Amends the School Code and the Critical Health Problems and Comprehensive Health Education Act. Removes a provision that requires a sex education course that discusses sexual intercourse to have course material and instruction to advise pupils of the Abandoned Newborn Infant Protection Act and to provide information about responsible parenting and the availability of confidential adoption services. Provides instead that the Comprehensive Health Education Program must provide course material and instruction to advise pupils of the Abandoned Newborn Infant Protection Act and to provide information about responsible parenting and the availability of confidential adoption services. Amends the State Mandates Act to require implementation without reimbursement. Effective immediately.
Sponsored bills
Amends the Illinois Insurance Code. Provides that a group health benefit plan shall provide coverage for 60 (now 35) visits for outpatient treatment of mental illness. Effective immediately.
Creates the Hospital Fair Billing and Collection Practices Act. Requires a hospital's governing body to adopt policies: (i) prohibiting abusive, harassing, oppressive, false, deceptive, or misleading language or collection conduct by any collection agency or attorney retained by the hospital for the collection of medical debt, any agent or employee of a collection agency or attorney, or any hospital employee who participates in the collection of medical debt from patients; (ii) establishing the procedures to be utilized by every collection agency retained by the hospital for the collection of medical debt; (iii) establishing the procedures to be utilized by the hospital's employees who participate in the collection of debt; and (iv) establishing procedures for ensuring the timely and accurate submission of claims to third party payors. Prohibits a hospital from selling any debt owed to it by a patient for medical or hospital services, except to a collection agency. Establishes required billing practices for a hospital. Requires a hospital to enter into a written contract with any collection agency or attorney that it retains to collect medical debts from patients and outlines the contract requirements. Provides for civil penalties and injunctive relief. Preempts home rule. Creates the Hospital Fair Billing and Collection Practices Act Enforcement Fund. Provides that the monies in the Fund shall be used by the Attorney General for the enforcement of the Act. Amends the State Finance Act to create the Hospital Fair Billing and Collection Practices Act Enforcement Fund. Amends the University of Illinois Hospital Act to make the collection of hospital service charges by the University subject to the Hospital Fair Billing and Collection Practices Act. Amends the Hospital Licensing Act. Provides that the Director may deny, suspend, or revoke a hospital's license for failure to comply with the provisions of the Hospital Fair Billing and Collection Practices Act. Effective January 1, 2007.
Appropriates $2 from the General Revenue Fund to the General Assembly for its FY 06 ordinary and contingent expenses. Effective July 1, 2005.
Creates the Illinois Opportunity Fund Act. Contains provisions intended to increase the availability and facilitate the delivery of institutional venture capital and private equity investment to emerging and expanding enterprises in the State of Illinois. Defines the role of the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity. Creates the Illinois Opportunity Fund and provides for the creation of the Illinois Capital Investment Corporation. Amends the State Finance Act to create the Illinois Opportunity Special Projects Fund. Amends the Illinois State Auditing Act to authorize audits of the Corporation and the Fund. Contains other provisions. Effective immediately.
Amends the Unified Code of Corrections. Provides that an identification card issued by the Department of Corrections to a committed person on parole, mandatory supervised release, final discharge, or pardon shall be valid for a period of time not to exceed 60 (rather than 30) calendar days from the date the card is issued. Effective immediately.
Directs the Auditor General to conduct a program audit of funding provided by or through the State of Illinois to CeaseFire Illinois.
Amends the General Obligation Bond Act. Authorizes the State to incur new debt by issuing up to $3,300,000,000 in additional GO bonds. Authorizes additional amounts from the proceeds of GO bonds to be used for transportation purposes (among them highways and mass transit) and school improvement projects. Effective immediately.
Directs the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services and the Illinois Department of Corrections to jointly prepare a report as to the costs and feasibility of providing monthly video conferencing visitation to appropriate children in State care whose parents are incarcerated in Department of Corrections facilities.
Creates a Host Committee for the Midwestern Legislative Conference Annual Meeting to be held in Chicago in 2006.