Business & Work

In 2025, Illinois lawmakers passed over 460 new laws. This article highlights only a few. Unless otherwise noted, these new laws go into effect on January 1, 2026.

School & Education

SB 1616: establishes that the Illinois State Board of Education will identify dates of cultural or religious significance when students may be absent or unable to participate in major school events. It establishes that by July 1 each year, the State Board must post on its website and distribute to school districts a nonexhaustive list of these observances for the upcoming school year to assist with scheduling decisions.  This change went into effect on August 1, 2025.

SB 191: requires that all newly purchased school buses in Illinois be equipped with three-point seat belts (lap and shoulder belts) at every seating position that meet federal safety standards. The requirement does not apply to school buses that are leased by school districts or to out-of-state buses that only occasionally operate in Illinois. This change will begin July 1, 2031.

SB 1560: provides that beginning with the 2027-2028 school year, school districts must offer mental health screenings to students in grades 3 through 12 at least once per year, but only in years when the State provides a free screening tool that includes a self-report option for students.

HB 3247: effective January 1, 2026, provides that every child in Illinois has the right to attend public school and participate in school programs and activities, regardless of the real or assumed immigration status of the child or their parents. Schools cannot have in place policies or procedures that, in effect, exclude the child or their parents from participation in school programs or activities based on their real or assumed immigration status. Schools are restricted in what they can disclose about a student’s or family member’s real or assumed immigration status.  Schools must also develop procedures by this date for reviewing and authorizing requests from law enforcement to enter the school, as well as a process for getting consent When someone gives permission for someone else to do something from an emancipated or adult Any person 18 years old or over student’s parents if law enforcement wants access to the student for immigration purposes. These policies and procedures must be adopted by July 1, 2026. Learn more about school privacy protections for immigrant students.

HB 3851: amends the School Code by broadening the definition of bullying to include sharing sexual images, beginning July 1, 2026. Starting with the 2026–2027 school year, it also expands the definition of cyberbullying to include posting or sharing someone’s digital replica (a fake likeness of a person that may be made with technology like AI) online without permission if it causes harm similar to traditional bullying. Learn more about bullying in schools.

HB 3385: requires Illinois public colleges and universities to provide access to licensed mental health professionals. Services may be provided in-person or virtually to ensure access.

HB 1787: requires Illinois school districts to provide specific training on school evacuation drills and law enforcement lockdown drills to any substitute teachers. Schools are also required to display maps showing all school exits in the classroom.

Health & Benefits

HB 3709: requires Illinois public colleges and universities that offer student health services to give students access to professionals who can discuss and prescribe contraception or abortion starting with the 2025–2026 school year. The school must post this information on its health services website, and the campus pharmacy must provide these prescriptions to students. This change took effect on August 22, 2025.

HB 3756: amends the Illinois Health Benefits Exchange Law to provide a special enrollment period for uninsured taxpayers and their beneficiaries. The uninsured taxpayer must request to enroll through the easy enroll program under the Illinois Income Tax Act. The Illinois Health Benefits Exchange must send the uninsured taxpayer a letter that includes which insurance programs they can join. These programs might include Medicaid, federal premium tax credits, and cost-sharing reductions. The uninsured taxpayer has 60 days to enroll in a program from the date the notification letter was issued.

Business & Work

HB 2978: creates the Family Neonatal Intensive Care Leave Act, which lets eligible Illinois employees take job-protected, unpaid leave when their child is in a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). Employees of employers with 16 to 50 workers may take up to 10 days, and those with 51 or more may take up to 20 days. The leave is available to full-time and part-time employees, may be taken all at once or in increments, and health insurance coverage must continue during the leave. This leave is in addition to rights under the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA). Learn about your rights to take time off from work for illness or family medical needs.

SB 0212: requires Illinois employers to pay nursing employees their regular rate during reasonable break time to pump breast milk. Employers cannot require workers to use paid leave or reduce their pay for these breaks. For more information about breastfeeding rights, review Breastfeeding: What are my rights?

