Sen. Seth Lewis

Amends the Illinois Domestic Violence Act of 1986. Provides that whenever a law enforcement officer has reason to believe that a person has been abused, neglected, or exploited by a family or household member, the officer shall, if appropriate, arrest the abusing, neglecting, and exploiting party except in situations in which the alleged offending party is a juvenile. Provides that if the alleged offender is a juvenile, then the officer, based on the totality of the circumstances, may choose not to arrest the juvenile and instead may divert the juvenile or may assist the juvenile and his family in finding alternative placement.

Amends the Illinois Sports Facilities Authority Act. Modifies legislative findings. Provides that "facility" includes stadiums, arenas, or other structures for the holding of athletic contests and other events and gatherings, including, without limitation, professional women's sports. Provides that a person may not, on the basis of sex, be prohibited from participating in or receiving any of the benefits of programs or activities at facilities funded under the Act, including facilities established or supported by bonds issued under the Act. Requires the Illinois Sports Facilities Authority to report to the Governor and the General Assembly on any male or female professional sports projects brought to the Authority by a professional sports team in the State. Provides that the Authority shall notify the Governor, Speaker of the House of Representatives, Minority Leader of the House of Representatives, President of the Senate, and Minority Leader of the Senate of the proposal within 2 weeks of receiving a formal request or inquiry. Provides that, before the General Assembly authorizes the issuance of additional bonds under the Act to fund facilities for professional men's sports teams, each chamber of the General Assembly may hold a hearing to publicly review any proposal submitted to the Authority. Repeals provisions relating to a dissolved advisory board. Effective immediately.

Provides that the Act may be referred to as the Illinois Statewide Trauma-Informed Response to Human Trafficking Act. Amends the Children and Family Services Act. Provides that the Department of Children and Family Services shall maintain a human trafficking unit to coordinate services, initiate prevention efforts, and provide access to resources for case-management staff to serve youth in care who have been determined to be victims of human trafficking or assessed to be at high risk of becoming a victim of human trafficking, as well as ensure a prompt response by the Department to recover youth in care in the custody of law enforcement. Provides that the Department shall incorporate services for all child trafficking victims into the community-based services provided by the Department. Amends the Department of Human Services Act. Provides that the Department of Human Services shall develop a strategic plan, in consultation with advocates and survivors, to establish a statewide system of identification and response to survivors of human trafficking and recommended levels of funding for phase-in of comprehensive victim-centered, trauma-informed statewide services for victims of human trafficking, including adults and children, and to sex and labor trafficking victims and require victim-centered, trauma-informed human trafficking training for caseworkers, treatment providers, investigators, foster parents, and residential home personnel. Amends the Illinois State Police Law of the Civil Administrative Code of Illinois. Provides that the Illinois State Police shall develop a strategic plan to improve victim-centered, trauma-informed law enforcement response to victims of human trafficking across the State. Amends the Illinois Police Training Act. Provides that the Illinois Law Enforcement Training Standards Board shall work with the Illinois State Police, local law enforcement, victim-centered, trauma-informed human trafficking service providers, and survivor leaders to develop, curriculum standards for training on victim-centered, trauma-informed detection, investigation, and response to human trafficking victims certified by the Illinois Law Enforcement Training Standards Board. Amends various other Acts concerning various agencies responsibilities of addressing human trafficking. Effective January 1, 2026.

Amends the Illinois Insurance Code. In provisions concerning surplus line insurance, changes the definition of "home state". Makes other conforming changes.

Amends the Illinois Insurance Code to create the Consumer Protection from Surprise Health Care Billing Act. Provides that, on or after July 1, 2025, notwithstanding any other applicable provision, when a beneficiary, insured, or enrollee receives services from a nonparticipating ground ambulance service provider, the health insurance issuer shall ensure that the beneficiary, insured, or enrollee shall incur no greater out-of-pocket costs than the beneficiary, insured, or enrollee would have incurred with a participating ground ambulance service provider. Provides that any cost-sharing requirements shall be applied as though the services provided by the nonparticipating ground ambulance service provider had been provided by a participating ground ambulance service provider. Sets forth provisions concerning payment for ground ambulance services; calculating the recognized amount; limitations for the cost sharing amount for any occurrence in which a ground ambulance service is provided to a beneficiary; appeals for payments made by health insurance issuers; the maximum allowable payment amounts, by individual service types, for nonparticipating ground ambulance service providers owned, operated, or controlled by a private organization; and payments to nonparticipating ground ambulance service providers owned, operated, or controlled, by a unit of government which participates in the Ground Emergency Medical Transportation program administered by the Department of Healthcare and Family Services. Makes conforming changes. Provides that the failure by a health insurance issuer to comply with the specified requirements constitutes an unlawful practice under the Consumer Fraud and Deceptive Business Practices Act and enforcement authority is granted to the Attorney General. Amends the Health Maintenance Organization Act and the Consumer Fraud and Deceptive Business Practices Act to make corresponding changes. Effective July 1, 2025.

