Rep. Thomas Holbrook

Amends the Environmental Protection Act. Makes a technical change to a Section concerning legislative declarations.

Amends the Illinois Sports Facilities Authority Act. Makes a technical change in a Section concerning the short title.

Amends the Public Utilities Act. Makes a technical change in a Section concerning the short title and applicability of the Electric Service Customer Choice and Rate Relief Law of 1997.

Amends the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity Law of the Civil Administrative Code of Illinois. Creates the caption only for a Section concerning visitor centers and a tourism office.

Makes legislative findings. Amends the Open Meetings Act, Counties Code, and the Illinois Insurance Code. Provides for creation of risk retention trusts for the pooling of risks to provide professional liability coverage for its physicians and health care professionals providing medical care and related health care. Authorizes a county board to incur indebtedness to ensure the availability of and improve hospital, medical, and health services. Amends the Regulatory Sunset Act to extend the repeal of the Medical Practice Act of 1987 to 2016. Amends the Illinois Insurance Code. Makes numerous changes concerning medical liability insurance rates and regulation. Requires the Secretary of Financial and Professional Regulation to establish a Professional Liability Insurance Resource Center on the World Wide Web, and amends the Clerks of Courts Act to require court clerks to provide certain relevant information. Amends the Medical Practice Act of 1987. Makes changes concerning medical coordinators, investigators, discipline, disciplinary proceedings, records, disclosure of information, incidents to which the Act applies, immunity, and other matters. Amends the Health Care Arbitration Act by making changes concerning distribution, validity, and cancellation of a health care arbitration agreement and making various other changes. Amends the Code of Civil Procedure by: making changes concerning extension of the period for naming a respondent in discovery as a defendant, jury instructions in healing art malpractice actions, and the affidavit and report based on the determination of a reviewing health professional; limiting recoveries from hospitals, physicians, and others for non-economic damages in medical malpractice actions; limiting liability of a hospital for the medical care provided by a non-employee member of the hospital's medical staff; changing provisions concerning contingent fees in medical malpractice actions and standards for damages; providing that a statement that a health care provider is "sorry" for an outcome is not admissible as evidence under specified circumstances; changing and adding provisions concerning expert witness standards and guaranteed payment of future medical expenses; and making other changes. Repeals numerous provisions of the Code of Civil Procedure concerning medical malpractice actions. Amends the Illinois Good Samaritan Act. Expands the immunity for civil damages provided for services performed (i) without compensation at, or upon referral from, free medical clinics and (ii) by retired physicians pursuant to an emergency department on call list. Makes other changes. Creates the Sorry Works! Pilot Program Act under which participating hospitals and physicians shall promptly acknowledge and apologize for mistakes in patient care and promptly offer fair settlements. Creates a committee to develop, oversee, and implement the program and specifies the committee's membership. Creates the Sorry Works! Fund as a special fund in the State treasury and amends the State Finance Act to include the Sorry Works! Fund as a special fund. Contains provisions concerning applicability and construction. Effective immediately.

Amends the Environmental Protection Act. Makes a technical change to a Section concerning alternative control strategies.

Amends the Environmental Protection Act. Makes a technical change in a Section concerning the testing of water samples.

Amends the Code of Civil Procedure. Makes a technical change in the Section concerning punitive damages in healing art and legal malpractice cases.

Amends the Environmental Protection Act. Makes a technical change in a Section concerning the short title.

Creates the Blind Vendors Act. Provides that the Department of Human Services, Bureau of Blind Services, shall operate and promote the Business Enterprise Program for the Blind. Sets forth that the federal Randolph-Sheppard Act and the regulations adopted pursuant to that Act shall serve as the minimum standards for the operation of the Business Enterprise Program for the Blind. Provides that under the Program: (1) blind vendors have priority in the operation of all vending facilities on State property; (2) vending machine income from all vending machines on State property shall be assigned to the blind vendor on the property or to the Blind Vendors Trust Fund; (3) no State agency may impose any commission, service charge, rent, or utility charge on a blind vendor operating on State property; (4) sales made at a blind vendor's vending facility are exempt from all occupation and use taxes; and (5) State agencies may not allow competition with a blind vendor. Sets forth that the Bureau Director for the Bureau of the Blind and the Committee of Blind Vendors shall jointly develop regulations to ensure that priority is given to blind vendors in the operation of vending facilities on State property. Provides that the Department may provide for set-asides of the net proceeds of vending operations under certain conditions. Requires set-aside funds to be deposited in the Blind Vendors Trust Fund, a separate account managed by the Department for the State's blind vendors. Sets forth provisions for the distribution of vending machine income from vending machines on State property. Provides certain conditions for the licensing of blind vendors. Creates the Committee of Blind Vendors to jointly participate in the development and implementation of all policies, plans, and major decisions affecting the Business Enterprise Program for the Blind. Sets forth provisions for the composition of the Committee. Provides certain procedures for the resolution of disputes arising within the Program. Provides for the promulgation of regulations relating to the operation of this Act. Requires the Department to make regular surveys and reports on State property and vending facilities. Sets forth conditions and information to be contained in the surveys and reports. Preempts home rule powers. Repeals the Blind Persons Operating Vending Facilities Act. Amends the Use Tax Act, Service Use Tax Act, Service Occupation Tax Act, and Retailers' Occupation Tax Act to provide that personal property purchased from a blind vendor's vending facility licensed by the Department of Human Services under the Blind Vendors Act is exempt from the taxes imposed by those Acts and that these exemptions are not subject to the sunset provisions of those Acts.