SB 0220: renames the Illinois Family Military Leave Act to the Military Leave Act as of August 2025, and expands it to strengthen military leave protections. The law provides up to 8 hours per month and 40 hours per year of paid leave for employees of employers with 51 or more employees who serve Giving court documents to someone on funeral honors details. Employees are paid at their regular rate and may use this leave instead of vacation or personal time. Find out more about military benefits and resources. 

SB 2487: provides that Illinois Department of Human Rights (IDHR) will no longer automatically require fact-finding conferences in workplace discrimination cases. Conferences will be held only if both parties request one within 90 days and agree to extend the investigation by 120 days. In some cases, the IDHR may still schedule one at its discretion. Learn how to file a workplace discrimination claim with the IDHR. 

HB 1616: expands paid organ donation leave to include part-time employees. Now, both full-time and part-time workers can take up to 10 days of paid leave within a 12-month period to donate an organ. Learn about your rights to take time off from work for illness. 

Crime & Traffic

SB 0024: ends waiting periods for filing missing person reports. Police must take reports right away and cannot refuse to take a report because of the person’s age, mental health, possible foul play, where they went missing, or because they may have left on their own. Police also cannot refuse to take a report because the person making it does not have all the information or is not a family member of the missing person.

HB 3572: creates the Unfit Misdemeanant Diversion Includes juveniles sent to the facility in lieu of adjudication as part of a diversion agreement. Program for people charged with misdemeanors who are found unfit to stand trial. When the issues of a case are heard in court and decided by a judge or jury Instead of traditional prosecution, eligible defendants can enter a diversion program that connects them to mental health or substance use treatment and support services. The law also creates a Task Force to review and improve how Illinois handles unfit defendants.

HB 3363: creates the FAIR Act, which establishes the Office of the State Public Defender A free lawyer appointed by the criminal court when a defendant cannot afford to pay for a lawyer and an independent State Public Defender Commission. This law centralizes Illinois’ public defense system under a statewide office to ensure that people who cannot afford an attorney receive independent, consistent, and well-supervised representation. Some parts of the law take effect on July 1, 2026, and others take effect on January 1, 2027.

HB 2602: removes the time limit for prosecuting crimes involving involuntary servitude, To coerce a person to participate in forced labor (not commercial sex acts) through coercion or if the victim is under 18 years of age. human trafficking, and related offenses when the victim was under 18 at the time of the crime. This change applies to crimes committed Includes juveniles in placement in the facility as part of a court order. on or after the law’s effective date. Find legal information and resources for victims of human trafficking. 

HB 1226: updates the rules for renewing driver’s licenses for older adults, starting July 1, 2026. The law raises the minimum age for required annual driving tests from 75 to 79. Drivers age 87 and older, and those age 75 and older with a commercial driver’s license (CDL), must pass a road test each time they renew. Immediate family members can also file a signed report with the Secretary of State’s office if they believe a driver’s medical or cognitive condition makes it unsafe for that person to drive. Learn how to get a state ID or driver’s license.

HB 2546: clarifies the parole review process under the Youthful Parole Act for people who were under 21 when they committed their offense and were sentenced on or after June 1, 2019. People who qualify can request a parole review up to three years before they become eligible, or any time after serving the minimum required time. The parole hearing When the parties in a case present their sides of a case to a judge or other officer cannot be scheduled sooner than one year after the petition (noun) A written request to a court (verb) To request from a court is properly filed. Learn about the basics of parole review. 

SB 0008: creates the Safe Gun Storage Act. Gun owners must store their firearms safely if they know or should know that a minor, A person under 18 years old at-risk person, or someone who is not allowed to have a gun could access them. Unsafe storage can result in fines from $500 to $10,000, depending on what happens as a result. Exceptions apply when the gun is lawfully carried, under the owner’s control, or taken through unlawful entry. The bill also makes other changes regarding reporting lost or stolen guns and gun dealer responsibilities.

