Sponsored byKimberly A. Lightford+23 co-sponsors
Last updated Aug 21, 2026 · IL · Source: LegiScan ↗
This bill amends the Illinois Vehicle Code to define autism spectrum disorder and intellectual disability, and allows (but does not require) driver's license applicants with these conditions to voluntarily request that the license indicate the condition in a form determined by the Secretary of State.
SB2524 Enrolled LRB104 12319 LNS 22477 b 1 AN ACT concerning transportation. 2 Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois, 3 represented in the General Assembly: 4 Section 5. The Illinois Vehicle Code is amended by 5 changing Sections 6-104, 6-110, and 6-110.2 and by adding 6 Sections 1-104.7 and 1-131.7 as follows: 7 (625 ILCS 5/1-104.7 new) 8 Sec. 1-104.7. Autism spectrum disorder. Any pervasive 9 developmental disorder or autism spectrum disorder, as defined 10 in the most recent edition or the most recent edition at the 11 time of diagnosis of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of 12 Mental Disorders of the American Psychiatric Association. 13 (625 ILCS 5/1-131.7 new) 14 Sec. 1-131.7. Intellectual disability. A disability, 15 originating before the age of 18 years, characterized 16 concurrently by (i) significant subaverage intellectual 17 functioning as demonstrated by performance on a standardized 18 measure of intellectual functioning, administered in 19 conformity with accepted professional practice, that is at 20 least 2 standard deviations below the mean and (ii) 21 significant limitations in adaptive behavior as expressed in 22 conceptual, social, and practical adaptive skills. SB2524 Enrolled - 2 - LRB104 12319 LNS 22477 b 1 (625 ILCS 5/6-104) (from Ch. 95 1/2, par. 6-104) 2 Sec. 6-104. Classification of driver; indication of 3 intellectual disability or autism spectrum disorder; special 4 restrictions Driver - Special Restrictions . 5 (a) A driver's license issued under the authority of this 6 Act shall indicate the classification for which the applicant 7 therefor has qualified by examination or by such other means 8 that the Secretary of State shall prescribe. Driver's license 9 classifications shall be prescribed by rule or regulation 10 promulgated by the Secretary of State and such may specify 11 classifications as to operation of motor vehicles of the first 12 division, or of those of the second division, whether operated 13 singly or in lawful combination, and whether for-hire or 14 not-for-hire, and may specify such other classifications as 15 the Secretary deems necessary. 16 No person shall operate a motor vehicle unless such person 17 has a valid license with a proper classification to permit the 18 operation of such vehicle, except that any person may operate 19 a moped if such person has a valid current Illinois driver's 20 license, regardless of classification. 21 (a-5) Upon request by an applicant who has an intellectual 22 disability or autism spectrum disorder, the driver's license 23 of the applicant shall indicate, in a manner and form 24 determined by the Secretary of State, that the applicant has 25 an intellectual disability or autism spectrum disorder. SB2524 Enrolled - 3 - LRB104 12319 LNS 22477 b 1 (b) No person who is under the age of 21 years or has had 2 less than 1 year of driving experience shall drive: (1) in 3 connection with the operation of any school, day camp, summer 4 camp, or nursery school, any public or private motor vehicle 5 for transporting children to or from any school, day camp, 6 summer camp, or nursery school, or (2) any motor vehicle of the 7 second division when in use for the transportation of persons 8 for compensation. 9 (c) No person who is under the age of 18 years shall be 10 issued a license for the purpose of transporting property for 11 hire, or for the purpose of transporting persons for 12 compensation in a motor vehicle of the first division. 13 (d) No person shall drive: (1) a school bus when 14 transporting school children unless such person possesses a 15 valid school bus driver permit or is accompanied and 16 supervised, for the specific purpose of training prior to 17 routine operation of a school bus, by a person who has held a 18 valid school bus driver permit for at least one year; or (2) 19 any other vehicle owned or operated by or for a public or 20 private school, or a school operated by a religious 21 institution, where such vehicle is being used over a regularly 22 scheduled route for the transportation of persons enrolled as 23 a student in grade 12 or below, in connection with any activity 24 of the entities unless such person possesses a valid school 25 bus driver permit. 