Sen. Craig Wilcox

Amends the Paid Leave for All Workers Act. Provides that the definition of "employee" does not include: (1) a student enrolled in and regularly attending classes in a college or university, who is employed for less than an average of 30 hours per week by an employer, and who is not a participant in an adult education and literacy program at that college or university; or (2) a student enrolled in and regularly attending high school classes, who is under 18 years of age, and who is employed on a temporary or less than full time basis.

Amends the Courses of Study Article of the School Code. Provides that, beginning with the 2026-2027 school year, every public elementary school and high school social studies course pertaining to American history shall include in its curriculum a unit of instruction studying the events of the previous 30 years and the causes that led up to those events. Provides for what the unit of instruction shall and may include. Provides that the State Superintendent of Education may prepare and make available to all school boards instructional materials and professional development opportunities that may be used as guidelines for development of the unit of instruction. Provides that each school board shall itself determine the minimum amount of instructional time that qualifies as a unit of instruction. Provides that the regional superintendent of schools shall monitor a school district's compliance with the curricular requirements during the regional superintendent's annual compliance visit and make recommendations for improvement, including professional development. Effective July 1, 2025.

Amends the Freedom of Information Act. Provides that each public body shall designate one or more public body officials or employees (rather than officials or employees) to act as its Freedom of Information officer or officers. Provides that "public body officials" means elected or appointed office holders of the public body but does not include private attorneys or law firms appointed to represent the public body.

Amends the Illinois Domestic Violence Act of 1986. Provides that upon petition, the court shall order that a person against whom an emergency order of protection was issued shall have all records related to the emergency order expunged (unless the person violated the order) from the court's records and from the Illinois State Police's Law Enforcement Agencies Data System if: (1) the person who sought the emergency order fails to seek a plenary order of protection before the emergency order expires; (2) there is an agreed dismissal; or (3) the court denies the issuance of a plenary order of protection following the emergency order. Provides that the clerk shall immediately file the expungement order and all records to be expunged shall be expunged no later than 3 business days after the order. Effective June 1, 2025.

Maddy summaryThis Senate resolution designates December 21, 2024, as Captain James A. Lovell Day throughout the State of Illinois. The measure honors Lovell, a former NASA astronaut and Illinois resident, by officially recognizing his significant contributions to space exploration, including his roles on the Gemini 7, Gemini 12, Apollo 8, and Apollo 13 missions. The text details his extensive military and civilian career, numerous awards, and personal history to provide context for the commemoration. Upon passage, a copy of the resolution will be presented to Captain Lovell as a formal symbol of respect.

Maddy summarySB 964 amends the Illinois Criminal Code to update the section title regarding violations of court-issued orders of protection. The bill clarifies that these orders include those from domestic violence cases in Illinois as well as similar orders from other states, tribes, or territories, provided the issuing court had proper jurisdiction. It establishes that violating such an order is a Class 4 felony, which becomes a Class 3 felony if the defendant has prior convictions for related offenses like domestic battery or stalking. Additionally, the legislation sets a minimum 24-hour jail sentence for repeat violations and allows courts to order fines or restitution for victims.

Creates the Compassionate Use and Research of Entheogens Act. Establishes the Illinois Psilocybin Advisory Board within the Department of Financial and Professional Regulation for the purpose of advising and making recommendations to the Department regarding the provision of psilocybin and psilocybin services. Provides that the Department shall begin receiving applications for the licensing of persons to manufacture or test psilocybin products, operate service centers, or facilitate psilocybin services. Contains licensure requirements and prohibitions. Provides that a licensee or licensee representative may manufacture, deliver, or possess a psilocybin product. Provides that the Department may obtain, relinquish, or dispose of psilocybin products to ensure compliance with and enforcement of the Act and rules adopted under the Act. Creates the Psilocybin Control and Regulation Fund and the Illinois Psilocybin Fund and makes conforming changes in the State Finance Act. Requires the Department of Agriculture, the Department of Financial and Professional Regulation, and the Department of Revenue to perform specified duties. Contains provisions concerning rulemaking, taxes, fees, zoning, labeling, and penalties. Preempts home rule powers. Contains other provisions. Amends the Criminal Identification Act. Changes the dates by which specified records for minor cannabis offenses shall be automatically expunged. Provides for expungement of specified records concerning the possession of psilocybin and psilocin. Amends the Illinois Controlled Substances Act. Removes psilocybin and psilocin from the list of Schedule I controlled substances. Amends the Illinois Independent Tax Tribunal Act of 2012. Provides that the Tax Tribunal shall have original jurisdiction over all determinations of the Department of Revenue reflected on specified notices issued under the Compassionate Use and Research of Entheogens Act. Amends the Freedom of Information Act to exempt specific records from disclosure. Effective immediately.

Amends the Illinois Estate and Generation-Skipping Transfer Tax Act. Provides that no tax shall be imposed under the Act for persons dying on or after the effective date or for transfers made on or after the effective date. Effective immediately.

Amends the Illinois Estate and Generation-Skipping Transfer Tax Act. Makes certain changes concerning estates that contain qualified farm property. Provides that, for the purposes of calculating the State Death Tax Credit, those estates are subject to an exemption of $6,000,000 (rather than an exclusion amount of $4,000,000), which shall be deducted from the net estate value after the net estate value is computed in accordance with the Act. Provides that the exemption shall be adjusted each year according to the increase in the Consumer Price Index. Makes changes concerning the calculation of the deceased spousal unused exclusion amount for those estates. Provides for a special use valuation to provide that the value of the qualified farm property shall be calculated without regard to certain limitations under the Internal Revenue Code. Makes changes concerning the definition of "qualified heir" to provide that a decedent's brother, sister, uncle, aunt, niece, nephew, or first cousin is also included.

Amends the Department of Veterans' Affairs Act. Provides that the Department of Veterans Affairs shall create, and the Department of Labor shall make available, at no cost, a veterans and service members' benefits, services, and protections poster. Requires the poster to include, but not be limited to, information regarding free veterans' benefits and services provided by the Illinois Department of Veterans Affairs and other veterans service organizations, tax benefits, the Illinois veteran driver's license and non-driver veteran identification card, and Illinois protections for survivors of sexual violence in the military. Requires the poster to also include contact information for the United States Department of Veterans Affairs, the Illinois Department of Veterans Affairs; and the Veterans Crisis Line. Effective January 1, 2025.