Rep. Larry Walsh

Amends the State Fire Marshal Act. Establishes, subject to appropriation, the Division of Certified Youth Firesetter Interventionists within the Office of the State Fire Marshal. Provides that the Division shall consist of certified youth firesetter interventionists who conduct youth firesetter interventions when local authorities cannot do so on their own or when multiple local authorities in separate jurisdictions are involved. Describes the duties of the Division. Contains other provisions.

Amends the Illinois Municipal Code. Extends the date that the Municipal Water and Wastewater Funding Study Committee is required to report its findings and recommendations to the Governor and General Assembly to September 30, 2023 (from January 31, 2023). Effective immediately.

Amends provisions of the Lyme Disease Prevention and Protection Act concerning the Lyme Disease Task Force. Provides that one veterinarian appointed to the Task Force by the Director of Public Health must be a practicing Doctor of Veterinary Medicine. Adds one medical entomologist appointed by the Director of Public Health to the Task Force. Requires the Task Force to meet not less than 4 (rather than 2) times each year.

Amends the Public Safety Employee Benefits Act. In a provision requiring a public safety employer to pay the entire premium of its health insurance plan for a public safety employee, the employee's spouse, and the employee's dependent children after the employee suffers a fatal or catastrophic injury in the line of duty, requires the employer to offer any individual who qualifies for such premium payments the choice of any health insurance plan available to currently employed full-time public safety employees.

Amends the Prevailing Wage Act. Provides that the definition of "public works" includes all construction projects involving fixtures or permanent attachments affixed to light poles that are owned by a public body, including street light poles, traffic light poles, and other lighting fixtures, whether or not done under public supervision or direction, or paid for wholly or in part out of public funds. Effective immediately.

Amends the Illinois Police Training Act. Creates under the authority of the Illinois Law Enforcement Training Standards Board the Statewide PTSD Mental Health Coordinator, appointed by the Governor, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate, for a term of 4 years. Provides that the Statewide PTSD Mental Health Coordinator shall receive a salary as provided by law and is eligible for reappointment. Provides that the Statewide PTSD Mental Health Coordinator shall be responsible for implementing a program of mental health support and education for law enforcement officers. Establishes qualifications for the Coordinator. Provides that the Statewide PTSD Mental Health Coordinator shall report to the Board on the development and implementation of programs and training for law enforcement officers and shall advise the Board and receive advice from the Board on direction and training needs for law enforcement agencies that vary in size, location, and demographics.

Creates the Outdoor Rx Program Act. Authorizes the Department of Public Health, subject to appropriation, to make grants for outdoor environmental, ecological, agricultural, or other natural resource-based or outdoor-based therapy programs serving the citizens of the State of Illinois. Requires the Department to establish an advisory committee to assist and advise the Department in the development and administration of the Outdoor Rx Program, including developing the form for an application for receipt of a grant. Provides that the Department shall set priorities and develop criteria for the awarding of grants to natural resource-based or outdoor-based therapy programs. Provides criteria for grant eligibility and selection. Provides that the Director of Public Health shall make the final decision on funding a program. Amends the State Finance Act. Creates the Outdoor Rx Program Fund as a special fund in the State treasury.

Amends the Criminal Code of 2012. In the statute concerning abuse or criminal neglect of a long term care facility resident, changes references to "an elderly person's or person with a disability's life" to references to "a resident's life". In the statute concerning financial exploitation of an elderly person or a person with a disability, provides that a person who violates the provisions is guilty of a Class 1 felony if the elderly person is 70 years of age or older (instead of "over 70 years of age") and the value of the property is $15,000 or more.

Amends the Administration Article of the Illinois Public Aid Code. Requires the Department of Human Services to track and collect data on the scope and frequency of SNAP benefits fraud in Illinois where a SNAP recipient's benefits are stolen from the recipient's electronic benefits transfer card by means of card skimming, card cloning, or some other similar fraudulent method. Requires the Department to specifically keep a record of every report made to the Department by a SNAP recipient alleging the theft of benefits due to no fault of the recipient, the benefit amount stolen, and, if practicable, how those stolen benefits were used and the location of those thefts. Requires the Department to report its findings to the General Assembly on a quarterly basis beginning in calendar year 2024. Provides that a SNAP recipient's personally identifiable information shall be excluded from the reports consistent with State and federal privacy protections; and that each quarterly report shall be posted on the Department's official website. Provides that if the Department determines that a SNAP recipient has made a substantiated report of stolen benefits due to card skimming, card cloning, or some other similar fraudulent method, the Department shall refer the matter to the Attorney General and shall provide any assistance to the Attorney General in the prosecution of the alleged theft or fraud.

Amends the Illinois Vehicle Code. Provides that in a county having a population of 3,000,000 or more, the county sheriff shall establish with other law enforcement agencies a vehicle theft hotline to facilitate the location of stolen vehicles via their installed existing global positioning systems, collaborate with vehicle manufacturers and dealers to provide information and assistance to law enforcement officers in the investigation of vehicle theft, and ensure that consumers are provided with information concerning the hotline and any new or used vehicle manufactured with a global positioning system by publishing the information in a conspicuous location on the county sheriff's website. Provides that the manufacturer of any vehicle sold in this State shall establish a hotline available to State, county, and local law enforcement agencies exclusively for the purposes of law enforcement information sharing and the electronic tracking of vehicles stolen in vehicular hijacking incidents or that have been used in the commission of kidnapping, aggravated battery with a firearm, attempted homicide, or homicide. Provides that the manufacturer's hotline shall relay vehicle location information, including real-time vehicle location information whenever possible, to the 9-1-1 call center or designated dispatch center for the responding agency, to the best of the manufacturer's technical capability. Requires State, county, and local law enforcement agencies to use their respective 9-1-1 system call centers or designated dispatch centers for the purpose of verification of law enforcement officers' identities and bona fide incident report numbers related to incidents. Requires manufacturers to prepare written statements detailing tracking and disabling system capabilities and make them available to State, county, and local law enforcement agencies upon request. Requires that, if a vehicle is not subscribed to the manufacturer's tracking service, the manufacturer of any vehicle sold in this State shall waive all fees associated with initiating, renewing, reestablishing, or maintaining the location, disabling, or alert service with which the vehicle is equipped during a law enforcement response or investigation of specified offenses.