Rep. Calvin L. Giles

Congratulates Marietta Skyles Beverly on the occasion of her retirement.

Congratulates Mrs. Marion Farmer of Chicago on the occasion of her 94th birthday.

Amends the School Code with respect to special education classes for children from orphanages, foster family homes, children's homes, or in-State housing units. In a provision that allows reimbursement for the costs of educating a disabled student who is placed residentially by a State agency or the courts for care or custody, welfare, medical or mental health treatment, rehabilitation, and protection, provides that it is the intent of that provision that school districts be reimbursed for the eligible costs of educating all students residentially placed by a State agency or the courts for any of the reasons listed whether such placement was made on, before, or after the effective date of the amendatory Act. Effective immediately.

Amends the Illinois Vehicle Code. Provides that the ongoing traffic stop statistical study shall continue without an ending date (rather than terminating on December 31, 2007).

Amends the School Code. In a provision concerning the loan of textbooks by the State Board of Education, provides that certain bonding requirements do not apply to the loan of textbooks.

Amends the School Code. Creates a pilot class size reduction grant program, to be implemented and administered by the State Board of Education. Provides that grants shall be awarded to schools to defray the costs and expenses of operating and maintaining classes of no more than 15 pupils per teacher per class. Effective July 1, 2006.

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 Good Samaritan Act. Provides immunity against criminal liability, civil damages, or medical malpractice damages for any acts or omissions, for any physician licensed under the Medical Practice Act of 1987 to practice medicine in all its branches or licensed to practice the treatment of human ailments in any other state or territory of the United States; any dental emergency responder; any licensed nurse; any licensed physicians assistant; any licensed EMT-Basic, EMT-Intermediate, or EMT-Paramedic; and any First Responder who provides volunteer Tactical Emergency Medical Support (TEMS) services to any person or animal in any law enforcement incident or training situation, or any other law enforcement related situation, including disasters, in civil unrest, or methamphetamine lab interdiction.

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.

Amends the Department of Public Health Powers and Duties Law of the Civil Administrative Code of Illinois. Requires the Department of Public Health to develop educational materials on meningitis for distribution in elementary and secondary schools. Effective immediately.