Rep. Jonathan Carroll

Amends the Compulsory Attendance of Pupils Article of the School Code. Provides that a child may be absent from a public school because of religious reasons, including the observance of a religious holiday or participation in religious instruction. Removes the provision that requires a school board to prescribe rules relative to absences for religious holidays, including a list of religious holidays on which it shall be mandatory to excuse a child's absence. Provides instead that a district superintendent shall develop and distribute to schools appropriate procedures with regard to an absence. Effective immediately.

Amends the School Code. Provides that a pupil shall be excused from engaging in a physical education course during a period of religious fasting if the pupil's parent or guardian notifies the school principal in writing that the pupil is participating in religious fasting. Effective immediately. House Floor Amendment No. 1 Provides that a pupil shall be excused from engaging in any physical activity components of a physical education course (rather than from engaging in a physical education course) during a period of religious fasting.

Amends the Illinois Vehicle Code. Allows the issuance of Fold of Honor special license plate decals by the Department of Veterans' Affairs. Provides that $10 of each original issuance and $23 of each renewal shall be deposited into the Folds of Honor Foundation Fund, and that $15 of each original issuance and $2 of each renewal shall be deposited into the Secretary of State Special License Plate Fund. Provides that money in the Folds of Honor Foundation Fund shall be paid as grants to the Folds of Honor Foundation to aid in providing educational scholarships to military families. Makes a corresponding change in the State Finance Act.

Amends the Nursing Home Care Act and the Hospital Licensing Act. Upon request, requires long-term care facilities and hospitals to facilitate at least one phone call or video call between a resident or patient and a family member of the resident or patient each day during a pandemic or other public health emergency. Effective immediately. House Floor Amendment No. 1 Replaces everything after the enacting clause. Amends the Nursing Home Care Act. Provides that, upon request, a facility shall make every reasonable effort to facilitate at least one phone call or video call between a resident and a single family member of the resident each day during a disaster declared by the Governor under the Illinois Emergency Management Agency Act, unless doing so could pose a danger to residents or staff or redirect resources away from direct resident care and protection. Amends the Hospital Licensing Act. Provides that during a pandemic or other public health emergency, a hospital licensed under the Act shall develop and implement a contact policy to encourage patients' ability to engage with family members throughout the duration of the pandemic or other public health emergency, including through the use of phone calls, videos calls, or other electronic mechanism. Effective immediately.

Amends the Illinois Lottery Law. Removes language that would require that sales of the special instant scratch-off game to benefit Alzheimer's care, support, education, and awareness be discontinued on January 1, 2022. Effective immediately. House Committee Amendment No. 1 Replaces everything after the enacting clause. Amends the Illinois Lottery Law. Extends the sale of the special instant scratch-off game to benefit Alzheimer's care, support, education, and awareness to January 1, 2025 (rather than January 1, 2022). Effective immediately.

Amends the Managed Care Reform and Patient Rights Act. Requires health insurance carriers that provide coverage for prescription drugs to ensure that, within service areas and levels of coverage specified by federal law, at least half of individual and group plans meet one or more of the following criteria: apply a pre-deductible and flat-dollar copayment structure to the entire drug benefit, limit a beneficiary's monthly out-of-pocket financial responsibility for prescription drugs to a specified amount, or limit a beneficiary's annual out-of-pocket financial responsibility for prescription drugs to a specified amount. Provides that all plans for prescription drugs offered under the amendatory Act must be clearly and appropriately named, marketed in the same manner as other plans offered by the health insurance carrier, and offered for purchase to any individual and group plan sponsor. Effective January 1, 2022. House Committee Amendment No. 1 Replaces everything after the enacting clause. Amends the Managed Care Reform and Patient Rights Act. In provisions concerning individual health plans that provide coverage for prescription drugs, provides that beginning January 1, 2023, health insurance carriers shall ensure that at least 10% of individual health care plans offered in each applicable service area apply a flat-dollar copayment structure to the entire drug benefit; and beginning January 1, 2024, health insurance carriers shall ensure that at least 25% of individual health care plans offered in each applicable service area apply a flat-dollar copayment structure to the entire drug benefit. In provisions concerning group health plans that provide coverage for prescription drugs, provides that beginning January 1, 2023, health insurance carriers shall offer at least one group health plan in each applicable service area that applies a flat-dollar copayment structure to the entire drug benefit; and beginning January 1, 2024, health insurance carriers shall offer at least 2 group health plans in each applicable service area that apply a flat-dollar copayment structure to the entire drug benefit. Provides that the flat-dollar copayment structure for prescription drugs must be applied pre-deductible and be reasonably graduated and proportionately related in all tier levels such that the copayment structure as a whole does not discriminate against or discourage the enrollment of individuals with significant health care needs. Requires the health insurance carriers to clearly and appropriately name the plans to aid in individual or group plan selection. Requires the health insurance carriers to market the plans in the same manner as their other plans. Requires the Department of Insurance to adopt rules necessary to implement and enforce the provisions. Effective January 1, 2023.

