Labor & Employment (Professional Licensing)

Amends the Toll Highway Act. Provides that the Illinois State Toll Highway Authority has the power to establish a special pay supplement for those positions of employment that require that a person employed in that position speak or write a language other than English. Provides that such paid positions may be eligible for a bilingual pay supplement to attract bilingual individuals, to encourage present employees to become proficient in languages other than English, or to retain qualified bilingual employees. Provides that a bilingual pay supplement shall be processed within 30 calendar days after the employee presents to the Authority a certification from either the designated testing program process selected by the Authority or a State community college confirming that language skill proficiency in reading, writing, and speaking has been satisfied by the employee.

Creates the Operating Room Patient Safety Act. Provides that each surgical technologist hired or contracted by a health care facility on or after January 1, 2028 shall meet specified educational, certification, or experiential requirements. Provides that health care facilities located in a Health Professional Shortage Area or Medically Underserved Area, as determined by the federal government, shall be exempt as provided but shall have a hiring preference for surgical technologists who graduated from nationally accredited surgical technology programs and are certified through the National Board of Surgical Technology and Surgical Assisting or the National Center for Competency Testing. Provides that nothing in the Act prohibits a person licensed in the State under any other Act from engaging in the practice for which the person is licensed, including, but not limited to, a physician licensed to practice medicine in all its branches, a physician assistant, an advanced practice registered nurse, or a nurse performing surgery-related tasks within the scope of the nurse's license or registration; or a student or intern from performing surgical technology services under direct supervision, as defined in the Registered Surgical Assistant and Registered Surgical Technologist Title Protection Act.

Amends the General Provisions, Downstate Police, Downstate Firefighter, Chicago Police, Chicago Firefighter, Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund (IMRF), State Employees, and State Universities Articles of the Illinois Pension Code. With regard to police officers, firefighters, and similar public safety employees, removes Tier 2 limitations on the amount of salary for annuity purposes; provides that the automatic annual increases to a retirement pension or survivor pension are calculated under the Tier 1 formulas; and provides that the amount of and eligibility for a retirement annuity are calculated under the Tier 1 provisions. Amends the State Finance Act. Provides that, each fiscal year, the Comptroller shall pay to each unit of local government that makes a certification of certain employer costs under the Illinois Pension Code or under a specified provision of the Public Safety Employee Benefits Act an amount equal to 40% of the total amount certified by the unit of local government. Creates a continuing appropriation of that amount. Amends the Public Safety Employee Benefits Act. Provides that a unit of local government that provides health insurance to police officers and firefighters shall maintain the health insurance plans of these employees after retirement and shall contribute toward the cost of the annuitant's coverage under the unit of local government's health insurance plan an amount equal to 4% of that cost for each full year of creditable service upon which the annuitant's retirement annuity is based. Makes other and conforming changes. Amends the State Mandates Act to require implementation without reimbursement. Effective immediately.

Amends the Educator Licensure Article of the School Code. Requires the State Board of Education to allow an individual who has received a short-term approval license under the Illinois Administrative Code to extend the validity of the short-term approval license beyond the expiration date if the individual has taken leave under the federal Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993. Requires the State Board of Education to allow an extension beyond the expiration date equal to or greater than the number of days the individual took for leave under the federal Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993.

Amends the Interscholastic Athletic Organization Act. Provides that an association or other entity that has as one of its purposes promoting, sponsoring, regulating, or in any manner providing for interscholastic athletics or any form of athletic competition among schools and students within this State shall require all school coaches to obtain and maintain certification in cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), first aid, and the use of an automatic external defibrillator (AED). Requires certification in CPR and AED use to be consistent with national, evidence-based, emergency cardiovascular care guidelines. Amends the School Safety Drill Act. Provides that a cardiac emergency response plan shall include (i) establishing a cardiac emergency response team that is certified in cardiopulmonary resuscitation and the use of an automated external defibrillator and (ii) the use of annual cardiac response drills to practice the steps established in the cardiac emergency response plan, in partnership with local emergency medical services. Makes other changes concerning the plan.

Amends the Illinois State Police Act. Modifies the definition of "duty to intervene" in provisions regarding discretionary termination of Illinois State Police officers. Provides that a member of the Illinois State Police shall not discipline or retaliate in any way against an officer for exercising the officer's duty to intervene, for reporting unconstitutional or unlawful conduct, or for failing to follow what the officer reasonably believes is an unconstitutional or unlawful directive. Amends the Illinois Police Training Act to make similar changes, except that the Law Enforcement Training Standards Board must adopt rules prohibiting members of law enforcement agencies from retaliating. Removes language providing that an individual has no property interest in law enforcement certification at the time of initial certification or at any time thereafter, including, but not limited to, after decertification or after the officer's certification has been deemed inactive. Amends the Local Records Act. Provides that records concerning the automatic expungement of misconduct records where an officer has been found not to have committed any wrongdoing or the complaint was found to be frivolous shall be permanently retained and may not be destroyed. Amends the Police and Community Relations Improvement Act. Repeals provisions allowing a person to file notice of an anonymous complaint to the Illinois Law Enforcement Training Standards Board of any conduct the person believes a law enforcement officer has committed.