* Capitol News Illinois…

Illinois public school students could soon receive free mental health screenings each year.

Gov. JB Pritzker signed Senate Bill 1560 Thursday, which would require the State Board of Education and a children’s behavioral health team within the governor’s office to develop procedures and make mental health materials available to school districts. The board will provide those materials to schools beginning in September 2026.

The tests would be provided to schools at no cost beginning in the 2027-28 school year, so long as the state has approved funding to develop screenings. Parents would be able to opt their children out of the screenings, which would be made available once a year to students in third grade through high school. […]

The new policy would allow schools to focus on preventing mental health issues rather than only implementing plans that react to a student’s problem.

House Republicans opposed the bill, arguing it won’t be as effective as the governor believes and that it creates confidentiality problems.

“Universal mental health screenings are going to get us nothing except possibly finding things, finding reasons for denial of coverage of insurance,” Rep. Steve Reick, R-Woodstock, told reporters at a news conference Thursday.

* Crain’s…

Gov. JB Pritzker signed a bill into law that would boost retirement payouts to Chicago police and firefighters.

The change increases pension benefits for so-called Tier 2 police and firefighters, whose current pension plan is not as generous as those of more senior staffers, by changing how their pay is calculated at retirement — including raising the salary cap — and increases the annual cost-of-living adjustment for pensioners.

The legislation is designed to bring public safety pensions in Chicago into line with police and firefighters elsewhere in the state, which is controversial because it’s expected to add another $750 million to the city’s pension costs at a time when its finances are under serious strain.

The change is expected to cost $60 million in the coming year alone. The $60 million tab will be added to a 2026 budget shortfall that last year was projected to be $1.2 billion. An updated forecast will be released at the end of the month, but Johnson officials expect the gap to remain over $1 billion.

* Center Square…

Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed 124 bills Friday impacting everything from Chicago police and fire pensions to the use of artificial intelligence for mental health therapy. […]

Senate Bill 213 creates more transparency by requiring state agencies to report on advertising expenditures annually, beginning Jan. 1.

Carbon sequestration in the Mahomet Aquifer is banned beginning Jan. 1, and with Senate Bill 1723, the Mahomet Aquifer Advisory Study Commission is created.

Senate Bill 1793 creates a religious exemption to allow cremated remains to be scattered in Illinois rivers beginning Jan. 1.

* Sen. Robert Peters…

Community violence prevention programs save lives, but to be effective, they need long-term support and flexibility. Thanks to a new law from State Senator Robert Peters, efforts to curb firearm violence in the state are holding strong by giving organizations more time to access critical resources and improving the way the state coordinates its response. […]

Peters’ law makes several updates to Illinois’ approach to violence prevention. First, it allows the Office of Firearm Violence Prevention to submit its annual report on an ongoing basis, rather than being locked into a rigid deadline, guaranteeing lawmakers and communities receive the most relevant data. It also extends the filing deadline for non-Medicaid-certified Reimagine Public Safety Act grantees that provide behavioral health services, giving them additional time to obtain certification. Additionally, it delays the awarding of grants by one year, giving applicants time to establish services that are vital for long-term success.

For frontline organizations working to prevent violence, the law allows more stability and a stronger foundation to continue their life-saving work. By removing unnecessary hurdles and making sure support reaches the communities that need it most, Peters’ law ensures Illinois’ most vulnerable neighborhoods have the resources to reduce violence and build safer futures. […]

Senate Bill 2280 was signed into law Friday. It goes into effect Jan. 1, 2026.

* Sen. Paul Faraci…

State Senator Paul Faraci has solidified efforts to protect the Mahomet Aquifer – a vital sole-source aquifer supplying clean drinking water to approximately 800,000 people across 15 counties in East Central Illinois – with the signing of Senate Bill 1723 into law. […]

The law will prohibit carbon sequestration over, under or through the Mahomet Aquifer, enforcing sustainable practices and preventing harmful activities. This is crucial for residents of Central Illinois, as the aquifer is the only source of clean drinking water for at least half of the population it serves – meaning those residents would have no alternative should the aquifer become contaminated.

This initiative builds on the foundational work of the late State Senator Scott Bennett, whose dedication to protecting the Mahomet Aquifer laid the groundwork for continued advocacy and legislative action. Senator Bennett was a tireless champion for the people of Central Illinois, consistently prioritizing public health and environmental stewardship. Faraci’s legislation is a continuation of Bennett’s vision to ensure future generations have access to clean, safe water. […]

Senate Bill 1723 was signed into law on Friday. It goes into effect Jan. 1.

