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The Illinois General Assembly recently concluded its spring legislative session and Ancel Glink's Greg Jones and Tyler Smith join us to talk about recent legislation local governments should know, including updates on housing grants, e-bike and e-scooter regulations, hemp regulations, and more! What new laws are your following? Email us at podcast@ancelglink.com!
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In This Episode
- [00:00] Baseball Fever: Greg and Tyler discuss their favorite all-time and underrated players, including Lou Whitaker, Barry Bonds, and Anthony Rizzo.
- [03:45] The "Build Plan" vs. The "REAL Act": We review Governor Pritzker's Build Plan omnibus package, which sought to preempt local zoning for housing but ultimately failed to advance. We also discuss the IML's alternative REAL Act.
- [09:00] Housing Grants: Even though the Build Plan didn't pass, the FY27 budget allocated hundreds of millions for housing, including funds for the Missing Middle program, SmartBuy, and Opening Doors.
- [10:45] E-Bikes & E-Scooters: New statewide standards for electric micromobility devices effectively preempt home rule authority for regulating these devices, starting January 1, 2027 .(SB3484)
- [14:45] The Illinois Hemp Act & Cannabis: Illinois repeals the Industrial Hemp Act to align with federal standards, effective November 12, 2026. This bill also doubles the legal possession limit for cannabis to 60 grams and extends dispensary hours to 2 a.m., subject to local zoning. (SB3222)
- [17:45] Operational Updates: Briefing on HB4541 regarding overpayments under the Unclaimed Property Act and HB1353 protecting volunteer emergency workers during training.
- [19:30] Financial Posting & Trusts: Coverage of HB2137 regarding website financial posting requirements, SB638 on OPEB trust funds, and SB2102 on electronic filing receipts.
- [22:45] Special Districts: New rules for dissolving drainage and sanitation districts in certain counties (HB5166) and disconnecting park district territory (HB5542).
- [26:15] Local Finance & IMRF: Discussing SB2769 (Business District fund transfers), SB2826 (IMRF separation benefits), and SB2836 (increased audit thresholds for FY27).
- [29:30] Fire Protection & School Transfers: Updates on HB4292 (ambulance fund transfers), HB4909 (Taft-Hartley/IMRF contributions), and HB4375 (extending school fund transfer periods).
- [33:00] School Code Changes: An update covering psychologist qualifications (HB4397, effective July 1, 2027), CPR/AED training (HB4788), staff mental health procedures (HB4862, starting 2028), and service animal handling (SB2761).
- [37:30] Rights & Protections: Details on SB2914 (expanded teacher dismissal warnings) and SB3361 (The Jett Hawkins Law regarding religious hairstyles), both effective immediately upon signing.
- [39:45] Open Meetings Act: Can you list "Personnel Issues" on a meeting agenda? We review a new binding opinion regarding employee termination and the Open Meetings Act.
- [44:15] Upcoming Events: A summary of where to catch Ancel Glink attorneys this summer and fall.
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Upcoming Events
- June 9, 2026: Greg Jones presents "TIF for Public Officials" at the Illinois Tax Increment Association webinar.
- June 10, 2026: Eugene Bolotnikov presents "FOIA and OMA 101" for the Marshall County Association.
- June 17, 2026: Katie Nagy and Jamie Wilkey host a webinar on ADA Title II and Web Content Accessibility.
- August 13, 2026: Erin Monforti presents "Library Law 101" at the Illinois Library Association Directors University.
- Fall 2026: Catch the Ancel Glink team at the American Planning Association (APA) Illinois Chapter State Conference.
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Resources
Illinois General Assembly Passes Illinois Hemp Act
Updates on Senate Bill 3336 (E-Bikes, etc)
Village Board Violated OMA by Not Including "General Subject Matter" of Action Item on Agenda
Illinois General Assembly Spring 2026 End of Session Tracking
HB111 allocates funds from the Build Illinois Bond Fund and the Illinois Affordable Housing Trust Fund for various housing grants, including grants related to the missing middle housing affordable housing programs, SmartBuy down payment assistance programs, and Opening Doors down payment assistance programs.
