Sen. Napoleon Harris

Creates the Englewood Violent Crime Task Force to: (1) study and determine the causes of violent crime in Englewood and nearby affected communities; (2) study and determine the feasibility of deploying the Illinois State Police to Englewood and nearby affected communities and neighborhoods; (3) develop a comprehensive long-term solution to the effect of violent crime in the Englewood and nearby affected communities; (4) recommend a plan of action to substantially reduce the incidents of violent crime in Englewood and nearby affected communities; and (5) draft any necessary legislation and make any necessary recommendations for appropriations to place the plan of action into immediate effect.

Appropriates $2 from the General Revenue Fund to the Office of the Legislative Inspector General for its FY15 ordinary and contingent expenses. Effective July 1, 2014.

Creates the Illinois Solid Waste Hauling and Recycling Program Act. Provides that any person who engages in the business of collecting or hauling garbage, municipal waste, recyclable material, landscape waste, brush, or other refuse operating in specified counties or municipalities shall offer the collection of recyclable materials from any commercial business, commercial property, or institutional facility. Provides that recyclable materials collected by a hauler within a county shall not be deposited into a landfill or incinerator unless all reasonable efforts have been made by the hauler to sell those recyclable materials to a processor or end user. Provides that counties and municipalities may require haulers operating within their boundaries to obtain license decals. Requires recycling centers or recycling center operators to report to the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency. Provides that the new requirements apply only to contracts for collecting or hauling of garbage, municipal waste, recyclable material, landscape waste, brush, or other refuse entered into, renewed, or extended on or after the effective date of the Act. Provides that a home rule unit may not regulate haulers in a manner less restrictive than the regulation of haulers under the Act. Amends the Illinois Municipal Code. Provides that the contract provisions of the Act are subject to the provisions of the Illinois Solid Waste Hauling and Recycling Program Act, and apply only to contracts or franchises regulated by the Illinois Solid Waste Hauling and Recycling Program Act awarded prior to the effective date, provided that the contract is not modified to cover additional categories of refuse, waste, or material. Amends the Solid Waste Planning and Recycling Act. Provides that the Act is subject to the provisions of the Illinois Solid Waste Hauling and Recycling Program Act. Effective immediately.

Amends the Counties Code. Permits a county board in a county with a population of more than 500,000 and less than 700,000, based on the most recent federal decennial census, to enact by ordinance a judicial facilities fee to be used for the building of new judicial facilities. Sets the maximum fee at $30 and provides the method by which the fees are to be paid.

Amends the State Revenue Sharing Act and the Illinois Income Tax Act. Provides that, from each income tax payment that the Department of Revenue receives, the Department must deposit certain amounts directly into the Local Government Distributive Fund (currently, the Department deposits the tax payment into the General Revenue Fund and the Treasurer then transfers a percentage of the net revenue to the Local Government Distributive Fund). Effective immediately.

Amends the Illinois Human Rights Act. Provides that with respect to employment, it is a civil rights violation for an employer to refuse to provide reasonable accommodations for an employee for conditions related to pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions, if she so requests, with the advice of her health care provider. Provides that the term "reasonable accommodations" means actions which would permit such an employee to perform in a reasonable manner the activities involved in the job or occupation including an accessible worksite, acquisition or modification of equipment, job restructuring, and modified work schedule. Provides that the reasonable accommodations shall be undertaken provided that those actions do not impose an undue hardship on the business, program, or enterprise of the entity from which the actions are requested.

Amends the Illinois Public Aid Code and the Illinois Insurance Code. Requires the Department of Healthcare and Family Services and the Department of Insurance to jointly develop a uniform prior authorization form for prescription drug benefits on or before July 1, 2014. Provides that on and after January 1, 2015, or 6 months after the form is developed, whichever is later, every prescribing provider may use that uniform prior authorization form to request prior authorization for coverage of prescription drug benefits and every health care service plan shall accept that form as sufficient to request prior authorization for prescription drug benefits. Provides that on and after January 1, 2015, a health insurer that provides prescription drug benefits shall utilize and accept the prior authorization form when requiring prior authorization for prescription drug benefits; and that if a health care service plan fails to utilize or accept the prior authorization form, or fails to respond within 2 business days upon receipt of a completed prior authorization request from a prescribing provider, the prior authorization request shall be deemed to have been granted. Exempts certain providers. Sets forth certain criteria for the prior authorization form. Provides that "prescribing provider" includes a provider authorized to write a prescription as described in the Pharmacy Practice Act. Effective January 1, 2014.

Amends the Board of Higher Education Act. Makes a technical change in a Section concerning advising and counseling the Governor.

Amends the Older Adult Services Act. Adds provisions creating a Home Care Consumer Bill of Rights, which includes the following rights: to basic safety; to information concerning the availability of home care services and other matters; to choice, participation, and self-determination in connection with planning home care services; to care and services provided in a way that promotes a consumer's dignity and individuality; and to redress of grievances. Requires the Department on Aging, in collaboration with the departments of Public Health and Healthcare and Family Services and other agencies, to develop a plan for enforcing the Home Care Consumer Bill of Rights. Effective immediately.

Amends the Children and Family Services Act. Provides that when a child is voluntarily placed in out-of-home care funded by the Department of Children and Family Services for the purpose of obtaining mental health treatment for the child or treatment for the child's developmental disability, the Department is prohibited from requesting, recommending, or requiring that a parent terminate his or her parental rights with respect to the child or that a parent or legal guardian transfer legal custody of the child to the Department. Provides that a child voluntarily placed in out-of-home care shall be placed pursuant to a voluntary placement agreement voluntarily entered into by the parents or legal guardian of the child. Provides that for a child to remain in out-of-home care for longer than 180 days, a juvenile court must make a judicial determination within the first 180 days of the placement that the placement is in the best interests of the child. Requires the Department to report annually to the General Assembly concerning (i) the number of children who were voluntarily placed in out-of-home care funded by the Department and (ii) the number of parents or legal guardians who relinquished custody of their child for the purpose of seeking mental health treatment for the child or treatment for the child's developmental disability. Contains provisions concerning: an interagency agreement between specified State agencies to prevent children from becoming wards of the State and entering the child welfare system solely for purpose of treatment of a child's serious mental illness, serious emotional disturbance, or developmental disability; certain protocols that must be included in the interagency agreement; and additional reporting requirements. Effective immediately.