Rep. Terra Costa Howard

Creates the Hotel Jobs Recovery Grant Program Act. Provides that the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity shall establish the Hotel Jobs Recovery Grant Program for the purpose of providing direct relief to hotels impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Provides that the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity shall award a one-time grant to the operator of each hotel in the State in an amount equal to $1,500 for each room in the hotel. Sets forth the permitted uses for grant funds awarded under the Act. Amends the Illinois Administrative Procedure Act. Provides for emergency rulemaking. Effective July 1, 2022.

Amends the Underground Natural Gas Storage Safety Act. Provides that, in the case of a verified facility leak, the owner and operator of the underground natural gas storage facility is responsible for specified actions. Defines "verified facility leak". Effective immediately.

Creates the Mental Health Inpatient Facility Access Act. Requires the Department of Human Services' Division of Mental Health to develop a written, strategic plan that comprehensively addresses improving access to inpatient psychiatric beds in State-operated mental health facilities for individuals needing a hospital level of care. Provides that the plan shall include annual training requirements for State-operated inpatient mental health facility clinicians, regular and periodic mental health assessments of individuals admitted to State-operated facilities, updated facility policies and procedures aimed at increasing opportunities for home visits and work programs that assist with community reintegration, steps to increase access to community-based mental health services that provide outpatient alternatives and step-down services, certification requirements for mental health clinicians, and other matters. Requires the plan to be made publicly available in one year. Prohibits the Department from making further reductions in State-operated inpatient mental health bed capacity. Amends the Medical Assistance Article of the Illinois Public Aid Code. Requires the Department of Healthcare and Family Services, in collaboration with the Department of Human Services, to allow for hospital presumptive eligibility for Medicaid enrollment for individuals presenting in hospital emergency rooms who are in a psychiatric crisis and meet the federal criteria for hospital presumptive eligibility. Requires the Department of Healthcare and Family Services to amend its Illinois Continuity of Care and Administrative Simplification 1115 Waiver if necessary to implement hospital presumptive eligibility as permitted under the amendatory Act. Effective immediately.

Amends the Workplace Violence Prevention Act. Expands the purpose of the Act to include protecting employees from unlawful violence and harassment at the workplace or because of an employee's employment duties or place of employment. Permits an employee to seek a workplace protection restraining order in certain circumstances, including, but not limited to, if: (i) the employee has suffered unlawful violence and the respondent has made a credible threat of violence to be carried out at the employee's workplace; and (ii) the employee believes that the respondent has made a credible threat of violence to be carried out at the employee's workplace or otherwise to be carried out against the same employee outside of the workplace because of the employee's employment duties or place of employment. Provides that an employee may not seek, and the court may not issue, a workplace protection restraining order if the employee otherwise qualifies for a protective order under the Illinois Domestic Violence Act of 1986, the Civil No Contact Order Act, or the Stalking No Contact Order Act. Makes changes to the definition of "credible threat of violence" and "petitioner". Makes other changes.

Amends the Children and Family Services Act. Provides that the Illinois Juvenile Justice Commission shall study and make recommendations to the General Assembly regarding the availability of youth services to reduce the use of detention and prevent deeper criminal involvement. Amends the Juvenile Court Act of 1987. Provides that it is the goal of the Act to ensure that detention is the last resort and for as short a time as possible. Provides that on and after July 1, 2021, any minor 13 years of age or older arrested under this Act where there is probable cause to believe that the minor is a delinquent minor and that (i) secure custody is a matter of immediate and urgent necessity in light of a serious threat to the physical safety of a person or persons in the community or to secure the presence of the minor at the next hearing, as evidenced by a demonstrable record of willful failure to appear at a scheduled court hearing within the last 12 months, may be kept or detained in an authorized detention facility. Provides that a minor must be at least 13 (rather than 10) years of age to be placed in detention. Effective immediately. House Floor Amendment No. 1 Provides that on and after July 1, 2021, except as specified, any minor 13 years of age or older arrested under this Act where there is probable cause to believe that the minor is a delinquent minor and that secure custody is a matter of immediate and urgent necessity in light of a serious threat to the physical safety of a person or persons in the community or to secure the presence of the minor at the next hearing, as evidenced by a demonstrable record of willful failure to appear at a scheduled court hearing within the last 12 months, may be kept or detained in an authorized detention facility. Provides that individuals of 11 or 12 years of age may be detained in an authorized detention facility until a specified date if certain conditions are met. Makes other changes. Fiscal Note (Department of Juvenile Justice) Bill 3767 would have no fiscal impact on the Department of Juvenile Justice.

Declares support for the City of Elgin and the Coalition to Stop CPKC in their opposition to the merger of the Canadian Pacific and Kansas City Southern railroads. Urges the Federal Surface Transportation Board to reject the CPKC merger application.

