Amends the School Code. Provides that for any 5-year renewal cycle that includes the 2022-2023 school year, each professional educator licensee shall complete a total of 100 hours of professional development during the 5-year renewal cycle in order to renew the license (rather than being required to complete a total of 120 hours). For the 2022-2023 school year only, provides that a licensee with an administrative endorsement who is working in a position requiring such endorsement or an individual with a Teacher Leader endorsement serving in an administrative capacity at least 50% of the day is not required to complete an Illinois Administrators' Academy course (rather than being required to complete one course). In provisions related to the content of evaluation plans, allows a school district to waive, for the 2022-2023 and 2023-2024 school years only, the evaluation requirement of any teacher in contractual continued service whose performance during the last school year in which the teacher was evaluated was rated as either "excellent" or "proficient". In regard to rules adopted by the State Board of Education concerning educator evaluations, for the 2022-2023 and 2023-2024 school years only, provides that factors related to methods of measuring student growth may not be used in any educator evaluation. In regard to the development of an evaluation plan for principals and assistant principals, allows a school district to waive, for the 2022-2023 and 2023-2024 school years only, the evaluation requirement of any principal or assistant principal whose performance during the last school year in which the teacher was evaluated was rated as either "excellent" or "proficient". Makes related changes. Effective immediately.

Amends the Open Meetings Act. Allows meetings to be held by audio or video conference if the head of the public body determines that an in-person meeting or a meeting is not in the best interests of the public body or its members. Makes conforming changes. Modifies the requirements for meetings held by audio or video conference. Allows news outlets to receive notice of all special, emergency, rescheduled, or reconvened meetings by email. Removes provisions concerning meetings held on a legal holiday and certain quorum requirements.

Amends the Illinois Municipal Code. Makes a technical change in a Section concerning election of incorporated town officers.

Amends the State Property Control Act. Includes qualified veteran-owned small businesses in the list of entities that may receive preference in the disposition of transferable property. Effective immediately.

Amends the Metropolitan Transit Authority Act. In provisions concerning free services for seniors and persons with disabilities, provides that, after an initial eligibility determination is made, an individual's eligibility for free services shall automatically renew every 5 years after receipt by the Authority of a copy of the individual's government-issued identification card validating Illinois residency. Requires individuals who have not submitted an Illinois Persons with a Disability Identification Card to the Authority to also submit a document verifying the individual's disability. Makes similar changes in provisions of the Regional Transportation Authority Act with respect to the Suburban Bus Board and the Commuter Rail Board.

Amends the Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities Administrative Act. Provides that for community-based providers serving persons with intellectual or developmental disabilities, the rates taking effect for services delivered on or after January 1, 2024 shall be increased sufficiently to: (i) provide a minimum $4.00 per hour wage increase over the wages in for front-line personnel; and (ii) provide wages for all other residential non-executive direct care staff, excluding direct support personnel, at the U.S. Department of Labor's average wage as defined in by the Department of Human Services. Amends the Illinois Public Aid Code. Provides that for ID/DD facilities and MC/DD facilities, the rates taking effect for services delivered on or after January 1, 2024 shall be increased sufficiently to: (i) provide a minimum $4.00 per hour wage increase over the wages in for front-line personnel; and (ii) provide wages for all other residential non-executive direct care staff, excluding direct support personnel, at the U.S. Department of Labor's average wage as defined in rule by the Department of Healthcare and Family Services. Amends the Illinois Administrative Procedure Act. Grants the Departments of Human Services and Healthcare and Family Services emergency rulemaking authority. Effective immediately.

Amends the Regulatory Sunset Act. Provides for the repeal of the Illinois Public Accounting Act on January 1, 2029 (rather than January 1, 2024). Amends the Illinois Public Accounting Act. Provides that all applicants and registrants shall: (1) provide a valid address and email address to the Department of Financial and Professional Regulation, which shall serve as the address of record and email address of record, respectively, at the time of application for registration or renewal of a registration and (2) inform the Department of any change of address of record or email address of record within 14 days after such change either through the Department's website or by contacting the Department's licensure maintenance unit. Provides that a license application shall have an applicant's federal individual taxpayer identification number. Provides that all CPA firms or sole practitioners required to undergo a peer review shall submit to the Department peer review reports; letters of response, if applicable; acceptance letters; letters signed by the reviewed CPA firm accepting the peer review documents with the understanding that the CPA firm agrees to take certain actions, if applicable; and letters notifying the reviewed CPA firm that certain required actions have been completed, if applicable. Provides that the Secretary of Financial and Professional Regulation shall appoint a full-time CPA Coordinator. Provides that the hearing officer shall report the hearing officer's findings of fact, conclusions of law, and recommendations to the Committee (rather than to the Committee and the Secretary). Removes a provision providing that exhibits shall be certified without cost. Makes corresponding and other changes. Specifies that the changes made to the Regulatory Sunset Act take effect immediately.

Amends the General Provisions and Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund (IMRF) Articles of the Illinois Pension Code. Provides that an authorized agent appointed after the effective date of the amendatory Act must complete a course of training regarding the duties and responsibilities of being an authorized agent no less than 3 months after his or her initial appointment. Provides that the training must be provided by the Fund and made available to all authorized agents online no less than quarterly at no cost to the authorized agent or his or her employer. In a provision that requires a participating municipality or participating instrumentality to make an additional contribution for earning increases greater than 6% or 1.5 times the increase in the consumer price index-u, provides that the Fund shall exclude earning increases due to amounts paid as required by federal or State law or court mandate or earnings increases due to the participating employee returning to the regular number of hours worked after having a temporary reduction in the number of hours worked. Provides that an elected trustee shall not be considered disqualified due to termination of participation if he or she thereafter begins participation with a different participating employer, there is no gap in service credit under the Article, and the trustee continues to meet all eligibility requirements for the same type of trustee position. Makes other changes. Effective immediately, except that certain provisions are effective January 1, 2024.

