Labor & Employment

Amends the Workers' Compensation Act. Provides that any condition or impairment of health of an employee employed as a hospital security guard which results directly or indirectly from specified diseases or conditions resulting in any disability to the employee shall be rebuttably presumed to arise out of and in the course of the employee's hospital security employment.

Amends the Illinois Freedom to Work Act. Provides that any covenant not to compete or covenant not to solicit entered into after the effective date of the amendatory Act shall not be enforceable with respect to individuals employed as health care professionals, regardless of whether an individual is covered by a collective bargaining agreement. Effective January 1, 2027.

HB 4246 appropriates $5.5 million from the General Revenue Fund to the State Board of Education for a grant to YouthBuild Illinois, effective July 1, 2026. This bill provides direct funding to support YouthBuild Illinois' programs, which assist youth in education and workforce development, with no additional policy provisions or eligibility requirements specified in the text.

Amends the Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund (IMRF) Article of the Illinois Pension Code. Provides that if a full-time firefighter or firefighter/paramedic employed by a city, village, incorporated town, or township that meets certain requirements is not eligible to participate in a retirement fund created under the Downstate Firefighters Article of the Code, then he or she is eligible to participate, as a sheriff's law enforcement employee, under the IMRF Article of the Code. Specifies survivor and occupational disease disability benefits that are available to the qualifying firefighters. Amends the State Mandates Act to require implementation without reimbursement. Effective immediately.

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.

Provides that the Act may be referred to as the Keeping Sex Workers Safe Act. Creates the Sex Workers' Bill of Rights Act. Provides that sex workers shall not be subject to criminal prosecution for engaging in consensual sex work. Provides that law enforcement agencies are prohibited from arresting, charging, or prosecuting individuals solely for performing or engaging in sex work. Provides that sex workers, whether employed, contracted, or self-employed, shall be afforded the same rights and protections as other workers under Illinois law, including, but not limited to: (1) minimum wage and hour protections; (2) protection against discrimination, harassment, and unsafe working conditions; (3) access to workers' compensation and health benefits if applicable; and (4) protection of privacy and freedom from surveillance. Provides that employers, clients, or those benefiting from the services of sex workers must ensure safe working conditions, including protection from violence, exploitation, and human trafficking. Provides that sex workers operating as independent contractors shall be treated as legitimate sole proprietors or businesses under Illinois law. Provides that sex workers have the right to control their work, negotiate fair contracts, and receive payment for their services without interference or exploitation. Provides that sex workers shall not be discriminated against in access to housing, public services, financial services, or healthcare based on their occupation. Provides that all laws protecting workers from discrimination on the basis of sex, race, gender identity, sexual orientation, or other protected characteristics shall apply equally to sex workers. Defines "sex work" and "sex worker". Amends the Criminal Code of 2012. Repeals the offenses of prostitution and patronizing a prostitute. Amends various Acts to make conforming changes. Effective immediately.

Amends the Illinois Insurance Code. Establishes reimbursement rates for mental health and substance use disorder treatment services for all group or individual policies of accident and health insurance or managed care plans that are amended, delivered, issued, or renewed on or after January 1, 2027 or for any contracted third party administering the behavioral health benefits for the insurer. Requires a group or individual policy of accident and health insurance or managed care plan that is amended, delivered, issued, or renewed on or after January 1, 2026 or any contracted third party administering the behavioral health benefits for the insurer to cover certain medically necessary mental health and substance use disorder treatment services. Provides that, if the Department of Insurance determines that an insurer or a contracted third party administering the behavioral health benefits for the insurer has violated a provision concerning mental health and substance use parity, the Department shall by order assess a civil penalty of $1,000 for each violation. Excludes certain health care plans serving Medicaid populations who are enrolled under the Illinois Public Aid Code or under the Children's Health Insurance Program Act from provisions concerning mental health and substance use parity. Requires the Department to review the impact of the proposed mental health and substance abuse mandate on network adequacy for mental health and substance use disorder treatment and access to affordable mental health and substance use care. Permits the Department to examine out-of-network utilization and out-of-pocket costs for insureds for mental health and substance use treatment and services for all plans to compare with in-network utilization. Amends the State Employees Group Insurance Act of 1971, the Counties Code, the Illinois Municipal Code, and the School Code to require coverage under those provisions. Effective immediately.

Amends the Illinois Pension Code. In the Downstate Firefighter Article, includes in the definition of "firefighter", a person employed in a municipality's or fire protection district's fire service as a de facto firefighter. Defines "de facto firefighter". Provides that the Retirement Systems Reciprocal Act (Article 20 of the Code) is adopted and made a part of the Downstate Firefighter Article and the Chicago Firefighter Article, but only with respect to a person who, on or after the effective date of the amendatory Act, is entitled to begin receiving a retirement annuity or survivor's annuity and who elects to proceed under the Retirement Systems Reciprocal Act. In the Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund (IMRF) Article, authorizes sheriff's law enforcement employee (SLEP) status for a person who is not eligible to participate in a downstate firefighter fund and is employed on a full-time basis by a participating municipality to perform duties as a paramedic, emergency medical technician (EMT), emergency medical technician-intermediate (EMT-I), or advanced emergency medical technician (A-EMT); but only if the governing authority of that municipality has approved sheriff's law enforcement employee status for such employees by adoption of an affirmative resolution. Amends the State Mandates Act to require implementation without reimbursement. Effective immediately.

Amends the State Employees Article of the Illinois Pension Code. Provides that any person who rendered contractual services to a member of the General Assembly as a worker providing constituent services to persons in the member's district may establish creditable service for up to 8 years of those contractual services by making a specified contribution and applying to the System by no later than one year after the effective date of the amendatory Act.

This bill proposes the appointment of Jane Flanagan to serve as a Member of the Illinois Workforce Innovation Board.