Sen. Napoleon Harris

Amends the Public Utilities Act. Provides that a gas utility may cease providing service if the Illinois Commerce Commission determines that adequate substitute service is available at a reasonable cost to support the existing end uses of the affected utility customers. Provides for cost-effective energy efficiency measures for natural gas utilities that supersede existing provisions concerning natural gas energy efficiency programs and take effect beginning January 1, 2025. Provides that gas main and gas service extension policies shall be based on the principle that the full incremental cost associated with new development and growth shall be borne by the customers that cause those incremental costs. Provides that, no later than 60 days after the effective date of the amendatory Act, the Commission shall initiate a docketed rulemaking reviewing each gas public utility tariff that provides for gas main and gas service extensions without additional charge to new customers in excess of the default extensions as specified in administrative rule. Adds the Clean Building Heating Law Article to the Act, with provisions concerning emissions standards for heating in buildings, as well as related and other provisions. Adds the 2050 Heat Decarbonization Standard Article to the Act, with provisions concerning options for compliance, measures for customer emission reduction, customer emission reductions, tradable clean heat credits, banking of emission reductions, equity in emission reductions, enforcement, the 2050 Heat Decarbonization Pathways Study, gas infrastructure planning, a study on gas utility financial incentive reform, and reporting requirements. Adds the Statewide Navigator Program Law Article to the Act, with provisions concerning creation of a statewide navigator program, as well as related and other provisions. Amends the Energy Transition Act to add electrification industries to clean energy jobs. Effective immediately.

Creates the Black Farmer Restoration Program Act. Creates the Black Farmer Restoration Program within the Department of Agriculture to support current Black farmers and to encourage the growth of Black farmers into the field of agriculture. Creates the Black Farmer Restoration Fund as a special fund in the State treasury. Provides that the Fund shall consist of gifts, grants, donations, and appropriations which must be made to support the Program. Provides that expenditures from the Fund must be used exclusively to pay costs, fees, and expenses necessary to administer the Program. Establishes requirements and limitations for the Program. Establishes the Farm Conservation Corps to provide training in an on-field environment for socially disadvantaged residents. Provides that the Director shall make publicly available annual reports describing data on the recipients of the Department programs, including assistance from farm subsidy programs, and the amounts of the assistance, delineated by the race, ethnicity, and gender of the recipients. Defines terms. Effective immediately.

Amends the Department of Natural Resources Act. Makes changes concerning the powers and duties of the Illinois State Museum. Repeals a provision which specifies that the Board of the Illinois State Museum is the governing board for the State Museum. Replaces the Board of the Illinois State Museum with an advisory board. Describes the duties of the advisory board. Repeals a provision which states that the Department of Natural Resources may set, by administrative rule, an entrance fee for visitors to the Illinois State Museum. Effective immediately.

Amends the Substance Use Disorder Act. Requires the Department of Human Services to (i) establish a new intervention license category entitled "OPS Harm Reduction Services", (ii) establish standards for entities to become licensed under the OPS Harm Reduction Services category, and (iii) create a licensing application process. Provides that, notwithstanding any other law, ordinance, or regulation, any entity licensed as an OPS Harm Reduction Services provider may operate an overdose prevention site as authorized by the Department. Requires the Department to make a determination as to whether to approve an entity's application for an OPS Harm Reduction Services license within 4 weeks after the date upon which the entity submitted its application to the Department. Requires the Department to help educate local communities and public and private entities about overdose prevention sites and the evidence regarding the benefits of overdose prevention sites. Requires entities approved to operate an overdose prevention site to, at a minimum, provide a hygienic space where participants may consume pre-obtained substances, maintain a supply of naloxone and oxygen on-site, employ staff trained to administer first aid to participants who are experiencing an overdose, provide secure hypodermic needle and syringe disposal services, encourage drug checking or the use of fentanyl test strips, and other services. Requires licensed entities to submit a report to the Department on the number of participants who have received or are receiving services at the overdose prevention site and other matters. Grants immunity from civil or criminal liability to specified persons. Preempts home rule powers.

