Amends the Right to Privacy in the Workplace Act. Makes a technical change in a Section concerning prohibited inquiries.
Amends the Illinois Finance Authority Act. Provides that the Authority may not have outstanding at any one time bonds for any of its corporate purposes in an aggregate principal amount exceeding $29,000,000,000 (now, $23,000,000,000). Effective immediately.
Amends the Illinois Public Aid Code. Provides Medicaid eligibility for persons who meet income and asset guidelines, have a pending application for asylum with the federal Department of Homeland Security or are receiving services through a federally funded torture treatment center, and can demonstrate that they are seeking treatment for trauma resulting from torture in their countries of origin. Provides for Medicaid coverage of such persons for up to 2 years. Effective immediately.
Creates the Southern Illinois Economic Development Authority Act. Establishes the Southern Illinois Economic Development Authority in Franklin, Perry, Randolph, Jackson, Williamson, Saline, Gallatin, Union, Johnson, Pope, Hardin, Alexander, Pulaski, and Massac counties in order to promote economic development within those counties. Contains provisions concerning the powers and duties of the Authority. Allows the Authority to acquire, own, sell, lease, or otherwise dispose of interests in real property and to issue bonds, notes, or other evidences of indebtedness for certain purposes in an aggregate amount not to exceed $250,000,000. Provides that the Authority shall be governed by a 21-member board. Contains other provisions. Effective immediately.
Amends the Health Care Workplace Violence Prevention Act. Increases the membership of the pilot project task force from 6 to 10, adding one representative of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees; one representative of the Illinois Federation of Public Employees; and 2 representatives of the Department of Human Services, one representing the Division of Mental Health and the other representing the Division of Developmental Disabilities. Effective immediately.
Amends the Illinois Vehicle Code. Provides that any person 61 years of age or older applying at a driver services facility for renewal of his or her driver's license shall be provided, without charge, with a brochure warning the person of the dangers of financial identity theft. Provides that the Secretary of State shall prepare these brochures in consultation with the Department of Financial and Professional Regulation. Establishes requirements for the content of the brochures. Provides that the Secretary shall adopt rules for implementing the new provision.
Amends the Grow Our Own Teacher Education Act. Changes the name of the Act to the Grow Your Own Teacher Act. Defines "developmental classes" and makes changes to the definition of "parent and community leaders" and "schools serving a substantial percentage of low-income students". Replaces references to "student" and "participant" with "candidate" throughout the Act. Provides that the State Board shall establish criteria that address the inclusion in the planned program of strategies derived from community organizing that will help candidates develop tools for working with parents and other community members. Provides for partial loan forgiveness for shortened periods of service in hard-to-staff schools or hard-to-staff teaching positions. Provides that school districts may use those portions of the grant money designated for the expenses of supporting the work experiences of candidates and providing mentors for graduates or other applicable public funds to pay participants in programs under the initiative for student teaching required by an accredited teacher preparation program. Provides that one member of the consortium may expend funds to cover the salary of a site-based cohort coordinator and that grant funds may be expended to pay directly for required developmental classes for candidates beginning a program. Makes other changes. Effective January 1, 2007.
Amends the Illinois Public Aid Code. Provides that the Department of Healthcare and Family Services may provide by rule for compromise of child support arrearages and interest accrued on child support arrearages assigned to the State under the Code. Provides that the rule shall establish the circumstances under which such obligations may be compromised, with due regard for the payment ability of low-income obligors and the importance of encouraging payment of current child support obligations.
Amends the School Code and the Critical Health Problems and Comprehensive Health Education Act. Removes a provision that requires a sex education course that discusses sexual intercourse to have course material and instruction to advise pupils of the Abandoned Newborn Infant Protection Act and to provide information about responsible parenting and the availability of confidential adoption services. Provides instead that the Comprehensive Health Education Program must provide course material and instruction to advise pupils of the Abandoned Newborn Infant Protection Act and to provide information about responsible parenting and the availability of confidential adoption services. Amends the State Mandates Act to require implementation without reimbursement. Effective immediately.
Amends the Illinois Health Care Finance Reform Act. Requires the Department of Public Health to require all ambulatory surgical treatment centers licensed to operate in the State (now, the requirement applies only to hospitals licensed to operate in the State) to adopt a uniform system for submitting patient claims and encounter data (now, patient billing data) for payment from public and private payors. Requires hospitals and ambulatory surgical centers to submit billing data to the Department of Public Health no later than 60 days after the end of each calendar quarter. Requires the Department to include certain information in its "Consumer Guide to Health Care" on its website. Authorizes the Department to disclose certain information on its website. Authorizes the Department to promulgate rules concerning the provisions of the Illinois Health Care Finance Reform Act. Requires that ambulatory surgical treatment centers, organizations representing ambulatory surgical treatment centers, purchasers, consumer groups, and health plans be meaningfully involved in the development of all aspects of the Department's methodology for collecting, analyzing, and disclosing the information collected under this Act. Requires the Department to evaluate additional methods for comparing the performance of hospitals and ambulatory surgical treatment centers and report its findings and recommendations on its Internet website and to the Governor and General Assembly no later than January 1, 2006. Makes other changes. Effective immediately.