* NBC Chicago…

Two new gun laws were signed by Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker this week, bringing changes to things like gun storage and tracing. […]

One of the bills, HB 1373, requires local law enforcement in Illinois to participate in the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) eTrace platform.

It also requires firearm tracing in all cases where a gun is recovered at the scene of a crime, or if a gun is believed to be associated with a crime. […]

Senate Bill 0008, will strengthen laws around gun storage in the state.

According to the Pritzker administration, SB 0008 will impose civil penalties associated with failing to properly secure firearms within a home where minors reside. The bill also requires reporting a lost or stolen firearm within 48 hours instead of 72, and also adds a potential penalty of revocation of a FOID card for failure to comply with the law on two or more occasions.

* WAND…

Gov. JB Pritzker signed a bill into law Friday to require seat belts for all new school buses.

The new law mandates that any school buses manufactured in Illinois have three-point seat belts starting in 2031.

Sponsors said this change is solely about student safety, as lawmakers on both sides of the aisle want children to come and go from school safely.

“This is really the standard for every new bus today that is being manufactured,” said Rep. Bob Morgan (D-Highland Park). “So, this really should not be any difficulty for school districts. In fact, school districts might not have a choice as we go in this direction, that manufacturers are already including this in every bus that’s being manufactured.”

* Sen. Rachel Ventura…

To support ongoing efforts aimed at protecting and revitalizing local landscapes and ecosystems, State Senator Rachel Ventura and State Representative Anna Moeller partnered on House Bill 2726 to give the Illinois Department of Natural Resources more authority to implement conservation tactics to create new rewilding strategies statewide. […]

House Bill 2726 grants the Illinois Department of Natural Resources more power to implement rewilding as a conservation strategy. This can include the restoration of land to its natural state, the reintroduction of native species — particularly apex predators and keystone species — and the restoration of ecological processes as defined by state-specific baselines.

“Rewilding” means to restore an area of land to its natural uncultivated state. This term is used especially with reference to the reintroduction of species of wild animals that have been driven out of an area or exterminated by human interference. […]

Under current law, IDNR currently has no statutory authority to take measures that are necessary for the implementation of rewilding as a conservation strategy in Illinois. With the new law’s signage, Illinois is the first state to explicitly pass legislation on rewilding, advancing efforts to preserve and protect species.

House Bill 2726 was signed into law Friday and goes into effect Jan. 1, 2026.

* WICS…

The use of therapy dogs to assist individuals dealing with PTSD and anxiety is on the rise across the nation, with over 50,000 therapy dogs currently in service.

In Illinois, a new law aims to further increase the availability of these supportive animals during times of crisis.

State Senator Mary Edly-Allen has championed Senate Bill 1491, which mandates the Illinois Law Enforcement Training Standards Board to develop a training course and certification program specifically for therapy dog teams that specialize in crisis and emergency response.

The legislation, signed into law on Friday, is designed to expand the number of Crisis Intervention Therapy dogs. This expansion will ensure that officers can readily respond to events or request a visit from a therapy dog team when needed.

* Sen. Doris Turner…

Insurance companies will no longer be able to solicit nursing home residents under a new law championed by State Senator Doris Turner.

“Local nursing home residents had reached out saying they were being solicited to buy new insurance policies or change their current plans,” said Turner (D-Springfield). “We can’t let seniors be the target of deceptive practices by insurance companies.”

House Bill 1865 makes it illegal to solicit a resident of a nursing home or long-term care facility, or someone over the age of 65 to purchase accident and health insurance unless the insurance company waits 48 hours before making any insurance-related changes and the individual is given the ability to opt out.

Turner’s law also makes it illegal for a nursing home or long-term care facility to make substantive changes likely to be disruptive to a resident, or move a resident’s place of living, without prior approval from a guardian if the resident suffers from dementia or a medical condition that reduces their capacity to make informed decisions.

* WAND…

Gov. JB Pritzker signed a proposal Friday to give nursing mothers more break time to feed their babies.

Illinois employers are currently required to provide reasonable time to nursing mothers during the work day, but that time is not required to be paid.

The new law clarifies that employee time pumping breastmilk has to be paid, and that employees should not be required to use paid leave during breaks.

The legislation passed out of the House on an 82-27 vote. It passed out of the Senate on a 50-3 vote.