Amends the Illinois Health Facilities Planning Act. Requires inventories of certain skilled or intermediate care facilities to be conducted annually by July 1, to list services provided, and to differentiate between active and inactive beds. Effective immediately.
Amends the Property Tax Extension Limitation Law of the Property Tax Code. Sets forth procedures that taxing districts must follow when seeking referendum approval after April 5, 2005 to increase (i) the maximum authorized tax rate for any fund for which the taxing district is authorized by statute to levy taxes and which rate is limited by prior referendum or statutory authorization and which rate is authorized by statute to be increased for a limited or unlimited number of years by direct (and not back door) referendum, except for increases that require an equal corresponding tax rate decrease for another fund or (ii) the maximum extended tax rate applicable only to the next taxes to be either levied or extended for any fund notwithstanding the limiting rate that would otherwise be applicable for such taxing district. Sets forth requirements for form of ballot propositions and referendum notices. Sets forth procedures for setting the new tax rates. Provides that a taxing district is limited to an extension limitation (instead of "extension increase") of 5% or the percentage increase in the Consumer Price Index during the 12-month calendar year preceding the levy year, whichever is less.
Creates the Ryan White Fund Validation Act. Validates actions taken and grants made under a Section of the Communicable Disease Prevention Act relating to the Ryan White Pediatric and Adult AIDS Fund (now repealed). That Section was created by Public Act 88-669, which has been held to be unconstitutional as a violation of the single subject clause of the Illinois Constitution. Effective immediately.
Amends the Condominium Property Act. Makes a technical change in a Section concerning the applicability of the Act.
Amends the Illinois Public Aid Code. Provides that no later than July 1, 2007, subject to federal approval of a State Medicaid Plan amendment, which shall be sought by the Department of Healthcare and Family Services or its successor agency, persons who fail to qualify for basic maintenance under the Aid to the Aged, Blind or Disabled (AABD) program on the basis of need because of excess income or assets, or both, may establish prospective eligibility for that basic maintenance by paying their monthly Medicaid spend-down amount to the Department of Healthcare and Family Services or by having a third party pay that amount to the Department.
Amends the Illinois Vehicle Code. Provides that a vehicle using diesel fuel with a Gross Vehicle Weight Rating of more than 8,000 pounds may not have its engine idling for more than 5 minutes within any 60 minute period. Creates exemptions. Provides that a person who operates a vehicle in violation of the provision is guilty of a petty offense punishable by a fine of $50 for a first offense and $150 for a second or subsequent offense within any 12 month period.
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.
Amends the Good Samaritan Act. Provides immunity against criminal liability, civil damages, or medical malpractice damages for any acts or omissions, for any physician licensed under the Medical Practice Act of 1987 to practice medicine in all its branches or licensed to practice the treatment of human ailments in any other state or territory of the United States; any dental emergency responder; any licensed nurse; any licensed physicians assistant; any licensed EMT-Basic, EMT-Intermediate, or EMT-Paramedic; and any First Responder who provides volunteer Tactical Emergency Medical Support (TEMS) services to any person or animal in any law enforcement incident or training situation, or any other law enforcement related situation, including disasters, in civil unrest, or methamphetamine lab interdiction.
Amends the Consumer Fraud and Deceptive Business Practices Act. Provides that any person who uses a consumer credit report in connection with the approval of credit based on the application for an extension of credit, and who has received notification of a police report filed with a consumer credit reporting agency that the applicant has been a victim of aggravated identity theft, may not lend money or extend credit without taking reasonable steps to verify the consumer's identity and confirm that the application for an extension of credit is not the result of financial identity theft or aggravated identity theft. Adds that a consumer may place a security freeze on his or her credit report by making a request directly to the consumer credit reporting agency through a secure electronic mail connection, if an electronic mail connection is provided by the consumer credit reporting agency. Provides that a consumer credit reporting agency shall not charge a fee for placing, removing, or removing for a specific party or period of time a security freeze on a credit report, if the consumer submits to the credit reporting agency a valid copy of a police report, investigative report, or complaint that the consumer has filed with a law enforcement agency about the unlawful use of his or her personal information by another person. Allows the credit reporting agency to charge a fee of not more than $10 to a consumer for each security freeze or temporary lift of a security freeze for a specific party and a fee of not more than $8 for removal of a security freeze or temporary lift of a security freeze for a period of time. Provides that the consumer credit reporting agency shall send a written confirmation of the security freeze to the consumer within 5 (instead of 10) business days of placing the freeze on the account. Requires the Director of the Division of Financial Institutions in the Department of Financial and Professional Regulation to promulgate rules necessary to allow the use of electronic media to receive and process a request from a consumer to temporarily lift a security freeze as quickly as possible, with the goal of processing a request within 15 minutes of that request. Defines "consumer", "consumer credit reporting agency", "credit report", "Director", and "security freeze". Changes references from "credit reporting agency" to "consumer credit reporting agency". Effective January 1, 2007.
Recognizes the 100th anniversary of Central School in Des Plaines.
