Rep. Camille Lilly

Maddy summaryThis bill officially designates the State of Illinois Building in Chicago as the "Jesse White State of Illinois Building." It directly affects the building located at 115 S. LaSalle Street, correcting the address from the original draft to ensure accuracy. The legislation is a commemorative resolution that does not change laws or create new programs, but rather assigns a specific name to honor Jesse White. Once passed, the building will carry this new name on official records and signage.

Declares April 1 through April 6, 2024 as Black Farmers Week in the State of Illinois. Encourages the people of Illinois and their representatives in government to learn about the history of Black farming communities and the contributions made by African Americans to agriculture in the United States.

Maddy summaryThis bill declares May 1, 2024, as Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated Day in the State of Illinois. It directly affects members of the sorority and the state government by officially recognizing the organization's history and its ongoing advocacy work in the community. The resolution highlights the sorority's role in promoting social issues and notes the presence of its members within various branches of Illinois state government. This measure serves as a commemorative acknowledgment rather than establishing new laws or policies.

Congratulates the Honorable Michael Christopher Fountain, Honorary Consul of the Consulate of the Commonwealth of The Bahamas in Chicago for the Midwestern United States, on serving as a crucial link to the bilateral relationship between The Bahamas and the United States for over a decade. Wishes him continued success while conducting his consular duties.

Urges the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) to continue taking appropriate action to facilitate equitable access to adolescent and adult vaccinations, including establishing appropriate programs and initiatives to raise public awareness on the importance of adolescent and adult vaccinations. Urges the IDPH to continue working with the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), in-state healthcare providers, and patients to implement an effective and actionable state immunization strategy that includes adult immunizations. Urges the IDPH to continue increasing community resilience to communicable and other emerging disease threats. Urges the IDPH to continue determining goals on which to center the immunization plan. Urges the IDPH to continue exploring federal funding opportunities and partnerships to support vaccine awareness and access programs aligned with the goals established in the state immunization strategy.

Amends the Local Food, Farms, and Jobs Act. Provides that the Act may be referred to as the Good Food Purchasing Law. Repeals provisions regarding procurement goals for local farm or food products. Provides that, no later than one year after the effective date of the amendatory Act, each State agency and State-owned facility that purchases food, including, without limitation, facilities for persons with mental health and development disabilities, correction facilities, and public institutions of higher education, including community colleges, shall have a timely plan for undergoing a Good Food Purchasing Program baseline assessment, conducted by the Center for Good Food Purchasing, to determine current alignment with Good Food Purchasing Program core values and Good Food Purchasing Program equity, transparency, and accountability and how better to meet Good Food Purchasing Program core values and Good Food Purchasing Program equity, transparency, and accountability. Provides that, no later than one year after completion of the baseline assessment, each State agency and State-owned facility shall develop and adopt a multi-year action plan with benchmarks to align food purchasing processes with Good Food Purchasing Program equity, transparency, and accountability and food purchases with Good Food Purchasing Program core values. Sets forth other provisions regarding the Program. Provides that the Good Food Purchasing Task Force created by House Joint Resolution 33 of the 102nd General Assembly is reestablished and shall continue with its study of current procurement of food within the State and to explore how good food purchasing can be implemented to maximize the procurement of healthy foods that are sustainably, locally, and equitably sourced. Provides that the Good Food Purchasing Fund is established as a special fund in the State treasury. Provides that moneys in the fund are continuously appropriated to the Department of Agriculture to administer the Local Food, Farms, and Jobs Act. Makes other changes. Amends the State Finance Act and the Food Handling Regulation Enforcement Act to make conforming changes.

Creates the Black Farmer Restoration Program Act. Creates the Black Farmer Restoration Program within the Department of Agriculture to support current Black farmers and to encourage the growth of Black farmers into the field of agriculture. Creates the Black Farmer Restoration Fund as a special fund in the State treasury. Provides that the Fund shall consist of gifts, grants, donations, and appropriations which must be made to support the Program. Provides that expenditures from the Fund must be used exclusively to pay costs, fees, and expenses necessary to administer the Program. Establishes requirements and limitations for the Program. Establishes the Farm Conservation Corps to provide training in an on-field environment for socially disadvantaged residents. Provides that the Director shall make publicly available annual reports describing data on the recipients of the Department programs, including assistance from farm subsidy programs, and the amounts of the assistance, delineated by the race, ethnicity, and gender of the recipients. Defines terms. Effective immediately.

Appropriates $ 5,000,000 from the General Revenue Fund to the Department of Agriculture for the purpose of making grants to socially-disadvantaged farmers to provide funding for startup capital and for costs associated with farming operations and equipment. Effective July 1, 2023.

Amends the Network Adequacy and Transparency Act. Provides that a network plan shall, at least annually, audit (instead of audit periodically) at least 25% of its provider directories for accuracy, make any corrections necessary, and retain documentation of the audit. Provides that the network plan shall submit the audit to the Department of Insurance (instead of to the Director of Insurance upon request). Provides that the Department shall make the audit publicly available. Provides that a network plan shall include in the print format provider directory (i) a detailed description of the process to dispute charges for out-of-network providers or facilities that were incorrectly listed as in-network prior to the provision of care and (ii) a telephone number and email address to dispute those charges. Makes changes to the information that must be provided in a network plan's electronic and print directory. Requires the Director to conduct random audits of the accuracy of provider directories for at least 10% of plans each year. Provides that a consumer who incurs a cost for inappropriate out-of-network charges for a provider, facility, or hospital that was listed as in-network prior to the provision of services may file a verified complaint with the Department, and the Department shall conduct an investigation of the verified complaint and determine whether the complaint is sufficient. Provides that, upon a finding of sufficiency, the Director shall have the authority to levy a fine for not less than the cost incurred by the consumer for inappropriate out-of-network charges for a provider, facility, or hospital that was listed in-network. Provides that the fines collected by the Director shall be remitted to the consumer.

Creates the Illinois Caregiver Assistance and Resource Portal Act. Requires the Department on Aging, in consultation with the Department of Healthcare and Family Services, the Department of Public Health, and the Department of Veterans' Affairs, to be responsible for the creation and maintenance of the Illinois Caregiver Assistance and Resource Portal (Portal). Provides that the Portal shall serve as a centralized and trusted online platform offering a wide range of resources related to caregiving, including, but not limited to: (1) information on State and federal programs, benefits, and resources on caregiving, long-term care, and at-home care for Illinois residents who are 50 years of age or older; (2) educational materials, articles, and videos on caregiving best practices; and (3) accommodations for users with different language preferences, ensuring the information is accessible to diverse audiences. Sets forth additional resources and information that the Portal may feature, such as information on caregiving resources, home and community-based services that support family caregivers, nursing home care, services and programs offered by Area Agencies on Aging, relevant health care and financial assistance programs, and local support group opportunities for caregivers. Requires the Portal to be designed to be user-friendly and accessible to individuals of all ages and abilities and to include features such as search functionality, language accessibility, and compatibility with assistive technologies to ensure that a diverse range of caregivers can use it. Contains provisions concerning required outreach and promotional campaign efforts to raise awareness of the Portal, reporting requirements, and State and federal funding for the Portal. Requires the Portal to be implemented one year after the effective date of the Act. Effective immediately.