Rep. Edgar González

Amends various Acts concerning children by: replacing certain pronouns with the nouns to which the pronouns refer; replacing certain instances of the word "biological"; changing the Independent Juvenile Ombudsman to the Independent Juvenile Ombudsperson; deleting certain obsolete language; and making technical and other changes. Effective 60 days after becoming law.

Amends the Public Utilities Act. Provides that any supplier of energy that generates more than 500 kilowatt hours of electricity annually within the State (rather than any supplier of energy within the State) and all companies that develop, build, install, or maintain a renewable energy project with total annual revenues over $15,000,000 shall submit an annual report on all procurement goals and actual spending for female-owned, minority-owned, veteran-owned, and small business enterprises in the previous calendar year. Deletes language that exempts specified wind energy and solar energy from having to submit an annual report. Provides that each participating company in its annual report shall include an explanation of the plan for the next year to increase participation, including a buying plan for the specific goods and services the company intends to buy in the next 6 to 18 months, including any procurement codes used by the company, to assist entrepreneurs and diverse companies to understand upcoming opportunities to work with the company submitting the buying plan.

Amends the Landlord and Tenant Act. Provides that during and after an emergency period beginning on January 1, 2021 and ending on July 1, 2021, a landlord may not, and may not threaten to: (1) deliver a termination notice of a rental agreement based on a tenant's nonpayment balance; (2) initiate or continue an action to take possession of a rental unit based on a termination notice for nonpayment delivered on or after January 1, 2021; (3) take any action that would interfere with a tenant's possession or use of a rental unit based on a tenant's nonpayment balance; (4) assess a late fee or any other penalty on a tenant's nonpayment balance; or (5) report a tenant's nonpayment balance as delinquent to any consumer credit reporting agency. Provides that before applying payments received from a tenant or on behalf of a tenant to a tenant's nonpayment balance, a landlord shall apply the payments in a specified order. Provides that during the emergency period, the landlord may provide a written notice to a tenant stating that the tenant continues to owe any rent due. Provides that, following the emergency period, a tenant with an outstanding nonpayment balance has a 6-month grace period that ends on January 1, 2022, to pay the outstanding nonpayment balance. Provides that the tenant shall notify the landlord of the tenant's intention to use the grace period, and failure to do so entitles the landlord to recover damages equal to 50% of one month's rent following the grace period. Provides that if a landlord violates the provisions, a tenant may obtain injunctive relief to recover possession or address any other violation and may recover from the landlord an amount up to 3 months' periodic rent plus any actual damages. Makes other changes. Effective immediately.

Amends the Police and Community Relations Improvement Act. Provides that in the case of a law enforcement officer-involved death, the chief judge of the circuit court of the circuit in which the law enforcement officer-involved death occurred shall appoint a special prosecutor to review the report of the investigators assigned to investigate an officer-involved death and to prosecute the officer involved in the death, if the special prosecutor determines that there is a basis for the prosecution. Amends the Counties Code to make conforming changes. Effective immediately.

Amends the Public Community College Act. Allows the board of trustees of a community college district to establish and offer a baccalaureate-level early childhood education program and confer a bachelor of applied science degree in early childhood education and a Professional Educator License with endorsements in early childhood education and early childhood special education under certain conditions. Provides for an application for approval from the Illinois Community College Board. Sets forth college requirements and prohibitions. Provides that a candidate for educator licensure must successfully complete applicable testing requirements prior to the issuance of an educator license and any endorsements. Provides for a statewide evaluation of such programs.

