Rep. Janet Yang Rohr

Creates the Rebuild Illinois Mental Health Workforce Act. Provides that the purpose of the Act is to preserve and expand access to Medicaid community mental health care in Illinois to prevent unnecessary hospitalizations and avoid the criminalization of mental health conditions. Establishes add-on payments for the following community mental health services to be paid beginning with State Fiscal Year 2023 and continuing for each State fiscal year thereafter: individual therapy services; community support-individual services; case management services; and assertive community treatment services. Requires monthly directed payments to community mental health providers of community support team services or assertive community treatment services. Provides that such directed payments shall be based on the number of Medicaid users, as defined, who receive services from the provider in the base year. Provides that the add-on payments established under the Act shall apply to Medicaid services provided by a contracted managed care organization or entity and services paid for directly by the Department of Healthcare and Family Services. Provides that no base Medicaid rate or Medicaid rate add-on payment or any other payment for the provision of Medicaid community mental health services in place on July 1, 2021 shall be diminished or changed to make the reimbursement changes required under the Act. Requires the Department to apply for federal approval to implement the Act. Provides that implementation of the add-on payments is conditioned on the receipt of federal financial participation for such payments. Effective immediately.

Amends the Illinois Insurance Code. Makes a technical change in a Section concerning the purpose of the Article regarding nonprofit risk organizations. House Floor Amendment No. 1 Deletes reference to: 215 ILCS 5/123D-1 Adds reference to: New Act 30 ILCS 105/5.970 new Replaces everything after the enacting clause. Creates the Prescription Drug Affordability Act. Defines terms. Establishes the Prescription Drug Affordability Board and provides that the Board's purpose is to protect State residents, State and local governments, commercial health plans, health care providers, pharmacies licensed in the State, and other stakeholders within the health care system from the high costs of prescription drug products. Contains other provisions about the Board, including: members of the Board; conflicts of interest; terms of members; the hiring of an executive director, general counsel, and staff for the Board; staff salary; meetings of the Board; and powers and duties of the Board. Creates the Prescription Drug Affordability Stakeholder Council with the purpose to provide stakeholder input to assist the Prescription Drug Affordability Board in making decisions as required under the Act. Contains other provisions about the Council, including: members of the Council; terms of members; and reimbursement of member travel expenses. Provides that the Board shall identify specified prescription drug products and determine whether each prescription drug product should be subject to a cost review. Provides that if the Board finds that spending on a prescription drug product has led or will lead to an affordability challenge, the Board shall establish an upper payment limit after considering: (i) the cost of administering the drug; (ii) the cost of delivering the drug to consumers; and (iii) other relevant administrative costs related to the drug. Includes provisions regarding remedies and an appeal process. Creates the Prescription Drug Affordability Fund to be used only to provide funding for the Board and for the purposes authorized under the Act. Provides that the Board shall submit a report to the General Assembly including specified information. Provides that the Board shall conduct a study of the operation of the generic drug market that includes specified information on or before June 1, 2023. Includes a provision on term expiration for Board and Council members. Makes conforming changes in the State Finance Act. Effective January 1, 2023.

Amends the Environmental Protection Act. Provides that the Environmental Protection Agency shall ensure that possible adverse economic, social, and environmental effects on environmental justice communities relating to any permit or permit renewal have been fully considered prior to publishing a draft permit or permit renewal for public comment, and that the final decision on the permit or permit renewal is made in the best overall public interest. Provides that any person or entity seeking a permit or permit renewal in an environmental justice community shall give public notice with specified information to the residents of the environmental justice community. Provides that environmental justice community residents shall have 90 days following a community meeting to submit comments to the Agency. Provides that a permit applicant for permitted activity sited in an environmental justice community shall enter into a community benefits agreement with the unit of local government in whose jurisdiction the permit applicant has applied. Provides that the community benefits agreement must, at a minimum, contain provisions requiring the permit applicant to mitigate the environmental and public health impact of the permitted activity in the environmental justice community. Effective immediately. House Floor Amendment No. 2 Deletes reference to: 415 ILCS 5/40.4 new Adds reference to: 415 ILCS 5/3.141-5 new 415 ILCS 5/3.141 rep. 415 ILCS 5/42 from Ch. 111 1/2, par. 1042 Replaces everything after the enacting clause. Amends the Environmental Protection Act. Provides that, before an owner or operator may initiate demolition of a thermal power plant via implosion, the owner or operator must satisfy specified notification requirements and obtain an Agency-approved air quality plan. Provides that, at least 30 days after providing notice, an owner or operator must hold at least one public meeting within the municipality in which the site is located to discuss the proposed demolition. Contains requirements for the public meeting and the air quality plan. Requires the air quality plan to include a dust mitigation plan, contingency plan, and site cleanup plan with specified requirements. Contains other provisions. Repeals a provision regarding the notice of power plant demolition. In provisions regarding civil penalties, provides that any person who engages in demolition of a thermal power plant via implosion in violation of the Act shall be liable for a civil penalty of up to $50,000 for the first violation and up to $250,000 for a second or subsequent violation. Effective immediately. House Floor Amendment No. 3 Provides that "thermal power plant" or "plant" includes (rather than includes, at a minimum) generation facilities creating power using coal or gas (rather than coal, gas, or nuclear fuel) as inputs.

