Amends the Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities Administrative Act. Requires the Department of Human Services to establish reimbursement rates that build toward livable wages for front-line personnel in residential and day programs and service coordination agencies serving persons with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Provides that for community-based providers serving persons with intellectual or developmental disabilities, subject to federal approval, the rates taking effect for services delivered on or after July 1, 2025 shall be increased sufficiently to: (i) provide a minimum $2.00 per hour wage increase over the wages in effect on June 30, 2025 for front-line personnel; and (ii) provide wages for all other residential non-executive direct care staff, excluding direct support professionals, at the U.S. Department of Labor's average wage as defined, by rule, by the Department. Amends the Illinois Public Aid Code. Provides that for ID/DD facilities and MC/DD facilities, the rates taking effect for services delivered on or after July 1, 2025, shall be increased sufficiently to: (i) provide a minimum $2.00 per hour wage increase over the wages in effect on June 30, 2025 for front-line personnel; and (ii) provide wages for all other residential non-executive direct care staff, excluding direct support professionals, at the U.S. Department of Labor's average wage as defined, by rule, by the Department. Requires the same increase for front-line personnel employed at community-based providers serving persons with intellectual or developmental disabilities. Amends the Illinois Administrative Procedure Act. Grants the Departments of Human Services and Healthcare and Family Services emergency rulemaking authority. Effective immediately.
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Amends the Medical Assistance Article of the Illinois Public Aid Code. In provisions concerning provider reimbursement rates for medically fragile and technology dependent children, provides that subject to federal approval, on and after January 1, 2026, the reimbursement rates for nursing paid through Nursing and Personal Care Services for non-waiver customers and to providers of private duty nursing services for children eligible for medical assistance shall be 3.5% higher than the reimbursement rates in effect for nursing services on December 31, 2025. Effective immediately.
Provides that the Act may be referred to as the Cash Assistance to Strengthen Households (CASH) Act. Amends the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families Article of the Illinois Public Aid Code. Provides that the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) Program is inoperative after June 30, 2026 and is replaced by the Cash Assistance to Strengthen Households (CASH) program. Contains provisions concerning persons eligible for CASH assistance, including pregnant persons without dependent children and assistance units headed by a caretaker relative, as defined; income thresholds; immigration status; the amount of aid paid to eligible assistance units; application requirements; income verification requirements; eligibility redeterminations; substitute payees; transitioning assistance units from TANF to CASH; and Department rules to implement the CASH program. Makes conforming changes in other Articles of the Code. Effective July 1, 2026.
Amends the Commission on Discrimination and Hate Crimes Act. Provides that the Commission on Discrimination and Hate Crimes shall research and identify any discriminatory practices used by insurance companies in the ratemaking process for home insurance and automobile insurance, including, but not limited to, the use of zip codes, credit scores, and age in a manner that results in inequitable rates being assessed to certain populations. Provides that, beginning with the report that is due by March 30, 2026, the Commission shall include any findings and recommendations it makes concerning discriminatory practices used by insurance companies in its report to the Governor and the General Assembly. Effective immediately.
Amends the Administration Article of the Illinois Public Aid Code. Provides that if a household's monthly benefit amount under the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program is determined to be less than $75, the State shall pay an additional amount to increase the household's total monthly benefit to $75. Effective October 1, 2025.
Creates the Operating Room Patient Safety Act. Provides that each surgical technologist hired or contracted by a health care facility on or after January 1, 2027 shall meet specified educational, certification, or experiential requirements. Provides that nothing in the Act prohibits an individual from performing surgical technology services if the individual is acting within the scope of the individual's license or registration or is a student or intern under the direct supervision of a licensed health care provider.
Amends the Unified Code of Corrections. Provides that the Director of Corrections shall establish a canine unit pilot program within the Department of Corrections, which shall consist of a contraband screening program that includes, but is not limited to, the use of a leashed and controlled canine trained to detect illegal drugs at each correctional institution or facility housing 100 or more committed persons. The Department of Corrections shall, by rule, establish standards concerning the operation of the canine units, the chain of command, assignment of canine handlers, the uniforms to be worn by canine handlers, the shifts and assignments of canine handlers, the training of canines for drug detection, the equipment to be issued to canine handlers, the supply of contraband drugs to canine handlers in order to teach the canines drug detection, the transportation of the canines, canine care, handler responsibility for the care of the canines, canine selection, standards for the selection of canine handlers, the placement of the canines after the canines are no longer used in drug detection, veterinary care for the canines, evaluation of canine handlers and the canines in drug detection, and any other standards that the Department deems necessary for the effective operation of the canine drug detection program.
Amends the Higher Education Student Assistance Act. Removes a provision specifically excluding academic programs for incarcerated students from the definition of "institution of higher learning", "qualified institution", and "institution". In provisions concerning the AIM HIGH Grant Program, removes the grant eligibility requirement that an applicant not be incarcerated.
Creates the Single-Use Plastic Bag Reduction Act. Defines terms. Prohibits, starting July 1, 2026, a retail mercantile establishment from offering or making available a single-use checkout bag to consumers at the point of sale. Allows a retail mercantile establishment to offer a recycled paper bag or reusable bag to consumers. Requires a fee of at least $0.10 per recycled bag to be retained by the retail mercantile establishment. Exempts bags for certain governmental food assistance programs. Limits use of the fee with respect to credit card and other fees. Provides for educational material and signage. Provides for enforcement, including civil penalties. Limits home rule powers.
Amends the Illinois Income Tax Act. Creates a credit for certain small businesses in an amount equal to the lesser of (i) 10% of the property taxes paid by the qualified small business during the taxable year for eligible real property or (ii) $1,500. Effective immediately.