Rep. Thaddeus Jones

Amends the Illinois Public Aid Code. Makes a technical change in a Section concerning construction of the Code.

Urges the Governor to call a special session of the gaming board by March 1, 2021 to name the South Suburban casino license recipient. Details conditions that the license recipient is urged to follow after receiving the license.

Amends the Nurse Agency Licensing Act. Prohibits nurse agencies from entering into covenants not to compete with nurses and certified nurse aides who are employed by the agencies. Provides that a supplemental healthcare staffing agency must not bill nor receive payments from a licensed health care facility at a rate higher than 130% of the sum of total compensation plus associated payroll taxes for applicable employee classifications. Provides that the maximum charge must include all charges for administrative fees, contract fees, or other special charges in addition to compensation for the temporary nursing pool personnel supplied to a health care facility. Amends the Illinois Public Aid Code. Provides that is shall be a matter of State policy that the Department of Healthcare and Family Services shall set nursing facility rates, by rule, utilizing an evidence-based methodology that rewards appropriate staffing, quality-of-life improvements for nursing facility residents, and the reduction of racial inequities and health disparities for nursing facility residents enrolled in Medicaid. Contains provisions concerning the Patient Driven Payment Model for nursing services reimbursements; utilization of the Staff Time and Resource Intensity Verification study; the statewide base rate for certain dates of service; the establishment of a variable per diem add-on for nursing facilities with specified staffing levels; directed payments to improve the quality of care delivered by nursing facilities; occupied bed tax amounts beginning January 1, 2022, emergency rules; and other matters. Schedules for repeal on July 1, 2024 the Nursing Home License Fee Article of the Code. Amends the Illinois Administrative Procedure Act. Permits the Department of Healthcare and Family Services to adopt emergency rules to implement certain changes made by the amendatory Act. Effective immediately.

Amends the Illinois Health Facilities Planning Act. Creates the South Suburban Trauma Center Fund as a special fund in the State treasury. Provides for the deposit and use of moneys in the fund. Provides for duties of the Health Facilities and Services Review Board regarding a south suburban trauma center. Amends the Toll Highway Act. Provides for the use of specified toll revenue. Amends the State Finance Act to provide for the South Suburban Trauma Center Fund. Effective immediately.

Amends the Expressway Camera Act. Includes Boone, Bureau, DeKalb, DuPage, Grundy, Henry, Kane, Kendall, Lake, LaSalle, Madison, McHenry, St. Clair, Will and Winnebago counties among the counties in which the Illinois State Police, the Department of Transportation, and the Toll Highway Authority shall increase the amount of expressway and highway cameras. Provides that any funds needed to conduct the program for use on expressways shall be taken from the Road Fund or Illinois State Toll Highway Authority funds and shall be included in requests for qualification processes for both agencies. Repeals the Act on July 1, 2025 (rather than July 1, 2023). House Committee Amendment No. 2 Replaces everything after the enacting clause with the provisions of the introduced bill, and makes the following changes: Includes Champaign, Macon, Morgan, Peoria, and Sangamon counties among the counties in which the Illinois State Police, the Department of Transportation, and the Toll Highway Authority shall increase the amount of expressway and highway cameras. Provides that images from expressway cameras may be used by any municipal police department, county sheriff's office, State Police officer, or other law enforcement agency with jurisdiction over the expressway in Cook County in the investigation of any violent offenses, including, but not limited to, offenses involving the use of a firearm and vehicular hijacking. Provides that images from expressway cameras may be used by any law enforcement agency conducting an active law enforcement investigation involving a violent offense. Deletes language providing that any funds needed to conduct the program shall be included in requests for qualification processes. Provides that any funds needed to conduct the program for use on expressways under the jurisdiction of the Illinois State Toll Highway Authority shall be paid for by funds from the Illinois State Tollway Highway Authority.

