Rep. Dee Avelar

Amends the Children with Disabilities Article of the School Code. Provides that, as part of transition planning, a school district shall provide a student and the parent or guardian of the student (instead of just the student) with information about the district's career and technical education opportunities. Provides that a student and the parent or guardian of the student shall be provided with information about dual credit courses offered by the school district. Provides that if the student is enrolled in a dual credit course for dual credit or for high school credit only, the student's participation in the course shall be included as part of the student's transition Individualized Education Program activities. Effective immediately.

Amends the Hospice Program Licensing Act. Makes a technical change in a Section concerning the short title.

Amends the Illinois Credit Union Act. Provides that the regulatory fee schedule shall not be increased if the amount remaining in the Credit Union Fund at the end of any fiscal year is greater than 25% of that fiscal year's total initial appropriations, or the most recent fiscal year for which there is an initial appropriations, relating to the administration and enforcement of the provisions and other related laws, rules, and regulations (rather than the total actual and operational expenses incurred by the State in administering and enforcing the provisions and other laws, rules, and regulations as may apply to the administration and enforcement of laws, rules, and regulations for the preceding fiscal year). Provides that when the balance in the Credit Union Fund at the end of a fiscal year exceeds 25% of that fiscal year's total initial appropriations relating to the administration and enforcement of the provisions and other related laws, rules, and regulations (rather than the total administrative and operational expenses incurred by the State in administering and enforcing the provisions), the excess shall be credited to credit unions and applied against their regulatory fees for the subsequent fiscal year. Provides that the amount credited to each credit union shall be in the same proportion as the regulatory fee paid by that credit union for the fiscal year in which the excess is produced bears to the aggregate amount of all regulatory fees (rather than fees) collected by the Department of Financial and Professional Regulation under the provisions for the same fiscal year. Removes a regulatory fee cap of $141,875. Makes other changes.

Amends the Regulatory Sunset Act. Provides for the repeal of the Illinois Public Accounting Act on January 1, 2029 (rather than January 1, 2024). Amends the Illinois Public Accounting Act. Provides that all applicants and registrants shall: (1) provide a valid address and email address to the Department of Financial and Professional Regulation, which shall serve as the address of record and email address of record, respectively, at the time of application for registration or renewal of a registration and (2) inform the Department of any change of address of record or email address of record within 14 days after such change either through the Department's website or by contacting the Department's licensure maintenance unit. Provides that a license application shall have an applicant's federal individual taxpayer identification number. Provides that all CPA firms or sole practitioners required to undergo a peer review shall submit to the Department peer review reports; letters of response, if applicable; acceptance letters; letters signed by the reviewed CPA firm accepting the peer review documents with the understanding that the CPA firm agrees to take certain actions, if applicable; and letters notifying the reviewed CPA firm that certain required actions have been completed, if applicable. Provides that the Secretary of Financial and Professional Regulation shall appoint a full-time CPA Coordinator. Provides that the hearing officer shall report the hearing officer's findings of fact, conclusions of law, and recommendations to the Committee (rather than to the Committee and the Secretary). Removes a provision providing that exhibits shall be certified without cost. Makes corresponding and other changes. Specifies that the changes made to the Regulatory Sunset Act take effect immediately.

Supports home-visiting and Early Intervention programs as an essential component of our State's multifaceted approach to the opioid crisis, helping remediate many of its corrosive impacts on young children, their parents, and families, while also assisting efforts at preventing children from future struggles with substance use disorders of their own. Affirms these vital birth-to-3 services are a top priority for increased public resources, to strengthen their quality and extend their reach to more of the children, parents, and families who could benefit from them, particularly in communities of greatest need and those hit hardest by the opioid epidemic. Affirms home-visiting and Early Intervention services are an appropriate and necessary use for some of the hundreds of millions of funding coming to Illinois from the settlement of lawsuits against opioid makers and distributors, initiatives that can help meet the settlements' stated aims of boosting opioid remediation, treatment, and prevention.

Makes an appropriation of $717,765,720 from the General Revenue Fund to the State Board of Education for early childhood education. Makes various appropriations from the General Revenue Fund to the Department of Human Services for early intervention, for grants and administration expenses associated with the Maternal and Child Home Visiting Program, for grants and administrative expenses associated with the Healthy Families Program, and for grants and administrative expenses associated with child care services, including prior year costs. Effective July 1, 2023.

Appropriates $ 20,000,000 from the General Revenue Fund to the Department of Human Services to implement Public Act 102-522 and provide grants to local school districts and community organizations for comprehensive personal health and safety education in kindergarten through the 5th grade and comprehensive sexual health education in the 6th through 12th grades. Effective July 1, 2023 .

Amends the Accident and Health Article of the Illinois Insurance Code. In provisions concerning pap tests and prostate cancer screenings, provides that required coverage includes an annual cervical smear or Pap smear test for all (rather than female) insureds. Provides that required coverage includes an annual prostate cancer screening for insureds (rather than male insureds) upon the recommendation of a physician licensed to practice medicine in all of its branches for specified individuals. Provides that required coverage includes an annual prostate cancer screening for insureds who are age 40 and over with a genetic predisposition to prostate cancer.

Amends the Physician Assistant Practice Act of 1987. Changes the definition of "physician assistant", "physician assistant practice", "board", and "collaborating physician". Provides that a physician assistant shall be deemed by law to possess the ability to prescribe, dispense, order, administer, and procure drugs and medical devices without delegation of such authority by a physician. Provides that such ability shall include the prescribing of Schedule II, III, IV, and V controlled substances. Provides that to prescribe Schedule II, III, IV, or V controlled substances under the Act, a physician assistant shall obtain a mid-level practitioner controlled substances license. Provides that when a written collaboration agreement is required under the Act, delegation of prescriptive authority by a physician is not required. Provides that a physician assistant who files with the Department of Financial and Professional Regulation a notarized attestation of completion of at least 250 hours of continuing education or training and at least 2,000 hours of clinical experience after first attaining national certification shall not require a written collaborative agreement. Provides the specified scope of practice of a physician assistant with optimal practice authority. Provides that a physician assistant shall be able to hold more than one professional position. Makes changes in provisions concerning the physician assistant title, collaboration requirements, and the written collaborative agreement. Makes other changes and corresponding changes to the Act and to the Illinois Controlled Substances Act.

Amends the Mortgage Foreclosure Article of the Code of Civil Procedure. Requires a court file to be sealed upon the commencement of any foreclosure action during the COVID-19 emergency and economic recovery period. Provides that if a residential eviction action filed during the COVID-19 emergency and economic recovery period is pending on the effective date of the amendatory Act and is not sealed, the court shall order the sealing of the court file. Provides that the amendatory Act applies to any action to foreclose a mortgage relating to (i) residential real estate, and (ii) real estate improved with a dwelling structure containing dwelling units for 6 or fewer families living independently of each other in which the mortgagor is a natural person landlord renting the dwelling units, even if the mortgagor does not occupy any of the dwelling units as the mortgagor's personal residence. Effective immediately.