Amends the Counties Code. Provides that special meetings of the board shall be held when requested by any chairman of the board (currently, restricted to chairmen of the board in counties where such chairmen are elected by the voters of the county). Effective immediately.
Amends the Medical Assistance Article of the Illinois Public Aid Code. Removes a provision that requires the Department of Healthcare and Family Services to post the contracted claims report required by HealthChoice Illinois on its website every 3 months. Effective immediately.
Amends the State Employee Health Savings Account Law. Makes a technical change in a Section concerning the short title. Senate Floor Amendment No. 1 Deletes reference to: 5 ILCS 377/10-1 Adds reference to: New Act 20 ILCS 2605/2605-615 new 725 ILCS 5/111-9 new 725 ILCS 202/50 Replaces everything after the enacting clause. Creates the Forensic Laboratory Impact Note Act. Creates the Forensic Laboratory Impact Note. Provides that every bill, the purpose or effect of which is to increase or decrease the number of crime laboratories, increase or decrease the cost of operating crime laboratories, or alter any process involving or used by crime laboratories, either directly or indirectly, shall have prepared for it prior to second reading in the house of introduction a brief explanatory statement of the estimated total annual cost of such changes to the State and units of local government affected by those changes (if any). Amends the Department of State Police Law of the Civil Administrative Code of Illinois. Creates the Illinois Forensic Science Commission. Provides that the Commission shall provide guidance to ensure the efficient delivery of forensic services and the sound practice of forensic science. Provides for the membership, meetings, duties, and reporting of the Commission. Amends the Illinois Procurement Code. Provides for the appointment of a chief procurement officer for publicly-funded forensic laboratories. Amends the Code of Criminal Procedure of 1963. Provides that upon disposition, withdrawal, or dismissal of any charge, the State's Attorney shall promptly notify the forensic laboratory or laboratories in possession of evidence, reports, or other materials or information related to that charge. Provides that a forensic scientist who is employed by or is contracted with the Division of Forensic Services of the Illinois State Police may complete a deposition by video conference or other electronic means. Amends the Sexual Assault Evidence Submission Act. Provides that the Illinois State Police may (rather than shall) develop rules to implement a sexual assault evidence tracking system. Effective immediately. Senate Floor Amendment No. 2 Deletes reference to: 5 ILCS 377/10-1 Adds reference to: 20 ILCS 2605/2605-615 new 725 ILCS 5/111-9 new 725 ILCS 202/50 Replaces everything after the enacting clause. Amends the Department of State Police Law of the Civil Administrative Code of Illinois. Creates the Illinois Forensic Science Commission and provides for membership and duties for the commission. Provides for reporting by publicly funded forensic laboratories of non-conformities with the efficient delivery of forensic services. Amends the Code of Criminal Procedure of 1963. Provides for notification by the State's Attorney to forensic laboratories under specified circumstances. Amends the Sexual Assault Evidence Submission Act. Provides that the Department of State Police may, rather than shall, develop rules to implement a sexual assault evidence tracking system. Makes other changes. Adds an immediate effective date provision.
Amends the Downstate Teacher Article of the Illinois Pension Code. Allows a member to establish optional credit for up to 2 years of service as a teacher or administrator employed by a private school recognized by the Illinois State Board of Education, provided that the teacher (i) was certified under the law governing the certification of teachers at the time the service was rendered, (ii) applies in writing on or before June 30, 2023, (iii) supplies satisfactory evidence of the employment, (iv) completes at least 10 years of contributing service as a teacher, and (v) pays the required contribution. Effective immediately. House Floor Amendment No. 2 Adds reference to: 40 ILCS 5/16-158 from Ch. 108 1/2, par. 16-158 Replaces everything after the enacting clause. Reinserts the provisions of the engrossed bill with the following changes. Further amends the Downstate Teacher Article of the Illinois Pension Code. In a provision that requires an employer to make an additional contribution to the System for certain salary increases greater than 6%, excludes salary increases resulting from teaching summer school on or after May 1, 2021 and before September 15, 2022. Effective immediately. Pension Note, House Floor Amendment No. 2 (Government Forecasting & Accountability) SB 1646, as amended by HA 2, would reopen a window for teachers to apply for optional service credit for work done in approved private schools as teachers and administrators. The Teachers' Retirement System reports having 3,463 members who have applied for this private school credit in previous window openings, as described below. TRS estimates that the fiscal impact of this bill would be low, as the member must pay both the member and employer contributions, plus the actuarially assumed rate of interest to take advantage of this credit. The fiscal impact to TRS as a result of exempting summer school teaching from the 6% Final Average Salary Cap is unknown, as it is not known how many teachers would accrue pensionable salary in excess of 6% from the previous school year with the same employer via summer school teaching rendered between May 1, 2021 and September 15, 2022. Fiscal Note, House Floor Amendment No. 2 (Teachers Retirement System) Actuarial cost impact. SB 1646 as amended would have an unknown impact to TRS. Changes allowing optional service purchase under the bill are designed to be fully paid for by the related member contributions. Changes in required school district contributions would likely create some additional cost to the State of Illinois, but the total cost cannot be calculated without knowing the actual behavior of individual school districts and employees. Administrative cost impact. Administering the provisions of this bill would not increase the administrative costs ofTRS.
