Amends the Medical Assistance Article of the Illinois Public Aid Code. Provides that a provider who has exhausted the written internal appeals process of a managed care organization (MCO) shall be entitled to an external independent third-party review of the MCO's final decision that denies, in whole or in part, a health care service to an enrollee or a claim for reimbursement to a provider for a health care service rendered to an enrollee of the Medicaid managed care organization. Requires an MCO's final decision letter to a provider to include: (i) a statement that the provider's internal appeal rights within the MCO have been exhausted; (ii) a statement that the provider is entitled to an external independent third-party review; (iii) the time period granted to request an external independent third-party review; and (iv) the mailing address to initiate an external independent third-party review. Provides that a party shall be entitled to appeal a final decision of the external independent third-party review within 30 days after the date upon which the appealing party receives the external independent third-party review. Provides that a final decision by the Director of Healthcare and Family Services shall be final and reviewable under the Administrative Review Law. Contains provisions concerning fees to help defray the cost of the administrative hearings; the specific claims of services that are appealable; and the Department's rulemaking authority. Effective immediately. Senate Committee Amendment No. 1 Deletes reference to: 305 ILCS 5/5-30.1 Adds reference to: 305 ILCS 5/1-5 from Ch. 23, par. 1-5 Replaces everything after the enacting clause. Amends the Illinois Public Aid Code. Makes a technical change in a Section concerning construction of the Code.
Sponsored bills
Amends the Public Utilities Act. In provisions concerning procedures for a large public utility to acquire a water or sewer utility, provides that if the water or sewer utility being acquired is owned by the State or a political subdivision of the State, a referendum will be required to approve the acquisition of the water or sewer utility by the large public utility (rather than only requiring a public meeting and publication of the terms of acquisition in a newspaper of general circulation in the area that the water or sewer utility operates). Effective immediately.
Amends the Criminal Code of 2012. Provides that a person commits unlawful use of an animal in a traveling animal act when he or she knowingly allows for the participation of an animal (rather than just an elephant) in a traveling animal act. Provides that unlawful use of an animal in a traveling animal act is a Class A misdemeanor. In addition to "elephant" includes in the definition of "animal", bear, cougar, jaguar, leopard, other than a clouded leopard, lion, non-human primate, and tiger. Effective January 1, 2021.
Amends the School Code and the Juvenile Court Act of 1987. Eliminates the requirement that the Chicago Board of Education establish an Office of Chronic Truant Adjudication. Requires the Chicago Board of Education to implement a socio-emotional focused attendance policy that targets the underlying causes of chronic truancy. Makes changes concerning the Chicago school district's truancy intervention services for a pupil and the pupil's parent or guardian. Revises language to make certain actions permissible rather than mandatory with respect to truancy. Makes other changes, including changes concerning penalties.
Creates the Reporting of Deaths in Custody Act. Provides that in any case in which a person dies while in the custody of: (1) any law enforcement agency, (2) a local or State correctional facility in the State, or (3) a peace officer or as a result of the peace officer's use of force, the law enforcement agency shall investigate and report the death in writing to the Attorney General, no later than 30 days after the date on which the person in custody or incarcerated died. Provides information that must be contained in the report. Provides that the report shall be a public record under the Freedom of Information Act. Provides that the Attorney General shall issue a public annual report tabulating and evaluating trends and information on deaths in custody. Provides that the family, next of kin, or any other person reasonably nominated by the decedent as an emergency contact shall be notified as soon as possible in a suitable manner giving an accurate factual account of the cause of death and circumstances surrounding the death in custody. Amends the Illinois Identification Card Act and the Unified Code of Corrections concerning reports the Secretary of State, Department of Juvenile Justice, and the Department of Corrections shall make to the General Assembly. Provides that the Secretary of State, Department of Juvenile Justice, and the Department of Corrections shall publish the reports on their respective websites.
Amends the Criminal Code of 2012. Provides that a person commits a false personation if he or she knowingly and falsely represents himself or herself to be a census worker employed by the federal or State government, or their regional intermediary, grantee, subgrantee, or temporary volunteer for the purpose of effectuating identity theft or in furtherance of the commission of a felony. Provides that a violation of false personation of a census worker is a Class 4 felony. Clarifies that the offense applies to both false personation accomplished in person or by any means of communication. Effective immediately.
