Creates the River Access Modernization Act. Affirms the public's right to use navigable and recreationally suitable waters for canoeing, boating, kayaking, and angling, subject to protection of private property rights and environmental values. Provides that the public right of use does not include crossing private uplands or exiting onto private land without permission. Establishes landowner liability protections. Prohibits littering and alteration of flora and fauna. Grants rulemaking authority to the Department of Natural Resources to designate public access points, resolve conflicts, promote safety and conservation education, and maintain a listing of navigable waterways. Defines "navigable water" and "public recreational use".
Amends the Department of Agriculture Law of the Civil Administrative Code of Illinois. Directs the Department of Agriculture to study: (1) the specific actions that can be taken and the practices that can be implemented to mitigate the impacts of drought and climate change on agriculture in the State; (2) the costs, benefits, and feasibility of establishing and implementing financial and technical assistance programs to mitigate the impacts of drought and climate change on agricultural producers in the State; (3) the costs, benefits, and feasibility of using agricultural land management to realize greenhouse gas reductions and maximize carbon sequestration opportunities in the State; (4) the costs, benefits, and feasibility of using floatovoltaics in State waterways; and (5) the costs, benefits, and feasibility of establishing within the Department an Agricultural Drought and Climate Resilience Office for the purpose of providing agricultural producers with the voluntary technical assistance, nonregulatory programs, and incentives necessary to harden the State's agricultural sector to the coming impacts of drought and climate change. Allows the Department to enter into a contract or grant agreement with one or more organizations or institutions with expertise in environmental and agricultural issues for the purpose of completing the tasks delegated to the Department in these provisions. Authorizes the Department, in conducting the required cost-benefit analyses, to take into account the value of ecosystem services. Directs the Department to report its findings and recommendations to the General Assembly within 2 years after the effective date of the amendatory Act. Effective immediately.
Amends the Environmental Protection Act. Provides that the Comptroller and Treasurer shall transfer from the Solid Waste Management Fund into a separate account within the Solid Waste Management Fund, $225,000 on October 1, 2026, $234,000 on October 1, 2027, and $243,360 on October 1, 2028, for use in making grants to the Prairie Research Institute of the University of Illinois to cover the costs of implementing a specified provision of the Illinois Solid Waste Management Act. Amends the Illinois Solid Waste Management Act. Provides that the Environmental Protection Agency shall provide grants to incentivize the use of finished compost, liquid digestate, and solid digestate on private and public lands used for commercial farm and specialty farm operations. Provides that the Agency shall partner with the Prairie Research Institute of the University of Illinois to conduct a study of finished compost, liquid digestate, and solid digestate use over fiscal years 2026, 2027, and 2028, with a final report submitted to the General Assembly and Governor by December 1, 2028. Effective immediately.
