Amends the Illinois Freedom to Work Act. Provides that any covenant not to compete or covenant not to solicit entered into after the effective date of the amendatory Act shall not be enforceable with respect to individuals employed by health care facilities as health care professionals in the State regardless of whether an individual is covered by a collective bargaining agreement. Effective immediately.

Amends the Natural Resource Restoration Trust Fund Act. Provides that the Department of Natural Resources shall establish the Natural Resource Restoration Trust Grant Program to make grants to applicants for the restoration or replacement of injured or damaged natural resources resulting from claims pursued under the laws of the United States, the laws of this State, other statutory laws, or common law. Provides that the following entities may apply for grants under the Act: (i) units of local government; (ii) soil and water conservation districts; (iii) area-wide agencies, including counties, regional planning agencies, or both; (iv) nonprofit organizations; (iv) public or private institutes of higher education; (v) port authorities; and (vi) federally recognized tribes. Provides that the Department shall issue grants if (i) the requested grant complies with the purpose for which the Department was to provide funds and is subject to the requirements of all applicable court orders and (ii) the grant complies with the criteria established by administrative rule for the issuance of the grant. Provides that grants shall not be awarded to a grantee that is responsible for the pollution event that is the subject or basis for the issuance of the grant. Effective July 1, 2027.

Appropriates $352,200,000 from the General Revenue Fund to the Department of Human Services for grants and administrative expenses of the Home Illinois Program. Effective July 1, 2026.

Amends the Abused and Neglected Child Reporting Act. Provides that upon notification of a child's death through the State Central Register that is subsequently accepted for investigation of abuse or neglect, the Department of Children and Family Services shall conduct a formal review of all available internal records if any of the following conditions are present: (i) the deceased child was a youth in care at the time of death; (ii) the deceased child or the child's parent is or has been the subject of a permanency or intact family case with the Department; or (iii) the Department has a history of one or more prior investigations of abuse or neglect involving the deceased child or the child's parents. Requires the Department to evaluate the quality, timeliness, and appropriateness of previous actions taken and services provided to address identified safety and risk issues. Contains provisions concerning information that the Department must include in its report, including, but not limited to, the manner of the child's death, a summary of the abuse or neglect report made to the State Central Register, and other information. Requires the Department to complete its review within 10 days of receiving a case. Contains provisions requiring annual reports. Removes provisions concerning reporting requirements on cases where a child has experienced a life-threatening injury.

Amends the Children and Family Services Act. Removes all references and provisions requiring the Department of Children and Family Services to develop Error Reduction Implementation Plans. Instead requires the Department to develop Strengthening Best Practices Plans, as necessary, informed by principles of safety science, for the purpose of reducing child fatalities and serious harm. Provides that these plans shall (i) be guided by patterns, findings, and recommendations, as identified in the DCFS Office of the Inspector General (OIG) death or serious injury investigations and Child Death Review Teams recommendations; and (ii) address the systemic and organizational conditions that contribute to child fatalities and serious harm. Requires the Inspector General to submit proposed Strengthening Best Practices Plans to the Department's Director for review. Requires the plans to include compliance provisions, which specify methods for implementing, monitoring, and evaluating recommendations. Requires the OIG, in collaboration with the Department, to implement training and reform protocols through incubating change in each region, Department office, or Child Welfare Contributing Agency, as required. Requires the OIG to develop and submit new Strengthening Best Practices Plans, as necessary, and to work with staff designated by the Department to deliver training curriculum in order to implement each Strengthening Best Practices Plan. Provides that the OIG shall include a review of the implementation and evaluation of the plans from the previous fiscal year, as necessary, in the OIG Annual Report provided to the General Assembly and Governor.

Reinserts the provisions of the introduced bill with the following changes. Further amends the Counties Code. Changes the provisions to apply only to counties having a population of greater than 750,000 residents and fewer than 2 million residents and counties having the county executive form of government and a population of greater than 650,000 and fewer than 2 million residents, according to the most recent federal decennial census (rather than only counties having a population of greater than 750,000 residents and fewer than 2 million residents, according to the most recent federal decennial census). Changes the provisions to apply to households making up to 140% (rather than up to 150% of the area median income annually).

