Amends the Fair Patient Billing Act. Provides that a hospital shall screen each uninsured patient for eligibility in State and federal health insurance programs, financial assistance offered by the hospital, and other public programs that may assist with health care costs and provide information about those programs. For an insured patient, requires the hospital to screen the patient for discounted care in specified circumstances. Provides that the screenings and all follow-up assistance must be culturally competent, in the patient's primary language, in plain language, and in an accessible format. Requires a hospital to implement an operational plan and trainings relating to screenings. Prohibits hospitals from pursuing collection actions against uninsured patients if they have not completed the screening requirements. Includes a prohibition on the sale of medical debt, limitations on collection actions, penalties for violating the Act's provisions, and defenses against collection actions pursued in violation of the provisions. Makes other changes. Amends the Hospital Uninsured Patient Discount Act. Provides that a patient declining to apply for a public health insurance program on the basis of concern for immigration-related consequences shall not be grounds for denying financial assistance under a hospital's financial assistance policy.
Rep. Abdelnasser Rashid
Sponsored bills
Creates the Deceptive Practices of Limited Services Pregnancy Centers Act. Prohibits a limited services pregnancy center from using or employing any deception, fraud, false pretense, false promise, or misrepresentation, or the concealment, suppression, or omission of any material fact, with the intent that others rely upon the concealment, suppression or omission of such material fact: to interfere with an individual seeking to gain entry or access to a provider of abortion or emergency contraception; to induce an individual to enter or access the limited services pregnancy center; in advertising, soliciting, or otherwise offering pregnancy-related services; or in conducting, providing, or performing pregnancy-related services. Allows the Attorney General to enforce the Act when: it appears to the Attorney General that a limited services pregnancy center has engaged in, is engaging in, or is about to engage in any practice declared to be unlawful by the Act; the Attorney General receives a written complaint of the commission of a practice declared to be unlawful under the Act; or the Attorney General believes it to be in the public interest that an investigation should be made to ascertain whether a limited services pregnancy center has engaged in, is engaging in, or is about to engage in, any practice declared to be unlawful by the Act. Establishes the remedies available under the Act for violation of the Act, including preliminary or permanent injunction and a civil penalty not to exceed $50,000. Allows any party aggrieved by a violation of the Act to bring an action against any limited services pregnancy center that has committed such a violation, in which the court may award actual damages and any other relief the court deems proper. Effective immediately.
Amends the Illinois Human Rights Act. Provides that it is a civil rights violation, because of immigration status, to: refuse to engage in a real estate transaction or otherwise make unavailable or deny real property; alter the terms, conditions, or privileges of a real estate transaction; refuse to receive or fail to transmit a bona fide offer in a real estate transaction from a person; refuse to negotiate a real estate transaction with a person; represent to a person that real property is not available for inspection, sale, rental, or lease, fail to bring a property listing to a person's attention, or refuse to permit a person to inspect real property; make, print, circulate, post, mail, publish, or cause such actions, any notice, statement, advertisement, or sign, use a form of application for a real estate transaction, or make a record or inquiry in connection with a prospective real estate transaction that indicates any preference, limitation, or discrimination based on immigration status, or an intention to make such preference, limitation, or discrimination; offer, solicit, accept, use, or retain a listing of real property with knowledge that discrimination based on immigration status in a real estate transaction is intended; refuse to engage in loan modification services; alter the terms, conditions, or privileges of loan modification services; discriminate in making loan modification services available; solicit for sale, lease, listing, or purchase any residential real estate on the grounds of loss of value due to the present or prospective entry into the vicinity of the property involved of any person of any particular immigration status; distribute or cause to be distributed, written material or statements designed to induce any owner of residential real estate to sell or lease property because of any present or prospective changes in the immigration status of residents in the vicinity of the property involved; or intentionally create alarm by transmitting communications to induce any owner of residential real estate to sell or lease property because of any present or prospective entry into the vicinity of the property involved of any person of any particular immigration status. Provides that nothing prohibits inquiry into or the use of immigration status if the inquiry or use is otherwise required by federal law. Makes other changes.
Amends the Regional Transportation Authority Act. Provides that public transportation benefits provided to a person with a disability by the Regional Transportation Authority or the Service Boards shall automatically renew unless discontinued by the person with a disability. Provides that benefits provided may not be suspended or discontinued pending a reevaluation of eligibility for those benefits.
