Sen. Christopher Belt

Creates the Virtual Currency Kiosk Consumer Protection Act. Provides that specified information reported to the Department of Financial and Professional Regulation by virtual currency kiosk shall be confidential, except as otherwise provided in the Act. Establishes warning and general terms and conditions disclosure requirements for a virtual currency kiosk operator opening an account for a new customer and prior to entering into an initial transaction for, on behalf of, or with the customer. Requires a receipt to be provided to each customer following a transaction. Requires all virtual currency kiosk operators to have live customer service, as specified; create anti-fraud, enhanced due diligence, and federal and State law compliance policies; designate a compliance officer and a consumer protection officer; and use blockchain analytics software to assist in the prevention of sending purchased virtual currency from a virtual currency kiosk operator to a digital wallet known to be affiliated with fraudulent activity at the time of a transaction; and report the location of each virtual currency kiosk located within this State within 45 days after the end of the calendar quarter. Requires a virtual currency kiosk operator to receive a money transmitter license. Sets forth supervision duties for the Department and the Secretary of Financial and Professional Regulation.

Amends the Illinois Grant Funds Recovery Act to make a change concerning school maintenance project grants. Amends the Soybean Ink Act to make a change concerning school districts. Amends the School Code. Removes outdated provisions regarding social science learning standards and provisions regarding meeting minimum higher education preparation and admission requirements. Removes language providing that students who do not take the State's final accountability assessment or its approved alternate assessment may not receive a regular high school diploma unless the student is exempted from taking the State assessments. Prohibits a school board from discriminating against, punishing, or penalizing a student because the student's parents or guardians are unable to pay any required fees or fines for the loss of school property. Removes the requirement that all paper purchased by a board of education, public schools, and attendance centers for publication of student newspapers be recycled newsprint. Increases the age for when an individualized education program must include transition services. Removes the minimum hour requirements for training on concussions and on issues related to domestic and sexual violence. Removes the requirement that a police training academy job training program be open to all students and that participation be tracked. Creates the School Code Mandate Reduction Council. Makes changes concerning commemorative holidays. Renumbers and reorganizes the Course of Study Article and other provisions. Makes conforming and other changes in various Acts. Repeals various Sections of the School Code, the Voting by Minors Act, and the Critical Health Problems and Comprehensive Health Education Act. Effective immediately.

Amends the Open Space Lands Acquisition and Development Act. Provides that a distressed location project that is located within a distressed community shall be eligible for assistance of up to 100% for the acquisition of open space lands and for capital development and improvement proposals that are in conformity with the purposes of the Act. Specifies that a project that is located within a distressed community, regardless of whether the project is located within a distressed location, is eligible for assistance up to 90% for the acquisition of open space lands and for capital development and improvement proposals that are in conformity with the purposes of the Act. Provides that a distressed location project that is not located in a distressed community shall be eligible for assistance of up to 75% for the acquisition of open space lands and for capital development and improvement proposals that are in conformity with the purposes of the Act. Directs the Department of Natural Resources to prioritize the making of grants under the Act for projects that are located in distressed locations and distressed communities. Sets limits on the appropriated amounts that may be used for grants to distressed communities and distressed locations. Repeals a provision that required the Department of Natural Resources to prepare a Distressed Local Government Report. Repeals provisions that define terms. Adds other definitions. Amends the Illinois Administrative Procedure Act. Grants emergency rulemaking powers to the Department of Natural Resources.

Amends the Managed Care Reform and Patient Rights Act. Provides that a health care plan shall provide annually to enrollees and prospective enrollees, upon request, a statement of all basic health care services and all specific benefits and services mandated to be provided to enrollees by State law or administrative rule, highlighting any newly enacted State law or administrative rule. Provides that this requirement can be fulfilled by providing enrollees the most up-to-date accident and health checklist submitted to the Department of Insurance, reflecting statutory health care coverage compliance by the health care plan. Requires the Office of Consumer Health Insurance to post in a prominent location on the Department's publicly accessible website an annual report on the development and implementation of federal, State, and local laws, regulations, and other governmental policies and actions that pertain to the adequacy of health care plans, facilities, and services in the State and summary of all State health insurance benefit related legislation enacted in the prior calendar year that includes, at minimum, a link to the Public Act, the statutory citation, the subject, a brief summary, and the effective date. Amends the Uniform Health Care Services Benefit Information Card Act. Adds a health benefit plan offering dental coverage to the list of plans required to issue a health care benefit information card. Specifies health care benefit information cards may be electronic or physical. Requires uniform health care benefit information to display on the back of the card a statement indicating whether the plan is self-insured or fully funded and if the plan is subject to regulation by the Department of Insurance. Makes other changes.