Amends the Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund (IMRF) Article of the Illinois Pension Code. Provides that, if the retirement application of any annuitant under the Article must be retroactively denied because there was not a separation from service, and the participating municipality or participating instrumentality that employs, re-employs, or contracts with that annuitant knowingly fails to notify the Board of such service, the Board may review the totality of circumstances regarding the member not having a separation of service and assign proportionate responsibility for reimbursement of the total of any annuity payments made to the annuitant in error, as determined by the Board, between the participating municipality or participating instrumentality and the annuitant, less any amount actually repaid by the annuitant. Provides that the total amount repaid by the annuitant plus any amount reimbursed by the employer to the Fund shall not be more than the total of all annuity payments made to the annuitant in error. Adds similar provisions to a provision concerning the suspension of retirement annuities during employment, and removes language providing that those provisions shall not apply if the annuitant returned to work for the employer for less than 12 months. Amends the State Mandates Act to require implementation without reimbursement.

Amends the Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund (IMRF) Article of the Illinois Pension Code. Provides that one month of creditable service shall be granted for the first month of participating employment, even if earnings are not reported for that month. Amends the State Mandates Act to require implementation without reimbursement.

Specifies that the amendatory Act may be referred to as the Public Office Eligibility and Criminal Conviction Clarification Act. Amends the Township Code. Repeals a provision that makes a person ineligible to hold any office under the Code if the person, at the time required for taking the oath of office, has been convicted of a felony. Amends the Illinois Municipal Code. In a provision concerning qualification for specified elective offices, deletes provisions which prohibit a person from taking the oath of office if the person has been convicted of a felony.

Amends the Chicago Teacher Article of the Illinois Pension Code. In a provision concerning trustees elected by contributors who are not administrators, provides that candidacy petitions shall be filed with the recording secretary of the Fund on or before October 1st of the election year (instead of on or after September 15 of each year and not later than October 1st of that year). Effective immediately.

Amends the Chicago Teacher Article of the Illinois Pension Code. Requires charter schools and contract schools to retain all payroll records and contribution information for a minimum of 5 years after the payroll records and contribution information are created. Effective immediately.

Amends the School Code regarding the establishment of kindergartens. With respect to a provision stating that kindergarten should provide opportunities for play-based learning, defines: (1) "play-based learning" as either guided play or student-initiated play; (2) "guided play" as intentional teacher-directed play with activities set up and led by a teacher that are aligned to learning goals or standards; and (3) "student-initiated play" as child-selected opportunities to build, pretend, create, move, or explore in an environment intentionally curated by a teacher to align with learning goals or standards.

Amends the Criminal Code of 2012. Provides that a second or subsequent violation of endangering the life or health of a child or a similar statute of this State or any other state of an offense that is substantially equivalent to the offense of endangering the life or health of a child is a Class 3 felony. Provides that in addition to any other penalty provided by law, upon conviction for endangering the life or health of a child, the court may order the convicted person to undergo a psychological or psychiatric evaluation and to undergo any treatment at the convicted person's expense that the court determines to be appropriate after due consideration of the evaluation. Provides that the special probation provisions are not applicable to a person convicted of a second or subsequent violation of endangering the life or health of a child or child abandonment or similar statutes of other states. Amends the Code of Criminal Procedure of 1963. Provides that in a prosecution for a physical or sexual act perpetrated upon or against a youth who is a victim of trafficking in persons, involuntary servitude, and related offenses, provides for the admission of certain evidence as an exception to the hearsay rule. Amends the Bill of Rights for Children. Provides that a child reported to the Department of Children and Family Services or law enforcement to be a victim of a physical act or a youth who is a victim of trafficking in persons, involuntary servitude, and related offenses, whose case is accepted by either agency for investigation has the right to have that child's forensic interview conducted by a forensic interviewer from a children's advocacy center accredited according to the Children's Advocacy Center Act and serving the child's area or jurisdiction where the incident occurred, when such service is accessible based on the children's advocacy center's available resources. Amends the Privacy of Child Victims of Criminal Sexual Offenses Act. In a prosecution or investigation of sexual abuse against children under 18 years of age, permits disclosure to a multidisciplinary team member, as defined in the Children's Advocacy Center Act, and to a nonoffending parent or guardian of the identity of any child who is a victim of such criminal sexual offense or alleged criminal sexual offense. Defines "child" and "youth".

Appropriates $10,000,000 from the General Revenue Fund to the Department of Public Health for local health protection grants for health protection programs. Effective July 1, 2026.

Amends the Hospital Licensing Act. Removes provisions requiring the Department on Aging to adopt rules to address instances when a case coordination unit is unable to complete an assessment in a hospital prior to the discharge of a patient 60 years or older to a nursing home to ensure that the patient is able to access nursing home care, the nursing home is not penalized for accepting the admission, and the patient's timely discharge from the hospital is not delayed, to the extent permitted under federal law or regulation.