Amends the Illinois Administrative Procedure Act. In provisions regarding the second notice period for rulemaking, provides that the second notice period shall be extended for a period not to exceed an additional 45 days if the agency has received a statement of unresponsiveness from the Joint Committee on Administrative Rules. Lists the requirements for a statement of unresponsiveness. Provides that failure to provide a substantive response within 7 days after a statement of unresponsiveness is issued shall constitute a withdrawal of the rulemaking. In provisions regarding the contents of the written notice to the Joint Committee, requires a statement certifying that no procedure, policy, schedule, or other feature of the agency will prevent the agency from substantively engaging with the Joint Committee regarding suggestions made during the second notice period.
Amends the Nursing Home Care Act. Replaces reporting requirement provisions for the Department of Public Health concerning nurse surveyors. Provides that, in addition to the listed information, the Department's annual report on all survey activity from the preceding fiscal year shall include: (i) the total number of authorized nursing home surveyor positions within the Department, (ii) the total number of filled and vacant nursing home surveyor positions, (iii) the average length of tenure for nursing home surveyors employed by the Department at the time the report is created, and (iv) any additional information the Department deems relevant regarding nursing home surveyor recruitment, retention, or workload.
Amends the Environmental Protection Act. Provides that an owner or operator of a community water supply may, by an additional method approved by the State, give written notice of the existence of lead service lines that are connected to buildings. Provides that an owner or operator of a community water supply that performs at least 4,000 lead service line replacements per year or exceeds a statutorily prescribed lead service line replacement rate is exempt from a provision that prohibits partial lead service line replacements. Provides that, in a municipality with a population of more than 1,000,000 inhabitants, the owner of a private property upon which there is located a renter-occupied building, a building that is used as a day care, or a multi-dwelling building must allow the community water supply access to replace the lead service line on the private side of the property.
Creates the Transparency in Downcoding Act. Provides that the Act applies to certain policies of health insurance amended, delivered, issued, or renewed on or after the effective date of the Act, except for employee or employer self-insured health benefit plans under the federal Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 and health care provided pursuant to the Workers' Compensation Act or the Workers' Occupational Diseases Act. Prohibits a health insurance issuer from using an automated process, system, or tool to downcode a claim; from downcoding a claim based solely on the reported diagnosis codes; and from using downcoding practices in a targeted or discriminatory manner against physicians who routinely treat patients with complex or chronic conditions. Requires downcoding decisions to be made by a physician licensed to practice medicine in all its branches in any United States jurisdiction and of the same or similar specialty as a physician who typically manages the medical condition or disease. Sets forth provisions concerning notification requirements for downcoded claims; the appeal process for downcoded claims; enforcement by the Department of Insurance; and penalties. Provides that any pattern or practice of discriminatory downcoding identified by the Director of Insurance or another regulatory authority shall be subject to enforcement actions, including fines, restitution, or suspension of the health insurance issuer's license in this State. Effective immediately.
Amends the Court of Claims Act. Creates an administrative process for uncontested claims for vendors arising from contracts with the State. Requires a State agency to confirm or reject an uncontested claim that is from a lapsed appropriation and valued at less than $2,500 within 30 days after being notified in writing by the Attorney General. Provides that if the State agency does not confirm or reject the claim within that 30-day period, then the State agency forfeits the right to reject or contest the claim. Requires the Comptroller, subject to appropriation, then issue payment to the vendor within 30 days of the court entering such an award. Provides that if the court determines that it is unable to process such an uncontested claim because the bill or invoice contains a defect, the court must notify the vendor in writing of the defect no later than 30 days after the bill or invoice was first submitted. Provides that if one or more items on a bill or invoice are disapproved, but not the entire bill or invoice, then the portion that is not disapproved must be transmitted to the Comptroller for payment. Changes the filing fees required under the Act as follows: a fee of $15 for a petition seeking more than $500 but less than $10,000; and $35 for a petition seeking more than $10,000 or more. Requires that the court must allow claimants to submit documentation to amend and cure defects. Makes other changes. Authorizes the Court of Claims to adopt rules to implement the Act.
