Sen. Mike Porfirio

Amends the Public Safety Employee Benefits Act. Provides that, if the injured employee subsequently dies, the employer shall continue to pay the entire health insurance premium for the surviving spouse (rather than the surviving spouse until remarried) and for the dependent children under specified conditions.

Amends the School Code. In provisions concerning a school board's suspension or expulsion of pupils, provides that a student who is determined to have committed sexual violence, sexual assault, or sexual activity with an individual without the individual's consent at a school, a school-sponsored activity or event, or any activity or event that bears a reasonable relationship to school shall be expelled for a period of not less than one year. Effective immediately.

Declares April 7, 2025 and April 7, 2026 as Little Palestine Day in the State of Illinois. Urges Illinoisans to celebrate Little Palestine Day by supporting businesses and cultural initiatives in Little Palestine and attending or hosting events showcasing the contributions of the Arab American community to the United States. Urges local schools and educational institutions to incorporate lessons about the history and contributions of the Arab American community into their curricula, promoting inclusivity and understanding.

Declares March 25, 2025 as Equal Pay Day in the State of Illinois. Encourages the citizens of this State to learn about the pay gap that women experience in society and to learn about these various dates that bring attention to the pay gap that specific groups experience.

Amends the Illinois Insurance Code. Establishes reimbursement rates for mental health and substance use disorder treatment services for all group or individual policies of accident and health insurance or managed care plans that are amended, delivered, issued, or renewed on or after January 1, 2027 or for any contracted third party administering the behavioral health benefits for the insurer. Requires 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, 2026 or any contracted third party administering the behavioral health benefits for the insurer to cover certain medically necessary mental health and substance use disorder treatment services. Provides that, if the Department of Insurance determines that an insurer or a contracted third party administering the behavioral health benefits for the insurer has violated a provision concerning mental health and substance use parity, the Department shall by order assess a civil penalty of $1,000 for each violation. Excludes certain health care plans serving Medicaid populations who are enrolled under the Illinois Public Aid Code or under the Children's Health Insurance Program Act from provisions concerning mental health and substance use parity. Requires the Department to review the impact of the proposed mental health and substance abuse mandate on network adequacy for mental health and substance use disorder treatment and access to affordable mental health and substance use care. Permits the Department to examine out-of-network utilization and out-of-pocket costs for insureds for mental health and substance use treatment and services for all plans to compare with in-network utilization. Amends the State Employees Group Insurance Act of 1971, the Counties Code, the Illinois Municipal Code, and the School Code to require coverage under those provisions. Effective immediately.

Amends the Public Community College Act. Provides for the election (rather than appointment) of the board of trustees of the City Colleges of Chicago beginning with the 2027 consolidated election. Provides that the City of Chicago shall be subdivided into 20 trustee districts by the General Assembly for seats on the board of trustees, in addition to one at-large trustee. Makes related changes. Effective immediately.

Amends the Township Code. Authorizes funds generated through a levy on property located in a special police district in an unincorporated area of a township in a county with a population of 1,000,000 or more inhabitants to be used to provide for public safety in unincorporated areas of the township. Prohibits the levied funds from being used to pay for (i) any portion of a school resource officer's wages or to facilitate any agreement with any law enforcement agency to hire a school resource officer or (ii) any portion of a red light camera, speed camera, or automated license plate reader. Defines "public safety" and "resource officer". Effective immediately.

Amends the Illinois Income Tax Act. Creates a deduction in an amount equal to any strike benefits paid to the taxpayer during the taxable year by a labor organization, union, or similar entity during a strike, work stoppage, or labor dispute. Amends the Unemployment Insurance Act. Provides that, if an individual's unemployment is due to a stoppage of work that exists because of a labor dispute, then the individual is ineligible for benefits for a period of not more than one week. Provides that, after the expiration of that one week period, the individual shall be eligible for benefits. Effective immediately.

Amends the Illinois Human Rights Act. Changes the Public Accommodations and Financial Credit Articles to prohibit discrimination on the basis of citizenship, primary language, or immigration status that includes discrimination against a person because of the person's actual or perceived characteristic or characteristics within the listed categories or that the person is associated with a person who has, or is perceived to have, any particular characteristic or characteristics within the listed categories. "Citizenship" means the status of being: (i) a born U.S. citizen; (ii) a naturalized U.S. citizen; or (iii) a U.S. national. "Immigration status" means citizenship of some country other than the United States, including stateless persons, and the specific authority, or lack thereof, to reside in or otherwise to be present in the United States. "Primary language" means a person's preferred language for communication. Provides that it is not a civil rights violation to verify immigration status or any discrimination based upon verified immigration status if required by federal law. Nothing in the Act may be construed to require the provision of services or documents in a language other than English beyond that which is otherwise required by other provisions of federal, State, or local law. Provides that a civil rights violation for a violation of Articles 4 and 5 may include statutory damages of 3 times the amount of actual damages sustained or $8,000, whichever is the greater.

Creates the Insurance Rate Transparency Law as an Article of the Illinois Insurance Code. Provides that, beginning January 1, 2026, each insurer offering automobile and homeowners insurance policies in Illinois shall maintain a publicly accessible website displaying a summary of the annual percentage increase or decrease in premium rates for homeowners insurance policies and automobile insurance policies. Requires the website to display the rate-change data for the previous 5 years, updated annually by no later than January 31 of each year, and specified other data. Sets forth provisions concerning the format of the renewal notice; enforcement of the requirements by the Department of Insurance; penalties; and rulemaking. Effective immediately.