Sen. Elgie Sims

Amends the Illinois Public Aid Code. Makes a technical change in a Section concerning supportive living facilities. Senate Floor Amendment No. 1 Deletes reference to: 305 ILCS 5/5-5.01a Adds reference to: 305 ILCS 5/5-30.1 Replaces everything after the enacting clause. 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. House Floor Amendment No. 3 Deletes reference to: 305 ILCS 5/5-30.1 Adds reference to: New Act Replaces everything after the enacting clause. Creates the Consumer Choice in Maternal Care for African-American Mothers Program Act. Requires the Task Force on Infant and Maternal Mortality Among African Americans to partner with Holistic Birth Collective to develop rules for a Medicaid voucher program to expand consumer choice for Black mothers that includes planned home birth services and in-home perinatal and postpartum care services provided by racially concordant nationally accredited certified professional midwives who are licensed and registered in Illinois. Requires the Task Force to submit reports to the General Assembly, beginning January 1, 2024, and each January 1 thereafter, that provide a status update on the program and annual impact measure reporting. Provides that the program shall implement a maternity episode payment model that provides a single payment for all services across the prenatal, intrapartum, and postnatal period which covers the 9 months of pregnancy plus 12 weeks of postpartum. Requires the Department of Healthcare and Family Services to make available to the Task Force all relevant data related to maternal care expenditures made under the State's Medical Assistance Program so that budget-neutral reimbursement rates can be established for bundled maternal care services spanning the prenatal, labor and delivery, and postpartum phases of a maternity episode. Effective January 1, 2022. House Floor Amendment No. 4 Replaces everything after the enacting clause. Reinserts House Amendment No. 3 with the following changes. Provides that the Task Force on Infant and Maternal Mortality Among African Americans shall partner with Holistic Birth Collective to advise the Department of Healthcare and Family Services on the development of a Medicaid voucher program that is eligible for federal dollars to expand consumer choice for Black mothers that includes planned home birth services and in-home perinatal and postpartum care services provided by racially concordant nationally accredited certified professional midwives who are licensed and registered in Illinois. Provides that the Department of Healthcare and Family Services and the Department of Public Health are authorized to adopt rules to implement the new provisions. Provides that the Department of Healthcare and Family Services must apply for a State Plan amendment no later than December 31, 2022.

Creates the Funeral and Burial Assistance Program for Murdered Children Act. Provides that a parent or guardian of a child victim under 17 years of age or anyone living in the household of a child victim in relationship to the victim that is substantially similar to a parent who has a household income of less than 150% of the federal poverty level who is killed as a result of a firearm may apply for funeral and burial assistance from the Department of Human Services in an amount not to exceed $10,000, indexed to inflation, beginning January 1, 2023, according to the Consumer Price Index. Provides that the Office of Firearm Violence Prevention shall review disbursement requirements by funeral establishments and upon conclusion of the review, provide a funeral establishment with a payment determination letter. Provides that the delinquent or criminal history of a child victim or an eligible survivor, or his or her status as a justice-involved individual, shall not automatically prevent an award for payment of a child victim's funeral and burial expenses. Establishes criteria for disbursement. Defines "justice-involved individual" as an individual who is imprisoned, on parole, probation, conditional discharge, mandatory supervised release, aftercare release, or any other release from custody, and supervised by or under the jurisdiction of a county or the Department of Corrections. Provides that every hospital licensed under the laws of the State shall display prominently in its emergency room posters giving notification of the existence and general provisions of the Act. Provides that any law enforcement agency that investigates an offense committed in the State shall inform the parent or guardian of the child victim concerning the availability of assistance for funeral and burial expenses under the Act and advise such persons that any information concerning the Act may be obtained from the Office of Firearm Violence Prevention. Defines various terms. Amends the State Finance Act to make conforming changes. Effective immediately.

