Rep. Debbie Meyers-Martin

Amends the School Code. Provides that, when hiring physical education, music, and visual arts educators, school districts must prioritize the hiring of educators who hold a teaching license and endorsement in those content areas. Provides that, if a school district is unable to hire a qualified candidate, the district may then hire a candidate who holds a valid professional educator license on a short-term basis. Provides that the professional educator license applicant must pass the content area test for which they are assigned to teach within one calendar year of the employment start date. Provides that, in order to retain employment for subsequent school years, the employee must complete 18 hours of course work in the content area in which they are teaching within 3 calendar years of their employment start date. Provides that in case of a reduction in force, districts may follow their local contract language for filling positions.

Amends the Illinois Secure Choice Savings Program Act. Provides that the Illinois Secure Choice Savings Board shall determine the number and duties of staff members needed to administer the Illinois Secure Choice Savings Program and assemble such a staff in collaboration with the State Treasurer. Provides that the Board shall keep investment fees (rather than total annual expenses) as low as possible, but in no event shall they exceed 0.25% (rather than 0.75%). Provides that the Board may charge administrative fees, established by rule, that shall be consistent with industry standards. Provides that the definition of "employer" does not include the federal government, the State, any county, any municipal corporation, or any of the State's units or instrumentalities. Makes other changes. Effective immediately.

Amends the Illinois Vehicle Code. Defines "disablement technology" as any instrument, device, machine, or equipment, whether software or hardware, that can be used to disable the starter of a motor vehicle, prevent fuel from flowing to the engine, prevent electricity from flowing to the engine, or otherwise prevent the vehicle from being started or driven by a person. Provides that disablement technology shall not be used as an aid to the physical retrieval of a vehicle as part of repossession or as a consequence for nonpayment under a retail installment contract or other instrument. Provides that a violation is an unlawful practice within the meaning of the Consumer Fraud and Deceptive Business Practices Act. Provides that a consumer whose vehicle is subject to the activation of disablement technology may bring an action against an activating person or entity for damages of $1,000 per month per violation plus actual damages and attorney's fees. Provides that disablement technology may be offered for sale or sold only for antitheft purposes, either on its own or for an additional fee in connection with the purchase of a motor vehicle. Requires a motor vehicle dealer that sells a motor vehicle containing disablement technology to comply with specified requirements. Provides that data generated or stored by disablement technology as the result of a consumer's vehicle usage is the personal property of the consumer, and the consumer is entitled to all profits and other benefits flowing from the sharing or sale of the data. Provides that data generated or stored by disablement technology that is installed in a consumer's vehicle, and data transmitted by or through the disablement technology that relates to the consumer or the consumer's use of a motor vehicle, may not be sold or otherwise shared with any third parties except as required by federal, State, or local law, or required by court order. Makes a corresponding change in the Consumer Fraud and Deceptive Business Practices Act.

Recognizes the month of September 2023 as the National Scarring Alopecia Awareness Month.

Provides that the amendatory Act may be referred to as the Reproductive Liberty and Justice Act. Amends the Equity and Representation in Health Care Act. Expands the definition of "medical facility" to include a reproductive health center established at a nonprofit community health center. Makes other changes. Amends the Birth Center Licensing Act. Makes changes to the definition of "birth center". Provides that a birth center and any licensed provider of abortion and birth control services on-site may be co-located at the same facility. Requires the Department of Public Health to adopt rules for licensing and designating co-located facilities to provide specified essential reproductive health care services. Contains other provisions. Amends the Licensed Certified Professional Midwife Practice Act. Provides that a licensed certified professional midwife may provide out-of-hospital care to a childbearing individual who has had a previous cesarean section, if authorized by the Department of Financial and Professional Regulation. Removes language prohibiting a licensed certified professional midwife from (1) performing an abortion or (2) knowingly accepting responsibility for prenatal or intrapartum care of a client with alcohol abuse or drug addiction. Amends the Abused and Neglected Child Reporting Act. Removes from the definition of "neglected child" any child who is a newborn infant whose blood, urine, or meconium contains any amount of a controlled substance. Makes corresponding changes to the Juvenile Court Act of 1987, the Adoption Act, and the Vital Records Act. Contains provisions concerning CAPTA notifications and prohibited disclosures regarding the results of a toxicology test administered on a newborn or pregnant person. Amends the Substance Use Disorder Act. Contains provisions concerning Plans of Safe Care. Amends the Medical Patient Rights Act. Provides that a patient has the right for a physician and other health care service providers to administer specified medical tests without disclosing the results of the test to a law enforcement agency or to the Department of Children and Family Services. Amends the Illinois Health and Hazardous Substances Registry Act. Makes changes to the definition of "adverse pregnancy outcome". Contains provisions concerning certificates of birth resulting in stillbirth. Makes other changes.

