members of the Task Force who were appointed by the Governor. Requires the Task Force to meet to recommend updates and revisions to the base survey (rather than to review the results of the survey and to implement updates and improvements). Removes the civil fine imposed upon an institution that violates the provisions or fails to carry out the provisions. Makes other changes.