Amends the Childhood Hunger Relief Act. Provides that, subject to appropriation, the State Board of Education shall award grants of up to $5,000 per school site on a competitive basis to eligible school districts, regional superintendents of schools, or entities approved by the State Board of Education for nonrecurring expenses incurred in initiating a school breakfast after the bell program. Sets forth what the grants may be used for and who gets preference for a grant.

Amends the Illinois Health Benefits Exchange Law. Provides that the Department of Insurance and the Department of Healthcare and Family Services have the authority to require, when the Department of Insurance operates the Illinois Health Benefits Exchange as a State-based exchange, the Illinois Health Benefits Exchange to offer enhanced direct enrollment technology that allows approved enhanced direct enrollment entities to maintain enrollment services as offered through the Federally Facilitated Marketplace's enhanced direct enrollment implementation; to require enhanced direct enrollment to be available for the first open enrollment period for the State-based exchange; to require that the State-based exchange adopt the application programming interface for the Federally Facilitated Marketplace's enhanced direct enrollment or adopt an application programming interface that is substantially similar; and to require enhanced direct enrollment entities to be approved to operate in the Federally Facilitated Marketplace and maintain compliance with all Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services' privacy, security, and business requirements. Defines terms.

Creates the Pretrial Success Act. Provides that the Department of Human Services has grant making, operational, and procurement authority to distribute funds to local government health and human services agencies, community-based organizations, and other entities necessary to execute the functions under the Act. Provides that subject to appropriation, the Department shall issue grants to local governmental agencies and community-based organizations to maximize pretrial success each year. Provides that grants shall be awarded no later than October 1, 2024. Provides that grants in subsequent years shall be issued on or before September 1 of the relevant fiscal year and shall allow for pre-award expenditures beginning July 1 of the relevant fiscal year. Provides that each judicial circuit with a population of at least 250,000 constitutes a service area. Provides that each judicial circuit with populations of less than 250,000 shall be combined with at least one other geographically contiguous judicial circuit to constitute a service area with a population of at least 250,000. Provides that resources for each service area shall be distributed based on maximizing the total potential pretrial success. Subject to appropriation, the minimum annual grant amount awarded in each service area shall be $300,000. Provides that beginning in fiscal year 2027 and subject to appropriation, grants shall be awarded for a project period of 3 years, contingent on Department requirements for reporting and successful performance. Provides that organizations receiving grants under the Act shall provide the following services directly or through subgrants to other organizations:(1) case management for mental health and substance use disorders; (2) detoxification or referral to detoxification when clinically indicated and available in the community; (3) medication assisted treatment or referral to medication assisted treatment when clinically indicated and available in the community; (4) child care to remove barriers to court appearances; and (5) transportation to court appearances if not available through the Office of Statewide Pretrial Services or other court stakeholders. Effective immediately.

Amends the Criminal Code of 2012. Provides that, in addition to other elements of the offense, a person commits a hate crime when the person displays or causes to be displayed, on public or private property, a burning cross, a Nazi swastika, a noose, a Confederate flag, or any other known symbol of white supremacist or neo-Nazi beliefs with the intent to intimidate a person or group of persons or incite violence against a person or group of persons. Includes a severability provision.

Amends the Environmental Protection Act. Requires the Environmental Protection Agency to establish a Fleet Electrification Incentive Program to promote the use of electric trucks by fleet owners by offering a voucher of $200,000 per electric Class 6 truck, electric Class 7 truck, or electric Class 8 truck purchased or leased for a fleet by the fleet's owner or operator. Provides that an applicant shall submit a proof of purchase, lease, or other binding contract regarding the electric Class 6 truck, electric Class 7 truck, or electric Class 8 truck in order to be awarded the voucher. Requires an applicant who is awarded a voucher to agree to participate in annual surveys on specified metrics. Contains other program requirements. Defines "Class 6 truck", "Class 7 truck", and "Class 8 truck".

Amends the School Boards Article of the School Code. Removes the repeal date for the short-term substitute teacher training program. Amends the Educator Licensure Article of the School Code. In provisions concerning short-term substitute teacher licenses, removes the June 30, 2023 expiration date for issuing short-term substitute teacher licenses. Removes the licensing fees for short-term substitute teacher, substitute teaching, and professional teaching licenses.