Amends the Illinois Income Tax Act. Provides that the following amounts shall be deposited into the Local Government Distributive Fund as the revenue is realized from the specified taxes: (i) 8% of the net revenue realized from the tax imposed under the Act upon individuals, trusts, and estates; (ii) 8% of the net revenue realized from the tax imposed by the Act upon electing pass-through entities; and (iii) 9.11% of the net revenue realized from the tax imposed by the Act upon corporations. Amends the State Revenue Sharing Act to provide that amounts paid into the Local Government Distributive Fund are appropriated on a continuing basis. Effective July 1, 2023.

Declares the State of Illinois should take the lead on issues of Pan-Africanism, citizenship in Africa, and reparatory justice, and the State should champion the Eighth Pan-African Congress Part 1 (8PAC1) and its agenda to develop a continental-wide diaspora citizenship plan, establish the African Diaspora as the 6th Region of the African Union (AU), and determine a permanent headquarters for the 6th Region. Calls upon the State to immediately, through its African Descent-Citizens Reparations Commission (ADCRC), provide matrilineal and patrilineal DNA testing through African ancestry to determine the ancestral lineages and territories of origin of its Black residents so that they can seek citizenship in their ancestral homelands, if so desired. Calls upon the State to become the first to conduct a repatriation census in preparation for honoring President Abraham Lincoln's desire for voluntary repatriation with compensation and to make conducting the repatriation census its immediate priority.

Amends the Department of Public Health Powers and Duties Law of the Civil Administrative Code of Illinois. Requires the Department of Public Health to establish women's health clinics throughout the State to provide affordable health care for women. Requires the services provided at the women's health clinics to be offered at an affordable price and to include specified services, including women's health examinations, pregnancy confirmation, prenatal care, labor and delivery services, postpartum care, family planning examinations and birth control services, and care for sexually transmitted diseases and infections.

Amends the Medical Assistance Article of the Illinois Public Aid Code. Provides that, to address maternal mental health conditions and reduce the incidence of maternal mortality and morbidity and postpartum depression, pregnant women eligible to receive medical assistance shall receive coverage for prenatal and postnatal support services during pregnancy and during the 5-year period beginning on the last day of the pregnancy. Provides that prenatal and postnatal support services covered under the medical assistance program include, but are not limited to, services provided by doulas, lactation counselors, labor assistants, childbirth educators, community mental health centers or behavioral clinics, social workers, and public health nurses as well as any other evidence-based mental health and social care services that are designed to screen, identify, and manage maternal mental disorders. Permits the Department of Healthcare and Family Services to consult with the Department of Human Services and the Department of Public Health to establish a program of services consistent with the purposes of the amendatory Act. Requires the Department of Healthcare and Family Services to apply for any federal waiver or State Plan amendment required to implement the provisions of the amendatory Act. Requires the Department to adopt rules, upon federal approval, on certification or licensing requirements for providers of prenatal and postnatal support services and rules to provide medical assistance reimbursement for such services.

Amends the Credit Services Organizations Act. Expands the list of prohibitions imposed on a credit services organization to include: (i) charging or receiving any money or other valuable consideration before providing services listed in the contract (rather than charging or receiving any money or other valuable consideration prior to full and complete performance of the services the credit services organization has agreed to perform); (ii) making a guarantee that a buyer's credit score or credit report will be improved through that buyer contracting with the credit services organization; (iii) adding an authorized user to a credit card account for payment of money or other valuable consideration; (iv) seeking an investigation by a third party of a trade line on a credit report without the authorization of the buyer; (v) failing to allow the buyer to cancel a contract with the credit services organization by phone call, email, text message, or a website; and other prohibitions as specified. In a provision concerning written statements a credit services organization must provide to a buyer before executing a contract or other agreement with the buyer, provides that, if a credit services organization agrees to provide services on a periodic basis, the organization must provide a detailed written description of those services that explains how the buyer will be billed in substantially equal periodic payments at fixed time intervals. In a provision requiring each written contract to include certain statements and information, provides that: (i) a statement alerting the buyer of the cancellation notice form attached to the contract must be written in at least 10-point boldface type; and (ii) the written contract must include a complete and detailed description of the services to be performed by the credit services organization and the total cost to the buyer for such services, including a detailed description on how a buyer will be billed for services provided by the credit services organization on a periodic basis. Requires a credit services organization to obtain a surety bond and adhere to certain procedures. Provides that the surety bond shall be maintained for a period of 5 (rather than 2) years after the date that the credit services organization ceases operations. Makes a change to the definition of "credit services organization".