Rep. Carol Ammons

Amends the Illinois Act on the Aging. Provides that, subject to federal approval, on and after January 1, 2027, rates for in-home services shall be increased to $33.92 to sustain a minimum wage of $20.75 per hour for direct service workers. Requires rates in subsequent State fiscal years to be no lower than the rates put into effect upon federal approval. Provides that in order for a provider of in-home services to be eligible to receive the $33.92 rate, the provider must pay a minimum wage of $20.75 per hour to all direct service workers employed by the provider. Requires providers of in-home services to certify to the Department on Aging that they remain in compliance with the mandated wage increase for direct service workers. Requires each provider of in-home services to submit cost reports to the Department consistent with a specified administrative rule in order to be eligible for the $33.92 rate for in-home services. Provides that fringe benefits shall not be reduced in relation to the described rate increases. Requires the Department, beginning January 1, 2027, to ensure that each in-home service provider spends a minimum of 79% of the total payments the provider receives for home care aide services it furnishes under the Community Care Program on total compensation for direct service workers who furnish those services. Requires annual direct service worker cost reports from providers; and requires the Department to amend existing rules on financial reporting and minimum direct service worker costs to reflect the increase in the direct service worker spending requirement from 77% to 79%.

Amends the State Comptroller Act. Prohibits the State Comptroller from withholding, offsetting, or otherwise applying against any debt any funds payable to a unit of local government if those funds are restricted for a specific purpose by federal or State law, county ordinance, or grant agreement. Amends the Code of Civil Procedure. Exempts all funds, revenues, or accounts that are restricted by federal law, State, law, county ordinance, or grant agreement for a specific public purpose from garnishment, attachment, or any other legal process to satisfy a judgment or debt. Effective immediately.

Acknowledges and condemns the historical injustice associated with the original creation of the Benin Bronzes, the subsequent British acquisition and distribution of the relics, and the current possession of the Benin Bronzes by museums and collectors who are unwilling to share the relics with the heirs of the enslaved people who paid for them with their lives and the heirs of the Benin Kingdom slave traders. Urges the following steps be taken in regard to the Benin Bronzes: (1) an official request for the return and sharing of the Benin Bronzes, (2) the establishment of the Repatriation Committee, (3) the formation of an inventory and comprehensive documentation, (4) the development of a decision-making process, (5) the development of a sharing framework, (6) the collection of resale royalties, (7) the allocation of adequate resources from museum exhibit, loan, and resale royalty fees, (8) the initiation of programs and initiatives to bring heirs of the enslaved and the Benin Kingdom together for healing and reconciliation, and (9) the cooperation of heirs. Urges all nations, stakeholder museums, and collectors to support and adhere to this resolution, recognizing the importance of equitable sharing, redress, and healing in the context of the Benin Bronzes.

Creates the Office of Genealogical Affairs Study Committee Act. Provides that the Office of Genealogical Affairs Study Committee shall have the following duties: (1) to examine the feasibility, scope, and structure of a permanent Office of Genealogical Affairs within the State government; (2) to examine how an Office of Genealogical Affairs could operationalize reparative genealogical services; (3) to examine how an Office of Genealogical Affairs could support forensic and historical accountability efforts; and (4) to examine how an Office of Genealogical Affairs could support administrative genealogical determinations. Provides that the Office of Genealogical Affairs Study Committee shall report to the Governor and the General Assembly no later than 18 months after the effective date of the Act. Effective immediately.

Amends the Administration Article of the Illinois Public Aid Code. Requires the Department of Human Services to, subject to available funding, establish a Families Receiving Emergency Support for Hunger (FRESH) Program to provide FRESH benefits to households subject to termination of the household's Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, or a reduction in the household's monthly SNAP benefit allotment, if the termination or reduction in SNAP benefits occurred as a result of one or more members of the household failing to meet SNAP work requirements. Provides that, for eligible households whose SNAP benefits were reduced or terminated, FRESH benefits shall be provided as a one-time lump sum payment distributed via an Electronic Benefits Transfer card. Requires the Department to make FRESH program applications available online and at local Family and Community Resource Centers immediately upon the first of the month following the effective date of the amendatory Act. Provides that an application for FRESH benefits shall not be deemed an application for any other public aid provided under the Code. Requires the Department to provide within a specified time frame FRESH benefits to households' that experience a reduction or termination of SNAP benefits prior to or after the first month following the effective date of the amendatory Act, if certain application submission deadlines are met. Requires the Department to publish monthly data reports on the FRESH program and to include such data in the Department's annual report to the General Assembly. Prohibits the Department and local governmental units from considering a household's receipt of FRESH benefits when determining the household's eligibility for other assistance provided under the Code. Provides that the provisions of the amendatory Act are inoperative on and after January 1, 2028. Effective immediately.

