Rep. Jack D. Franks

Amends the Power of Attorney Act. Provides that in the event that a principal of a power of attorney is incapacitated and the agent fails, within 21 days after a request, to provide records of receipts, disbursements, and significant actions to an elder abuse provider agency, the State Long Term Care Ombudsman, or the Inspector General of the Department of Human Services, the agency or the Ombudsman may petition the court to compel the production of the documents. Provides that failure to produce the records without good cause may subject the agent to a court order for costs, attorney's fees, and other relief. Effective immediately.

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 Methamphetamine Control and Community Protection Act. Creates the offense of methamphetamine trafficking. Provides that a person commits the offense when he or she knowingly brings, or causes to be brought, into this State anhydrous ammonia or a methamphetamine precursor for the purpose of manufacture or delivery or with the intent to manufacture or deliver methamphetamine that is not authorized by the Act. Provides that a person convicted of the offense shall be sentenced to a term of imprisonment of not less than twice the minimum term and not more than twice the maximum term of imprisonment based upon the amount of methamphetamine or methamphetamine precursor or anhydrous ammonia brought or caused to be brought into this State. Effective immediately.

Amends the Attorney General Act. Makes a technical change in a Section concerning the Attorney General's oath and bond.

Creates the Methamphetamine Manufacturer Registry Act. Provides that the Department of State Police shall establish and maintain a Methamphetamine Manufacturer Database for the purpose of identifying methamphetamine manufacturers and making that information available to law enforcement and the general public. Provides that the Department of State Police must make the information contained in the Statewide Methamphetamine Manufacturer Database accessible on the Internet by means of a hyperlink labeled "Methamphetamine Manufacturer Information" on the Department's World Wide Web home page. Provides that the Department of State Police must update that information as it deems necessary. Provides that the Department of State Police must promulgate rules in accordance with the Illinois Administrative Procedure Act to implement these provisions and those rules must include procedures to ensure that the information in the database is accurate, and that the information in the database reflects any changes based on the reversal of a conviction for an offense requiring inclusion in the Methamphetamine Manufacturer Database, or a court order requiring the sealing or expungement of records relating to the offense. Effective immediately.

Amends the Attorney General Act. Makes a technical change in the Section concerning the short title of the Act.

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.

Creates the Cigarette Fire Safety Standard Act. Provides that, beginning January 1, 2008, no cigarettes may be sold in Illinois unless the manufacturer certifies that the cigarettes have been certified as low ignition strength in accordance with standards established by the American Society of Testing and Materials and no more than 25% of the cigarettes it manufactures exhibit full-length burns when tested. Provides that the Office of the State Fire Marshal shall adopt rules for the implementation of the Act, which shall include provisions to allow wholesalers and retailers to transition their existing inventories. Effective January 1, 2008.

Amends the Criminal Code of 1961. Makes a technical change in a Section concerning deceptive collection practices.

Amends the Illinois Clean Indoor Air Act. Provides that smoking is prohibited in any portion of a building used in whole or in part as a student dormitory that is owned and operated or otherwise utilized by a public or private institution of higher education. Effective immediately.