Amends the Cancer Clinical Trial Participation Program Act. Changes the short title of the Act to the Clinical Trial Participation Program Act. Throughout the Act, replaces references to "cancer clinical trial" with references to "clinical trial" and makes conforming changes. Provides that "clinical trial" includes a voluntary research study conducted on people and designed to answer specific questions about the safety or effectiveness of a drug, vaccine, therapy, medical device, medical diagnostic, or new way of using an existing treatment to treat or diagnose a condition. Defines "condition". Makes other changes. Effective immediately.

Amends the Department of Insurance Law. Provides that the Department of Insurance shall establish the Office of the Healthcare Advocate. Provides that the Office shall be administered by the Chief Health Care Advocate, who shall report to the Director of Insurance. Amends the Illinois Insurance Code and the Health Maintenance Organization Act. Provides that all individual and small group accident and health policies written subject to certain federal standards must file rates with the Department for approval. Provides that unreasonable rate increases or inadequate rates shall be modified or disapproved. Provides that when an insurer files a schedule or table of premium rates for individual or small group health benefit plans, the insurer shall post notice of the premium rate filings and a filing summary in plain language on the insurer's website. Provides that the Department shall post all insurers' rate filings and summaries on the Department's website. Provides that the Department shall open a 30-day public comment period on the date that a rate filing is posted on the website. Provides that the Department shall hold a public hearing during the 30-day comment period. Provides that the Director shall adopt affordability standards that must be considered in any decision to approve, disapprove, or modify rate filings. Provides that after the close of the public comment period, the Department shall issue a decision to approve, disapprove, or modify a rate filing, and post the decision on the Department's website. Provides that the Department shall adopt rules implementing specified procedures. Defines "inadequate rate", "plain language", and "unreasonable rate increase".

Amends the Governor Succession Act. Makes a technical change in a Section concerning the line of succession for the office of Governor.

Amends the Cigarette Tax Act and the Cigarette Use Tax Act. Provides that a licensed retailer or an agent or employee of a licensed retailer is guilty of a Class 4 felony for knowingly violating provisions concerning the sale of loose cigarettes (currently, any person who violates those provisions is guilty of a Class 4 felony).

Amends the Election Code and the School Code. Provides for 5 new members of the State Board of Education to be elected at the general election in 2024 and every 4 years thereafter (now, the Board consists of 8 members appointed by the Governor with the advice and consent of the Senate). Provides that one member shall be elected from each judicial district. Provides that the 5 members shall be elected on a nonpartisan basis. Provides that a petition for nomination of a candidate for member of the Board shall be signed by at least 0.5% of the total number of registered voters in the judicial district. Provides that beginning on the date when the 5 members initially elected take office, a majority of the Board shall constitute a quorum. Makes related changes.

Creates the Cargo Transportation Tax Act. Provides that a tax is imposed upon each retailer that transports by common carrier tangible personal property into the State from a point outside of the State. Provides that the tax is imposed at the rate of 0.5% of the retail selling price of the tangible personal property. Provides that proceeds from the tax imposed by the Act shall be deposited into the Cargo Transportation Tax Fund, a special fund created in the State treasury. Provides that moneys in the Fund shall be used by the Department of Transportation for road projects in areas of the State that receive heightened levels of traffic as a result of the transportation of tangible personal property. Effective immediately.

Amends the Illinois Vehicle Code. Provides that in a county having a population of 3,000,000 or more, the county sheriff shall establish with other law enforcement agencies a vehicle theft hotline to facilitate the location of stolen vehicles via their installed existing global positioning systems, collaborate with vehicle manufacturers and dealers to provide information and assistance to law enforcement officers in the investigation of vehicle theft, and ensure that consumers are provided with information concerning the hotline and any new or used vehicle manufactured with a global positioning system by publishing the information in a conspicuous location on the county sheriff's website. Provides that the manufacturer of any vehicle sold in this State shall establish a hotline available to State, county, and local law enforcement agencies exclusively for the purposes of law enforcement information sharing and the electronic tracking of vehicles stolen in vehicular hijacking incidents or that have been used in the commission of kidnapping, aggravated battery with a firearm, attempted homicide, or homicide. Provides that the manufacturer's hotline shall relay vehicle location information, including real-time vehicle location information whenever possible, to the 9-1-1 call center or designated dispatch center for the responding agency, to the best of the manufacturer's technical capability. Requires State, county, and local law enforcement agencies to use their respective 9-1-1 system call centers or designated dispatch centers for the purpose of verification of law enforcement officers' identities and bona fide incident report numbers related to incidents. Requires manufacturers to prepare written statements detailing tracking and disabling system capabilities and make them available to State, county, and local law enforcement agencies upon request. Requires that, if a vehicle is not subscribed to the manufacturer's tracking service, the manufacturer of any vehicle sold in this State shall waive all fees associated with initiating, renewing, reestablishing, or maintaining the location, disabling, or alert service with which the vehicle is equipped during a law enforcement response or investigation of specified offenses.