Amends the Clerks of Courts Act. Makes legislative findings. Creates the court reminder program. Requires that the circuit clerk provide a defendant with notice by text message of all court hearings to defendants who have been charged with a violation of the Criminal Code of 2012 or the Illinois Vehicle Code as follows: provide at least 2 text notices before each court appearance with one notice the day before the required court appearance; maintain a copy of the content and a delivery receipt as part of the records of the clerk's office; and for court appearances that can be attended virtually, provide the link to the virtual court appearance in at least the final reminder sent before the appearance. Makes the Act inapplicable if a circuit clerk does not have the needed information from a defendant to send a text message notification. Requires that the circuit clerk must take all reasonable actions to get the needed information to provide reminders and to coordinate with law enforcement and the courts in that effort. Allows the circuit clerk to use an existing electronic notice provisions developed under the Clerks of the Courts Act or developed under Supreme Court Rule as long as those programs comply with the new requirements of the amendatory Act. Authorizes the Administrative Office of the Illinois Courts to adopt rules to further implement the Act.
Amends the Local Governmental Acceptance of Credit Cards Act. Provides that the governing body of a governmental entity accepting payment by credit card may enter into agreements with third-party software providers for the purpose of ensuring that the governmental entity receives the correct remittance for payment. Provides that, if a governmental entity enters into an agreement with one or more financial institutions or other service providers to facilitate the acceptance and processing of credit card payments, then the agreement may not restrict or prevent the governmental entity from using the payment processing system outlined in the State Treasurer Act or any other payment processing system that the governmental entity has procured. Effective immediately.
Amends the School Code. Allows the school board of a school district to use an adopted and verified program for e-learning days district-wide that permits student instruction to be received electronically while students are not physically present on an election day because a school was selected to be a polling place (rather than adopt a research-based program for e-learning days district-wide that shall permit student instruction to be received electronically while students are not physically present because a school was selected to be a polling place). Provides that e-learning days used for this purpose may not be counted in lieu of the district's scheduled emergency days.
Amends the School Code regarding the establishment of kindergartens. With respect to a provision stating that kindergarten should provide opportunities for play-based learning, defines: (1) "play-based learning" as either guided play or student-initiated play; (2) "guided play" as intentional teacher-directed play with activities set up and led by a teacher that are aligned to learning goals or standards; and (3) "student-initiated play" as child-selected opportunities to build, pretend, create, move, or explore in an environment intentionally curated by a teacher to align with learning goals or standards.
Amends the Counties Code. Provides that specified counties may acquire real property for the purpose of creating or preserving affordable housing for persons making up to 150% of area median income annually. Provides that specified counties may enter into agreements to transfer real property with any unit of local government, any school district, or the State for the purpose of creating or preserving affordable housing for persons making up to 150% of the area median income annually. Provides that specified counties may enter into agreements to donate, lease below market rate, or sell below market rate, real property for the purpose of the creation or preservation of affordable housing for persons making up to 150% of area median income annually. Provides that specified counties may undertake any activity permitted by the Affordable Housing Planning and Appeal Act for the purpose of creating, developing, encouraging the development, or preservation of the development of affordable housing for persons making up to 150% of area median income annually. Provides that specified counties may select purchasers and lessors for properties held by the county, a county land bank, or county land trust. Provides that specified counties may encourage and facilitate the creation of affordable housing within the geographic boundaries of the county, including areas within municipalities, by offering financial incentives, including but not limited to grants and loans, and infrastructure improvements, including but not limited to, stormwater detention, public water and sewer improvements, and similar improvement which facilitate increasing the supply of affordable housing units shall be considered improvements for a public purpose, to developers of affordable housing units. Provides that specified counties may enter into agreements with property owners to engage in clearance and remediation activities. Provides that, as part of an agreement, or in return for an infrastructure improvement, a county may impose a restriction on the title of an affordable housing development subject to the agreement that restricts the income level of inhabitants of all or part of the development.
Amends the State Treasurer Act. Provides that the State Treasurer may establish and administer a non-profit investment pool and an electronic payment processing program to supplement and enhance investment opportunities and secure electronic payment options otherwise available to not-for-profit corporations in the State. Provides that the Treasurer may receive funds paid into the pool for the purpose of holding and investing those funds. Provides for surety bonds payable to not-for-profit corporations who participate in the pool. Provides that the Treasurer shall adopt rules for the efficient administration of the pool.
Amends the Evaluation of Certified Employees Article of the School Code. Prohibits an evaluator from using an artificial intelligence tool to assign a numerical score or qualitative rating for any component of a teacher's evaluation or any evaluation task that requires professional judgment. However, allows an artificial intelligence tool to be used to support the evaluator in administrative tasks.
