Rep. Lilian Jiménez

Amends the Hospital Licensing Act. Provides that "hospital worker" means any person who receives an hourly wage directly or indirectly via a subcontractor by a hospital licensed under the Act. Replaces references to "nurse" with "hospital worker". Provides for additional staffing transparency and reporting requirements. Provides that hospitals licensed under the Act must employ and schedule enough hospital workers to provide quality patient care and ensure patient safety. Provides that hospitals must make available, at the beginning of each calendar year and upon request, all staffing matrices and other staffing metrics, if any, used to assess and maintain safe staffing levels for hospital workers in each unit. Provides that the Department of Public Health shall produce an annual report based on staffing disclosures. Provides that the Department shall make recommendations for minimum staffing standards for hospital workers in each hospital unit. Provides that hospitals licensed under the Act shall conduct, within the first month of employment and at no cost, a competency validation for each hospital worker hired. Provides that a hospital must submit documentation of each hospital worker's competency validation to the Department within 4 weeks after the worker's start date. Provides that hospitals shall conduct ongoing verification for each hospital worker employed during a given calendar year to determine each worker's continued competency to perform the worker's job and shall submit documentation of each worker's ongoing verification to the Department within 2 weeks of completion. Provides that hospitals shall submit a list of all competent employees currently employed at the end of each calendar year. Provides for a public registry of all competent employees to be maintained by the Department. Provides for the imposition of civil penalties for specified violations of the Act. Describes an assignment despite objection resolution process to be implemented by each hospital that is licensed under the Act. Provides for a Hospital Safety Advocate role to be created within the Department.

Amends the School Code. Provides that a school board shall prohibit a school from using a native name, logo, or mascot; defines "native name, logo, or mascot". However, provides that a school may continue to use uniforms or other materials bearing a native name, logo, or mascot that were purchased on or before the effective date of the amendatory Act until September 1, 2027 if specified requirements are met.

Mourns the death of Cook County Clerk Karen Yarbrough.

Amends the Firearm Concealed Carry Act. Provides that nothing in the Act prohibits a forest preserve district from prohibiting persons from carrying a firearm into any botanic garden, campground, aquatic center, grounds of an aquatic center, boat launch, boating center, athletic venue, picnic grove, nature center, grounds of a nature center, pavilion, grounds of a pavilion, golf course, parking lot, driving range, adventure course, grounds of an adventure course, zipline building, grounds of a zipline, equestrian center, grounds of an equestrian center, exercise venue, grounds of an exercise venue, any Illinois nature preserve, land and water reserve, or any public or private gathering or special event conducted on property that requires the issuance of a permit. Defines "grounds".

Amends the Property Tax Code. Provides that the assessed value of qualified affordable housing property shall be reduced by 30%. Effective immediately.

Amends the Unified Code of Corrections. Provides that the Department of Corrections shall adopt a rule, in consultation with a librarian who has a minimum of a Master's degree or has a Ph.D. in Library Science or Library and Information Science from an accredited college or university, appointed by the Director of Corrections, prohibiting the chief administrative officer or other correctional officer of a correctional institution or facility of the Department from summarily rejecting for use or receipt by committed persons books, publications, or library materials or from establishing lists of prohibited publications to committed persons unless those books, publications, or library materials: (1) are detrimental to the security of the correctional institution or facility; (2) constitute child pornography as defined in the Criminal Code of 2012; or (3) may be used to facilitate criminal activity. Provides that the rule shall provide that a committed person may appeal to the Director or another person or body that the Director may appoint if the committed person is denied access to the books, publications, or library materials that are requested. Provides that a final decision of the Director or appointed person or body is subject to review under the Illinois Administrative Procedure Act.

Amends the Stalking No Contact Order Act. Provides that the petitioner does not have to disclose any address that may subject the petitioner or any member of the petitioner's family or household to abuse. Provides that the petitioner may (rather than shall) designate an alternative address at which the respondent may serve notice of any motions. Provides that if the petitioner fails to provide an address for service on the petitioner, the court may designate an address that considers the safety of the petitioner or any member of the petitioner's family or household.

Creates the Tenants' Right to Organize Act. Provides that tenants receiving tenant-based rental assistance in the form of partial rent subsidy from any county, municipal, State, or federal source have the right to establish, operate, and participate in a resident organization for the purpose of addressing issues related to their living environment, which includes the terms and conditions of their tenancy as well as activities related to housing and community development. Provides that tenants may not be retaliated against for asserting these rights. Requires housing authorities to: (i) recognize legitimate tenant organizations; (ii) solicit comments from all legitimate tenant organizations not less than once each year; and (iii) meaningfully respond in writing no later than 60 days after receiving a comment from a legitimate tenant organization. Requires each owner of a rental housing development that receives federal low-income housing tax credits (LIHTC) to: (1) recognize legitimate resident organizations; and (2) not retaliate against any tenant because of his or her association with a legitimate resident organization. Requires housing authorities and owners of LIHTC rental housing developments to allow tenants and tenant organizers to conduct, without having to obtain prior permission, certain activities related to the establishment or operation of a tenant organization, including distributing leaflets, convening regularly scheduled tenant organization meetings in a space on-site and accessible to tenants, and other activities. Provides that if a housing authority or owner of a LIHTC rental housing development takes adverse action against a tenant who is a member of a tenant organization, there shall be a rebuttable presumption that such adverse action is an act of retaliation. Requires the Illinois Housing Development Authority to establish enforcement protocols and annually submit reports to the General Assembly with data summarizing the number of outstanding tenant complaints and the average close time for tenant complaints. Provides that implementation of the Act is contingent on the enactment of the federal Tenants' Right to Organize Act.

Amends the Illinois Dental Practice Act. Creates a license for dental therapists. Sets forth requirements for licensure and the scope of practice. Makes conforming changes.

Amends the Public Utilities Act. Repeals provisions requiring the Illinois Commerce Commission to establish a Universal Telephone Service Assistance Program for low-income residential customers and to adopt rules providing for enhanced enrollment for eligible consumers to receive lifeline service. Repeals a provision requiring an Electing Provider, located in the same geographic area in which local exchange telecommunications services were classified as competitive, to be subject to the same terms and conditions as provided in commitments made by the Electing Provider in connection with the previous competitive classifications. Repeals provisions requiring an Electing Provider to continue to offer and provide the optional packages under the Act to existing customers and new customers through July 1, 2017. Amends the Illinois Broadband Adoption Fund Act. Provides that "broadband internet" means a minimum service level of at least 25 megabits per second download speed. Provides that "provider" means a provider of communication services or broadband Internet in the State. Provides for the provision of devices used to connect to the Internet. Provides that providers shall notify customers that, if the customer wishes to participate in the funding of the Illinois Broadband Adoption Fund, the customer may do so by electing to contribute on a monthly basis a fixed amount that will be included in the customer's monthly bill. Sets forth related requirements. Describes a customer's right to cease contributing to the Fund at any time. Effective immediately.