CHICAGO (WLS) — A slate of new laws is set to take effect in Illinois on January 1, 2026, bringing significant changes to various legal procedures.

Among these changes, the so-called “Squatter Bill” aims to streamline the process for removing unauthorized occupants from homes. This legislation will allow law enforcement to more swiftly evict squatters, circumventing the often lengthy eviction proceedings that can stretch over several months.

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Squatter Bill

In the past, individuals occupying a property without permission often remained on the premises throughout the duration of legal proceedings aimed at their removal.

Another legislative update mandates that landlords provide tenants with a summary of their housing rights, particularly for survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault. This information, drawn from six state statutes, must be prominently displayed on the first page of all written residential leases or renewals.

Rights for safer homes

This law was developed with the input of a University of Illinois Chicago professor and her students specializing in domestic violence law, who played a pivotal role in shaping the legislation.

A University of Illinois Chicago professor and her students from a domestic violence law course helped create the legislation.

Safety on DuSable Lake Shore Drive

Another law aims to reduce crashes and fatalities on DuSable Lake Shore Drive.

The legislation commissions the Urban Transportation Center at the University of Illinois Chicago to study crash data, driving behavior and whether traffic enforcement technologies could prevent hazardous driving on the Chicago traffic corridor.

Scott’s Law Expanding

Protections will be strengthened for roadside emergency workers, pedestrians and others who step in to help during traffic incidents.

Building on Illinois’ existing “Move Over” law, the measure ensures people are safe at active emergency scenes – not only when vehicles are stopped.

Safe Schools for All

Illinois schools will be prohibited from disclosing or threatening to disclose information about a student’s immigration status or the immigration status of a person associated with the child.

The law also requires schools to develop procedures for reviewing and authorizing requests from law enforcement agents attempting to enter a school or school facility.

It also ensures that children are not denied a free public K-12 education based on theirs or their parents’ perceived or actual immigration status.

Felony gun possession diversion program

Cook County State’s Attorney Eileen O’Neill Burke supported this law that will streamline the process for first-time nonviolent offenders charged in the lowest-level felony gun possession cases to come into compliance with state possession requirements for firearms.

It allows eligible offenders to participate in a court-approved diversion program and apply for their Firearm Owner’s Identification (FOID) Card when all conditions of the program have been met.

Enhanced opioid overdose reporting measure

To increase transparency and provide additional data on opioid overdose in Illinois, this law will enhance reporting standards.

It will ensure all municipalities report overdoses using the Overdose Detection Mapping Application Program tool – a free web-based tool that works to provide the most up-to-date suspected overdose surveillance data to support public safety and health efforts.

This law requires the Illinois Department of Public Health to work with stakeholders to utilize overdose data collected by EMTs to identify areas of need and bolster harm reduction efforts. It also strengthens patient protections to ensure ODMAP data is used to guide public health strategies, not for law enforcement purposes.

Previously, Illinois law only required Chicago EMS providers to report overdose information using the ODMAP tool.

Police K-9s to receive long-term care following retirement

House Bill 3140 establishes the Police K-9 Care Program and Police K-9 Care Fund. With many K-9s having spending their entire lives training to protect the state, the new law ensures they get the care they need after they complete their service. The initiative, started by the Illinois State Police Command Officers Association, will provide funding to support the medical needs of retired K-9 officers.

The fund ensures retired K-9s will receive stable, consistent support for their ongoing veterinary needs.

Effort to streamline missing persons investigations

Senate Bill 24 eliminates any law enforcement policy requiring the observance of a waiting period before accepting a missing persons report. The bill also requires information from a missing persons report to be immediately entered into the Law Enforcement Agencies Data System upon reception of a report. Under the measure, law enforcement agencies must adopt a strategy regarding missing persons investigations, reporting and follow-up action.

If a person remains missing for 60 days, law enforcement agencies are required to obtain and enter their photographs, fingerprint records and dental or skeletal radiographs and biological samples into the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System. The bill requires law enforcement to keep missing persons cases under active investigation until the person is located and returned or law enforcement cannot close a case due to exhaustion of leads.

Expanding access to comprehensive care for sexual assault survivors

This law strengthens how hospitals provide care in the aftermath of an assault – ensuring survivors receive the timely treatment and support they need.

It builds on the work of the state’s Sexual Assault Medical Forensic Services Task Force, which was formed in 2018 to strengthen Illinois’ landmark sexual assault care law. The law focuses on removing barriers and ensuring hospitals provide timely and trauma-informed care to survivors.

It makes a number of updates to how hospitals respond to sexual assault cases, including directing the Illinois Department of Public Health to consider whether travel requirements for a survivor are reasonable when evaluating transfers. The law ensures area-wide hospital plans are responsive to the needs of their region and also expands reimbursement eligibility, allowing designated transfer hospitals to be reimbursed for treatment and follow-up care if a survivor chooses not to transfer for a forensic exam.

To facilitate survivor-centered care, the law increases training opportunities for medical professionals, particularly those providing care to pediatric survivors. Informed consent will now be required before evidence collection, and specific guidance will clarify when and how pediatric evidence may be collected and tested.

New measure to strengthen collective bargaining process for CPS principals

There is now a collective bargaining process for Chicago Public Schools principals and the Chicago Board of Education when an agreement can’t be reached.

House Bill 297 mandates that Chicago Public Schools principals and assistant principals now have a process to avail themselves to when a collective bargaining impasse occurs without permitting the educational supervisors to strike. The law stipulates that the existing terms of employment would remain in effect during the arbitration process, helping to avoid labor disruptions and uncertainty for CPS staff, families and students.

