Rep. Lindsey LaPointe

Amends the Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities Administrative Act. Provides that, beginning with the 2023-2024 academic year, the Department of Human Services shall establish and administer the Behavioral Health Scholarship Program for the purpose of incentivizing students to pursue degrees in a behavioral health discipline. Provides that the Department shall award financial assistance in the form of a scholarship to cover the cost of tuition, university fees, and books each year for a maximum of 4 years at a participating university if the applicant meets certain conditions. Sets forth rules, regulations, and other requirements for the Program. Provides that the Department shall establish the Employment Funding Grant Program to provide grants to qualified individuals who work for a community not-for-profit behavioral health agency or a federally qualified health center. Defines who is a qualified individual. Sets forth rules, regulations, and other requirements for the Program. Amends the State Finance Act to create the Behavioral Health Education Program Fund. Makes other changes.

Declares March 12, 2024 as "Equal Pay Day". Encourages the citizens of this State to learn about the pay gap that women experience in society and to learn about these various dates that bring attention to the pay gap that specific groups experience.

Amends the Board of Higher Education Act. Provides that, subject to appropriation, the Board of Higher Education shall create a student teaching stipend program to reduce financial barriers into the teaching profession and increase the quality of the student teaching experience in order to better prepare teaching candidates for the classroom and increase teacher retention. Provides that to participate in the stipend program, an eligible student must be placed as a student teacher. Provides that an educator preparation program shall notify the Board of all eligible students who qualify for the stipend program by July 1. Provides that all eligible students shall be enrolled in the stipend program. Provides that subject to available appropriations, the Board shall disburse to each educator preparation program funds to distribute to each eligible student a stipend of up to $10,000 for one academic semester, plus additional funds to pay the direct costs of operating the stipend program. Sets forth provisions concerning funding if the amount appropriated for the program is insufficient to fund all eligible students. Provides that subject to available appropriations, the Board shall disburse to each educator preparation program funds to distribute to each eligible cooperating teacher a stipend of up to $1,500 per academic semester, plus additional funds to pay the direct costs of operating the stipend program. Provides that a cooperating teacher may receive professional development hours for completing cooperating teacher training that counts toward the cooperating teacher's license renewal or Gateways credential. Provides that an educator preparation program may not prohibit an eligible student or an eligible teacher from participating in the program or receiving a stipend from the program. Provides that, subject to available appropriations, the Board of Higher Education, in collaboration with the State Board of Education shall report about and evaluate the program to the Governor and General Assembly on or before June 30, 2028 and each June 30 thereafter. Provides for rulemaking.

Amends the Foster Parent Law. Provides that foster parents have a right to receive an initial payment of $480 per child to be made within 24 hours of a permanent placement. Provides that if the final monthly payment for a child amounts to $480 or more, the amount of $480 shall be deducted from the final monthly payment. Provides that if the final monthly payment amounts to less than $480, the final monthly payment shall not be made.

Creates the Illinois Rust Belt to Green Belt Pilot Program Act. Creates the Illinois Rust Belt to Green Belt Fund as a special fund in the State treasury and makes a conforming change in the State Finance Act. Provides that the Fund shall be used by the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity to encourage and facilitate the employment of construction workforces located in underrepresented populations. Provides that applicants that are applying for a new utility-scale offshore wind project with the Illinois Power Agency shall file with the Department, as part of the applicant's application, an equity and inclusion plan. Amends the Illinois Power Agency Act. In provisions concerning the procurement of renewable energy credits, provides that in addition to the amount of renewable energy credits to be procured from wind projects, the Illinois Power Agency shall procure at least 700,000 renewable energy credits, delivered annually for at least 20 years, from one new utility-scale offshore wind project. In provisions concerning the development of a long-term renewable resources procurement plan, provides that the total of renewable energy resources procured under the procurement plan shall be reduced for all retail customers based on the amount necessary to limit the annual estimated average net increase due to the costs of these resources included in the amounts paid by eligible retail customers in connection with electric service to no more than 4.25% of the amount paid per kilowatthour by those customers during the year ending May 31, 2009, and to no more than 4.5% of that amount as of the billing month following the expected date that a new utility-scale offshore wind project commences commercial operations and is expected to begin delivering power to the PJM Interconnection, LLC transmission grid. Provides that the Agency shall conduct at least one new utility-scale offshore wind procurement within 360 days after the effective date of the amendatory Act. Defines terms. Makes other changes. Effective immediately.

Creates the Senior Home Preservation Program Act. Requires the Department of Human Services to implement and administer the Senior Home Preservation Program to provide grants to agencies to provide minor rehabilitation services to legacy resident low-income senior homeowners to preserve the habitability and safety of their homes. Provides that grants may be used for housing owned by eligible seniors to reduce the cost of repair and rehabilitation, to remove or correct health or safety hazards, to comply with applicable housing standards or codes, or to make needed repairs to improve the general living conditions of the seniors including improved accessibility for seniors with disabilities. Provides that "legacy resident senior homeowner" means any person 62 years of age or older or 55 and older with a disability who has lived in a community family home (single-family home or owner-occupied building of up to 4 units) for at least 10 years. Defines other terms. Creates the Senior Home Preservation Program Fund as a special fund in the State treasury for the purpose of provide grants to agencies to provide minor rehabilitation services to eligible senior homeowners to preserve the habitability and safety of their homes. Amends the State Finance Act to include the fund as a special fund.

