Sen. Mike Simmons-Gessesse

Creates the Illinois Clean Elections Act. Establishes a voluntary method of public financing of the campaigns of candidates for statewide constitutional offices and the General Assembly. Amends the State Finance Act to create the Illinois Clean Elections Fund as a special fund in the State treasury. Amends the Illinois Income Tax Act to create an individual tax return checkoff in support of the Fund. Effective immediately.

Requires the Department of Agriculture to create a grant program to award grants of up to $250,000, subject to appropriation, to cover the costs and labor of any qualified applicant farmer to distribute healthy, free food to expectant mothers in need who reside in the same county or in a municipality within 20 miles of the farmer's farm, with certain requirements. Requires the Department to adopt rules. Defines terms.

Creates the Health Care Availability and Access Board Act. Establishes the Health Care Availability and Access Board to protect State residents, State and local governments, commercial health plans, health care providers, pharmacies licensed in the State, and other stakeholders within the health care system from the high costs of prescription drug products. Contains provisions concerning Board membership and terms; staff for the Board; Board meetings; circumstances under which Board members must recuse themselves; and other matters. Provides that the Board shall perform the following actions in open session: (i) deliberations on whether to subject a prescription drug product to a cost review; and (ii) any vote on whether to impose an upper payment limit on purchases, payments, and payor reimbursements of prescription drug products in the State. Permits the Board to adopt rules to implement the Act and to enter into a contract with a qualified, independent third party for any service necessary to carry out the powers and duties of the Board. Creates the Health Care Availability and Access Stakeholder Council to provide stakeholder input to assist the Board in making decisions as required by the Act. Contains provisions concerning Council membership, member terms, and other matters. Provides that the Board shall adopt the federal Medicare Maximum Fair Price as the upper payment limit for a prescription drug product intended for use by individuals in the State. Prohibits the Board from creating an upper payment limit that is different from the Medicare Maximum Fair Price for the prescription drug product that has a Medicare Maximum Fair Price. Requires the Board to implement an upper payment limit that is the same as the Medicare Maximum Fair Price no sooner than the Medicare implementation date. Provides that Medicare Part C and D plans are not required to reimburse at the upper payment limit. Provides that the Attorney General may enforce the Act and may pursue any available remedy under State law when enforcing the Act. Effective 180 days after becoming law.

Creates the Build Illinois Homes Tax Credit Act. Provides that owners of qualified low-income housing developments are eligible for credits against the taxes imposed by the Illinois Income Tax Act or taxes, penalties, fees, charges, and payments imposed by the Illinois Insurance Code. Amends the Illinois Income Tax Act and the Illinois Insurance Code to make conforming changes. Effective immediately.

Amends the Property Tax Code. In provisions concerning the low-income senior citizens assessment freeze homestead exemption, provides that the Chief County Assessment Officer in a county with 3,000,000 or more inhabitants may request full social security numbers or individual taxpayer identification numbers for all members of the applicant's household. Provides that the Chief County Assessment Officer may renew the low-income senior citizens assessment freeze homestead exemption without a new application if the Chief County Assessment Officer is able to confirm both that the applicant still owns and resides in the property and that applicant's household income qualifies for the exemption. Provides that a Chief County Assessment Officer who renews a low-income senior citizens assessment freeze homestead exemption without an annual application shall notify the applicant of both the decision to renew the exemption and the applicant's ongoing duty to report changes in the eligibility of the property to receive the exemption.

Amends the Local Records Act. Provides that a unit of local government required to store public records under the Act may satisfy the requirements of the Act by storing the public records in an electronic form.

Amends the Environmental Protection Act. Defines the terms "anaerobic digester", "anaerobic digestion", and "food". Deletes provisions that exempted certain composting facilities from regulation as a pollution control facility. Creates exemptions from the definition of "pollution control facility" for (i) the portion of a site or facility that is used for anaerobic digestion and (ii) the portion of a site or facility that is used to process food scrap at a food scrap processing facility. Provides for moneys that are appropriated from the Solid Waste Management Fund to the Agency in certain years for solid waste management activities to be segregated into a separate account for use by the Prairie Research Institute of the University of Illinois for the costs of implementing the Illinois Solid Waste Management Act. Amends the Solid Waste Planning and Recycling Act. Updates requirements for each county waste management plan's recycling program with respect to food scrap collection programs. Amends the Illinois Solid Waste Management Act. Provides that a person that generates more than the applicable regulatory threshold of food and food scrap and that is located within 20 miles, prior to July 1, 2035, or 25 miles, on and after July 1, 2035, of an Agency-permitted composting facility or anaerobic digester that accepts food scrap and that has the permitted capacity to accept food scrap shall, among other things, source separate food and food scrap from other solid waste and either arrange for the transfer of the food or food scrap to a location that manages food and food scrap in a manner consistent with the food and food scrap management hierarchy set forth in the Act or manage the food and food scrap on site in accordance with other applicable State and local laws and rules. Grants the Agency rulemaking powers. Contains other provisions. Effective immediately.

Creates the Paid Family and Medical Leave Insurance Program Act. Creates the Division of Paid Family and Medical Leave within the Department of Labor. Requires the Division to establish and administer a paid family and medical leave insurance program that provides benefits to employees. Provides that the program shall be administered by the Deputy Director of the Division. Sets forth eligibility requirements for benefits under the Act. Provides that a self-employed individual may elect to be covered under the Act. Contains provisions concerning disqualification from benefits; compensation for leave; the amount and duration of benefits; payments for benefits under the Paid Family and Medical Leave Insurance Program Fund; employer equivalent plans; annual reports by the Department; hearings; penalties; notice; the coordination of leave provided under the Act with leave allowed under the federal Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993, a collective bargaining agreement, or any local county or municipal ordinance; rulemaking; and other matters. Amends the State Finance Act. Creates the Paid Family and Medical Leave Insurance Program Fund. Amends the Freedom of Information Act. Exempts certain documents collected by the Division of Paid Family and Medical Leave from the Act's disclosure requirements. Effective immediately.

Amends the School Code. Beginning with the 2025-2026 school year, requires a school district maintaining any of grades 9 through 12 to provide all eligible students graduating from high school with the opportunity to register to vote. Effective immediately.

Creates the Fuel Gas Detector and Alarm Act. Requires the installation of a fuel gas detector and alarm in certain buildings. Sets forth fuel gas detector and alarm standards and requirements for residential rental units. Details fuel gas detector and alarm requirements in the event of a sale or exchange of a building. Provides for a civil penalty, set by local ordinance. Limits liability. Requires noninterference with fuel gas detectors and alarms. Effective January 1, 2026.