Appropriates $5,500,000 from the General Revenue Fund to the Department of Human Services for a grant to Laureus Sport for Good Foundation USA for program and operating expenses for youth-development based sports initiatives. Effective July 1, 2025.

Amends the Freedom of Information Act. Exempts images from cameras under the Expressway Camera Act and all automated license plate reader (ALPR) information used and collected by the Illinois State Police from inspection and copying. Amends the Expressway Camera Act. Provides that, as used in the Act, "forcible felony" means trafficking in persons and involuntary servitude (in addition to other specified offenses). Includes the counties of Lee, Ogle, and Whiteside in the program to increase cameras along expressways and the State highway system. Provides that images from the cameras, including, but not limited to, images of license plates collected by state-operated cameras and cameras operated by the Illinois State Toll Highway Authority, may be used by any law enforcement agency conducting an active law enforcement investigation. Removes provision allowing images from the cameras to be used by any law enforcement agency conducting an active law enforcement investigation. Provides that all images from the cameras that are exported through a law enforcement database shall be deleted from that law enforcement database within 120 days, unless the images are relevant to an ongoing investigation or pending criminal trial. Provides that any forcible felony, gunrunning, or firearms trafficking offense, as specified, respectively, committed on an expressway monitored by a camera system funded by money from the Road Fund or money from the Illinois State Toll Highway Authority and investigated by officers of the Illinois State Police may be prosecuted by the Attorney General or the State's Attorney where the offense was committed. Provides that the Act supersedes provisions in the Toll Highway Act regarding the confidentiality of personally identifiable information obtained through electronic toll collection systems. Provides that the Act is repealed on July 1, 2028 (rather than July 1, 2025). Effective immediately.

Amends the Illinois Hazardous Materials Transportation Act and the Illinois Motor Carrier Safety Law of the Illinois Vehicle Code. Provides that the Illinois State Police (rather than the Department of Transportation) shall administer and enforce the Illinois Hazardous Materials Transportation Act and the Illinois Motor Carrier Safety Law of the Illinois Vehicle Code. Makes related changes. Sets forth provisions concerning personnel and material transfers and requires transferred personnel to receive a background check and any additional screening requirements established by the Department. Makes conforming changes to the Liquefied Petroleum Gas Regulation Act. Effective July 1, 2025.

Amends the Illinois Insurance Code. Provides that a group or individual policy of accident and health insurance or a managed care plan that is amended, delivered, issued, or renewed on or after January 1, 2027 shall provide coverage for all medically necessary diagnostic testing and U.S. Food and Drug Administration-approved treatments or medications prescribed to slow the progression of Alzheimer's disease or another related dementia, in accordance with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration label, as determined by a physician licensed to practice medicine in all its branches. Provides that coverage of U.S. Food and Drug Administration-approved treatments or medications prescribed to slow the progression of Alzheimer's disease or another related dementia shall not be subject to step therapy. Amends the Counties Code, the Illinois Municipal Code, the School Code, the Health Maintenance Organization Act, the Limited Health Service Organization Act, and the Voluntary Health Services Plans Act to require coverage under those provisions. Effective immediately.

Amends the Telephone Solicitations Act. Provides that no person shall solicit the sale of goods or services in the State through automatic dialing, the use of an auto dialer, or the use of a computer program designed to mimic a human operator, unless the person being contacted has expressly consented to be contacted in this manner. Provides that, if a person has previously consented to be contacted in the manner otherwise prohibited, the consent shall only be valid for a period of one year and the person shall be allowed to withdraw that consent at any time in the same manner that the consent was given. Provides that a person to whom consent has been given shall not sell, give, transfer, or assign that consent to another person. Provides for exemptions to the provision. Provides that any customer who is subject to a violation of the provision may bring an action for damages of $500 per violation, plus costs and reasonable attorney's fees. Makes a change to the definition of "emergency telephone number".