Creates the Second Chance State Behavioral Health Workforce Development Act. Contains findings. Provides that each institution of higher education shall annually allow for the admission of at least one returning resident (a person who is a resident of and domiciled in Illinois, has graduated from high school or the equivalent, has been convicted of a felony by a specified court, was sentenced to incarceration pursuant to that conviction, and is no longer incarcerated) in an undergraduate or graduate academic program that will lead to the qualification of the returning resident as a behavioral health care professional. Provides that the returning resident shall not be required to pay any tuition, fee, or other charge for any class the returning resident takes if the State appropriates funds for reimbursement. Provides that the Illinois Student Assistance Commission shall contract with community-based organizations and legal service providers to provide specified services to returning residents. Provides that certain criminal convictions and dispositions are not cause for a licensing agency to deny an individual a license, permission, or authorization to be a behavioral health care professional. Provides that a licensing agency shall consider specified mitigating factors when considering an application for a license, permission, or other authorization to be a behavioral health care professional. Provides that, if a licensing agency refuses to issue a license, permission, or other authorization to perform a behavioral health care profession based upon a conviction, the licensing agency shall notify the individual of the denial with specified information included in the notice of denial. Provides that neither the Commission nor a community-based organization providing services under the Act shall enter into a contractual or other financial, service, or volunteer relationship with and shall not pay any money or provide any other form of consideration to specified persons or entities. Provides that institutions of higher education shall strictly comply with the Act and the Commission shall take actions necessary to obtain compliance and enforce the Act. Contains provisions concerning judicial proceedings, certifications, adoption of rules, notices, conflicts, severability, and other matters. Effective immediately.

Amends the Pretrial Services Act. Creates the Public Defender Pretrial Grant Program. Determines which counties and circuit courts are eligible for the program. Provides for the administration of the program. Creates the Pretrial Data Collection Grant Program. Determines which counties and circuit courts are eligible for the program Provides for the administration of the program. Effective Immediately.

Amends the School Code. Makes a technical change in a Section concerning the School Code's construction.

Amends the Illinois Act on the Aging. Provides that rates and minimum mandated wage increases for homemaker services shall be, at minimum, a rate of $24.96 as of July 1, 2021 to sustain a minimum wage of $15 per hour. Requires rates in subsequent State fiscal years to be no lower than the rates in effect on July 1, 2021. Provides that providers of in-home services shall be required to certify to the Department on Aging that they remain in compliance with the mandated wage increase for direct service workers. Provides that fringe benefits, including, but not limited to, paid time off and payment for training, health insurance, travel, or transportation, shall not be reduced in relation to the rate increases described in the amendatory Act. Effective July 1, 2021.

Supports the survivors and advocates of Survivors Speak Illinois 2022 for their work to stop violence and help those impacted by it.

Creates the Behavioral Health Workforce Education Center of Illinois Act. Creates the Behavioral Health Workforce Education Center of Illinois, to be administered by a specified public institution of higher education for the purpose of leveraging workforce and behavioral health resources to produce reforms in Illinois. Provides for the structure and duties of the Center. Provides for the selection of the public institution of higher education to administer the Center. Provides for the adoption of rules. Effective immediately.

Amends the School Code. Makes changes to the provisions of the Code relating to policies addressing sexual abuse. In the Courses of Study Article, repeals the sex education, family life, and instruction on diseases provisions. Instead, creates an age-appropriate comprehensive sex education program that shall be taught to students enrolled in kindergarten through 12th grade. Provides that the sex education curricula shall, among other provisions, provide information regarding sexual health, consent, personal safety, pregnancy, and sexually transmitted diseases. Provides that the instruction, among other provisions, shall incorporate discussion about diversity in cultures, families, gender identity, economic status, and the roles that these factors play in the development of sexual health and human relationships. Contains provisions that allow a parent or guardian to excuse his or her child from receiving the instruction. Provides for the formation of a committee to assist in the implementation of these provisions. Makes changes in the Chicago School District Article concerning AIDS training. Effective immediately.

Amends the Redistricting Transparency and Public Participation Act. Makes a technical change in a Section concerning the short title.