Alicia’s Law strengthens protections against online child exploitation

The new law grants the Illinois State Police Division of Criminal Investigation broader jurisdiction to pursue online child exploitation cases and work alongside local task forces across the state. It will usher in improved response times, close jurisdictional gaps and strengthen coordination between agencies working to protect children from digital threats. The measure is modeled off of Alicia’s Law, a national initiative that empowers specialized law enforcement units to track and prosecute predators who target children online.

In addition to expanding protections for children, the law includes several technical changes to update ISP’s procedures related to task force liability coverage, the handling of commercial vehicle safety checks and the security of criminal justice systems, including the data these systems hold and the agencies that manage it.

Police hiring practices after Sonya Massey murder

A more comprehensive review of prospective law enforcement officers prior to hiring will be required.

Senate Bill 1953 requires law enforcement agencies to conduct a more comprehensive review of a prospective officer’s past employment to ensure his or her fitness for duty as a police officer before making an offer of employment.

The law expands the creation of sheriff’s merit boards and sheriff’s merit commissions for counties with a population of at least 75,000.

Statute of limitations for child trafficking

A new law will allow individuals trafficked or exploited as minors more time to bring forth charges.

House Bill 2602 will extend the time limit for filing criminal charges in cases of forced labor, trafficking or related offenses by allowing charges to be brought at any time if the victim was under 18 years old when the crime occurred.

Response to human trafficking

This law will lead to earlier identification and strengthen support for survivors through better coordination, training and services.

It takes a victim-centered, trauma-informed approach to addressing human trafficking. The law builds on recommendations from the Joint Human Trafficking Working Group – created in 2023 with input from over 60 stakeholders and state agencies – and lays out a statewide strategic plan to support trafficking survivors. This includes creating standards of care for medical and legal providers and building a network of accessible services.

Training will expand for staff in the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services, Department of Human Services, Department of Juvenile Justice and Department of Corrections to improve the ability to identify and support trafficking victims – particularly youth in state care. It also strengthens screening procedures for at-risk individuals within the justice system.

The law supports the creation of multidisciplinary task forces to help law enforcement coordinate across jurisdictions. It also eliminates the 25-year statute of limitations for trafficking survivors, allowing survivors who were trafficked as minors to seek justice at any point in their healing process.

Due process for FOID card holders

A new law will create an expedited review process for individuals challenging the revocation of their FOID card due to being deemed a “clear and present danger.”

Road safety and DMV modernization

New multi-pronged legislation provides clarification on cheating on DMV exams, allows the office to administer written tests online and enhances bicycle safety.

The measure clarifies that any attempt to have someone else provide answers to an individual taking a DMV exam, including attempts to use a hidden microphone or cell phone, constitutes cheating.

It also enhances the office’s Rules of the Road publication to include information about the laws and best practices for safely sharing the road with bicyclists and pedestrians. In addition, it requires that before passing a cyclist, a driver of a vehicle must make a lane change.

Enhancing library security

Amid an increase in threats of violence to libraries and librarians across Illinois, the secretary of state’s office can now issue security grants for libraries throughout the state, ensuring their ability to provide a safe environment for patrons, employees and the community, the secretary of state’s office said.

Under the new law, grant applicants have the ability to request funding to install equipment, including security cameras, silent alarms or security checkpoints.

Rogue towing

This legislation strengthens oversight of towing companies to protect Illinoisans from predatory practices.

The law empowers the secretary of state’s office to suspend tow truck registrations for companies that fail to pay Illinois Commerce Commission fines or penalties. It also improves consumer protections during towing and vehicle impoundment, including clarified rules around personal property left in towed vehicles.

Enabling court of claims e-filing

A new law will modernize the way the Illinois Court of Claims operates, transforming it from a court currently reliant on paper filings and in-person sessions that can cause delays.

The measure will save time and create new conveniences for Illinoisans by enabling the court to hold sessions remotely and allowing the public to file claims, provide evidence or testimony, and pay fees electronically.

Upgrading Chicago firetrucks, ambulances

A new law sets aside funding for the city of Chicago to modernize and purchase emergency service vehicles, like fire trucks and ambulances.

It sets aside 10% of funds collected from ambulance rides and places them in a dedicated fund for upgrades emergency service vehicles in the city of Chicago. The city collects around $200 million every year from private insurance companies for ambulance transportation. These collected funds are placed into the city’s general revenue fund where they are being used for purposes unrelated to emergencies.

Other new laws of note:

– HB2474 protects nursing home residents from retaliation should they file complaints, seek assistance, or participate in investigations, among other actions
– HB4439 designates the soybean as the official state bean of the state of Illinois
– SB0727 creates the Safe Public Drinking Water Act to set a timeline for adopting federal PFAS standards for drinking water and require sampling of certain community water supplies for 1,4-Dioxane
– SB8 increases gun storage safety requirements and reporting requirements for lost and stolen firearms.
– SB 212 requires employers to provide paid break time to nursing mothers so they may express or “pump” breast milk for their child.
– SB 314 requires a physical fitness center to clearly disclose any change in the cost of or reduction in benefits to a customer’s gym membership at least 60 days before the automatic renewal of the membership.
– SB 710 allows the Department of Natural Resources to issue two free deer permits to individuals who qualify for the youth-only deer season, allows IDNR to issue nuisance permits to landowners whose property is being damaged by deer.
-SB 1548 establishes a Golden Search Awareness Program to raise awareness of missing persons with developmental disabilities.
– HB 2517 expands implicit bias training for health care workers in Illinois to include training in potential maternal health risk factors associated with increased mortality rate.
– HB 3773 makes it illegal for employers to use AI that discriminates against workers based on protected characteristics or uses ZIP codes as a stand-in for those traits in areas like hiring, promotion, job training and more.

See more laws here.