26 (d-5) No person may drive a bus that does not meet the SB2524 Enrolled - 4 - LRB104 12319 LNS 22477 b 1 special requirements for school buses provided in Sections 2 12-801, 12-802, 12-803, and 12-805 of this Code that has been 3 chartered for the sole purpose of transporting students 4 regularly enrolled in grade 12 or below to or from 5 interscholastic athletic or interscholastic or school 6 sponsored activities unless the person has a valid and 7 properly classified commercial driver's license as provided in 8 subsection (c-1) of Section 6-508 of this Code in addition to 9 any other permit or license that is required to operate that 10 bus. This subsection (d-5) does not apply to any bus driver 11 employed by a public transportation provider authorized to 12 conduct local or interurban transportation of passengers when 13 the bus is not traveling a specific school bus route but is on 14 a regularly scheduled route for the transporting of other fare 15 paying passengers. 16 A person may operate a chartered bus described in this 17 subsection (d-5) if he or she is not disqualified from driving 18 a chartered bus of that type and if he or she holds a CDL that 19 is: 20 (1) issued to him or her by any other state or 21 jurisdiction in accordance with 49 CFR 383; 22 (2) not suspended, revoked, or canceled; and 23 (3) valid under 49 CFR 383, subpart F, for the type of 24 vehicle being driven. 25 A person may also operate a chartered bus described in 26 this subsection (d-5) if he or she holds a valid CDL and a SB2524 Enrolled - 5 - LRB104 12319 LNS 22477 b 1 valid school bus driver permit that was issued on or before 2 December 31, 2003. 3 (e) No person shall drive a religious organization bus 4 unless such person has a valid and properly classified drivers 5 license or a valid school bus driver permit. 6 (f) No person shall drive a motor vehicle for the purpose 7 of providing transportation for the elderly in connection with 8 the activities of any public or private organization unless 9 such person has a valid and properly classified driver's 10 license issued by the Secretary of State. 11 (g) No person shall drive a bus which meets the special 12 requirements for school buses provided in Section 12-801, 13 12-802, 12-803 and 12-805 of this Code for the purpose of 14 transporting persons 18 years of age or less in connection 15 with any youth camp licensed under the Youth Camp Act or any 16 child care facility licensed under the Child Care Act of 1969 17 unless such person possesses a valid school bus driver permit 18 or is accompanied and supervised, for the specific purpose of 19 training prior to routine operation of a school bus, by a 20 person who has held a valid school bus driver permit for at 21 least one year; however, a person who has a valid and properly 22 classified driver's license issued by the Secretary of State 23 may operate a school bus for the purpose of transporting 24 persons 18 years of age or less in connection with any such 25 youth camp or child care facility if the "SCHOOL BUS" signs are 26 covered or concealed and the stop signal arm and flashing SB2524 Enrolled - 6 - LRB104 12319 LNS 22477 b 1 signal systems are not operable through normal controls. 2 (h) No person shall operate an autocycle unless he or she 3 has a valid Class D driver's license. 4 (Source: P.A. 98-777, eff. 1-1-15 .) 5 (625 ILCS 5/6-110) 6 Sec. 6-110. Licenses issued to drivers. 7 (a) The Secretary of State shall issue to every qualifying 8 applicant a driver's license as applied for, which license 9 shall bear a distinguishing number assigned to the licensee, 10 the legal name, signature, zip code, date of birth, residence 11 address, and a brief description of the licensee. 12 Licenses issued shall also indicate the classification , 13 intellectual disability or autism spectrum disorder, or and 14 the restrictions under Section 6-104 of this Code. The 15 Secretary may adopt rules to establish informational 16 restrictions that can be placed on the driver's license 17 regarding specific conditions of the licensee. 