Amends the Illinois Criminal Justice Information Act and the Uniform Crime Reporting Act. Provides that, beginning January 1, 2026, the Illinois State Police shall submit to the Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority, or provide to the Authority through a web-based portal, specified information concerning homicides on a quarterly basis. Requires the Authority to study and compile the information and, on a quarterly basis, publish the information on the Authority's public website in a form determined by the Authority.

Amends the Collection Agency Act. Provides that a debtor is not liable for any coerced debt, as defined in the Act, and may assert that they have incurred a coerced debt by providing to a collection agency an oral or written Statement of Coerced Debt, as specified. Sets forth provisions concerning notice of coerced debt to a collection agency; duties of a collection agency upon receiving an incomplete statement of coerced debt; affirmative defenses in collection actions or arbitration; civil liability; protections from perpetrators of coerced debt; restrictions on waivers; and liability of collection agencies for violations of the Act. Provides that, upon receiving the debtor's complete statement of coerced debt and specified supporting information, a collection agency shall review and consider all the information received from the debtor as well as any other information available in the collection agency's file or from the creditor related to the alleged coerced debt within 90 days after receipt of the statement of coerced debt. Requires a collection agency, within 5 days after receipt of the complete statement of coerced debt and supporting information, to cease any pre-judgment attempts to collect the coerced debt from the debtor, including refraining from filing any lawsuit or arbitration to collect the coerced debt, and notify any consumer reporting agency to which the collection agency or creditor furnished adverse information about the debtor that the debtor disputes the adverse information. Establishes additional requirements for a collection agency that reviews a statement of coerced debt. Provides that, within 180 days after the effective date of the Act, the Department of Financial and Professional Regulation may design and publish a model coerced debt and third party written verification form in English and any other language it determines, within its discretion, is the first language of a significant number of consumers in the State. Makes other changes.

Amends the Consumer Fraud and Deceptive Business Practices Act. Provides that it is an unlawful practice for any person to sell, market, promote, advertise, or otherwise distribute a self-administered sexual assault evidence collection kit to a consumer in the State. Defines terms.

Creates the Restaurant Reservation Anti-Piracy Act. Provides that a third-party restaurant reservation service shall not list, advertise, promote, or sell reservations for a food service establishment through the website, mobile application, or other platform of the third-party restaurant reservation service without a written agreement between the third-party restaurant reservation service and the food service establishment. Provides that a written agreement that contains specified indemnifications shall be void and unenforceable. Provides that any person who violates, or causes another person to violate, a provision of the Act shall be subject to a civil penalty of up to $1,000 for each violation. Provides for a private right of action.

Amends the Illinois State Police Act. Creates the Police K-9 Care Program within the Illinois State Police to provide a stable funding source for the veterinary care for retired police dogs. Provides that Illinois State Police shall contract with a nonprofit corporation organized under State law to administer and manage the Program and shall select the nonprofit corporation through a competitive grant award process. Provides that a handler or adopter of a retired police dog is eligible for a grant of up to $1,500 in veterinary care reimbursement for the retired police dog. Provides that the Program will be funded through grants from the Police K-9 Care Fund, which shall be funded by gifts, appropriations, and a percentage of monetary forfeitures due to criminal activity. Limits the concurrent exercise of home rule powers relating to forfeitures. Provides requirements for the Program and the Fund. Requires the Illinois State Police to adopt rules necessary to implement the Police K-9 Care Program and the requirements of the Fund. Makes a conforming change in the State Finance Act. Some provisions take effect immediately and some provisions take effect one year after becoming law.

Amends the Child Care Act of 1969. Provides that a day care home or group day care home may be exempt from licensure (rather than is not required to be licensed) if it serves dependent children of military personnel, is located on a military base or federal or government property, and is certified as a child development program by a branch of the U.S. Effective immediately.