Rep. Katie Stuart

Mourns the death of Gary Niebur of Edwardsville.

Congratulates Edwardsville High School wrestler Luke Odom on winning the 160-pound State Wrestling Championship at the 2019 IHSA State Wrestling Tournament.

Amends the State Treasurer Act. Provides that the State Treasurer shall establish the Illinois Higher Education Savings Program for the purpose of expanding access to higher education through savings. Provides for enrollment in the Program. Provides further duties and requirements of the Treasurer regarding the Program. Creates the Illinois Higher Education Savings Program Fund as a fund held outside of the State treasury to be the official repository of all contributions, appropriations, interest, and dividend payments, gifts, or other financial assets received by the State Treasurer in connection with the operation of the Program or related partnerships. Provides for audits and reports concerning the Program. Allows the Treasurer to adopt any rules that may be necessary to implement the Program. Amends the Freedom of Information Act to provide an exemption for information that is exempt from disclosure under the Illinois Higher Education Savings Program. House Floor Amendment No. 2 Provides that notwithstanding any court order which would otherwise prevent the release of information, the Department of Public Health is authorized to release specified information to the State Treasurer for the purposes of the Illinois Higher Education Savings Program. State Mandates Fiscal Note (Dept. of Commerce & Economic Opportunity) This bill does not create a State mandate. Fiscal Note (Office of the Treasurer) Based upon Illinois' current birth rate of 155,000 to 165,000 newborns per year, the annual cost for this program is expected to be $9-10 million per year, beginning in FY21. This includes approximately $8 million for the initial seed funding of $50 per child and an estimated $1.5 million to develop local savings incentive partnerships, engage parents and children in related financial literacy initiatives, and administer the program. Because unclaimed and unused funds will remain with the program for future use, the need for annual appropriations will decline after year 10 of the program as unclaimed and unused funds are recycled. House Floor Amendment No. 3 Modifies the definition of "eligible child".

Amends the State Employees Group Insurance Act of 1971. Requires coverage for breast pumps approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Amends the Medical Assistance Article of the Illinois Public Aid Code. Requires coverage under the medical assistance program for breast pumps approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Effective January 1, 2020.

Amends the Illinois Emergency Management Agency Act. Provides that architects, engineers, individuals with specified qualifications, and construction contractors, equipment dealers, and other owners and operators of construction equipment may volunteer the use of their services and equipment for up to 5 consecutive days as part of a mobile support team by providing essential demolition, cleanup, or other related services and determining whether structures affected by a disaster are safe. Provides that such persons are exempt from civil liability under the Good Samaritan Act. Effective immediately.

Amends the Illinois Income Tax Act. Creates an income tax credit in an amount equal to 10% of the salary or stipend paid to a qualified intern during the taxable year. Provides that, if the qualified intern is hired by the taxpayer on a full-time basis upon graduation, the employer is entitled to the credit for each of the first 2 years of the intern's full-time employment with the taxpayer. Effective immediately.

Amends the Illinois Act on the Aging. Provides that the rates and minimum mandated wage increases for homemaker services shall be, at a minimum, as of January 1, 2019, a rate of $19.96 per hour, for a minimum wage of $12 per hour, and as of July 1, 2019, a rate of $21.64 per hour for a minimum wage of $13 per hour. Provides that rates in future State fiscal years shall be no lower than the rates in effect on July 1, 2019. Provides that in-home service provider agencies shall be required to certify to the Department on Aging that they are in compliance with the mandated wage increase for direct service workers. Provides that fringe benefits, including, but not limited to, any paid time off, payment for training, health insurance, travel, or transportation payment, shall not be reduced in relation to these rate increases. Effective immediately.

Creates the Reproductive Health Act. Provides that every individual has a fundamental right to make autonomous decisions about one's own reproductive health. Provides that every individual who becomes pregnant has a fundamental right to continue the pregnancy and give birth or to have an abortion, and to make autonomous decisions about how to exercise that right. Provides that a fertilized egg, embryo, or fetus does not have independent rights under the law, of this State. Provides prohibited State actions. Provides that a party aggrieved by a violation of the Act may bring a civil lawsuit. Provides that a health care professional shall report each abortion performed to the Department of Public Health. Limits home rule powers. Repeals provisions regarding abortion in the Ambulatory Surgical Treatment Center Act, the Sexual Assault Survivors Emergency Treatment Act, and the Injunction Article of the Code of Civil Procedure. Repeals the Illinois Abortion Law of 1975, the Partial-birth Abortion Ban Act, and the Abortion Performance Refusal Act. Makes corresponding changes in the Children and Family Services Act, the Counties Code, the Medical Practice Act of 1987, the Vital Records Act, the Criminal Code of 2012, and the Rights of Married Persons Act. Amends the Freedom of Information Act. Provides that information and records held by the Department collected under the Reproductive Health Act is exempt from inspection and copying. Amends the Ambulatory Surgical Treatment Center Act. Provides that that term "ambulatory surgical treatment center" does not include any facility in which the performance of abortion procedures is limited to those performed without general, epidural, or spinal anesthesia. Amends the Illinois Insurance Code. Provides insurance requirements for the coverage of abortion. Makes corresponding changes in the State Employees Group Insurance Act, the Health Maintenance Organization Act, and the Voluntary Health Services Plans Act. Amends the Nurse Practice Act. Provides that operative surgery does not include abortions performed without general, epidural, or spinal anesthesia, and other gynecological procedures related to abortions. Amends the Environmental Act. Provides that tissue and products from an abortion or miscarriage may be buried, entombed, or cremated. Effective immediately.

Amends the Illinois Vehicle Code. Provides that, after January 1, 2020, no non-home rule unit within the counties of Cook, DuPage, Kane, Lake, Madison, McHenry, St. Clair, and Will may enact or continue to enforce an ordinance for an automated traffic law enforcement system to enforce violations of intersection traffic control signals. Makes corresponding changes. Amends the State Mandates Act to require implementation without reimbursement from the State. House Committee Amendment No. 1 Provides that the amendatory Act is operative on January 1, 2021 (instead of January 1, 2020).

Amends the School Code. Provides that sex education course material and instruction in grades 6 through 12 must include an age-appropriate discussion on sexting; defines "sexting". Provides that the discussion on sexting must include an exploration of: (i) the possible consequences of sexting, (ii) the identification of situations in which bullying or harassment result from sexting, (iii) the possible long-term consequences of sexting, (iv) the importance of using the Internet safely, (v) the identification of individuals in the school or community that may be contacted for assistance with issues, concerns, or problems, and (vi) the development of strategies for resisting peer pressure and for communicating in a positive manner. Effective immediately.