Amends the Environmental Protection Act. Requires the Environmental Protection Agency to annually review and update the underlying data for, and use of, indicators used to determine whether a community is designated as an environmental justice community and to establish a process by which communities not designated as environmental justice communities may petition for such a designation. Provides that an applicant for a permit for the construction of a new source that will become a major source subject to the Clean Air Act Permit Program to be located in an environmental justice community or a new source that has or will require a federally enforceable State operating permit and that will be located in an environmental justice community must conduct a public meeting prior to submission of the permit application and must submit with the permit application an environmental justice assessment identifying the potential environmental and health impacts to the area associated with the proposed project. Provides requirements for the environmental justice assessment. Provides that a supplemental fee of $200,000 for each construction permit application shall be assessed if the construction permit application is subject to the requirements regarding the construction of a new source located in an environmental justice community. Contains provisions regarding public participation requirements for permitting transactions in an environmental justice community. Provides that, if the Agency grants a permit to construct, modify, or operate a facility that emits air pollutants and is classified as a minor source, a third party may petition the Pollution Control Board for a hearing to contest the issuance of the permit. Contains provisions regarding environmental justice grievances. Defines "environmental justice community". Contains other provisions. House Floor Amendment No. 1 Adds reference to: 415 ILCS 5/39.5 from Ch. 111 1/2, par. 1039.5 Replaces everything after the enacting clause with the provisions of the introduced bill with the following changes. Removes language requiring the Environmental Protection Agency to annually review and update the underlying data for, and use of, indicators used to determine whether a community is designated as an environmental justice community. Requires the Agency to conduct an evaluation of a prospective CAAPP permit owner's or operator's prior experience in owning and operating sources of air pollution. Provides that the Agency may deny such a permit if the prospective owner or operator or any employee or officer of the prospective owner or operator or any employee or board member has a history of specified criminal actions. Removes language requiring the air dispersion modeling to examine air quality related impacts to determine estimated emissions of specified pollutants. Makes other changes.

Amends the Medical Assistance Article of the Illinois Public Aid Code. Requires the Department of Healthcare and Family Services to permit medical assistance recipients, including those enrolled in managed care, to obtain pharmacy services from the pharmacy of their choice if the pharmacy is licensed under the Pharmacy Practice Act and accepts the professional dispensing fee for pharmacy services as determined by the Department. Provides that no managed care organization that contracts with the Department to provide services to recipients may restrict a recipient's access to pharmacy services to a selected group of pharmacies. Provides that if a managed care organization merges with or is acquired by another entity, the resulting entity may not restrict a recipient's access to pharmacy services to a selected group of pharmacies. Permits the Department to renegotiate with the resulting entity the terms of the managed care contract the Department had with the original managed care organization prior to the merger or acquisition. Requires the Department to contract with an independent research organization to conduct a study and submit a report on those managed care organizations that are contracted to provide services to recipients. Requires the report to include an analysis of pharmacy access for medical assistance recipients with the aim of identifying "pharmacy deserts"; an analysis of the costs and benefits of having managed care organizations administer health care services, including pharmacy services, to recipients; and other matters. Prohibits the Department from entering into any new contract with a managed care organization before the report has been received and analyzed by the Department and posted on its website. Effective immediately. Balanced Budget Note (Office of Management and Budget) Please be advised that the Balanced Budget Note Act does not apply to House Bill 591 as it is not a supplemental appropriation that increases or decreases appropriations. Under the Act, a balanced budget note must be prepared only for bills that change a general funds appropriation for the fiscal year in which the new bill is enacted. Judicial Note (Admin Office of the Illinois Courts) Based on a review of the bill, it has been determined that the proposed legislation would neither increase nor decrease the number of judges needed in the State of Illinois. Pension Note (Government Forecasting & Accountability) HB 591 will not have any impact on any public pension fund or retirement system in the State of Illinois. State Debt Impact Note (Government Forecasting & Accountability) HB 591 would not change the amount of authorization for any type of State-issued bond, and, therefore, would not affect the level of State indebtedness. Housing Affordability Impact Note (Housing Development Authority) This bill will have no effect on the cost of constructing, purchasing, owning, or selling a single-family residence. Home Rule Note (Dept. of Commerce & Economic Opportunity) This bill does not pre-empt home rule authority. State Mandates Fiscal Note (Dept. of Commerce & Economic Opportunity) This bill does not create a State Mandate. Fiscal Note (Dept. of Healthcare & Family Services) The bill would require the Department to accept claims from any provider licensed under the Pharmacy Practice Act for services provided to recipients under the Medicaid fee-for-service (FFS) program or through a contractual managed care organization (MCO) entity. There would be a significant impact to liability for the MCO capitation rates. This bill has a total fiscal impact of $186 million.

Amends the Illinois Local Library Act. Makes a technical change in a Section concerning penalties.

Amends the Unemployment Insurance Act to provide that, during the pendency of a disaster proclamation that is a result of a public health emergency or epidemic, provisions concerning ineligibility as a result of unemployment insurance fraud shall not apply to individuals residing in the counties affected by the gubernatorial disaster proclamation who are otherwise entitled to receive unemployment insurance benefits. Effective immediately.