Sen. Neil Anderson

Amends the Wildlife Code. Provides that, if wild deer cause more than $500 in property damage on land in the State that is owned or leased by an Illinois resident, then the Department of Natural Resources shall compensate the Illinois resident for the actual property damages caused by the deer and incurred by the Illinois resident upon submittal by the Illinois resident of a claim in the form and manner prescribed by the Department by rule. Provides that a claim must be submitted within one year after the date that a claimant suffers damages and knows or has reason to know of the damages. Grants the Department rulemaking powers. Provides for a private cause of action in the Court of Claims if the Illinois resident has not been compensated within 180 days after submitting a claim in the form and manner prescribed by the Department.

Amends the Wildlife Code. Allows owners residing on, or bona fide tenants of, farm lands and their children, parents, brothers, and sisters actually permanently residing on their lands to have the right to hunt any of the species protected by certain provisions upon their lands and waters without procuring hunting licenses year-round (rather than only during periods of time).

Amends the School Code. Provides that out-of-school suspensions and expulsions should only be used when the student's presence poses a threat to the operation of the school, poses a threat to the health or safety of students or school personnel, or causes a disruption to other students' learning opportunities. Provides that to ensure that students are not excluded from school unnecessarily, it is recommended that school officials consider implementing proactive evidence-based interventions that improve behavioral outcomes for all students. Provides that out-of-school suspensions of 3 days or less may be used only if the student's conduct poses a threat to the operation of the school, poses a threat to the health or safety of students or school personnel, or causes (rather than the student's continuing presence in school would pose a threat to school safety or) a disruption to other students' learning opportunities. Provides that the school board shall be solely responsible for determining, on a case-by-case basis, whether the student's conduct poses a threat to the operation of the school, poses a threat to the health or safety of students or school personnel, or causes a disruption to other students' learning opportunities. Provides that out-of-school suspensions of longer than 3 days, expulsions, and disciplinary removals to alternative schools may be used only if other appropriate and available behavioral and disciplinary interventions have been attempted (rather than exhausted) and the student's conduct poses a threat to the school, poses a threat to the health or safety of students or school personnel, or causes a disruption to other students' learning opportunities (rather than the student's continuing presence in school would either (i) pose a threat to the safety of other students, staff, or members of the school community or (ii) substantially disrupt, impede, or interfere with the operation of the school). Makes conforming changes.

Amends the Code of Criminal Procedure of 1963. Provides that, notwithstanding any other provision of the denial of pretrial release statute to the contrary, a non-citizen of the United States who entered the United States without a legal visa issued by the United States Department of State and who has been charged in the State with an offense for which pretrial detention may be ordered by the court and, at the time of the commission of the offense, did not have a legal visa is not eligible for pretrial release and must be held in pretrial detention pending trial.

Amends the Illinois Vehicle Code. Allows a unit of local government that engages in the operation of fleet of motor vehicles to register and license the fleet for operations in the State.

Creates the Gun Crime Charging and Sentencing Accountability and Transparency Act. Provides that in a criminal case, if a defendant is charged with an offense involving the illegal use or possession of a firearm and subsequently enters into a plea agreement in which the charge will be reduced to a lesser offense or a non-weapons offense in exchange for a plea of guilty, at or before the time of sentencing, the State's Attorney shall file with the court a written statement of his or her reasons in support of the plea agreement, which shall specifically state why the offense or offenses of conviction resulting from the plea agreement do not include the originally charged weapons offense. Provides that the written statement shall be part of the court record in the case and a copy shall be provided to any person upon request. Provides that in a criminal case in which the original charge is or was for an offense involving the illegal use or possession of a firearm, if a defendant pleads guilty or is found guilty of the original charge or lesser offense or a non-weapons offense, in imposing the sentence, the judge shall set forth in a written sentencing order his or her reasons for imposing the sentence or accepting the plea agreement. Provides that a copy of the written sentencing order shall be provided to any person upon request.

Amends the Department of Central Management Services Law of the Civil Administrative Code of Illinois. Creates the Disability Benefits Maximization Program. Provides that, within 6 months after the effective date of the amendatory Act, the Department of Central Management Services, in conjunction with the 5 State-funded retirement systems, may enter into a contract with an administrator to establish and conduct a Disability Benefits Maximization Program to identify relevant individuals eligible for Medicare but not enrolled in Medicare, and to assist those individuals with enrolling in Social Security and Medicare. Provides that the Disability Benefits Maximization Program shall conduct an annual audit of the State health benefits program for everyone covered under the State Employees Group Insurance Program, the Teachers' Retirement Insurance Program, and the College Insurance Program for the purpose of identifying participants and their dependents who are eligible for Medicare under federal law and shall also ensure that those annuitants, retirees, benefit recipients, survivors, or dependents who are eligible for Medicare are enrolled in Medicare with Medicare as their primary health care benefits coverage and the State Health Benefits Program being the secondary provider of their health care benefits coverage. Provides that the Disability Benefits Maximization Program shall assist any annuitant, retiree, benefit recipient, survivor or their dependents who becomes disabled, and is not enrolled in Social Security Disability Insurance and Medicare, with enrolling in and obtaining Social Security Disability Insurance and Medicare benefits. Provides that the administrator of the Disability Benefits Maximization Program shall provide the Department, the 5 State-funded retirement systems, and the General Assembly with an annual report. Effective January 1, 2026.

Proposes to amend the Legislature Article of the Illinois Constitution. Provides that the General Assembly shall pass a bill containing the State budget and present it to the Governor before the General Assembly considers any other bill.

Creates the Capital Crimes Litigation Act of 2025. Provides that if an indigent defendant is charged with an offense for which a sentence of death is authorized, and the State's Attorney has not, at or before arraignment, filed a certificate indicating he or she will not seek the death penalty or stated on the record in open court that the death penalty will not be sought, the trial court shall immediately appoint the Public Defender, or any other qualified attorney or attorneys as the Illinois Supreme Court shall by rule provide, to represent the defendant as trial counsel. Creates the Capital Litigation Trust Fund. Provides that moneys deposited into the Trust Fund shall be used exclusively for the purposes of providing funding for the prosecution and defense of capital cases and for providing funding for post-conviction proceedings. Amends the State Finance Act. Repeals the Death Penalty Abolition Fund and reinstates the Capital Litigation Trust Fund. Amends the Unified Code of Corrections. Reinstates the death penalty if: (1) the murdered individual was a peace officer, fireman, an emergency medical technician - ambulance, emergency medical technician - intermediate, emergency medical technician - paramedic, ambulance driver, or other medical assistance or first aid personnel, employed by a municipality or other governmental unit killed in the course of performing his or her official duties, to prevent the performance of his or her official duties, or in retaliation for performing his or her official duties, and the defendant knew or should have known that the murdered individual was a peace officer or fireman; or (2) the murdered individual was an employee of an institution or facility of the Department of Corrections, or any similar local correctional agency, killed in the course of performing his or her official duties, to prevent the performance of his or her official duties, or in retaliation for performing his or her official duties. Amends the Freedom of Information Act, the Code of Criminal Procedure of 1963, and the State Appellate Defender Act to make conforming changes.

Amends, repeals, and reenacts various Acts. Restores the statutes to the form in which they existed before their amendment by Public Acts 101-652, 102-28, and 102-1104. Makes other technical changes. Effective immediately.