Amends the Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Systems Act. Provides that, in a rural population of 7,500 or fewer inhabitants, each EMS System medical director shall create an exception to the credentialing process to allow registered nurses, physician assistants, and advanced practice registered nurses to serve as EMTs. Requires each EMS System medical director to accept documentation from an applicant detailing education from either continuing education or documented work experience and practical skill credentialing including, but not limited to, airway management, ambulance operations, extrication, telecommunications, and pre-hospital cardiac and trauma care. Requires each EMS System medical director to ensure that applicants meet EMS System requirements for credentialing and authorizing the practice in accordance with the EMS System Plan as an EMT. House Floor Amendment No. 2 Replaces everything after the enacting clause. Amends the Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Systems Act. Provides that, in a rural population of 5,000 or fewer inhabitants, each EMS System Medical Director may create an exception to the credentialing process to allow registered nurses, physician assistants, and advanced practice registered nurses to apply to serve as volunteers who perform the same work as EMTs. Requires that, as part of the volunteer recognition process, EMS Systems shall ensure that registered nurses, physician assistants, and advanced practice registered nurses have an active license issued by the Department of Financial and Professional Regulation. Provides that the system-level recognition shall require documentation and proof of the completion of at least 20 hours of prehospital care-specific coursework approved by the Department of Public Health and 8 hours of observant riding time. Provides that each EMS System Medical Director who creates an exception to the credentialing process may require additional training or documentation and may reject a volunteer applicant for just cause. Provides that each exemption period shall be no longer than one year, after which time a volunteer applicant may apply for another exemption. Provides that each EMS System Medical Director is responsible for ensuring that volunteer applicants meet EMS System requirements for credentialing and authorizing the practice in accordance with the EMS System plan for basic life support. Provides that exceptions to the credentialing process are only allowable for volunteer EMS agencies in Illinois.
Amends the Illinois Vehicle Code. Provides that vehicles of deputy fire chiefs and assistant fire chiefs may be equipped with a siren, whistle, or bell capable of emitting sound audible under normal conditions from a distance of not less than 500 feet. Provides that deputy fire chiefs and assistant fire chiefs are eligible for fire chief license plates. Provides that any fire chief, deputy fire chief, or assistant fire chief operating warning devices upon a vehicle not owned by a municipality or fire protection district shall display fire chief license plates. Provides that, with the exception of permanently issued license plates, upon the resignation, termination, or reassignment to a rank other than fire chief, deputy fire chief, or assistant fire chief, a person issued fire chief license plates shall immediately surrender the license plate to the Secretary of State. Provides that the Secretary of State shall have the ability to recover the license plates.
Amends the Downstate Teacher Article of the Illinois Pension Code. Provides that through June 30, 2023 (instead of June 30, 2021), an annuitant may accept employment as a teacher without impairing his or her retirement status if that employment is not within the school year during which service was terminated and does not exceed 120 paid days or 600 paid hours in each school year. Makes a conforming change. Effective immediately.
Amends the Unified Code of Corrections. Provides that a period of probation, a term of periodic imprisonment or conditional discharge shall not be imposed for a violation of child pornography when the person possesses any film, videotape, photograph, or other similar visual reproduction or depiction by computer of any child or person with a severe or profound intellectual disability whom the person knows or reasonably should know to be under the age of 18 or to be a person with a severe or profound intellectual disability engaged in sexual activity if the victim is a household or family member of the defendant.
