Rep. Justin Slaughter

Amends the Drug Paraphernalia Control Act. Makes a technical change in a Section concerning the short title.

Amends the Illinois Police Training Act. Provides that a training waiver from the Minimum Standards Basic Law Enforcement or County Correctional Training Course due to extensive prior law enforcement or county corrections experience shall be given whether or not the experience was obtained by employment by this State or any local governmental agency. Provides that, within 60 days after the effective date of the amendatory Act, the Illinois Law Enforcement Training Standards Board shall adopt uniform rules providing for a training waiver process for a person previously employed and qualified as a law enforcement or county corrections officer under federal law or the laws of any other state. Requires the rules to provide that any person previously employed or qualified as a law enforcement or county corrections officer under federal law or the laws of any other state shall successfully complete the following prior to the approval of a waiver: (1) a training program approved by the Board on the laws of this State relevant to the duties of law enforcement and county correctional officers; and (2) firearms training. Amends the Illinois Administrative Procedure Act. Grants the Illinois Law Enforcement Training Standards Board emergency rulemaking authority to implement the provisions of the amendatory Act.

Amends the Unified Code of Corrections. Provides that the Department of Juvenile Justice Office of Independent Juvenile Ombudsman also shall be ombudsman for county-operated juvenile detention centers. Provides that the Ombudsman shall secure the rights of youth committed to county-operated juvenile detention centers. Provides that, with respect to county-operated juvenile detention centers, the Ombudsman shall report to a local commission concerning: (1) the work of the Ombudsman; (2) the status of any review or investigation undertaken by the Ombudsman; and (3) any recommendations that the Ombudsman has relating to a systemic issue in the Department of Juvenile Justice's or a county-operated juvenile detention center's provision of services and any other matters for consideration by the General Assembly and the Governor. Also provides for the reporting of this information with respect to county-operated juvenile detention centers, to the chief judge of the applicable judicial circuit and shall make the data publicly available. Provides that the commission shall be established by ordinance of the county board of the county in which the county-operated juvenile detention center is located, and, at a minimum, shall include the chief judge, the State's Attorney, the Public Defender, a correctional administrator, and an advocate for justice system impacted families and individuals. Provides that, to the extent that any county-operated juvenile detention center provides services to counties beyond the one in which it is located, the Independent Juvenile Ombudsman shall also provide a copy of the data to the county boards of the counties served by the county-operated juvenile detention center.

Creates the Outdoor Rx Program Act. Authorizes the Department of Public Health, subject to appropriation, to make grants for outdoor environmental, ecological, agricultural, or other natural resource-based or outdoor-based therapy programs serving the citizens of the State of Illinois. Requires the Department to establish an advisory committee to assist and advise the Department in the development and administration of the Outdoor Rx Program, including developing the form for an application for receipt of a grant. Provides that the Department shall set priorities and develop criteria for the awarding of grants to natural resource-based or outdoor-based therapy programs. Provides criteria for grant eligibility and selection. Provides that the Director of Public Health shall make the final decision on funding a program. Amends the State Finance Act. Creates the Outdoor Rx Program Fund as a special fund in the State treasury.

Amends the Smoke Free Illinois Act. Defines "electronic smoking device". Changes the definition of "retail tobacco store" to include references to "electronic smoking devices". Provides that "smoke" or "smoking" includes the use of an electronic smoking device.

Amends the Illinois Vehicle Code. Provides that, unless some other speed restriction is established under the Code, the maximum speed limit on a highway with a designated bicycle lane is 25 miles per hour.

Amends the Administration Article of the Illinois Public Aid Code. Requires the Department of Human Services to track and collect data on the scope and frequency of SNAP benefits fraud in Illinois where a SNAP recipient's benefits are stolen from the recipient's electronic benefits transfer card by means of card skimming, card cloning, or some other similar fraudulent method. Requires the Department to specifically keep a record of every report made to the Department by a SNAP recipient alleging the theft of benefits due to no fault of the recipient, the benefit amount stolen, and, if practicable, how those stolen benefits were used and the location of those thefts. Requires the Department to report its findings to the General Assembly on a quarterly basis beginning in calendar year 2024. Provides that a SNAP recipient's personally identifiable information shall be excluded from the reports consistent with State and federal privacy protections; and that each quarterly report shall be posted on the Department's official website. Provides that if the Department determines that a SNAP recipient has made a substantiated report of stolen benefits due to card skimming, card cloning, or some other similar fraudulent method, the Department shall refer the matter to the Attorney General and shall provide any assistance to the Attorney General in the prosecution of the alleged theft or fraud.

Amends the Illinois Vehicle Code. Provides that in a county having a population of 3,000,000 or more, the county sheriff shall establish with other law enforcement agencies a vehicle theft hotline to facilitate the location of stolen vehicles via their installed existing global positioning systems, collaborate with vehicle manufacturers and dealers to provide information and assistance to law enforcement officers in the investigation of vehicle theft, and ensure that consumers are provided with information concerning the hotline and any new or used vehicle manufactured with a global positioning system by publishing the information in a conspicuous location on the county sheriff's website. Provides that the manufacturer of any vehicle sold in this State shall establish a hotline available to State, county, and local law enforcement agencies exclusively for the purposes of law enforcement information sharing and the electronic tracking of vehicles stolen in vehicular hijacking incidents or that have been used in the commission of kidnapping, aggravated battery with a firearm, attempted homicide, or homicide. Provides that the manufacturer's hotline shall relay vehicle location information, including real-time vehicle location information whenever possible, to the 9-1-1 call center or designated dispatch center for the responding agency, to the best of the manufacturer's technical capability. Requires State, county, and local law enforcement agencies to use their respective 9-1-1 system call centers or designated dispatch centers for the purpose of verification of law enforcement officers' identities and bona fide incident report numbers related to incidents. Requires manufacturers to prepare written statements detailing tracking and disabling system capabilities and make them available to State, county, and local law enforcement agencies upon request. Requires that, if a vehicle is not subscribed to the manufacturer's tracking service, the manufacturer of any vehicle sold in this State shall waive all fees associated with initiating, renewing, reestablishing, or maintaining the location, disabling, or alert service with which the vehicle is equipped during a law enforcement response or investigation of specified offenses.

Creates the Justice40 Oversight Committee Act. Establishes the Justice40 Oversight Committee. Provides that the Justice40 Oversight Committee shall make findings, conclusions, and recommendations regarding environmental justice in this State and uses of federal funds provided to the State for environmental justice. Requires the Justice40 Oversight Committee to submit reports delineating the Oversight Committee's findings, conclusions, and recommendations to the General Assembly by specified dates. Contains requirements for the appointment of voting and nonvoting members of the Oversight Committee. Contains other provisions. Effective immediately.

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.