Rep. Thaddeus Jones

Amends the Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities Administrative Act. Provides that beginning July 1, 2018, and quarterly thereafter, the Department of Human Services shall submit to the General Assembly a written report providing, at minimum, for each State-operated mental health center and State-operated developmental center: (1) the number of employees; (2) the number of patient or resident initiated workplace violence incidents which occurred, including the number which were a direct assault on staff and the number which were a violent incident to which staff responded; (3) the number of employees impacted in each incident; and (4) the rate of workplace violence that quarter expressed as total number of employees impacted to total number of employees. Effective immediately.

Amends the Illinois Municipal Code. In provisions prohibiting a municipality from requiring police officers to issue a specific number of citations within a designated period of time, removes an exclusion for municipalities with their own independent inspector general and law enforcement review authority.

Amends the State Commemorative Dates Act. Provides that May 19 of each year is designated as "First Responder Mental Health Awareness Day", to be observed throughout the State as a day to honor firefighters, police officers, and other first responders who have lost their lives due to and suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, and other mental health issues.

Amends the Illinois Vehicle Code. Provides for the issuance of Operation Desert Shield/Desert Storm license plates to any Illinois resident who has earned the Southwest Asia Service Medal from the United States Armed Forces. Effective immediately.

Amends the Illinois Public Aid Code. Requires long-term care providers to submit all changes in resident status, including, but not limited to, death, discharge, changes in patient credit, third party liability, and Medicare coverage to the Department of Healthcare and Family Services through the Medical Electronic Data Interchange System, the Recipient Eligibility Verification System, or the Electronic Data Interchange System under a specified schedule. Requires the Department and other agencies to establish an expedited long-term care eligibility determination and enrollment system. Requires the Director of Healthcare and Family Services, in coordination with the Secretary of Human Services and the Director of Aging, to hold meetings for provider associations representing facilities licensed under the Nursing Home Care Act and certified as supportive living programs. Provides that the meetings shall be held every 6 weeks until all backlogged cases have been adjudicated and the application process has been reduced to the federal timeframe. Contains provisions concerning a 45-day extension of the federal eligibility application processing deadline in suspected cases of fraud; the identification of applicants who had full Medicaid benefits in the community for 6 months or more immediately before entering the long-term care facility; reporting requirements; public-private partnerships aimed at redeploying caseworkers to targeted high-Medicaid facilities for the purpose of expediting initial Medicaid and long-term care benefits applications; the establishment of a Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act compliant database; and other matters. Effective immediately.

Amends the School Code and various Acts relating to the governance of public universities and community colleges in Illinois. With respect to the requirement that the events of Black History be taught in every public elementary school and high school, provides that a student may not complete the 8th grade or graduate from high school without studying this material and that a school may meet this requirement through an online program or course. Requires every public institution of higher education and community college to offer a course studying the events of Black History. Allows public institutions of higher education and community colleges to meet the requirement by offering an online course.

Recognizes the hard work of Dr. Leotis Swopes and the strong foundation for education that has been laid in District 205.

Congratulates Dr. Kelon D. Duke on his sixth year at Calvary Baptist Church of Glenwood.

Recognizes George Conditt IV for his selection to the Puerto Rico U18 team.

Declares February 7, 2018 as National African-American HIV/AIDS Awareness Day in the State of Illinois.