Creates the Prior Authorization Reform Act. Provides requirements concerning disclosure and review of prior authorization requirements, denial of claims or coverage by a utilization review organization, and the implementation of prior authorization requirements or restrictions. Provides requirements concerning a utilization review organization's obligations with respect to prior authorizations in nonurgent circumstances, urgent health care services, and emergency health care services. Provides that a utilization review organization shall not require prior authorization under specified circumstances. Provides requirements concerning the length of prior authorizations. Provides that health care services are automatically deemed authorized if a utilization review organization fails to comply with the requirements of the Act. Provides that the Director of Insurance may impose an administrative fine not to exceed $250,000 for violations of the Act. Defines terms. Amends the Illinois Insurance Code to change the definition of "emergency medical condition". Amends the Managed Care Reform and Patient Rights Act to provide that companies that transact accident and health insurance shall comply with specified requirements of the Managed Care Reform and Patient Rights Act. Amends the Illinois Public Aid Code to provide that all managed care organizations shall comply with the requirements of the Prior Authorization Reform Act. Makes other changes. Effective January 1, 2022. House Floor Amendment No. 1 Replaces everything after the enacting clause with the provisions of the introduced bill with the following changes. Changes references from "utilization review organization" to "health insurance issuer" or "health insurance issuer or its contracted utilization review organization". Provides that a health insurance issuer or its contracted utilization review organization must ensure that all adverse determinations are made by a physician when the request is by a physician or a representative of a physician. Provides that a health insurance issuer shall periodically review its prior authorization requirements and consider removal of prior authorization requirements in specified circumstances (rather than a utilization review organization shall not require prior authorization in specified circumstances). In provisions concerning length of prior authorization approval, provides that a prior authorization approval shall be valid for the lesser of 12 months after the date the health care professional or health care provider receives the prior authorization approval or the length of treatment as determined by the patient's health care professional. In provisions concerning clinical review criteria of prior authorization requirements, removes language that provides that a utilization review organization shall seek input from actively practicing physicians representing major areas of the specialty who are not employees of the utilization review organization or consultants to the utilization review organization before establishing or substantially or materially altering written clinical review criteria. Removes language that provides that a utilization review organization shall not deny prior authorization of a health care service solely based on the grounds that a health care professional or health care provider judges a service, product, or procedure is medically appropriate for his or her patient even if it has not been formally approved for the specific condition being treated. In provisions concerning statistics that shall be made available regarding prior authorization approvals and denials, removes specified categories of information. In provisions concerning requirements applicable to the physician who can review consultations and appeals, removes language that provides that the physician must not be employed by a utilization review organization, be under contract with the utilization review organization other than to participate in one or more of the utilization review organization's health care professional networks or to perform reviews of appeals, or otherwise have any financial interest in the outcome of the appeal. Makes other changes. Effective January 1, 2022. House Floor Amendment No. 2 Deletes reference to: 215 ILCS 134/65 Adds reference to: 215 ILCS 5/155.36 Replaces everything after the enacting clause with the provisions of the introduced bill, and makes the following changes: In the Prior Authorization Reform Act, deletes a Section concerning obligations with respect to prior authorization concerning emergency health care services, and makes changes in provisions governing applicability; definitions; disclosure and review of prior authorization requirements; obligations with respect to prior authorizations; personnel qualified to make adverse determinations of a prior authorization request; adverse determinations; review of appeals; denials; length of prior authorization approval; continuity of care; effect of failure to comply with the Act; and administration and enforcement. Makes further changes in the Illinois Insurance Code in a Section concerning obligations under the Managed Care Reform and Patient Rights Act. Deletes changes made to the Managed Care Reform and Patient Rights Act in a Section concerning emergency services prior to stabilization. Effective January 1, 2022.
Amends various Acts relating to the governance of public universities in Illinois. With respect to the high school coursework that a person must satisfactorily complete for university admission, adds agricultural sciences as a course option for the science category and agricultural education as a course option for the electives category. House Floor Amendment No. 2 Replaces everything after the enacting clause. Reinserts the contents of the bill, but changes references from vocational education to career and technical education.
