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HB 3439

Relating to naturopathic physicians.

2025 Regular Session Introduced by Tom Andersen and 6 co-sponsors

Illinois now requires enhanced background checks for child care staff, with a new secure portal and regular five-year rescreening to improve safety and transparency.

In committee upon adjournment.
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Bill Summary · HB 3439

Summary — HB 3439 / Public Act 104‑0307

Status: Enacted (Public Act 104‑0307). Governor approved August 15, 2025. Effective date: January 1, 2026.
Introduced: February 26, 2025 (Rep. Joyce Mason).

Purpose

To modernize and clarify criminal‑background checking, reporting, and public disclosure requirements for Illinois child care providers; to transfer certain operational responsibilities to the Department of Early Childhood; and to streamline identity documentation requirements for enrolling children.

Key provisions

  • Background‑check authority and process

    • Amends the Child Care Act of 1969 (multiple sections including 225 ILCS 10/4.1) to clarify that background investigations are required for facility license applicants and for employees and volunteers as a condition of employment. Fingerprints must be submitted to the Illinois State Police (ISP) and checked against ISP and FBI criminal history records; employee/volunteer checks must be repeated every 5 years as required by the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG).
    • Allows child care facilities to hire a prospective employee or volunteer on a probationary basis after receiving a qualifying result from either: (1) the FBI fingerprint criminal background check; or (2) the ISP fingerprint check plus criminal‑repository checks for each state where the individual resided during the preceding 5 years.
    • Pending full clearance of all background components, the prospective hire must be supervised at all times by an individual who has received qualifying results on all background check components.
    • Confidentiality and limits on disclosure of criminal‑history information remain; unlawful disclosure by state or facility personnel is a Class A misdemeanor.

  • Background‑check portal and transparency

    • Requires the Department of Early Childhood to establish a secure background‑check portal accessible, at minimum, to applicants, child care staff, human‑resources representatives, and day‑care licensing representatives no later than July 1, 2026. (The bill sets requirements for the portal’s functionality.)
    • Requires that full monitoring/inspection reports and any corrective actions taken by a provider be posted in plain language on the Department’s consumer education website within 30 days of creating the report.
    • The Department must report to the General Assembly on licensing performance measures including specifics on background‑check processing — e.g., the average number of days for the background‑check unit to complete and issue CCDBG‑required clearances.

  • Missing Children Records Act (325 ILCS 50/5)

    • ISP must publish (by September 30, 2025) a list of acceptable governmental documents that prove a child’s identity and age for enrollment.
    • Provides up to a 90‑calendar‑day grace period from a child’s first date of attendance for the enrolling person to supply any other reliable proof identified on that list.

Who is affected

  • Child care license applicants; employees and volunteers at licensed child care facilities and non‑licensed service providers; child care operators and human‑resources staff; the Department of Children and Family Services (through June 30, 2026) and the Department of Early Childhood (effective July 1, 2026); Illinois State Police; parents/guardians and children regarding identity documentation.

Implementation & timeline highlights

  • Effective January 1, 2026.
  • Department of Early Childhood must have the secure background‑check portal operational by July 1, 2026.
  • ISP to publish acceptable identity documents by September 30, 2025.
  • Background checks must be repeated at least every 5 years per CCDBG requirements.

Procedural history (selected)

  • Filed: 2/26/2025. Passed both houses (May 2025). Sent to Governor: 6/20/2025. Governor approved: 8/15/2025. Enacted as Public Act 104‑0307; effective 1/1/2026.

If you want, I can extract the specific amended statutory citations and the exact portal requirements language from the enrolled bill text.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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