Creates the Protect Health Data Privacy Act. Provides that a regulated entity shall disclose and maintain a health data privacy policy that clearly and conspicuously discloses specified information. Sets forth provisions concerning health data privacy policies. Provides that a regulated entity shall not collect, share, or store health data, except in specified circumstances. Provides that it is unlawful for any person to sell or offer to sell health data concerning a consumer without first obtaining valid authorization from the consumer. Provides that a valid authorization to sell consumer health data must contain specified information; a copy of the signed valid authorization must be provided to the consumer; and the seller and purchaser of health data must retain a copy of all valid authorizations for sale of health data for 6 years after the date of its signature or the date when it was last in effect, whichever is later. Sets forth provisions concerning the consent required for collection, sharing, and storage of health data. Provides that a consumer has the right to withdraw consent from the collection, sharing, sale, or storage of the consumer's health data. Provides that it is unlawful for a regulated entity to engage in discriminatory practices against consumers solely because they have not provided consent to the collection, sharing, sale, or storage of their health data or have exercised any other rights provided by the provisions or guaranteed by law. Sets forth provisions concerning a consumer's right to confirm whether a regulated entity is collecting, selling, sharing, or storing any of the consumer's health data; a consumer's right to have the consumer's health data that is collected by a regulated entity deleted; prohibitions regarding geofencing; and consumer health data security. Provides that any person aggrieved by a violation of the provisions shall have a right of action in a State circuit court or as a supplemental claim in federal district court against an offending party. Provides that the Attorney General may enforce a violation of the provisions as an unlawful practice under the Consumer Fraud and Deceptive Business Practices Act. Defines terms. Makes a conforming change in the Consumer Fraud and Deceptive Business Practices Act.

Amends the School Code. Provides that a school nurse or other designated person employed by a school district shall remove a tick from a student in accordance with guidelines issued by the Department of Public Health. After the tick has been removed, requires (i) the school nurse or other designated person to notify the parent or guardian of the student (and sets forth what the notice must state), (ii) the school to provide the parent or guardian with an information sheet from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention or the Department of Public Health regarding the signs and symptoms of Lyme disease and Rocky Mountain spotted fever and testing labs for ticks, and (iii) the school to preserve the tick for 72 hours so that the parent or guardian may send the tick to a lab for testing and provide information to the parent or guardian on how to send the tick to a lab for testing (but allows the parent or guardian to give the school permission to dispose of the tick before the 72-hour time period has expired). Provides that the Department of Public Health shall issue guidelines on how to remove a tick, publish those guidelines on the Department of Public Health's Internet website, and, in consultation with the State Board of Education, provide the guidelines to school districts. Provides that a school district and its employees and agents shall incur no liability, except for willful or wanton conduct, as a result of any injury arising from the removal of a tick if the removal of the tick followed the guidelines issued by the Department of Public Health. Effective July 1, 2024.

Creates the Mental Health and Substance Use Disorder Professional Support Grant Program Act. Creates within the Department of Human Services a Mental Health and Substance Use Disorder Professional Support Grant Program to provide grants to mental health facilities and substance use disorder treatment programs. Creates the Mental Health and Substance Use Disorder Professional Support Grant Fund as a special fund in the State treasury. Provides that money in the Fund shall be used by the Secretary of the Department to make grants to eligible mental health facilities and substance use disorder treatment programs. Requires grant recipients to use grant funds for expenses related to recruiting, retaining, and compensating licensed mental health or substance use disorder professionals. Provides that each grant recipient shall receive up to $200,000 in grant funding for each mental health or substance use disorder professional employed, engaged, or contracted by the recipient. Contains provisions concerning application requirements and Department rulemaking authority. Amends the Substance Use Disorder Act. Provides that the amendatory provisions may be referred to as the Equity in Accessibility Law. Requires the Department to provide funding and reimbursement for those costs associated with the provision of American Sign Language services and interpretive services for non-English speaking patients at substance use disorder treatment programs and facilities. Provides that funding and reimbursement shall be based upon the actual cost incurred by the substance use disorder treatment program or facility and shall reflect regional differences in costs and expenses related to the provision of American Sign Language and interpretive services at each location. Contains provisions on applications requirements and Department rulemaking authority. Effective immediately.

Amends the Medical Assistance Article of the Illinois Public Aid Code. Provides that beginning on January 1, 2025, rates for psychiatric evaluations performed by community mental health centers and substance use disorder treatment providers and practitioners as set forth on the Department of Healthcare and Family Services' Practitioner Fee Schedule shall be increased to $237.57. Provides that beginning on January 1, 2025, rates for medication monitoring performed by community mental health centers and substance use disorder treatment providers and practitioners as set forth on the Department's Practitioner Fee Schedule shall be increased to $140.77 per quarter hour. Provides that no existing or future reimbursement rates or add-ons shall be reduced or changed to address these rate increases. Provides that no later than October 1, 2024, the Department shall submit any necessary application to the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services for a waiver or State Plan amendment to implement the requirements of the amendatory Act. Provides that beginning in State Fiscal Year 2025, and every State fiscal year thereafter, reimbursement rates for those community-based mental health and substance use disorder services shall be adjusted upward by an amount equal to the Consumer Price Index-U from the previous year, not to exceed 5% in any State fiscal year. Effective immediately.