Rep. Abdelnasser Rashid

Creates the Global Hospital Budget Authority Act. Defines terms. Established the Global Hospital Budget Authority as a Division of the Department of Public Health. Provides that the powers and duties of the Authority shall be vested in and exercised by the Global Hospital Budget Board, which shall have the sole power to employ staff, including an executive director, legal counsel, consultants, or any other staff deemed necessary by the Board to effectuate the purposes of the Act. Provides that individuals employed by the Board shall not be employees of the State for any purpose, including for purposes of compensation, pension benefits, or retirement. Sets forth provisions concerning membership requirements; powers and duties of the Board; roles of participating payers; roles of participant hospitals; data collection and retention; confidentiality of data, contracts, and agreements; and the Global Hospital Budget Fund. Amends the Hospital Licensing Act. Provides that, in reviewing and issuing permits and licenses, the Department shall accept, as factors that satisfy staffing and service-line presence requirements, one or a combination of the following alternative mechanisms if the Department finds that patient safety and continuity of care are maintained: (i) on-site staffing by appropriately licensed clinicians; (ii) written and operative affiliation agreements meeting standards adopted by the Department that provide timely specialty coverage; (iii) documented telemedicine coverage that meets certain standards; or (iv) a waiver issued under certain provisions for a rural or critical access hospital. In provisions concerning requirements for the employment of physicians, provides that employing entities may employ physicians to practice medicine in all of its branches if employment, privileging, and oversight requirements are met. Amends the Illinois Health Facilities Planning Act. Makes changes in provisions concerning definitions; certificates of exemption for change of ownership of a health care facility; applications for permit for discontinuation of a health care facility or category of service; and the powers and duties of State Board. Amends the State Finance Act to make a conforming change.

Amends the Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities Administrative Act. Provides that beginning July 1, 2026, the Department of Human Services shall reissue the original cost and wage survey for costs associated with the administration of services to persons with intellectual and developmental disabilities in community day services that was contained in the Department's Guidehouse Rate Study. Provides that the cost and wage survey shall be used to effectuate rate increases in transportation funding for the administration of community day services to persons with intellectual and developmental disabilities and may include provider contact information, total costs of employee salaries and benefits, staff turnover, and other information. Requires the Department to adopt rules. Amends the Medical Assistance Article of the Illinois Public Aid Code. Requires the Department of Healthcare and Family Services to file an amendment to the Home and Community-Based Services Waiver Program for Adults with Developmental Disabilities that removes the 5 hour per day billing maximums at community day services. Provides that the amendment shall not modify monthly and yearly billing maximums for community day services. Provides that implementation is contingent on federal approval. Effective July 1, 2026.

Amends the Property Tax Code. Authorizes Chief County Assessment Officers in counties with 3,000,000 or more inhabitants to renew an individual's low-income senior citizen exemption under the Code without an annual application if the applicant has previously provided the full social security number or individual taxpayer identification numbers for all members of the applicant's household. Provides that, if a Chief County Assessment Officer is unable to verify that an applicant remains eligible for the low-income senior citizen exemption, then the Chief County Assessment Officer shall notify the applicant and provide the applicant with an opportunity to demonstrate the applicant's eligibility for the exemption. Amends the Freedom of Information Act. Exempts from disclosure under the Act information submitted to a Chief County Assessment Officer in applications for the low-income senior citizen exemption under the Property Tax Code.

Amends the Illinois Police Training Act. Provides that the Illinois Law Enforcement Training Standards Board shall develop or approve a course to assist law enforcement officers in identifying and interacting with individuals with epilepsy. Provides that the course must be fully consistent with the best practice guidelines issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Provides that the Board shall conduct or approve the epilepsy identification and treatment training course no later than 2 years after the effective date of the amendatory Act. Provides that the Board may consult with the Department of Public Health or the Department of Human Services to develop and update the curriculum as needed. Provides that, every 3 years, a law enforcement officer shall complete training on identifying and interacting with individuals with epilepsy.

