Sen. Laura Fine

Amends the PFAS Reduction Act. Provides that, beginning January 1, 2026, a person may not sell, offer for sale, or distribute for sale in this State a juvenile product if the product or a product component contains intentionally added PFAS. Provides for enforcement. Exempts from the Act's requirements products that are federally preempted, products already regulated by the Act, used products, prosthetic or orthotic devices, and any medical device or drug used in a medical setting or in medical applications regulated by the United States Food and Drug Administration. Defines terms.

Amends the Public Community College Act. Provides for the election (rather than appointment) of the board of trustees of the City Colleges of Chicago beginning with the 2027 consolidated election. Provides that the City of Chicago shall be subdivided into 20 trustee districts by the General Assembly for seats on the board of trustees, in addition to one at-large trustee. Makes related changes. Effective immediately.

Amends the Township Code. Authorizes funds generated through a levy on property located in a special police district in an unincorporated area of a township in a county with a population of 1,000,000 or more inhabitants to be used to provide for public safety in unincorporated areas of the township. Prohibits the levied funds from being used to pay for (i) any portion of a school resource officer's wages or to facilitate any agreement with any law enforcement agency to hire a school resource officer or (ii) any portion of a red light camera, speed camera, or automated license plate reader. Defines "public safety" and "resource officer". Effective immediately.

Creates the PRIOR Act. Defines terms. Provides that a Pre-Regulatory Impact Assessment shall be completed and presented to the General Assembly before legislation creating a new occupational regulation, expanding the scope of practice of a licensed occupation, or increasing the personal qualification for an occupational regulation can be voted on by a committee or the General Assembly. Provides that, on or before the first day of the General Assembly's legislative session, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, the President of the Senate, and the Chair of each relevant committee shall assign to the relevant committee or legislative staff the responsibility to analyze legislation creating a new occupational regulation, expanding the scope of practice of a licensed occupation, or increasing the personal qualifications for an occupational regulation and the accompanying Pre-Regulatory Impact Application submitted by proponents of the legislation. Provides that the designated staff are responsible for (i) reviewing legislation that requires a Pre-Regulatory Impact Assessment to ensure the least restrictive regulation is being proposed and (ii) preparing a Pre-Regulatory Impact Assessment that shall be considered with the legislation by the General Assembly. Provides that a proponent of a piece of legislation shall submit a Pre-Regulation Impact Application to the designated staff. Sets forth requirements for an application. Sets forth actions that designated staff may take. Sets forth a temporary moratorium on the creation of new occupational regulations. Effective immediately.

Amends the Department of Employment Security Law of the Civil Administrative Code of Illinois. Provides that the Department of Employment Security shall create a self-employment assistance program to provide benefits to individuals who are working to start a business in the State and who are otherwise eligible to receive benefits under the Unemployment Insurance Act. Provides that a participant in the program shall be deemed to be actively engaged in seeking work as required under the Unemployment Insurance Act. Provides that benefits paid to a participant in the program are considered to be benefits paid under the Unemployment Insurance Act. Provides that the Department of Employment Security shall adopt rules to implement and administer the program.

Amends the Illinois Human Rights Act. Changes the Public Accommodations and Financial Credit Articles to prohibit discrimination on the basis of citizenship, primary language, or immigration status that includes discrimination against a person because of the person's actual or perceived characteristic or characteristics within the listed categories or that the person is associated with a person who has, or is perceived to have, any particular characteristic or characteristics within the listed categories. "Citizenship" means the status of being: (i) a born U.S. citizen; (ii) a naturalized U.S. citizen; or (iii) a U.S. national. "Immigration status" means citizenship of some country other than the United States, including stateless persons, and the specific authority, or lack thereof, to reside in or otherwise to be present in the United States. "Primary language" means a person's preferred language for communication. Provides that it is not a civil rights violation to verify immigration status or any discrimination based upon verified immigration status if required by federal law. Nothing in the Act may be construed to require the provision of services or documents in a language other than English beyond that which is otherwise required by other provisions of federal, State, or local law. Provides that a civil rights violation for a violation of Articles 4 and 5 may include statutory damages of 3 times the amount of actual damages sustained or $8,000, whichever is the greater.

Creates the Temporary Immunity for Child Welfare Agencies Act. Creates immunity from civil liability for a licensed child welfare agency that provides service for youth in foster care for a 2-year period unless the agency's acts or omissions constitute willful and wanton conduct. Provides that the immunity extends to the agency's employees, volunteers, and agents acting within the scope of their employment. Defines a "child welfare agency" to mean a public or private child care facility that receives a child or children for the purpose of placing or arranging for the placement or free care of the child or children in foster family homes, unlicensed pre-adoptive and adoptive homes, adoption-only homes, or other facilities for child care apart from the custody of the child's or children's parents. The term "child welfare agency" includes (i) all agencies established and maintained by a municipality or other political subdivision of the State to protect, guard, train or care for children outside their own homes; and (ii) all agencies, persons, groups of persons, organizations, corporations, institutions, centers, or group providing adoption services but does not include a circuit court, appointed juvenile probation officer, or youth counselor of the court who receive and place children under an order of the court. Creates the Child Welfare Agency Liability Task Force to develop and recommend a permanent solution to address the unavailability of liability insurance for child welfare agencies in the State. Requires that the Task Force submit its first report to the General Assembly no later than December 26, 2026. Effective immediately.

Amends the Human Rights Act. Adds to the definition of "harassment" in the Employment Article to include "reproductive health decisions" that is covered under the Act. Provides that an employer is responsible for harassment and sexual harassment of the employer's employees by the employer's nonmanagerial and nonsupervisory employees, nonemployees, and third parties only if the employer becomes aware of the conduct and fails to take reasonable corrective measures. Provides that a "third party" includes, but is not limited to, customers, clients, vendors, or other visitors.

Amends the Health Care Violence Prevention Act. Makes changes to defined terms. In provisions concerning workplace safety, provides that a health care worker may not be discouraged from contacting law enforcement or the Department of Public Health regarding workplace violence, and a health care provider may not hold a policy that limits such contact. Adds additional requirements to the workplace violence prevention program, including reporting requirements and identifying the need for additional security and alarms, adequate exit routes, monitoring systems, barrier protections, lighting, entry procedures, and systems to identify and flag persons who have previously committed violent acts in the health care provider space. Sets forth provisions concerning violent incident investigations, and recordkeeping and reporting requirements for health care providers regarding violent incidents. Establishes penalties for failure to comply with the Act. Amends the Freedom of Information Act. Exempts from public disclosure workplace violence records maintained by health care providers as required under a specified provision of the Health Care Violence Prevention Act.

Amends the Environmental Protection Act. In a provision concerning the conditions for payment from the Underground Storage Tank Fund, provides that, in the case of any approved plan and budget for which payment is being sought, the Environmental Protection Agency shall make a payment determination within 120 days of receipt of both the complete application for payment and the report documenting completion of the activities approved in the plan, whichever is received later (rather than within 120 days after receipt of the application). Provides that, for underground storage tank releases reported before June 8, 2010, an owner or operator may access the Underground Storage Tank Fund for costs that are associated with an Agency-approved plan and that are incurred after the effective date of the amendatory Act after application of a $10,000 deductible (now, other deductibles are owed in some circumstances). Provides that the deductible shall be reduced by any deductible amount applied to costs incurred before the effective date of the amendatory Act.