Rep. Suzanne Ness

Affirms the importance and targeted value of the Minority Teachers of Illinois scholarship in increasing diversity in the teacher workforce. Celebrates the support that the Minority Teachers of Illinois scholarship has offered to aspiring teachers to date and the scholarship's role in growing the diversity of teacher preparation in Illinois. Urges the Illinois Student Assistance Commission to continue to administer the Minority Teachers of Illinois scholarship in order to support aspiring teachers of color to enter the teaching profession. Urges the State of Illinois and its entities to continue to support efforts grounded in research and data that increase the diversity of the educator workforce in order to improve outcomes for all students in this State.

Maddy summaryThis bill designates September of every year as Waterway Cleanup Month to encourage public participation in cleaning local waterways. It achieves this by amending the State Commemorative Dates Act to officially recognize the month with a specific title. The change serves as a symbolic reminder for residents and organizations to focus on environmental maintenance during that time.

Amends the State Commemorative Dates Act. Provides that the month of October of each year is designated as Domestic Violence Awareness Month to be observed throughout the State as a month set apart to promote awareness of domestic violence and to support advocacy activities that will reduce its prevalence in the State.

Maddy summaryHB 587 is a technical amendment to the Caregiver Advise, Record, and Enable Act that updates the bill's short title. It does not change the substantive rules or requirements for caregivers or healthcare providers. The legislation focuses solely on correcting the official name of the existing law.

Provides that the amendatory Act may be referred to as the Kinship in Demand (KIND) Act. Provides that the KIND Act creates the statutory vision and authority for the Department of Children and Family Services to execute a kin-first approach to service delivery and directs the juvenile courts to provide necessary oversight of the Department's obligations to maintain family connections and promote equitable opportunities for youth and families to thrive with relational permanence. Amends the Children and Family Services Act. Contains provisions concerning Department rules on relative, kinship, and licensed foster care; grants to subsidized guardians of hard-to-place children; a requirement on the Department to make reasonable efforts to place a child with a relative; documentation of the Department's reasons for failing to secure a relative placement; foster care maintenance payments for relatives who qualify for certification as a kinship caregiver home; subsidized guardianship support services for children and their guardians; certification and background checks on relative caregivers; annual reports regarding relative and kinship care placements; performance audits; and other matters. Amends the Child Care Act of 1969. Requires the Department to adopt standards for certifying kinship caregiver family homes that are different from licensing standards used for non-relative foster family homes. Contains provisions concerning background screenings of prospective kinship caregivers; a requirement that the Department assist relatives and prospective kinship caregivers with completing the steps required for approval as a kinship caregiver home; orientation activities for prospective kinship caregivers; Guardianship Assistance Program payments and services for relative caregivers; and other matters. Amends the Juvenile Court Act of 1987. Makes changes to provisions concerning "best interest" determinations; emergency placement of a minor with a willing relative pending a temporary custody hearing; court assessments on the Department's effort to place a minor with a relative; court ordered family-finding efforts; required notification to a minor's located relatives that the minor has been removed from the custody of the minor's parents; and other matters. Effective immediately.

Amends the Comprehensive Lead Education, Reduction, and Window Replacement Program Act. Makes a technical change in a Section concerning the short title.

Amends the Child Care Act of 1969. In provisions concerning criminal background investigations, provides that a child care facility may authorize the Department of Children and Family Services or a third-party vendor to complete the investigation. Provides that an applicant is determined to have completed the criminal background investigation when he or she has completed and submitted authorization for the performance of a criminal background investigation by either the Department or a third party contracted to perform the criminal background investigation. Makes conforming changes.

Amends the Illinois Controlled Substances Act. Provides that decisions regarding the treatment of patients experiencing chronic pain shall be made by the prescriber with dispensing by the pharmacist in accordance with the corresponding responsibility as described in federal regulations and State administrative rules. Provides that ordering, prescribing, dispensing, administering, or paying for controlled substances, including opioids, shall not be predetermined by specific morphine milligram equivalent guidelines. Provides that confidential information received from opioid treatment programs or confidential information otherwise protected under federal confidentiality of substance use disorder patient records shall not be included in the information shared to the central repository under the Prescription Monitoring Program. Provides that an applicant for this information must have a valid court order or subpoena for the confidential information requested. Defines "chronic pain" and "opiates". Effective immediately.

Mourns the death of the 39th President of the United States, James Earl "Jimmy" Carter Jr. Honors the life and legacy of President Carter and expresses profound gratitude for his lifelong service to humanity.

Amends the Build Illinois Act. Provides that the amount of small business loans made to minority persons, veterans, females, or persons with a disability under the Act shall not exceed $2,000,000 (rather than $400,000) or 50% of the business project costs unless the Director of Commerce and Economic Development determines that a waiver of these limits is required to meet the purposes of the Act. Provides that eligible projects under those provisions include refinancing current debt if the loan will refinance a loan previously made by a lender that is unaffiliated with the financial intermediary making the new loan and the proceeds of the refinance transaction are not used to finance an extraordinary dividend or other distribution.