Amends the Illinois Vehicle Code. Provides that the Secretary of State shall include, in the Illinois Rules of the Road publication, information advising drivers how to safely share the road with large trucks, including how to safely pass a large truck, how to give trucks appropriate space when they are making a right-hand turn, and how to avoid the blind spots around a large truck known as the "No Zone". Senate Committee Amendment No. 5 Deletes reference to: 625 ILCS 5/2-112 Adds reference to: 625 ILCS 5/1-100 from Ch. 95 1/2, par. 1-100 Replaces everything after the enacting clause. Amends the Illinois Vehicle Code. Makes a technical change in a Section concerning the short title.
Amends the Compulsory Attendance Article of the School Code. Provides that a public school student shall be granted up to 5 days of excused absences in any school year for the reason of the mental or behavioral health of the student. Requires that a student whose absence is excused for this reason be provided the opportunity to make up any school work missed during the absence.
Amends the Illinois Power Agency Act. For electric utilities that serve less than 3,000,000 retail customers but more than 500,000 retail customers in this State: defines "energy efficiency"; in provisions concerning the renewable portfolio standards, specifies the goals for procurement of renewable energy credits and cost-effective renewable energy resources that shall be included in the long-term renewable resources procurement plan and makes other changes concerning these procurements; and provides for the calculation of the cost of equity for the purposes of recovering all reasonable and prudently incurred costs of energy efficiency measures from retail customers. Provides that savings of fuels other than electricity achieved by measures that educate about, incentivize, encourage or otherwise support the use of electricity to power vehicles shall count towards the applicable annual incremental goal and shall not be included in determining certain limits. Amends the Public Utilities Act. Provides that an electric utility that serves less than 3,000,000 retail customers but more than 500,000 customers in this State may plan for, construct, install, control, own, manage, or operate photovoltaic electricity production facilities and any energy storage facilities that are planned for, constructed, installed, controlled, owned, managed or operated in connection with photovoltaic electricity production facilities without obtaining a certificate of public convenience and necessity subject to specified terms and conditions. Defines "electric vehicle", "electric vehicle charging station", and "energy storage" for the purposes of the Electric Service Customer Choice and Rate Relief Law of 1997. Provides that, beginning in 2022, without obtaining any approvals from the Illinois Commerce Commission or any other agency, regardless of whether any such approval would otherwise be required, a participating utility that is a combination utility shall pay $1,000,000 per year for 10 years to the energy low-income and support program. Adds provisions authorizing certain utilities to plan for, construct, install, control, own, manage or operate electric vehicle charging infrastructure, including, but not limited to, electric vehicle charging stations within their service territories. Effective immediately.
Amends the Credit Card Marketing Act of 2009. Makes a technical change in a Section concerning the short title. Senate Floor Amendment No. 1 Deletes reference to: 110 ILCS 26/1 Adds reference to: 105 ILCS 5/34-2.1 from Ch. 122, par. 34-2.1 Replaces everything after the enacting clause. Amends the Chicago School District Article of the School Code. With regard to local school council members, provides that an individual is ineligible for election or appointment to a local school council if he or she appears on the Dru Sjodin National Sex Offender Public Website or the Statewide Sex Offender Database or Statewide Murderer and Violent Offender Against Youth Database. Provides that if the general superintendent, upon a check, determines at any time that a local school council member or member-elect appears on the Dru Sjodin National Sex Offender Public Website or the Statewide Sex Offender Database or Statewide Murderer and Violent Offender Against Youth Database, the general superintendent must notify the local school council member or member-elect of such determination and the local school council member or member-elect must be removed from the local school council by the school board, subject to a hearing, convened pursuant to board rule, prior to removal. Provides that notwithstanding any other provision of law to the contrary, a local school council member must comply with all applicable board rules and policies regarding employees or volunteers if he or she engages in school activities beyond the scope of his or her official duty as a council member. Removes provisions regarding ineligibility for election or appointment of a local school council member based on a criminal conviction.