18 A driver's license issued may, in the discretion of the 19 Secretary, include a suitable photograph of a type prescribed 20 by the Secretary. 21 (a-1) If the licensee is less than 18 years of age, unless 22 one of the exceptions in subsection (a-2) apply, the license 23 shall, as a matter of law, be invalid for the operation of any 24 motor vehicle during the following times: 25 (A) Between 11:00 p.m. Friday and 6:00 a.m. Saturday; SB2524 Enrolled - 7 - LRB104 12319 LNS 22477 b 1 (B) Between 11:00 p.m. Saturday and 6:00 a.m. on 2 Sunday; and 3 (C) Between 10:00 p.m. on Sunday to Thursday, 4 inclusive, and 6:00 a.m. on the following day. 5 (a-2) The driver's license of a person under the age of 18 6 shall not be invalid as described in subsection (a-1) of this 7 Section if the licensee under the age of 18 was: 8 (1) accompanied by the licensee's parent or guardian 9 or other person in custody or control of the minor; 10 (2) on an errand at the direction of the minor's 11 parent or guardian, without any detour or stop; 12 (3) in a motor vehicle involved in interstate travel; 13 (4) going to or returning home from an employment 14 activity, without any detour or stop; 15 (5) involved in an emergency; 16 (6) going to or returning home from, without any 17 detour or stop, an official school, religious, or other 18 recreational activity supervised by adults and sponsored 19 by a government or governmental agency, a civic 20 organization, or another similar entity that takes 21 responsibility for the licensee, without any detour or 22 stop; 23 (7) exercising First Amendment rights protected by the 24 United States Constitution, such as the free exercise of 25 religion, freedom of speech, and the right of assembly; or 26 (8) married or had been married or is an emancipated SB2524 Enrolled - 8 - LRB104 12319 LNS 22477 b 1 minor under the Emancipation of Minors Act. 2 (a-2.5) The driver's license of a person who is 17 years of 3 age and has been licensed for at least 12 months is not invalid 4 as described in subsection (a-1) of this Section while the 5 licensee is participating as an assigned driver in a Safe 6 Rides program that meets the following criteria: 7 (1) the program is sponsored by the Boy Scouts of 8 America or another national public service organization; 9 and 10 (2) the sponsoring organization carries liability 11 insurance covering the program. 12 (a-3) If a graduated driver's license holder over the age 13 of 18 committed an offense against traffic regulations 14 governing the movement of vehicles or any violation of Section 15 6-107 or Section 12-603.1 of this Code in the 6 months prior to 16 the graduated driver's license holder's 18th birthday, and was 17 subsequently convicted of the offense, the provisions of 18 subsection (a-1) shall continue to apply until such time as a 19 period of 6 consecutive months has elapsed without an 20 additional violation and subsequent conviction of an offense 21 against traffic regulations governing the movement of vehicles 22 or Section 6-107 or Section 12-603.1 of this Code. 23 (a-4) If an applicant for a driver's license or 24 instruction permit has a current identification card issued by 25 the Secretary of State, the Secretary may require the 26 applicant to utilize the same residence address and name on SB2524 Enrolled - 9 - LRB104 12319 LNS 22477 b 1 the identification card, driver's license, and instruction 2 permit records maintained by the Secretary. The Secretary may 3 promulgate rules to implement this provision. 4 (a-5) If an applicant for a driver's license is an 5 employee of the Department of Children and Family Services 6 with a job title of "Child Protection Specialist Trainee", 7 "Child Protection Specialist", "Child Protection Advanced 8 Specialist", "Child Welfare Specialist Trainee", "Child 9 Welfare Specialist", or "Child Welfare Advanced Specialist" or 10 a judicial officer or a peace officer, the applicant may elect 11 to have his or her office or work address listed on the license 12 instead of the applicant's residence or mailing address. The 13 Secretary of State shall adopt rules to implement this 14 subsection (a-5). For the purposes of this subsection (a-5), 15 "peace officer" means any person who by virtue of his or her 16 office or public employment is vested by law with a duty to 17 maintain public order or to make arrests for a violation of any 18 penal statute of this State, whether that duty extends to all 19 violations or is limited to specific violations. 