Rep. Lindsey LaPointe

Amends the Employee Sick Leave Act. Provides that an employee may use sick leave for a behavioral health appointment of the employee's child, stepchild, spouse, domestic partner, sibling, parent, mother-in-law, father-in-law, grandchild, grandparent, or stepparent, on the same terms upon which the employee is able to use personal sick leave benefits for the employee's own illness or injury.

Amends various Acts relating to the governance of public universities in Illinois. Beginning with the 2021-2022 academic year, requires the governing board of each public university to deem a spouse or dependent of a veteran an Illinois resident for tuition purposes if the spouse or dependent registers as an entering student in the university not later than 12 months after the date of the veteran's honorable discharge or separation from the armed forces of the United States or the Illinois National Guard. Provides that the spouse or dependent qualifies for in-state tuition at the university regardless of whether the spouse or dependent (i) has resided in Illinois long enough after the veteran's honorable discharge or separation from the armed forces of the United States or the Illinois National Guard to otherwise be deemed an Illinois resident for tuition purposes and (ii) resides in Illinois for the primary purpose of attending the university. Requires the spouse or dependent to provide satisfactory proof of the relationship between the spouse or dependent and the veteran to the university. Effective July 1, 2021.

Amends the School Visitation Rights Act. Provides that an employer that terminates an employee for absences to attend school conferences is liable in a civil action for damages resulting to the employee. Imposes upon the employer the burden of proof to demonstrate that termination is not related to an employee's absence for attendance at a school conference, behavioral meeting, or academic meeting. Effective August 1, 2021.

Amends the Department of Human Services Act. Creates the Illinois Interagency Task Force on Homelessness. Provides that the State Homelessness Chief established in Executive Order 2021-21 shall chair the Task Force, co-chair the Community Advisory Council on Homelessness established within the Task Force, and lead the State's comprehensive efforts to decrease homelessness and unnecessary institutionalization in Illinois, improve health and human services outcomes for people who experience homelessness, and strengthen the safety nets that contribute to housing stability. Provides that the State Homelessness Chief shall serve as a policymaker and spokesperson on homelessness prevention, including coordinating the multi-agency effort through legislation, rules, and budgets and communicating with the General Assembly and federal and local leaders on this critical issue. Provides that the purpose of the Task Force is to (i) plan, develop, and implement a State Plan to address homelessness and unnecessary institutionalization; (ii) recommend policy, regulatory, and resource changes necessary to accomplish goals and objectives laid out in the State Plan; (iii) provide leadership for and collaborate with those developing and implementing local plans to end homelessness in Illinois; and other matters. Contains provisions on the composition of the Task Force; meetings; and other matters. Creates the Community Advisory Council on Homelessness within the Task Force to make recommendations to the Task Force regarding homelessness prevention. Contains provisions on the composition of the Advisory Council; meetings; and other matters. Provides that nothing in the amendatory Act shall be construed to contravene any federal or State law or regulation. Provides that nothing in the amendatory Act shall affect or alter the existing statutory powers of any State agency or be construed as a reassignment or reorganization of any State agency. Effective immediately.

Amends the Election Code. Allows the State Board of Elections to receive voter registration information provided by applicants using electronic voter registration portals (rather than the Board's website). Provides that notwithstanding any other provision of law, a person who is otherwise qualified to vote may preregister to vote on or after that person's 16th birthday, with the registration held in abeyance by the appropriate election authority until that individual attains the required age to vote. Requires preregistration to be completed using the online voter registration system or an electronic voter registration portal. Provides that for the purposes of the Code, an individual who is 16 years of age or older (rather than who is 17 years of age and who will be 18 years of age on the date of the general or consolidated election) shall be deemed competent to execute and attest to any voter registration forms.

Creates the Mental Health Assessment Reform Act. Provides that the purpose of the Act is to remove barriers to care in the Medicaid mental health assessment and treatment planning process. Provides that, within 3 months after the effective date of the Act, the Department of Healthcare and Family Services shall clearly identify the minimum information necessary to establish and document medical necessity in an individual's medical record for each community mental health general rehabilitation option service through the use of the Department's standardized assessment and treatment planning tool required in the integrated assessment and treatment planning process. Requires minimum medical necessity documentation requirements to be publicly available to all community mental health centers and behavioral health clinics. Provides that an individual is immediately eligible to receive any community mental health service upon documentation of the specified medical necessity criteria in his or her medical record, and the provider shall be reimbursed for such delivered services. Provides that the integrated assessment and treatment planning process shall be required no more frequently than annually for specified community mental health services. Contains provisions requiring the Department to establish a workgroup to resolve certain issues identified by the Department with the assessment tool and the integrated assessment and treatment planning process. Requires the Department to submit a report to the General Assembly that outlines the issues and recommendations discussed by the workgroup. Contains provisions concerning the Department's development of a billing code, modifier, or other mechanism to reimburse providers for the full time spent on the integrated assessment and treatment planning process; assessment tool training; and other matters. Requires the Department to seek federal approval, if required to implement the Act. Permits the Department, with input from the Department's workgroup, to adopt emergency rules in accordance with the Illinois Administrative Procedure Act. Effective immediately.

Amends the Illinois Human Rights Act. Makes a technical change in a Section concerning the short title.

Amends the Property Tax Code. Creates a homestead exemption in the amount of a reduction of $5,000 from the equalized assessed value of property of police officers and firefighters with duty-related disabilities. Effective immediately.

Amends the Departments of State Government Law of the Civil Administrative Code of Illinois. Provides that it shall be the duty of the State Board of Health, among other duties, to deliver to the Governor for presentation to the General Assembly a State Health Assessment and a State Health Improvement Plan (currently, only a State Health Improvement Plan required). Provides further requirements concerning the State Health Assessment and the State Health Improvement Plan. Effective immediately.

Provides that, if and only if Senate Bill 1980 of the 101st General Assembly becomes law, then the Housing Authorities Act is amended by requiring every housing authority organized under the Act to collect and report to the Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority specified housing data in addition to the criminal history record data required under the Act. Provides that the housing data to be collected and reported by each housing authority shall include: the number of vacant rental units within each housing project operated by the housing authority; and information on whether each waiting list maintained by the housing authority is opened or closed. Requires the information to be reported to the Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority in addition to the required criminal history record data. Effective immediately or on the date Senate Bill 1980 of the 101st General Assembly takes effect, whichever is later.