Sen. Laura Ellman

Amends the School Breakfast and Lunch Program Act. Provides that the State Board of Education shall reimburse not less than the actual cost to school boards for each free lunch or breakfast supplied by them (instead of reimbursing school boards $0.15 or the actual cost, whichever is less, for each free lunch or breakfast), taking into consideration (rather than being in addition to) any federal contributions.

Creates the Family and Medical Leave Insurance Program Act. Requires the Department of Employment Security to establish and administer a Family and Medical Leave Insurance Program that provides family and medical leave insurance benefits to eligible employees. Sets forth eligibility requirements for benefits under the Act. Contains provisions concerning disqualification from benefits; premium payments; the amount and duration of benefits; the recovery of erroneous payments; hearings; defaulted premium payments; elective coverage; employment protection; coordination of family and medical leave; defined terms; and other matters. Amends the State Finance Act. Creates the Family and Medical Leave Insurance Account Fund. Provides phase-in periods for the collection of money and making of claims for benefits under the Act. Effective January 1, 2024.

Amends the Open Space Lands Acquisition and Development Act. Provides that, notwithstanding any other provision of law, moneys in the Open Space Lands Acquisition and Development Fund may not be appropriated, assigned, or transferred to another State fund. Effective immediately.

Amends the Lawn Care Products Application and Notice Act. Requires an applicator for hire to provide a warning that pesticide application may affect nontargeted insects or other animals if not applied correctly.

Creates the Water Quality Assurance Act. Provides that new and existing health care facilities and buildings containing health care facilities shall develop and implement water management programs with specified elements to control the growth and spread of opportunistic waterborne pathogens. Requires specified persons to develop and implement a routine culture sampling plan for all building water systems. Requires health care facilities to perform remediation of identified opportunistic waterborne pathogens. Provides that the Department of Public Health or agent health departments may enter at reasonable times upon private or public property for the purpose of inspecting and investigating conditions relating to the enforcement of the Act. Requires health care facilities to register with the Department all building water systems within 120 days of the Act's effective date and to provide specified information. Contains other provisions. Establishes the Water Quality Assurance Fund as a special fund in the State treasury and makes a conforming change in the State Finance Act. Provides that the Department of Public Health shall implement, administer, and enforce the Act and may adopt rules it deems necessary to do so. Amends the Illinois Procurement Code. Provides that the Code shall not apply to procurement expenditures necessary for the Department to respond to an infectious disease outbreak response or to procurement expenditures that are necessary for a State agency's facility to implement critical recommendations provided by the Department in response to an infectious disease outbreak. Effective January 1, 2024.

Amends the Environmental Protection Act. Provides that within 180 days after the effective date of the amendatory Act, the Pollution Control Board shall adopt amendments to the rules adopted under specified provisions to require groundwater monitoring at all clean construction or demolition debris fill operations and all uncontaminated soil fill operations. Provides that the groundwater monitoring requirements adopted under specified provisions shall be designed to detect and prevent any exceedance of the Board's Class I groundwater quality standards and meet specified requirements. Provides that groundwater monitoring shall be required for all clean construction or demolition debris fill operations and all uncontaminated soil fill operations unless, before the effective date of the amendatory Act, the owner or operator has completed post-closure maintenance and, for clean construction or demolition debris fill operations, received specified notice from the Environmental Protection Agency, or, for uncontaminated soil fill operations, submitted specified information to the Agency. Effective immediately.

Amends the Election Code. Provides that the lettering on all ballots shall be in both capital and lowercase letters in conformance with standard English language guidelines. Effective immediately.

Amends the Environmental Protection Act. Provides that the Environmental Protection Agency may establish a take-back program for local fire departments that use and store older firefighting foam made with perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances, also known as PFAS. Effective immediately.

Amends the Environmental Protection Act. Provides that the filing fees for specified petitions shall be $250 (rather than $75).

Amends the Criminal Code of 2012. Provides that a person charged with a violation of a municipal ordinance in which the prosecution is required to conform to the Code of Criminal Procedure of 1963 and the rules of evidence in a criminal proceeding may be tried: (1) in the county in which the office of the clerk of the charging municipality is located; or (2) in any county in which at least 35% of the territory within the charging municipality's corporate limits is located regardless of the county in which the violation was committed or occurred.