20 (b) Until the Secretary of State establishes a First 21 Person Consent organ and tissue donor registry under Section 22 6-117 of this Code, the Secretary of State shall provide a 23 format on the reverse of each driver's license issued which 24 the licensee may use to execute a document of gift conforming 25 to the provisions of the Illinois Anatomical Gift Act. The 26 format shall allow the licensee to indicate the gift intended, SB2524 Enrolled - 10 - LRB104 12319 LNS 22477 b 1 whether specific organs, any organ, or the entire body, and 2 shall accommodate the signatures of the donor and 2 witnesses. 3 The Secretary shall also inform each applicant or licensee of 4 this format, describe the procedure for its execution, and may 5 offer the necessary witnesses; provided that in so doing, the 6 Secretary shall advise the applicant or licensee that he or 7 she is under no compulsion to execute a document of gift. A 8 brochure explaining this method of executing an anatomical 9 gift document shall be given to each applicant or licensee. 10 The brochure shall advise the applicant or licensee that he or 11 she is under no compulsion to execute a document of gift, and 12 that he or she may wish to consult with family, friends , or 13 clergy before doing so. The Secretary of State may undertake 14 additional efforts, including education and awareness 15 activities, to promote organ and tissue donation. 16 (c) The Secretary of State shall designate on each 17 driver's license issued a space where the licensee may place a 18 sticker or decal of the uniform size as the Secretary may 19 specify, which sticker or decal may indicate in appropriate 20 language that the owner of the license carries an Emergency 21 Medical Information Card. 22 The sticker may be provided by any person, hospital, 23 school, medical group, or association interested in assisting 24 in implementing the Emergency Medical Information Card, but 25 shall meet the specifications as the Secretary may by rule or 26 regulation require. SB2524 Enrolled - 11 - LRB104 12319 LNS 22477 b 1 (d) The Secretary of State shall designate on each 2 driver's license issued a space where the licensee may 3 indicate his blood type and RH factor. 4 (e) The Secretary of State shall provide that each 5 original or renewal driver's license issued to a licensee 6 under 21 years of age shall be of a distinct nature from those 7 driver's licenses issued to individuals 21 years of age and 8 older. The color designated for driver's licenses for 9 licensees under 21 years of age shall be at the discretion of 10 the Secretary of State. 11 (e-1) The Secretary shall provide that each driver's 12 license issued to a person under the age of 21 displays the 13 date upon which the person becomes 18 years of age and the date 14 upon which the person becomes 21 years of age. 15 (e-3) The General Assembly recognizes the need to identify 16 military veterans living in this State for the purpose of 17 ensuring that they receive all of the services and benefits to 18 which they are legally entitled, including health care 19 healthcare , education assistance, and job placement. To assist 20 the State in identifying these veterans and delivering these 21 vital services and benefits, the Secretary of State is 22 authorized to issue drivers' licenses with the word "veteran" 23 appearing on the face of the licenses. This authorization is 24 predicated on the unique status of veterans. The Secretary may 25 not issue any other driver's license which identifies an 26 occupation, status, affiliation, hobby, or other unique SB2524 Enrolled - 12 - LRB104 12319 LNS 22477 b 1 characteristics of the license holder which is unrelated to 2 the purpose of the driver's license. 