Labor & Employment (Public Employees)

Creates the State Employee Child Care Pilot Program Task Force Act. Establishes the State Employee Child Care Pilot Program Task Force within the Department of Early Childhood to evaluate the feasibility of establishing an on-site child care pilot program for State employees; develop recommendations regarding pilot program structure, staffing models, and operational oversight; identify potential State-owned or leased facilities suitable for pilot program locations; and other specified duties. Contains provisions concerning Task Force membership and meetings. Requires the Task Force to submit a report to the General Assembly and the Governor that includes findings, recommendations, estimated costs, and any proposed statutory or administrative changes necessary to implement a pilot program. Provides that the Task Force is dissolved and the Act is repealed on December 31, 2027. Effective immediately.

Creates the Secure Jobs Act. Establishes a framework for employee discipline and discharge. Prohibits the unjust discharge of an employee. Contains provisions concerning factors to be considered when determining whether an employee has been discharged for just cause and the conditions that allow for a discharge based on bona fide economic reasons. Requires employers to use progressive discipline measures. Limits the use of electronic monitoring. Provides for severance pay. Directs the Department of Labor to adopt rules and administer the Act. Provides statutory remedies for wrongfully discharged employees and authorizes the recovery of damages. Creates the Wrongful Discharge Enforcement Fund as a special fund in the State treasury. Effective January 1, 2027.

Amends the Public Employee Disability Act. Provides that, for purposes of provisions in the Act concerning disability benefits, "eligible employee" includes any part-time or full-time county correctional officer or any other full-time or part-time employee of a county sheriff. Provides that, when an eligible employee suffers an injury in the line of duty that causes the employee to be unable to perform the employee's duties, the employing public entity shall continue to provide health insurance benefits on the same terms and conditions as were in effect immediately prior to the injury.

Amends the Public Employee Disability Act. Provides that, whenever an eligible employee suffers any injury or illness in the line of duty (rather than suffers any injury in the line of duty) which causes that employee to be unable to perform the employee's duties, the employee shall continue to be paid by the employing public entity on the same gross pay basis, inclusive of all pensionable salary, as the employee was paid before the injury (rather than paid by the employing public entity on the same basis as he was paid before the injury), with no deduction from and with continued accrual of any sick leave credits (rather than with no deduction from his sick leave credits) and specified other compensation, with other requirements. Makes technical changes.

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.

Amends the Personnel Code. Provides that certain provisions related to probationary separation, term appointments, and veterans hospital visits are subject to Jurisdiction B. Changes references to "veterans hospital visits" to references to "veterans medical appointments". Provides that an employee who is also a veteran shall be permitted 4 days per year to receive medical care authorized by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, at any type of health care provider or health care facility (rather than permitted 4 days per year to visit a veterans hospital or clinic), for examination or treatment (rather than for examination) of a military service-connected condition (rather than service-connected disability).

Amends the Illinois Pension Code. In provisions authorizing certain persons to transfer service credit from IMRF to a downstate police pension fund, makes technical and combining changes to conform the changes made by Public Act 102-857 and Public Act 102-1061. Removes a restrictive date on the transfer of that service credit. Authorizes investigators for the Secretary of State and conservation police officers to transfer that service credit. Authorizes State's Attorneys to transfer service credit under the IMRF Article to the State Employee Article. In the State Employee Article, provides that a State policeman or conservation police officer may elect to convert service credit earned under the Article or, for certain types of service, elect to establish eligible creditable service under the alternative retirement annuity provisions by filing a written election with the Board of Trustees and paying to the System a specified amount. Provides that a participant under the alternative retirement annuity provisions may establish eligible creditable service for up to 7 years of service as a State's Attorney. Provides that any benefit increase that results from the amendatory Act is excluded from the definition of "new benefit increase". Amends the State Mandates Act to require implementation without reimbursement. Effective immediately.

Amends the Public Employee Disability Act, the Line of Duty Compensation Act, and the Public Safety Employee Benefits Act. Includes mental health professionals within the scope of the Acts. Defines "mental health professional" as any person employed and dispatched by a unit of local government to respond to crisis calls received on public emergency service lines instead of or in conjunction with law enforcement.

Amends the State Employee Article of the Illinois Pension Code. Provides that a member who is eligible to receive an alternative retirement annuity may elect to receive an estimated payment that shall commence no later than 30 days after the later of either the member's last day of employment or 30 days after the member files for the retirement benefit with the System. Provides that the estimated payment shall be the best estimate by the System of the total monthly amount due to the member based on the information that the System possesses at the time of the estimate. Provides that if the amount of the estimate is greater or less than the actual amount of the monthly annuity, the System shall pay or recover the difference within 6 months after the start of the monthly annuity. Excludes a benefit increase resulting from the amendatory Act from the definition of "new benefit increase". Effective immediately.

Amends the Illinois Pension Code. Makes changes to Tier 2 benefits, including changing the amount of the automatic annual increase to 3% of the originally granted retirement annuity or 3% of the retirement annuity then being paid for the General Assembly and Judges Articles, changing the limit on the amount of salary for annuity purposes to the Social Security wage base, changing the calculation of final average salary to the Tier 1 calculation for persons who are active members on or after January 1, 2026, and changing the retirement age. Establishes an accelerated pension benefit payment option for the General Assembly, Chicago Teachers, and Judges Articles of the Code. Provides that, with regard to persons subject to the Tier 2 provisions, a security employee of the Department of Human Services, a security employee of the Department of Corrections or the Department of Juvenile Justice, an investigator for the Department of the Lottery, or a State highway worker is entitled to an annuity calculated under the alternative retirement annuity provisions of the State Employee Article of the Code. Authorizes the conversion of service to eligible creditable service. Provides that the Retirement Systems Reciprocal Act (Article 20 of the Code) is adopted and made a part of the Downstate Police, Downstate Firefighter, Chicago Police, and Chicago Firefighter Articles. Authorizes SLEP status under the Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund for a person who is a county correctional officer or probation officer and for a person who participates in IMRF and qualifies as a firefighter under the Public Safety Employee Benefits Act. In the Downstate Firefighter Article, includes a de facto firefighter in the definition of "firefighter". Defines "de facto firefighter". Provides that the monthly pension of a firefighter who is receiving a disability pension shall be increased at the rate of 3% of the original monthly pension. Makes changes to the minimum retirement annuity payable to a firefighter with 20 or more years of creditable service, the minimum disability pension, and the minimum surviving spouse's pension. Makes other changes. Amends the State Mandates Act to require implementation without reimbursement by the State. Effective immediately.