As Illinois turns the calendar to 2026, it will bring more than fresh resolutions. It will also usher in hundreds of new state laws, statutes that will quietly reshape daily life from grocery store checkout lines and police departments to college classrooms, hospital exam rooms and workplaces.

Beginning Jan. 1, roughly 300 new laws will take effect, reflecting Democratic Gov. JB Pritzker and lawmakers’ priorities following debates over public safety, reproductive rights, higher education, environmental protection and the role of emerging technologies.

The laws arrive as Springfield braces for another high-stakes legislative year. Lawmakers will soon return to the Capitol to negotiate a multibillion-dollar budget amid the 2026 election as Pritzker runs for a third term and many legislators’ names will be on the ballot for reelection or bids for Congress. Democrats, who retain supermajorities in both the state House and Senate, are also preparing for potential clashes with President Donald Trump’s administration over federal funding, health care and education policy.

Questions also remain over whether any progress will be made regarding a new Chicago Bears stadium. That’s especially noteworthy after Bears officials on Dec. 17 said state elected leaders were not prioritizing getting a deal done in Springfield and said they were beginning to look across the border for stadium opportunities in Indiana.

Somewhat closer to home, the elimination of Illinois’ 1% grocery tax — a signature Pritzker initiative — will take effect Jan. 1, drawing cheers from consumers and concern from some municipalities that rely on the revenue and have instituted a tax of their own to pick up the slack.

Against that backdrop, here is a look at some of the most consequential new Illinois laws taking effect as the state rings in 2026.

Homicide clearance rates

To address the scourge of gun violence and public frustration over unsolved crimes, Illinois will now require the publication of detailed information about clearance rates for homicides.

The Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority will be tasked with publicly reporting how many such crimes occur and how many are cleared by arrest, along with additional details explaining why cases were closed — including when a suspect has died or when prosecutors declined to pursue charges. The Illinois State Police will serve as the central data hub, collecting information from local agencies.

State Rep. Kam Buckner, who was one of the architects of the law, said earlier this year that Illinois does not have “a comprehensive, standardized and publicly accessible system” for ordinary people to learn about how often police make arrests in these violent crimes, which over the years has given cities like Chicago an unflattering reputation.

“The information exists but it is often fragmented, delayed or difficult for the public to access,” said Buckner, a Democrat from Chicago’s South Side, where much of the city’s gun violence has historically taken place.

Police accountability

Another law aimed at police accountability is meant to prevent officers with troubled histories from quietly moving between departments.

Police applicants must now allow the release of extensive employment records from prior law enforcement agencies, including background investigations, fitness-for-duty exams, performance evaluations and records related to alleged misconduct or criminal behavior.

The measure followed the July 2024 fatal shooting of Sonya Massey, a 36-year-old Black mother of two, by Sangamon County Sheriff’s Deputy Sean Grayson in a case that sparked national outrage and calls for police reforms. Grayson had previously worked for multiple departments despite documented concerns about his conduct. Pritzker called the law a national model when he signed it.

Grayson was ultimately fired by Sangamon County after the shooting, but at that point, the sheriff’s office had been the sixth police department in Illinois that he’d worked for, despite previous police employers criticizing his abilities as an officer. A downstate jury in October found Grayson guilty of second-degree murder.

“Officers with histories of serious disciplinary issues should not be serving in those capacities in our communities,” Pritzker said.

Rewilding

Beginning in 2026, the Illinois Department of Natural Resources will be explicitly authorized to reintroduce native animal and plant species to lands where they were previously eliminated. That comes despite objections the legislation would encourage the proliferation of wolves and other apex predators.

Supporters of the so-called “rewilding” measure say the law gives IDNR more flexibility to restore ecosystems. Skeptics raised concerns about risks to livestock and public safety. Sponsors stressed the measure does not mandate any reintroduction and leaves decisions to IDNR professionals.

“We’re not talking about reintroducing large animals to villages, cities, farms, et cetera,” said state Rep. Anna Moeller, a Democratic sponsor from Elgin.

Abortion shields

Illinois is expanding legal protections for abortion care providers amid national uncertainty over federal regulation.

Under a new law championed by Pritzker, health care providers may prescribe medications deemed effective by the World Health Organization even if the U.S. Food and Drug Administration revokes approval.

That move was aimed at safeguarding access to mifepristone, a commonly used abortion drug that has come under scrutiny from conservatives. The law also extends Illinois’ abortion shield protections to licensed midwives.

Dillon’s Law

Known as “Dillon’s Law,” another measure broadens who can administer epinephrine during allergic emergencies.

Anyone who completes approved training — not just health care professionals — will be authorized to administer the lifesaving drug, commonly prescribed as an EpiPen, to individuals experiencing anaphylaxis from allergens such as food or insect stings.