Amends the Commission to End Hunger Act. Creates the SNAP Response Working Group. Provides that the co-chairs of the Commission to End Hunger shall convene and appoint the co-chairs of the Working Group. Provides that the Working Group shall review and analyze federal changes to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), gather and analyze data regarding the potential impact of the federal changes to SNAP on Illinois residents, and gather relevant estimates and data about Illinois' SNAP payment error rate, including the monthly State-reported error rate. Requires the SNAP Response Working Group to make projections about the cost to the State to maintain SNAP in Illinois in federal Fiscal Year 2028. Directs the Working Group to submit a preliminary report to the General Assembly no later than January 1, 2027. Provides that the preliminary report shall outline the federal changes to SNAP and identify the number of State residents impacted by those changes. Further provides that the preliminary report shall include initial recommendations for State action to prevent or mitigate any harm to State residents caused by the federal changes and shall project the cost to maintain the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program in Illinois in federal Fiscal Year 2028. Provides that, no later than April 1, 2027, the Working Group shall issue a full report to the General Assembly that includes an analysis on the impact of federal changes to SNAP on Illinois, final recommendations for State action to prevent or mitigate harm resulting from those changes, updated projections of the cost to maintain the program in federal Fiscal Year 2028, and any other cost projections relating to the Working Group's recommendations. Requires the SNAP Response Working Group to provide any relevant additional updates to its recommendations or projections as appropriate. Specifies that all reports of the Working Group shall be published by the Department of Human Services on its website. Provides that the SNAP Working Group shall be dissolved on May 31, 2027. Effective immediately.

Creates the Emerging Adult Criminal Justice Task Force Act. Establishes the Emerging Adult Criminal Justice Task Force within the Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority. Provides that the Task Force shall hold public meetings. Requires at least 3 meetings of the Task Force to be held in different regions of Illinois. Provides that the first meeting of the Task Force shall be held within 60 days after the appointment of its members. Provides that the Task Force shall review Illinois law and practices affecting emerging adults across pretrial, sentencing, corrections, supervision, and reentry. Provides that the Task Force shall develop recommendations for statutory, policy, and programmatic improvements to the Illinois criminal justice system. Allows any Task Force member to prepare a written dissent or statement of concern regarding any finding or recommendation. Provides that the Task Force shall submit an interim report summarizing preliminary findings, analyses, and recommendations, to the Governor and the General Assembly, no later than January 31, 2027. Provides that the Task Force shall submit a final report, including all final findings and recommendations, draft statutory language, and estimated fiscal impacts, no later than December 1, 2027. Repeals the Act on June 30, 2028. Effective immediately.

Maddy summaryHouse Bill 788 makes a technical amendment to the Task Force on Internationally-Licensed Health Care Professionals Act. Specifically, it updates a section related to the short title of that act.

Amends the General Provisions Article of the Illinois Pension Code. Removes provisions requiring the Illinois Investment Policy Board to include companies that boycott Israel in its list of restricted companies. Makes conforming changes. Effective immediately.

Amends the Election Code. Provides that, beginning on January 1, 2028, a person convicted of a felony, or otherwise under sentence in a correctional institution, shall have his or her right to vote restored and shall be eligible to vote not later than 14 days following his or her conviction. Provides that a person who is serving a sentence in a correctional institution starting prior to January 1, 2027 shall have his or her right to vote restored not later than January 14, 2028. Provides that a person may not be denied the right to vote because of a past criminal conviction. Provides that each local election authority shall coordinate with the correctional institution, Illinois Department of Corrections, and other correctional agencies incarcerating eligible voters to facilitate voting by mail for those voters eligible to vote in that election jurisdiction who are incarcerated in the correctional institution. Provides that the Attorney General, any individual aggrieved by a violation of these provisions, any entity whose membership includes individuals aggrieved by a violation of these provisions, any entity whose mission would be frustrated by a violation of these provisions, or any entity that would expend resources in order to fulfill its mission as a result of a violation of these provisions may file an action in a court of competent jurisdiction. Provides that the Act is intended to benefit and protect the rights of individual voters and to provide a remedy for infringing on the rights granted under this Act. Amends the Re-Entering Citizens Civics Education Act. Changes the short title of the Act to the Reintegration and Civic Empowerment Act. Provides that the Department of Corrections shall conduct the civics peer education program each of the 3 sessions not less than twice a month at each correctional institution totaling not less than 6 sessions per month at each correctional institution. Provides that the civics peer education program and workshops must be made available to all committed persons regardless of the date they were first committed or the length of their sentence. Amends the Illinois Administrative Procedure Act and the Unified Code of Corrections to make conforming changes. Effective January 1, 2028.