New Illinois Laws in Illinois
Illinois will usher in several new laws ranging from education requirements to a ban on small single-use plastic bottles in hotels. The state will also implement several new tax increases as part of the record $55.2 billion Fiscal Year 2026 State Budget, passed by Democrats this spring.
New Taxes Taking Effect
Sports Betting Tax Increase
A per-wager tax of $0.25 for the first 20 million bets, doubling to $0.50 after that. DraftKings and FanDuel have already responded by raising costs for users.
Hotel Tax on Short-Term Rentals
Services like Airbnb and Vrbo are now subject to Illinois’ Hotel Operators’ Occupation Tax, meaning families trying to travel in-state will pay more out-of-pocket.
Tobacco Tax Hike
The wholesale tax on tobacco products jumps from 36% to 45%, another hit to consumers.
Noteworthy New Laws
Ban on Small Single-Use Plastics in Hotels
Signed into law last year, the Small Single-Use Plastic Act prohibits hotels from stocking hotel rooms with small, single-use plastic bottles containing personal care products like soap and shampoo. Guests must request the products now.
The law applies to hotels with 50 or more rooms but will expand to those with fewer than 50 rooms beginning January 1, 2026. Hotels found in violation will receive a written warning for a first offense and face fines of up to $1,500 for second and subsequent offenses.
Employment Data Reporting
Under Public Act 103-0304, when collecting and reporting data on employment records, state agencies must include specified data on persons who identify as non-binary or gender non-conforming.
Birth Certificate Access and Recognition
Two new laws expand access and recognition in vital records:
- Public Act 103-0682 waives fees for birth certificate requests made by the Office of the State Guardian.
- Public Act 103-0948, known as Liam’s Law, allows parents to request a certificate of birth for a stillbirth occurring at or after 20 weeks.
Climate Change Education in Schools
Beginning with the 2026–2027 school year, public schools must teach students about the environmental and ecological effects of climate change. Beginning July 1, the State Board of Education is tasked with developing instructional resources and professional development for educators, pending funding from lawmakers.
Insulin Cost Cap
The Access to Affordable Insulin Act lowers the out-of-pocket cap for insulin from $100 to $35. The law also enables participants to purchase insulin at post-rebate prices through a discount program.
Assisted Living Access
The Assisted Living and Shared Housing Act has been amended to expand eligibility for assisted living facilities to individuals requiring non-routine catheter care.
Opioid Overdose Prevention
Public Act 103-0845 requires state agencies to ensure opioid antagonists like Narcan are available and train staff in their use. The law also shields trained employees from civil liability under the Good Samaritan Act.
Language Access in Courts
Under Public Act 103-1056, foreign language interpreters for witnesses, self-represented litigants, and low-income individuals must be provided at no cost. Judges must now proactively ask if interpretive assistance is needed, with services available in at least 13 languages.
Sexual Exploitation and Prostitution
This new law changes several statutes related to sexual exploitation and prostitution. Most notably, it requires law enforcement to automatically seal records relating to a person’s Class 4 felony conviction for prostitution if that conviction is eligible for expungement. It requires law enforcement agencies to establish a new policy for officer conduct in a criminal investigation related to prostitution. It also changes several terms in the law: “juvenile prostitution” to “commercial sexual exploitation of a child”, “prostitute” to “person engaged in the sex trade”, and “juvenile prostitute” to “sexually exploited child”.
SIGNED INTO LAW: Schmidt Co-Sponsored Prescription Drug Affordability Act
I co-sponsored legislation that lowers the cost for prescription drugs because Illinois families deserve it.
HB1697 will lower the cost of prescription drugs and will help keep the doors open for independent pharmacies in Illinois. The Prescription Drug Affordability Act will hold pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) accountable for “steering” insured patients to their own affiliated pharmacies and will prohibit PBMs from charging an insurance plan one price for a given drug while reimbursing pharmacies at a lower rate for that same drug and pocketing the difference.
This is a great bill and I’m happy to see the Governor sign it into law!
SHRED Event July 12
Save The Date! Free Shred Event open to residents in the 114th District!
If you have old medical records, financial statements, or other sensitive information you’re looking to safely dispose of – now’s your chance!
In District
Members of First Baptist Church of Dupo, Sacred Heart, Christ UCC, and Apostolic do great work for the community and help stock needed items for local food pantries!
I’m also grateful to donate my pay raise to food pantries every month to help families in need.
Property Taxes
Convenient timing that the Governor now wants to make property taxes a priority. Over the last 7 years, he and supermajority Dems have done nothing to help lower property tax rates. We’ve introduced numerous proposals over the years to reduce this burden on Illinois residents and Dems have refused to call any of them. If the Governor is serious, then let’s get it done. Call us to Springfield NOW so we can enact meaningful reforms and provide real relief to Illinois homeowners. Pritzker says Illinois needs to address ‘property tax problem’
2025 Legislative Survey
To be YOUR voice in Springfield, I need to know what issues matter to YOU! Your responses to these survey questions will be taken with me to Springfield and will be my guide when voting for you. Please take a couple of minutes to complete my legislative survey.
Independence Day!
249 years ago, our forefathers declared independence and established our great country. Since that day, America has been a beacon of freedom and democracy for the entire world. Happy 4th of July! I hope everyone enjoys their celebrations this weekend!
History of Independence Day: www.history.com/articles/july-4th