Amends the Child Care Act of 1969. Defines "quality of care concerns". Allows an applicant for a foster family home license with quality of care concerns who has previously been licensed to operate a child care facility or has provided relative foster care to a child placed by the Department to submit a preliminary application to the Department of Children and Family Services. Allows the Department to issue a foster family home license to an applicant with quality of care concerns if the applicant meets certain requirements and the Department is satisfied that the foster family home does not pose a risk to children and that the foster family home will be able to meet the physical and emotional needs of children. Provides that, if the Department approves a preliminary application, the foster family shall submit a standard application to the Department. Creates provisions for renewing the license for a foster family home with quality of care concerns. Requires a foster home to wait 5 years before applying for another license if it is revoked, is surrendered for cause, expires or is surrendered with certain holds in place or investigations pending, or the Department refuses to renew the license. Makes other changes.
Sponsored bills
Amends the Code of Criminal Procedure of 1963. Makes a technical change in a Section concerning the short title.
Amends the School Code. Creates the Advisory Council on At-Risk Students within the State Board of Education. Sets forth provisions concerning the members of the Council, meetings of the Council, and administrative support to the Council. Requires the Council to accept and consider public comments when making its recommendations. Requires the Council to submit a report no later than December 15, 2016 to the State Superintendent of Education, the Governor, and the General Assembly addressing (1) the barriers to success present for at-risk students; (2) how much socio-economic status impacts academic and career achievement; (3) how at-risk students perform academically; (4) how at-risk students perform academically compared to students from higher socio-economic statuses; (5) what programs are shown to help at-risk students reach higher levels of academic and career achievement; (6) what specific curriculums help the academic success of at-risk students; (7) of curriculums that help at-risk students, which of these need to be implemented within the Illinois Learning Standards; (8) to what degree school districts teach cultural history, and how this can be improved; (9) specific policy recommendations; and (10) any other information that the Council determines will assist in the understanding of the barriers to success for or increase the academic performance of at-risk students. Requires the Council to submit annual reports thereafter. Effective immediately.
Amends the Code of Criminal Procedure of 1963. Makes a technical change in a Section concerning appeals by the State.
Amends the Health Care Right of Conscience Act. Makes changes in the Section concerning findings and policy. Defines "access to care and information protocols" and "material information". Provides that notwithstanding any other law, a health care facility, or any physician or health care personnel working in the facility, may refuse to permit, perform, assist in, counsel about, suggest, recommend, refer for, or participate in health care services because of a conscience-based objection only if the refusal occurs in accordance with written access to care and information protocols designed to ensure that (1) the patient receives material information in a timely fashion; and (2) the refusal will not impair the patient's health by causing delay of or inability to access the refused health care service. Provides that nothing in the Act shall be construed to prevent a health care facility from requiring that physicians or health care personnel working in the facility comply with access to care and information protocols. Makes other changes in Sections concerning: (i) discrimination by employers or institutions; and (ii) liability.
Creates the Child Bereavement Leave Act and amends the State Finance Act. Provides that an employee may use specified amounts of bereavement leave to grieve the death of the employee's child, attend services in relation to the death of the employee's child, or make arrangements necessitated by the death of the employee's child. Provides for enforcement by the Department of Labor. Provides for civil penalties. Authorizes the Attorney General to collect penalties. Creates the Child Bereavement Fund as a special fund in the State treasury. Effective immediately.
Amends the Code of Criminal Procedure of 1963. Provides that a court may order the testimony of a victim who is a child under 18, a person with a moderate, severe, or profound intellectual disability, or a person affected by a developmental disability by means of a closed circuit television in a proceeding for the prosecution of an offense of criminal sexual assault, predatory criminal sexual assault of a child, aggravated criminal sexual assault, criminal sexual abuse, aggravated criminal sexual abuse aggravated battery or aggravated domestic battery, the testimony is taken during the proceeding, and the judge determines that testimony by the child victim or victim with a moderate, severe, or profound intellectual disability or victim affected by a developmental disability in the courtroom will result in the child or person with a moderate, severe, or profound intellectual disability or person affected by a developmental disability suffering serious emotional distress such that the child or person with a moderate, severe, or profound intellectual disability or person affected by a developmental disability cannot reasonably communicate or that the child or person with a moderate, severe, or profound intellectual disability or person affected by a developmental disability will suffer severe emotional distress and is likely to cause the child or person with a moderate, severe, or profound intellectual disability or person affected by a developmental disability to suffer severe adverse effects.
Amends the Juvenile Court Act of 1987 concerning abused, neglected, or dependent minors. Provides that the court shall ensure, by inquiring in open court of each parent, guardian, custodian or responsible relative, that the parent, guardian, custodian or responsible relative has had the opportunity to provide the Department of Children and Family Services with all known names, addresses, and telephone numbers of each of the minor's living maternal and paternal adult relatives, including, but not limited to, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and siblings. Provides that the court shall advise the parents, guardian, custodian or responsible relative to inform the Department if additional information regarding the minor's adult relatives becomes available.
Amends the Illinois Public Aid Code. Requires the Department of Healthcare and Family Services to adopt rules, no later than 90 days after the effective date of the amendatory Act, for the legally recognized services of persons licensed under other laws of this State as a clinical social worker.
Amends the Credit Card Marketing Act of 2009. Makes a technical change in a Section concerning the short title.