3 (e-5) Beginning on or before July 1, 2015, the Secretary 4 of State shall designate a space on each original or renewal 5 driver's license where, at the request of the applicant, the 6 word "veteran" shall be placed. The veteran designation shall 7 be available to a person identified as a veteran under 8 subsection (e) of Section 6-106 of this Code who was 9 discharged or separated under honorable conditions. 10 (e-7) Upon providing the required documentation, at the 11 request of the applicant, the driver's license may reflect 12 Gold Star Family designation. The Secretary shall designate a 13 space on each original or renewal driver's license for such 14 designation. This designation shall be available to a person 15 eligible for Gold Star license plates under subsection (f) of 16 Section 6-106 of this Code. 17 (f) The Secretary of State shall inform all Illinois 18 licensed commercial motor vehicle operators of the 19 requirements of the Uniform Commercial Driver License Act, 20 Article V of this Chapter, and shall make provisions to insure 21 that all drivers, seeking to obtain a commercial driver's 22 license, be afforded an opportunity prior to April 1, 1992, to 23 obtain the license. The Secretary is authorized to extend 24 driver's license expiration dates, and assign specific times, 25 dates and locations where these commercial driver's tests 26 shall be conducted. Any applicant, regardless of the current SB2524 Enrolled - 13 - LRB104 12319 LNS 22477 b 1 expiration date of the applicant's driver's license, may be 2 subject to any assignment by the Secretary. Failure to comply 3 with the Secretary's assignment may result in the applicant's 4 forfeiture of an opportunity to receive a commercial driver's 5 license prior to April 1, 1992. 6 (g) The Secretary of State shall designate on a driver's 7 license issued, a space where the licensee may indicate that 8 he or she has drafted a living will in accordance with the 9 Illinois Living Will Act or a durable power of attorney for 10 health care in accordance with the Illinois Power of Attorney 11 Act. 12 (g-1) The Secretary of State, in his or her discretion, 13 may designate on each driver's license issued a space where 14 the licensee may place a sticker or decal, issued by the 15 Secretary of State, of uniform size as the Secretary may 16 specify, that shall indicate in appropriate language that the 17 owner of the license has renewed his or her driver's license. 18 (h) A person who acts in good faith in accordance with the 19 terms of this Section is not liable for damages in any civil 20 action or subject to prosecution in any criminal proceeding 21 for his or her act. 22 (i) The Secretary shall designate a space on each original 23 or renewal of a driver's license, at the request of the 24 applicant, for a designation as a Gold Star Family. This 25 designation shall be available to a person eligible for Gold 26 Star license plates under subsection (f) of Section 6-106 of SB2524 Enrolled - 14 - LRB104 12319 LNS 22477 b 1 this Code. 2 (Source: P.A. 103-888, eff. 8-9-24; 103-933, eff. 1-1-25; 3 revised 11-26-24.) 4 (625 ILCS 5/6-110.2) 5 Sec. 6-110.2. Confidentiality of documents submitted with 6 an application for a driver's license. Documents required to 7 be submitted with an application for a driver's license to 8 prove the applicant's identity (name and date of birth), 9 social security number or lack of a social security number, 10 written signature, residency, and, as applicable, citizenship 11 or immigration status , and country of citizenship , and 12 confirmation of an intellectual disability or autism spectrum 13 disorder shall be confidential and shall not be disclosed 14 except to the following persons: 15 (1) the individual to whom the driver's license or 16 permit was issued, upon written request; 17 (2) officers and employees of the Secretary of State 18 who have a need to have access to the stored images for 19 purposes of issuing and controlling driver's licenses, 20 permits, or identification cards and investigation of 21 fraud or misconduct; 22 (3) law enforcement officials for a civil or criminal 23 law enforcement investigation, except as restricted by 24 Section 6-110.3; 25 (4) other entities that the Secretary may authorize by SB2524 Enrolled - 15 - LRB104 12319 LNS 22477 b 1 rule. 2 (Source: P.A. 103-210, eff. 7-1-24 .) 3 Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect July 1, 4 2027.
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