Sen. Celina Villanueva

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 Illinois Income Tax Act. Provides that, for taxable years ending before December 31, 2028 (currently, December 31, 2023), when calculating the standard exemption, the basic amount shall be $2,050 plus a specified cost-of-living adjustment. Effective immediately.

Declares March 12, 2024 as "Equal Pay Day". Encourages the citizens of this State to learn about the pay gap that women experience in society and to learn about these various dates that bring attention to the pay gap that specific groups experience.

Amends the Criminal Code of 2012 and the Unified Code of Corrections. Provides that a person found legally accountable for the conduct of another and convicted of an offense based on a determination that the person is responsible for conduct which is an element of that offense and the conduct was not that of the person legally accountable and was not done at the express direction of the person legally accountable, shall be sentenced under specified provisions of the General Sentencing Provision Article of the Unified Code of Corrections. Provides that no separate sentence shall be imposed for the offense if the conduct of another person satisfied an element of the offense for which the individual has been found guilty. Effective immediately.

Creates the Safe Patient Limits Act. Provides the maximum number of patients that may be assigned to a registered nurse in specified situations. Provides that nothing shall preclude a facility from assigning fewer patients to a registered nurse than the limits provided in the Act. Provides that the maximum patient assignments may not be exceeded, regardless of the use and application of any patient acuity system. Requires the Department of Public Health to adopt rules governing the implementation and administration of the Act. Provides that all facilities shall adopt written policies and procedures for the training and orientation of nursing staff and that no registered nurse shall be assigned to a nursing unit or clinical area unless that nurse has, among other things, demonstrated competence in providing care in that area. Provides requirements for the Act's implementation. Establishes recordkeeping requirements. Provides rights and protections for nurses. Contains a severability provision and other provisions. Amends the Hospital Licensing Act. Provides that a hospital shall not mandate that a registered professional nurse delegate nursing interventions. Makes changes concerning staffing plans. Amends the Nurse Practice Act. Requires the exercise of professional judgment by a direct care registered professional nurse in the performance of his or her scope of practice to be provided in the exclusive interests of the patient.

Amends the Pupils Article of the School Code. In provisions regarding compulsory school age, provides that a student absent from a school in which the student is regularly enrolled shall be considered as being in attendance if the reason for such absence is to participate in scheduled Future Farmers of America Organization and 4-H programs as part of organized competitions or exhibitions. Provides that the student and parent or legal guardian shall be responsible for obtaining assignments missed while the student was participating in such an activity from the student's teacher.

Amends the Code of Civil Procedure. Requires a summons issued in an action to collect a debt to include a separate notice containing specified language. Provides that the amount of wages that may be applied toward a judgment is limited to the lesser of 10% (rather than 15%) of gross weekly wages or the amount by which disposable earnings for a week exceed the total of 80 (rather than 45) times the State minimum hourly wage or the federal minimum hourly wage, whichever is greater. Provides that the amount of payment owed to or received by the judgment debtor under an independent contractor relationship that may be applied toward a judgment is limited to the lesser of 10% of gross weekly wages or the amount by which disposable earnings for a week exceed the total of 100 times the State minimum hourly wage or the federal minimum hourly wage, whichever is greater. Provides that when assets or income of the judgment debtor not exempt from the satisfaction of a judgment, deduction order, or garnishment are discovered, the court may order the unfreezing or return of wages or assets to the debtor under specified circumstances. Provides that a consumer debt judgment may not (rather than may) be revived and shall expire after 7 years from the date of entry. Provides that every individual is entitled to an estate of homestead to the extent in value of the modern homestead exemption (rather than $15,000) as applied to his or her interest in specified property. Defines "modern homestead exemption" as the greater of $260,000 and the most recently available median sales price of a home in the debtor's metropolitan statistical area or county. Expands the list of personal property that is exempt from judgment, attachment, or distress for rent, including an increase in the value of the property. Provides that with respect to any consumer debt judgment, no person or entity may recover interest accumulated on any indebtedness that the person or entity knew or should have known the cause of action accrued, if an action on that indebtedness is not brought within 5 years after the cause of action accrued. Makes conforming and other changes in the Act and the Illinois Wage Assignment Act.

Amends the State Officials and Employees Ethics Act, the Election Code, the Children and Family Services Act, the Illinois Health Facilities Planning Act, the Township Code, the Illinois Municipal Code, the Public Library District Act of 1991, the School Code, the Home Medical Equipment and Services Provider License Act, the Illinois Horse Racing Act of 1975, the Illinois Gambling Act, the Liquor Control Act of 1934, and the Criminal Code of 2012. Makes changes in these Acts to provisions concerning whether a conviction for certain criminal offenses disqualifies an individual from serving in one of the specified public offices or on one of the specified boards and commissions. Makes conforming changes.

Amends the Juvenile Court Act of 1987 and the Code of Criminal Procedure of 1963. Provides that unreliable statements to law enforcement made during a custodial interrogation conducted at a police station or other place of detention by a defendant are inadmissible at trial in any criminal court proceeding or juvenile court proceeding. Provides that in any proceeding under this provision, the prosecution shall timely disclose at least 30 days prior to any relevant evidentiary hearing or trial its intent to introduce a statement made during a custodial interrogation conducted at a police station or other place of detention by a defendant. Provides that at that time, the prosecution must disclose any electronic recordings of the statement and any documents relating to the circumstances under which the statement was obtained. Provides that when deciding a statement's reliability, a court should consider: (1) whether the details in the statement fit with the evidence known before the interrogation, especially details that describe unusual or not easily guessed facts of the crime that had not been made public; (2) whether the statement provides any new details or any new evidence not known before the interrogation that can be independently corroborated after the interrogation; (3) whether facts of the crime were disclosed to the defendant rather than elicited from the defendant; and (4) whether a court has found evidence of coercion in making a prior determination about whether the statement is voluntary. Provides that the question of the statement's admissibility is solely for the trial court.

Amends the Illinois Vehicle Code. Provides that, whenever a person fails to appear in court and the court continues the case, if the clerk of the court elects to establish a system to send text, email, and telephone notifications, the clerk of the court may send notifications to an email address, may send a text message to the person's last known cellular telephone number, and, if the person does not have a cellular telephone number, may reach the person at the person's last known landline telephone number regarding the continued court date. Removes a provision that requires a court to enter an order of failure to appear if a person does not appear in court on or before the continued court date or satisfy the court that the person's appearance in and surrender to the court is impossible for no fault of the person. Amends the Unified Code of Corrections. Removes language that allowed the court to use mitigating factors when deciding on contempt or imprisonment for nonpayment of a fine.