The law is similar to legislation in Wisconsin named for Dillon Mueller, an 18-year-old who died in 2014 after a bee sting when epinephrine was not available.

Illinois state Rep. Maurice West, a Rockford Democrat and the new law’s House sponsor, said that as a parent of a child with a severe peanut allergy, he understands the fear that comes from not knowing whether anyone will be around to help in emergency situations.

“We are ensuring that life-saving epinephrine is more accessible when and where it’s needed most,” West said in a statement in May.

Human trafficking

Various state agencies will come together under another law to build a network for victims of human trafficking.

The initiative involves the Illinois State Police, Department of Children and Family Services and others, with an emphasis on resources for trafficking victims such as therapy, substance abuse counseling and legal help, among other services.

The law would also ensure that treatment providers, child welfare investigators, foster parents, and residential home personnel have the training to work with victims and that protocols are in place for appropriate law enforcement responses.

Some provisions took effect earlier; others begin Jan. 1.

State Sen. Julie Morrison, a Lake Forest Democrat who sponsored the measure, said the law is designed to break down silos that leave victims without clear paths to help.

“Young men and women that come into this situation usually don’t have much support, may not be super capable of finding help for themselves for so many reasons. It’s very stigmatizing. It may have been a lifestyle they’ve had for several years and they don’t know what to do or where to go,” Morrison said. “So rather than penalize this person, who is a victim, this bill attempts to kind of bundle all of the resources and services together and provide the best that we can for those victims who we’re able to identify and bring into the program.”

Domestic violence recording protection

Employees who document domestic violence using work-issued phones or devices will receive new legal protections.

The law shields survivors from workplace retaliation and guarantees access to recordings stored on employer equipment.

It was inspired by a case in New York in which a state worker was disciplined after documenting abuse from her husband, according to the office of the bill’s Senate sponsor, Democratic Illinois state Sen. Mary Edly-Allen of Libertyville. After the woman’s employer disciplined her when she came forward, she was killed by her husband, the office said.

Funding for Western Illinois University

Facing declining enrollment, layoffs and budget cuts, Western Illinois University will be allowed to borrow up to $2 million from banks or an affiliated foundation, provided the loans are repaid within five years.

The university, which has campuses in Macomb and the Quad Cities, has laid off dozens of employees and frozen hiring amid an enrollment drop from more than 13,500 students in 2004 to about 6,300 in 2024.

State Sen. Michael Halpin, the main Senate sponsor of the new borrowing law for WIU, noted that schools like WIU are underfunded due to across-the-board cuts in higher education funding over the last decade, amid difficult budget years. But monetary issues at WIU are especially stark. According to records on equitable funding options for higher education, Western Illinois was the farthest from full funding among the state’s 12 public universities.

“What those changes in funding don’t take into account is that different universities have different sizes, have different student body makeup, have different enrollment mixes,” Halpin, a Democrat from Rock Island, said during a brief interview on WIU’s main campus in Macomb in August, “and that we can’t necessarily treat every student as if they’re in a vacuum, and we have to tailor our funding to the university’s mission.”

Regulating AI at community colleges

Also on the higher education front, community colleges will be barred from using artificial intelligence as the sole instructional tool.

It was one of many AI-related measures Illinois lawmakers tackled over the last couple of years as they became better informed about the burgeoning technology.

State Rep. Abdelnasser Rashid, a Bridgeview Democrat who sponsored the bill, said the legislature acted preemptively as AI technology rapidly evolves. Four-year universities were excluded for “technical reasons,” though Rashid has signaled further discussion ahead.

While he said he knows of no instances of AI solely replacing classroom instruction, he has said it’s still important for the legislature to implement preventive measures.

“While that has not happened yet, the pace of AI development and deployment is so rapid that it would not be unwarranted to think that community colleges and universities would do this if we did not preempt it,” Rashid said during an interview this past summer.

Secretary of state’s office initiatives

Several laws backed by the Illinois secretary of state’s office also take effect Jan. 1. They include measures to strengthen government oversight of towing companies, including empowering the secretary of state’s office to suspend tow truck registrations for companies that fail to pay fines to the Illinois Commerce Commission.

As the overseer of libraries in the state, the secretary of state’s office also cited another new law that allows it to issue security grants for libraries amid threats of violence against librarians. The measure allows grant applicants to seek funding for security cameras, silent alarms and other security equipment, the office said.

“This past legislative session delivered some big wins for Illinoisans that will make a real difference in their everyday lives,” Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias said in a statement. “These laws move us closer to our goals of making our roads safer, ensuring our libraries have the tools they need to serve their communities and creating a more efficient and responsive government.”