Amends the Illinois Affordable Housing Act. Requires all housing financed under the Illinois Affordable Housing Program to meet a minimum standard of living requirement. Provides that in order for a program applicant to be eligible to receive funding to acquire, construct, rehabilitate, develop, operate, insure, or retain affordable single-family or multi-family housing, the applicant must demonstrate that each housing unit can provide and meet certain quality standards, as applicable. Requires housing to have cooling and dehumidification systems that are capable of being operated independently from the heating system and that can operate when the heat index exceeds 80 degrees. Requires newly constructed housing to have permanent air conditioning. Requires the heating in all housing, during the months of October through May, unless a unit of government has standards that require a higher temperature of heat, to register at least 68 degrees Fahrenheit when the outside temperature falls below 55 degrees between 6 a.m. and 10 p.m. Requires any tenant complaints about heating to be rectified within 24 hours. Requires windows to open and close with safety mechanisms installed and to be inspected on a regular basis. Provides certain standards concerning the maintenance and upkeep of the premises of the single-family or multi-family housing; accessible laundry facilities for senior residents and residents with disabilities; control for insects, rodents, and pests; standard turnaround times for property manager or maintenance personnel to respond to tenant requests; and compliance checks and tenant reviews for property management companies. Effective immediately.
Creates the Community Land Trust Task Force Act. Establishes the Community Land Trust Task Force to collect data regarding the current use of community land trusts in Illinois and opportunities for expansion statewide, in addition to other specified duties. Includes provisions about membership, compensation, and vacancies; meetings; and administrative support. Requires the Community Land Trust Task Force Act to submit a final report to the Governor and the General Assembly making specific recommendations of legislative and budgetary action that supports the mission of community land trusts to foster affordable housing and homeownership. Provides that the Task Force is dissolved and the Act is repealed on December 31, 2024. Effective immediately.
Amends the School Code. Provides that, subject to appropriation, the State Board of Education shall establish a competitive grant program to support the development or enhancement of computer science programs in the K-12 schools. Provides that eligible entities are regional offices of education, intermediate service centers, State higher education institutions, schools designated as laboratory schools, and school districts. Provides that approved entities shall be responsible for ensuring appropriate facilities are available and educators are appropriately trained on the use of any technologies or devices acquired for the purposes of the grant. Sets forth requirements to use the grant, renewal provisions, and rulemaking.
Amends the Illinois Identification Card Act and the Illinois Vehicle Code. Changes the term "non-compliant identification card" to "standard identification card". Changes the definition of "limited term REAL ID compliant identification card" to include cards that have been issued to an individual who has an approved application for asylum in the United States or has entered the United States in refugee status. Allows the Secretary of State to accept, as proof of date of birth and written signature of an applicant for a standard identification card, any passport from the applicant's country of citizenship or a consular identification document validly issued to an applicant. Prohibits the Secretary from releasing highly restricted personal information or personally identifying information or disclosing documents to any immigration agent unless it is necessary to comply with a lawful court order, judicial warrant, or subpoena for individual records that specifically requires production of such information or documents. Prohibits the Secretary from entering into or maintaining any agreement regarding the sharing of such information or documents. Provides that no temporary visitor's driver's licenses shall be issued after the effective date of the amendatory Act. Provides that every driver's license application shall state the social security number of the applicant; except if the applicant is applying for a standard driver's license and is ineligible for a social security number, then if the applicant has documentation authorizing the applicant's presence in the country, the applicant shall provide such documentation instead of a social security number. Provides that if the applicant does not have documentation authorizing the applicant's presence in the country, the applicant must submit documentation establishing that the applicant has resided in the State for a period in excess of one year and a passport validly issued to the applicant from the applicant's country of citizenship. Makes conforming changes in those Acts and the Consular Identification Document Act and the Election Code. Effective January 1, 2024.
Amends the Housing Authorities Act. Requires every housing authority organized under the Act to collect data on (i) the number of vacant rental units within each housing project operated by the housing authority and (ii) information on whether each waiting list maintained by the housing authority is open or closed. Requires the information to be reported to the Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority and compiled and reported to the General Assembly annually by the Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority. Provides that unless required by federal law, a housing authority shall not consider certain information when determining eligibility for federally assisted housing, including convictions occurring more than 180 days prior to the date the applicant's application for housing is reviewed for acceptance. Defines "federally assisted housing" to mean any housing units or subsidized housing programs funded in whole or in part by the federal government including all properties owned or financed by a housing authority, or a subsidiary or partnership in which the housing authority is a member.
Amends the Medical Assistance Article of the Illinois Public Aid Code. Provides that the medical assistance program shall be subject to provisions of the Illinois Insurance Code concerning telehealth services. Makes a conforming change in the Illinois Insurance Code.