Amends the Illinois Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act. Provides that a full-service restaurant or quick-service restaurant shall not provide single-use plastic disposable foodware items to a consumer ordering or purchasing dine-in food unless requested by the consumer and that plastic drinking straws must be provided when specifically requested. Provides that single-use plastic disposable foodware items that are provided may not be packaged in plastic. Provides that a food dispensing establishment or takeout food delivery service must provide options for a customer to request disposable foodware items separate from the customer's order, with certain requirements. Provides that a full-service restaurant or quick-service restaurant offering condiments may use dispensers rather than prepackaged disposable condiment packets. Provides that a full-service restaurant or quick-service restaurant must post a sign indicating that single-use plastic disposable foodware will be made available upon request or at a self serve station. Provides that a full-service restaurant or quick-service restaurant may make single-use plastic straws available to customers ordering or purchasing dine-in food by making available dispensers or certain other means if a sign is posted encouraging the reduction of the use single-use plastics. Provides for a civil penalty of $25, after a first notice of violation, for each day a full-service restaurant or quick-service restaurant is in violation, paid to the Department of Public Health. Defines terms. Effective January 1, 2026.

Amends the Property Tax Code. Provides that wireless telecommunication towers that are not otherwise exempt under a specific provision of the Code are subject to local property taxes and shall be valued according to policies adopted by the chief county assessment officer. Effective immediately.

Amends the General Provisions Article of the Illinois Pension Code. Provides that the amendatory Act may be referred to as the Fossil Fuel Divestment Act. With regard to the retirement systems established under the General Assembly, State Employees, State Universities, Downstate Teachers, or Judges Article of the Code and the Illinois State Board of Investment, prohibits direct investment of any additional pension assets in the stocks, securities, or other obligations of any fossil fuel company or any subsidiary, affiliate, or parent of a fossil fuel company. Provides that each board of trustees of a pension system shall ensure the pension system does not make further indirect investments unless, upon exercising due diligence, the board of trustees is satisfied that the investment vehicle is unlikely to have more than 2% of its assets invested in fossil fuel companies. Requires pension system trustees to identify the pension system's holdings, whether directly or indirectly invested, including private investments. Requires pension system trustees to identify holdings that are invested in the stocks, securities, equities, fixed income, corporate bonds, prime commercial paper, or other obligations of fossil fuel companies. Requires pension systems to, in accordance with sound investment criteria and consistent with fiduciary obligations, divest any fossil fuel holdings, which must be completed by January 1, 2030. Requires pension systems to adopt an update to their written investment policies if necessary. Requires each pension system to disclose the analytic methods used, if any, in determining the climate-related financial risks posed by its fossil fuel investments (both publicly traded and private investments) and the results of the analysis. Sets forth provisions concerning definitions, de minimis exposure to fossil fuel securities, and annual reporting. Effective immediately.

Amends the Unemployment Insurance Act. Provides that an individual shall be eligible for benefits (rather than ineligible for benefits) for any week with respect to which it is found that the individual's total or partial unemployment is due to a stoppage of work which exists because of a labor dispute at the factory, establishment, or other premises at which he is or was last employed. Makes conforming changes.

Creates the Protective Medical Equipment Freedom Act. Provides that every individual has the right to wear protective medical equipment in any place of public accommodation where they have a lawful right to be without obligation to disclose health status or any other protected information, and no person, entity, or authority shall deny, restrict, or infringe upon this right. Operators and public officials shall not discriminate against or penalize medical device wearers for exercising their right to wear protective medical equipment. Discrimination under this Act includes, but is not limited to: denial of service; eviction from premises; any form of harassment to remove or refrain from wearing such equipment for any amount of time; and specified actions taken by employers. Sets forth provisions concerning protection against retaliation; exceptions for security requirements and operational safety; enforcement by the Attorney General; and penalties for violating the Act. Effective immediately.

Amends the Election Code. Provides that a person shall not distribute, or enter into an agreement with another person to distribute, materially deceptive media if: (1) the person knows the media falsely represents a depicted individual; (2) the distribution occurs within 90 days before an election; (3) the person intends the distribution to harm the reputation or electoral prospects of a candidate in an election or otherwise deceive voters; and (4) the person intends the distribution to change the voting behavior of electors in an election by deceiving the electors into incorrectly believing that the depicted individual in fact engaged in the speech or conduct depicted, and the distribution is reasonably likely to cause that result. Sets forth exceptions to the provision and penalties for violations of the provision. Effective immediately.