Amends the Health Facilities Planning Act. Modifies provisions concerning Safety Net Impact Statements. Provides for Emergency Medicine and Trauma Systems Impact Statements and Maternal and Child Health Impact Statements. Provides further requirements concerning the discontinuance of a hospital facility or a category of service. Provides requirements for hospital closure during a pandemic. Provides for a right of action under the Act. Specifies and modifies penalties for a violation of the Act. Allows a health facility to be placed under receivership. Specifies further powers and duties of the Health Facilities and Services Review Board under the Act. Amends the Illinois Public Aid Code. Requires a general acute care hospital that ceases to provide hospital services before January 1, 2022 to pay specified amounts. Provides further requirements concerning the payments. Defines terms. Makes conforming and other changes. Effective immediately. House Floor Amendment No. 1 Deletes reference to: 20 ILCS 3960/4 20 ILCS 3960/14.2 new Replaces everything after the enacting clause. Reinserts the provisions of the introduced bill with changes. Modifies provisions and requirements concerning Safety Net Impact Statements, Emergency Medicine and Trauma Systems Impact Statements, and Maternal and Child Health Impact Statements. Makes changes concerning requirements for applications for permits, exemptions, and certificates for changes in ownership of a health care facility and discontinuation of health care facilities or services thereof. Further modifies the powers and duties of the Health Facilities and Services Review Board (State Board). Makes changes in provisions concerning the revision of criteria, standards, and rules. Modifies provisions concerning State Board notice of hospital reduction in health care services. Restores provisions allowing the State Board to accept in-kind services or donations instead of or in combination with the imposition of a fine. Removes provisions concerning membership of the State Board and receivership. Modifies defined terms. Makes conforming and other changes. Effective immediately.

Creates the Workplace Communication and Safety Act. Provides that it is unlawful for any employer to prohibit the use or possession of a mobile communications device by an employee at the employee's workplace. Provides that the Director of Labor shall administer and enforce the provisions of the Act. Provides that the Department of Labor has the power to conduct investigations in connection with the administration and enforcement of the Act. Provides that employers who violate any provision of the Act or any rule adopted pursuant to the Act are subject to a civil penalty. Creates the Workplace Communication and Safety Fund as a special fund in the State Treasury. Provides that civil penalties recovered under the Act shall be paid into the Fund. Amends the State Finance Act making conforming changes.

Amends the Consumer Fraud and Deceptive Business Practices Act. Provides that a business that sells or shares a consumer's contact information to or with another must send written notice through the U.S. mail to the consumer whose information is being sold or shared and give the consumer the opportunity to opt out of the sale or sharing of the information after receiving the notice. Provides that a business that fails to comply with those requirements commits an unlawful practice within the meaning of the Act.

Amends the Illinois Insurance Code. Makes a technical change in a Section relating to long-term care insurance. House Floor Amendment No. 1 Deletes reference to: 215 ILCS 5/351A-4 Adds reference to: New Act 215 ILCS 5/356z.41 Replaces everything after the enacting clause. Creates the Access to Affordable Insulin Act. Sets forth provisions concerning an insulin urgent-need program. Provides that by July 1, 2022, each manufacturer shall establish procedures to make insulin available to eligible individuals who are in urgent need of insulin or who are in need of access to an affordable insulin supply. Sets forth provisions concerning insulin urgent-need program exceptions, eligibility, forms, applications, claims and reimbursement, copayments, information sheets, navigators, and penalties. Defines terms. Amends the Illinois Insurance Code. In provisions concerning cost sharing in prescription insulin drugs, provides that an insurer that provides coverage for prescription insulin drugs under the terms of a health coverage plan the insurer offers shall limit the total amount that an insured is required to pay for a 30-day supply of covered prescription insulin drugs at an amount not to exceed $35 (rather than $100). Effective immediately.

Repeals the Rent Control Preemption Act. Housing Affordability Impact Note, House Floor Amendment No. 2 (Housing Development Authority) This bill will have no effect on the cost of constructing, purchasing, owning, or selling a single-family residence. Fiscal Note, House Floor Amendment No. 2 (Dept. of Commerce & Economic Opportunity) The anticipated fiscal impact seen by local governments in performance of this bill will be that of administering a referendum. The Department believes costs associated with administering a referendum to be minimal and should be covered by funds budgeted for normal election activities.