SB3484 provides state-wide standards for recreation devices, such as E-Bikes and E-Scooters, amends definitions under the Illinois Vehicle Code, and provides new use regulations for electric micromobility devices, including where it could be operated, a person must be at least 16 years of age, and prohibits any municipality from regulating electronic micromobility devices.
SB3222 provides changes to how hemp products are regulated in Illinois by repealing the existing Industrial Hemp Act and creating the Illinois Hemp Act which new regulatory definitions and requirements for various hemp-derived products based on THC and cannabinoid content and provides that local government and other State agencies may enact additional legislation to enforce the Act.
HB4541 adds overpayment to government entities to the definition of property under the Uniform Unclaimed Property Act and provides that governmental entities must transfer overpayment to the state, where the State Treasurer then holds the funds while actively trying to return them to the payor.
HB1353 provides volunteer emergency workers employment protections while participating in required training, including prohibiting employers from penalizing these workers or requiring them to take vacation time to participate in emergency trainings.
HB2137 requires governmental bodies to post and make available for public inspection certain financial information on government websites if a public body maintains a public facing website.
SB638 provides that if the money in the general fund of a municipality exceeds the municipality's operating expenses for the immediately preceding calendar year, then the municipality may establish an OPEB trust or deposit moneys into an existing OPEB trust.
SB2102 provides that if a taxing district files its budget and appropriations ordinance and estimate of revenues electronically, the county clerk's office receiving the filing must accept and acknowledge the electronic filing by providing a receipt to the taxing district.
HB5166 amends how certain special districts of government, such as drainage and sanitation districts, in Illinois may be dissolved.
HB5542 provides the governing board of trustees of a park district may adopt a determination to waive the full payment of any unpaid park district assessments outstanding at the time a petition to disconnect territory is submitted.
SB2769 provides a municipality may transfer money among Business District Tax Allocation Funds of business districts if the business districts are under the control of the municipality and the transferred money is used for the purposes of paying business district project costs as defined in the Act.
SB2826 amends eligibility for benefits under the Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund (IMRF) by providing that any participating employee who has separated from the service of the participating municipality may elect to take a separation benefit in lieu of the retirement annuity.
SB2836 provides that beginning with fiscal year 2027, any governmental unit receiving revenue of less than $1,400,000 for any fiscal year (rather than less than $850,000 for any fiscal year) shall sign, copy, and file completed reports under the Governmental Account Audit Act.
HB4292 provides that the board of trustees of a fire protection district may adopt a resolution to transfer moneys from the fire protection district's ambulance service fund to another fund controlled by the fire protection district provided certain requirements are met.
HB4909 provides that an Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund (IMRF) contributor is eligible to contribute to a Taft-Hartley pension plan and requires municipal employers to contribute to these pension plans.
HB4375 amends the Illinois School Code by extending the period in which school districts may transfer money allocated to specified funds.
HB4397 amends the Illinois School Code to provide additional qualifications for school psychologists.
HB4788 requires all Illinois secondary schools to include training for students on how to properly preform CPR and use AED in accordance with standards of the American Red Cross, the American Heart Association, or another nationally recognized certifying organization.
HB4862 requires Illinois school district boards to develop and implement new staff mental health procedures.
SB2761 amends the Illinois School Code to require that in-service training for school staff regarding students' health conditions must include training on the proper handling of service animals in school settings.
SB2914 provides, in dismissal of contract proceedings for teachers under the Illinois School Code, expanded requirements for mandated written warning that must be issued to a teacher before a hearing on charges may be scheduled.
SB3361 creates the Religious Hair and Facial Hair Protections Act, also known as the Jett Hawkins Law, requiring that nonpublic elementary and secondary schools cannot prohibit religious hairstyles, hair-related religious practices, or religious-related facial hair.
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Credits
- Producer: Daniel J. Bolin
- Executive Producer: Keri-Lyn Krafthefer
- Chair: Tyler J. Smith
- Engineers: Ricardo Perez, Matt Smith
This podcast is intended to provide timely general information but should not be considered a substitute for legal advice. Read our full disclaimer at www.ancelglink.com/disclaimers.
