Rep. Yolonda Morris

Amends the Hospital Licensing Act. Provides that "hospital worker" means any person who receives an hourly wage directly or indirectly via a subcontractor by a hospital licensed under the Act. Replaces references to "nurse" with "hospital worker". Provides for additional staffing transparency and reporting requirements. Provides that hospitals licensed under the Act must employ and schedule enough hospital workers to provide quality patient care and ensure patient safety. Provides that hospitals must make available, at the beginning of each calendar year and upon request, all staffing matrices and other staffing metrics, if any, used to assess and maintain safe staffing levels for hospital workers in each unit. Provides that the Department of Public Health shall produce an annual report based on staffing disclosures. Provides that the Department shall make recommendations for minimum staffing standards for hospital workers in each hospital unit. Provides that hospitals licensed under the Act shall conduct, within the first month of employment and at no cost, a competency validation for each hospital worker hired. Provides that a hospital must submit documentation of each hospital worker's competency validation to the Department within 4 weeks after the worker's start date. Provides that hospitals shall conduct ongoing verification for each hospital worker employed during a given calendar year to determine each worker's continued competency to perform the worker's job and shall submit documentation of each worker's ongoing verification to the Department within 2 weeks of completion. Provides that hospitals shall submit a list of all competent employees currently employed at the end of each calendar year. Provides for a public registry of all competent employees to be maintained by the Department. Provides for the imposition of civil penalties for specified violations of the Act. Describes an assignment despite objection resolution process to be implemented by each hospital that is licensed under the Act. Provides for a Hospital Safety Advocate role to be created within the Department.

Amends the Property Tax Code. Provides that the maximum income limitation under the Low-Income Senior Citizens Assessment Freeze Homestead Exemption shall be adjusted each year by the annual cost of living increase, if any, in Social Security and Supplemental Security Income benefits that took effect during the immediately preceding calendar year. Amends the Energy Assistance Act. Provides that eligibility limits under the energy assistance program may not exceed the greater of: (1) 150% of the federal nonfarm poverty level as established by the federal Office of Management and Budget or 60% of the State median income for the current State fiscal year as established by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, whichever is higher; or (2) the eligibility limit for the immediately preceding calendar year, increased by the annual cost of living increase, if any, in Social Security and Supplemental Security Income benefits that took effect during the immediately preceding calendar year. Effective immediately.

Mourns the death of Cook County Clerk Karen Yarbrough.

Amends the Psychiatry Practice Incentive Act. Provides that the Department of Public Health shall establish a Collaborative Care Demonstration Grant program and set criteria for the program. Provides that the Director of Public Health may establish a program, and criteria for the program, to provide grants, training, and technical assistance to eligible primary health care practices to support implementation of the program. Establishes the purposes and use of the grants. Provides that grants awarded under the program shall be for a minimum amount of $100,000. Provides that the minimum award amount shall increase by $1,000 per 1% share of patients to be seen by the awardee during the applicable grant period that are expected to be enrolled in Medicaid, up to $500,000 total per award. Provides that the Director of Public Health may solicit proposals from and enter into grant agreements with eligible collaborative care technical assistance centers to provide technical assistance to primary health care practices on providing behavioral health integration services through the psychiatric Collaborative Care Model, including, but not limited to, recipients of grants under the program. Provides that the Director of Public Health may develop and implement a public awareness campaign to raise awareness about the psychiatric Collaborative Care Model. Provides that the program is subject to appropriation. Defines terms. Effective July 1, 2024.

Urges support for the Family Roots Genealogy Pilot Program as it provides African American descendants of enslaved individuals the opportunity to trace their roots back to their ancestral homelands, to reconnect with their ancestral heritage, and to promote their well-being.

Amends the Firearm Concealed Carry Act. Provides that nothing in the Act prohibits a forest preserve district from prohibiting persons from carrying a firearm into any botanic garden, campground, aquatic center, grounds of an aquatic center, boat launch, boating center, athletic venue, picnic grove, nature center, grounds of a nature center, pavilion, grounds of a pavilion, golf course, parking lot, driving range, adventure course, grounds of an adventure course, zipline building, grounds of a zipline, equestrian center, grounds of an equestrian center, exercise venue, grounds of an exercise venue, any Illinois nature preserve, land and water reserve, or any public or private gathering or special event conducted on property that requires the issuance of a permit. Defines "grounds".

Amends the Unified Code of Corrections. Provides that the Department of Corrections shall adopt a rule, in consultation with a librarian who has a minimum of a Master's degree or has a Ph.D. in Library Science or Library and Information Science from an accredited college or university, appointed by the Director of Corrections, prohibiting the chief administrative officer or other correctional officer of a correctional institution or facility of the Department from summarily rejecting for use or receipt by committed persons books, publications, or library materials or from establishing lists of prohibited publications to committed persons unless those books, publications, or library materials: (1) are detrimental to the security of the correctional institution or facility; (2) constitute child pornography as defined in the Criminal Code of 2012; or (3) may be used to facilitate criminal activity. Provides that the rule shall provide that a committed person may appeal to the Director or another person or body that the Director may appoint if the committed person is denied access to the books, publications, or library materials that are requested. Provides that a final decision of the Director or appointed person or body is subject to review under the Illinois Administrative Procedure Act.

Amends the Physician Assistant Practice Act of 1987. Provides that a physician assistant may prescribe, dispense, order, administer, and procure drugs and medical devices without delegation of authority by a physician. Provides that a physician assistant may practice without a written collaborative agreement. 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. Makes changes in provisions concerning definitions; physician assistant title; collaboration requirements; written collaborative agreements, prescriptive authority, and physician assistants in hospitals, hospital affiliates, or ambulatory surgical treatment centers; inactive status; limitations; and grounds for disciplinary action. Amends the Illinois Controlled Substances Act to make corresponding changes.

Creates the Teacher Admission at Local Public Museums Act. Defines "Illinois teacher" and "local public museum". Provides that a local public museum shall provide free admission to an Illinois teacher. Allows the local public museum to require that a person provide identification or documentation showing that the person is an Illinois teacher. Provides that the Act does not apply to an exhibit in or portion of the local public museum that requires an additional payment in addition to the cost to enter the local public museum, or special events held at a local public museum not open to the general public. Provides that, to the extent the Act conflicts with any other provision of law, the Act controls. Limits home rule powers by providing that the regulation of free admission for Illinois teachers at local public museums is an exclusive power and function of the State.

Amends the Department of Human Services Act. Provides that subject to appropriation, the Department of Human Services shall establish and administer a program that provides parents or guardians of children enrolled in a qualifying day care facility reimbursements of paid child care expenses for up to 5 sick days each calendar year. Provides that the reimbursement rate for sick days shall be determined by the Department by rule. Requires claims for reimbursement to be made to the Department by the qualifying day care facility on behalf of a parent or guardian who submits a receipt and any other required documentation that demonstrates the parent or guardian has satisfied all payment obligations for the claimed sick day. Provides that upon the Department's determination that reimbursement is proper, a reimbursement shall be made to the qualifying day care facility which shall then credit the parent or guardian the reimbursement amount. Provides that parents and guardians and any other relatives who receive child care assistance under the Department's Child Care Assistance Program are not eligible for sick day reimbursements under the amendatory Act.