SB 1899: creates a pathway for certain first-time, low-level weapon possession offenders in Illinois to apply for a Firearm Owner’s Identification (FOID) card after completing a diversion program. Individuals who successfully complete the First-Time Weapon Offender Diversion Program can apply for a FOID card, as long as they meet all other eligibility requirements. This change removes a previous restriction and gives program graduates a chance to lawfully own a firearm. Find out how having a criminal record could affect your ability to get a gun license. 

HB 3710: makes changes to the Rights of Crime Victims and Witnesses Act to clarify that crime victims, as defined by the law, have the right to be treated with fairness and respect during an investigation, including the right not to be deceived. This means that police cannot knowingly give false information about evidence. Anything used to show that something is true Learn about the rights of crime victims and witnesses. 

HB 1302: provides that law enforcement officers cannot discourage or try to stop a victim from filing a police report When a police officer writes a description of what happened at an accident about abuse, sexual assault, When a person commits an act of sexual penetration by force or threat of force. Done without the consent of the victim. This includes when the victim cannot give consent. sexual abuse, neglect, When a person acts with less care or caution than a regular person would have in the same situation or exploitation. It also clarifies victims’ rights to receive timely notice of court hearings, requiring that victims get at least seven days’ notice before most court proceedings.

Money & Debt

SB 1738: automatically protects $1,000 in a checking, savings, or credit union account from collection between the time a debt collector A person or company that regularly collects debts owed to another person gets a judgment An official decision by a court that ends the dispute between parties against a debtor A person who owes money to someone else and the scheduled hearing date. Increases several other exemptions. In bankruptcy, property that you can protect from creditors. In property taxes, an amount that reduces the value of your home that is used to calculate property taxes owed. Learn more about collection-proof status.

HB 3352: provides that debtors are not liable for coerced debt and sets up procedures for alerting a collection agency. The debtor must provide a police report, court order, or other documentation showing that a person was coerced into allowing someone else to use their name and credit information to take out debt. Find out how to respond to debt collectors.

House & Apartment

SB 1563: clarifies that eviction laws do not prevent law enforcement officers from enforcing criminal trespass laws. If a property owner provides proof of ownership, a law enforcement officer can remove a trespasser who is unlawfully occupying the property. The trespasser does not have to be given a written notice before being removed. Learn more about eviction notices and removing trespassers.

HB 1575: makes recording modifications to unlawful restrictive covenants free of charge. Many Illinois property papers have discriminatory terms that were used to limit who could buy, rent, or use the property based on race, religion, or national origin. People buying and selling property, current owners, property association boards, and volunteer groups now work to find and modify To change or adjust these illegal terms. Learn more about recording documents, including how to remove unlawful restrictive covenants.

HB 3566: provides that eviction cases naming minors as defendants must be dismissed Cases dismissed with no further action anticipated. and sealed. A minor who is “willfully and wantonly” named as a defendant The person or organization being sued in a lawsuit can get attorney’s fees, money to compensate for actual harm, and up to $1,000 just for having been named in the suit. The housing provider may refile the action against any other defendants who are not minors. The court cannot waive To give up a legal right or pardon a fee any filing fees for refiling. 

Immigrants & Immigration

HB 2436: provides that the Cook County Public Defender’s Immigration Division may represent noncitizen residents in immigration cases being heard outside the Chicago Immigration Court. This might happen if a Cook County resident is detained Includes juveniles held prior to a court makes a decision about their case,  awaiting transfer to adult criminal court, or awaiting a hearing or trial in adult criminal court. and transferred to a place closer to a different immigration court, and the Chicago Immigration Court decides to move the case to the other court. This is an unlikely possibility, but the change in law allows Cook County residents to potentially still receive assistance outside of the Chicago Immigration Court. This change took effect on August 15, 2025. Learn more about Immigration court and detainees.