Amends the School Code. Provides that a school district operating one or more high schools, a charter school, or a private secondary school shall not make or enforce a rule subjecting a high school student to disciplinary sanctions solely on the basis of conduct that is speech or other communication that, when engaged in outside of the campus, is protected from governmental restriction by the United States Constitution or the Illinois Constitution. Provides that a student who is enrolled in a school at the time that the school has made or enforced a rule that the student would be protected from may commence a civil action to obtain appropriate injunctive and declaratory relief as determined by the court. Provides that the new provisions do not apply to a private secondary school that is controlled by a religious organization to the extent that the application would not be consistent with the religious tenets of the organization. Provides that an employee shall not be dismissed, suspended, disciplined, reassigned, transferred, or otherwise retaliated against solely for acting to protect a student engaged in conduct authorized under the new provisions, or refusing to infringe upon conduct that is protected.

Amends the Medical Practice Act of 1987. Provides that not later than 12 months after the effective date of the amendatory Act, the Department of Financial and Professional Regulation shall adopt rules that require a person seeking licensure to practice medicine in all of its branches to have completed 3 hours of education on the diagnosis, treatment, and care of individuals with cognitive impairments, including, but not limited to, Alzheimer's disease and other dementias. Specifies that the education requirement shall only apply to applicants who serve or will serve adult populations and have or will have direct patient interactions in their capacity as physicians. Provides that not later than 12 months after the effective date of the amendatory Act, the Department shall adopt rules that require any continuing education for persons licensed to practice medicine under all of its branches to include an average of one hour of continuing education per license year on the diagnosis, treatment, and care of individuals with cognitive impairments, including, but not limited to, Alzheimer's disease and other dementias. Specifies that the continuing education requirement shall only apply to persons who serve adult populations and have direct patient interactions in their capacity as physicians. Provides that the curriculum used for the education and continuing education requirements shall cover the diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease and other dementias, including recognizing the signs and symptoms of dementia; person-centered care; assessment and care planning; and culturally competent health care.

Creates the First Responders Behavioral Healthcare Bill of Rights Act. Provides that first responders have certain specified statutory rights in seeking behavioral health services and treatment. Provides that the rights guaranteed to first responders in these provisions are judicially enforceable. Provides that an aggrieved employee may, under the Civil Practice Law, bring an action for damages, attorney's fee, or injunctive relief against an employer for violating these rights. Defines various terms. House Committee Amendment No. 1 Provides that the right of full access to behavioral health services and treatment that are responsive to the needs of the individual are available to the profession of emergency medical technician (EMT). Deletes provision that the right of first responders includes the right to have behavioral health services and treatment in a manner that reduces stigma to those services and treatment.

Creates the Legislative Accessibility Act. Provides that the General Assembly shall make all efforts to increase the accessibility of the General Assembly for people with disabilities. Provides that the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President of the Senate shall each appoint an accessibility coordinator who, in consultation with the Architect of the Capitol, shall be responsible for addressing accessibility needs for his or her corresponding house. Provides that the Illinois General Assembly website shall include either an email address, webform, or other similar mechanism to request reasonable accommodations to meet the accessibility needs of people with disabilities attending legislative events. Establishes the General Assembly Accessibility Task Force. Provides for the membership and meetings of the Task Force. Provides that members and ex officio members of the Task Force shall serve without compensation. Provides administrative support for the Task Force. Provides that the Task Force shall examine issues concerning accessibility of persons with a disability. Requires the Task Force to make recommendations to the General Assembly concerning General Assembly accessibility no later than December 31, 2021. Repeals specified provisions January 1, 2023. Effective immediately.

Amends the Illinois Public Aid Code. Provides that it shall be a matter of State policy that the Department of Healthcare and Family Services shall set nursing facility rates by rule utilizing an evidenced-based methodology that rewards appropriate staffing, quality-of-life improvements for nursing facility residents, including the cessation of payments for rooms with 3 or more people residing in them by January 1, 2027, and the reduction of racial inequities and health disparities for nursing facility residents enrolled in Medicaid. Provides that the new nursing services reimbursement methodology taking effect January 1, 2022, upon federal approval, shall utilize the Patient Driven Payment Model (PDPM) (rather than the RUG-IV 48 grouper model). Sets the statewide base rate for dates of service on and after January 1, 2022 at $85.25. Requires the Department to establish, by rule, a multiplier based on information from the Payroll Based Journal. Provides that, beginning on and after January 1, 2022, the Department shall allocate funding, by rule, for per diem add-ons to the PDPM methodology for each resident with a diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease. Contains provisions concerning funds allocated for certain incentive payments to nursing facilities; emergency rules; payments to improve the quality of care delivered by nursing facilities; long-term care provider assessments; and other matters. Amends the Nurse Agency Licensing Act. Prohibits nurse agencies from entering into covenants not to compete with certified nurse aides. Amends the Illinois Administrative Procedure Act. Permits the Department of Healthcare and Family Services to adopt emergency rules. Effective immediately.

Amends the Lobbyist Registration Act. Provides that no official shall, within a period of 5 years immediately following the end of his or her term of office, engage in lobbying or any other activity that would require registration under the Act. Modifies the definition of "official" to include any elected or appointed official of a unit of local government.

Amends the Alzheimer's Disease and Related Dementias Services Act. Repeals provisions regarding the Act's repealer. Effective immediately.