Creates the Prescription Drug Repository Program Act. Requires the Department of Public Health to, by rule, establish a prescription drug repository program, under which any person may donate a prescription drug or supplies needed to administer a prescription drug for use by an individual who meets eligibility criteria specified by the Department. Sets forth requirements that prescription drugs or supplies must meet in order to be accepted and dispensed under the program. Provides that no drugs or supplies donated under the prescription drug repository program may be resold. Provides that nothing in the Act requires that a pharmacy or pharmacist participate in the prescription drug repository program. Provides for civil and criminal immunity for drug and supply manufacturers and individuals in relation to the donation, acceptance, or dispensing of prescription drugs or supplies under the prescription drug repository program. Imposes conditions on any rulemaking authority. Amends the Pharmacy Practice Act, the Wholesale Drug Distribution Licensing Act, the Senior Pharmaceutical Assistance Act, the Illinois Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act, the Illinois Controlled Substances Act, and the Cannabis and Controlled Substances Tort Claims Act to provide that persons engaged in donating or accepting, or packaging, repackaging, or labeling, prescription drugs to the extent permitted or required under the Prescription Drug Repository Program Act are exempt from provisions of those other Acts that might prohibit or otherwise regulate such activity. House Committee Amendment No. 1 Replaces everything after the enacting clause. Creates the Illinois Drug Reuse Opportunity Program Act. Provides that, notwithstanding any other law or rule, donors may donate drugs to recipients and recipients may receive donated drugs from donors. Provides that recipients shall only dispense or administer drugs to eligible patients, further donate drugs to another recipient, or dispose of drugs in accordance with specified provisions. Provides that drugs donated for use under the Act are considered nonsaleable. Provides that, when dispensing a drug to an eligible patient, the recipient must do so at no cost to the eligible patient, except that a reasonable handling fee may be charged. Provides that recipients may only dispense or administer a prescription drug or provide an over-the-counter drug if specified requirements are met. Provides that recipients shall, to the greatest extent practicable, dispense drugs received under the Act to priority patients. Provides that drugs may be accepted under the Act only if specified requirements are met. Contains requirements for the further donation of drugs by a recipient. Contains provisions regarding the disposition of specified drugs. Provides that nothing in the Act requires that a pharmacy or pharmacist be a recipient of drugs under the Act. Provides that the Act shall supersede any inconsistent law or rule for activities conducted under the Act. Contains other provisions. Amends the Pharmacy Practice Act, the Wholesale Drug Distribution Licensing Act, the Senior Pharmaceutical Assistance Act, the Illinois Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act, the Illinois Controlled Substances Act, and the Cannabis and Controlled Substances Tort Claims Act to provide that persons engaged in donating or accepting, or packaging, repackaging, or labeling, prescription drugs to the extent permitted or required under the Illinois Drug Reuse Opportunity Program Act are exempt from provisions of those other Senate Committee Amendment No. 1 Replaces everything after the enacting clause. Reinserts the provisions of the engrossed bill with the following changes. Provides that "prescription drug" does not include a drug for the treatment of cancer that can only be dispensed to a patient registered with the drug manufacturer in accordance with the federal Food and Drug Administration's requirements. Provides that when dispensing a drug to an eligible patient, the recipient must do so at no cost to the eligible patient, except that a uniform reasonable handling fee (rather than a reasonable handling fee) may be charged.

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. Senate Committee Amendment No. 2 Deletes reference to: 225 ILCS 60/11 225 ILCS 60/20.1 new Adds reference to: 20 ILCS 2105/2105-365 new Replaces everything after the enacting clause. Amends the Department of Professional Regulation Law of the Civil Administrative Code of Illinois. Provides that for license or registration renewals occurring on or after January 1, 2023, a health care professional who has continuing education requirements must complete at least a one-hour course in training on the diagnosis, treatment, and care of individuals with Alzheimer's disease and other dementias per renewal period. Provides that the training shall include, but not be limited to, assessment and diagnosis, effective communication strategies, and management and care planning. Provides that the requirement shall only apply to health care professionals who provide health care services to adult populations age 26 or older in the practice of their profession. Provides that a health care professional may count that one hour for completion of the course toward meeting the minimum credit hours required for continuing education. Provides that any training on Alzheimer's disease and other dementias applied to meet any other State licensure requirement, professional accreditation or certification requirement, or health care institutional practice agreement may count toward the continuing education requirement. Provides that the Department of Financial and Professional Regulation may adopt rules for the implementation of the continuing education requirement. Effective immediately. Senate Floor Amendment No. 4 Provides that the continuing education requirements shall only apply to health care professionals who provide health care services to, and have direct patient interactions with (rather than who provide health care services to), adult populations age 26 or older in the practice of their profession.

Amends the Statute on Statutes. Makes a technical change in a Section regarding the application of the Act. House Floor Amendment No. 1 Deletes reference to: 5 ILCS 70/1.43 new Adds reference to: 5 ILCS 70/1.44 new Replaces everything after the enacting clause. Amends the Statute on Statutes. Provides that in determining the meaning of any statute or rule or interpretation by the various administrative agencies of this State, for purposes of determining eligibility for any veterans benefit available from the State, the words "honorable discharge" and "honorably discharged" include a discharge under other than honorable conditions or general discharge under honorable conditions due to a person's sexual orientation or gender identity but does not include a bad conduct discharge or a dishonorable discharge. Senate Committee Amendment No. 1 Provides that the words "honorable discharge" and "honorably discharged" include a discharge other than honorable conditions or general discharge under honorable conditions if only due to a person's sexual orientation or gender identity (rather than "honorable discharge" and "honorably discharged" include a discharge other than honorable conditions or general discharge under honorable conditions due to a person's sexual orientation or gender identity).

Amends the Illinois Insurance Code. In provisions concerning reductions to rates and premium charges for automobile liability insurance for any insured over age 55 upon successful completion of the National Safety Council's Defensive Driving Course or a motor vehicle accident prevention course, provides that the course may be an eLearning course. Provides that any accident prevention course approved by the Secretary of State shall consist of at least 8 hours of classroom or eLearning equivalent instruction (rather than only classroom instruction).