Creates the Illinois Broadband Deployment, Equity, Access, and Affordability Act of 2022. Provides that access to affordable, reliable, high-speed broadband service is essential to full participation in modern life in the State and throughout the United States. Defines terms. Provides that the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity shall establish and implement a statewide broadband service grant program. Provides that the Department shall use money from the grant program only for the exclusive purpose of awarding grants to applicants for projects that are limited to the construction and deployment of broadband service into unserved areas in the State and for the Department's cost to administer the program. Provides that the Department shall not award grant money to a governmental entity or educational institution. Provides that the Department shall not, as a condition of an award of grant money, impose an open network architecture requirement, rate regulation, or other term or condition of service that differs from the applicant's terms or conditions of service in its other service areas. Includes provisions providing for the criteria for determining the award of funds, the information an applicant must provide for an application for a grant, the priority by which the Department shall follow in granting awards, and when the Department shall not award a grant to an applicant. Provides that when a grant is awarded, the Department shall provide notice on its website of each application receiving a grant. Provides that the Department shall require an applicant awarded a grant to submit a semi-annual report from the time the applicant receives the grant to 3 years after completion of the project. Makes a conforming change in the Freedom of Information Act. Effective immediately.

Amends the Illinois Health Benefits Exchange Law. Provides that the Department of Insurance has the authority to operate the Illinois Health Benefits Exchange. Provides that the Director of Insurance may require plans in the individual market to be made available for comparison on the exchange, but may not require all plans be purchased exclusively on the exchange. Provides that the Director may require that plans offered on the exchange conform with standardized plan designs. Provides that the Director may apply a monthly assessment to each health benefits plan sold in the Illinois Health Benefits Exchange according to specified rates. Provides that the Director shall establish an advisory committee to provide advice to the Director concerning the operation of the exchange and that the advisory committee shall include specified members. Provides that the Department shall also have the authority to coordinate the operations of the exchange with the operations of the State Medicaid program and the FamilyCare Program to determine eligibility for those programs as soon as practicable. Provides that the Department shall adopt rules. Removes provisions concerning small employer health insurance coverage and markets. Makes other changes. Effective January 1, 2023.

Amends the Freedom from Drone Surveillance Act. Defines "emotionally disturbed person" and "special event". Deletes "data" from the definition of "information". Provides that "information" does not apply to circumstances in which the drone is used over publicly owned property or private property with permission when the purpose is training peace officers, public relations, conducting infrastructure inspections, or other similar non-law enforcement purposes. Permits the use of a drone by a law enforcement agency if the law enforcement agency is assisting an emotionally disturbed person, and is not also undertaking a criminal investigation. Permits the use of a drone by a law enforcement agency at a special event to prepare for or monitor crowd size, density, and movement; assess public safety staffing; or to monitor the safety of the participants. If the special event is occurring on private property, use of a drone for this exception shall be authorized by the owners or organizers prior to flight. Provides that a law enforcement agency may use a drone to respond to Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP) dispatched calls for service, when the primary purpose for the response is to locate or assist victims, or both, identify offenders, and to guide emergency response. Provides that information gathered by a drone is subject to the disclosure and exception to disclosure provisions of the Freedom of Information Act. Makes other changes. Amends the Freedom of Information Act to make conforming changes.

Amends the Medical Assistance Article of the Illinois Public Aid Code. Declares that all changes to the existing nursing facility direct care reimbursement rate methodologies and to the bed assessment and collection procedures must be approached with caution, executed deliberately, and held to the highest of standards in order to protect nursing facility residents from disruption in care, protect workers from lost wages and jobs, and protect providers from the increased instability within the industry. Provides that a Nursing Facility Oversight Committee (Committee) shall be named by the 4 legislative leaders to oversee, assess, and provide direction to the Department of Healthcare and Family Services as it relates to long term care services. Contains provisions on the Committee's composition, meetings, proxy voting, and other matters. Requires the Department to seek the advice and consent of the Committee prior to filing emergency or permanent administrative rules with the Secretary of State or submitting Medicaid State Plan amendments and all correspondence to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Requires the Department to prepare transition plans for the redesign of the direct care reimbursement rate methodologies and the assessment tax schedule and collection proceedings. Contains provisions concerning advanced notice to nursing facilities of all payment, award, and rate changes; a quarterly direct care per diem reimbursement rate for each nursing facility; direct care reimbursement rate components subject to redesign; establishment of a single quarterly non-Medicare occupied bed varied tax assessment; State Plan amendments to permit expedited implementation of the redesigned bed assessment; compliance requirements for managed care organizations; penalties for non-compliance; and other matters. Effective immediately.

Amends the Employment of Strikebreakers Act. Makes a technical change in a Section concerning the short title.