Sen. Laura Ellman

Amends the Illinois Insurance Code. Provides that no group or individual policy of accident and health insurance or managed care plan shall deny or delay coverage for medically necessary treatment because the insured, enrollee, or beneficiary previously received any treatment, including the same or similar treatment, for pediatric autoimmune neuropsychiatric disorders associated with streptococcal infections or pediatric acute onset neuropsychiatric syndrome, or because the insured, enrollee, or beneficiary has been diagnosed with or receives treatment for an otherwise diagnosed condition. Provides that coverage of pediatric autoimmune neuropsychiatric disorders associated with streptococcal infections and pediatric acute onset neuropsychiatric syndrome shall adhere to the treatment recommendations developed by a medical professional consortium convened for the purposes of researching, identifying, and publishing best practice standards for diagnosis and treatment of such disorders or syndrome that are accessible for medical professionals and are based on evidence of positive patient outcomes. Provides that coverage for any form of medically necessary treatment shall not be limited over a lifetime of an insured, enrollee, or beneficiary, unless the patient is no longer benefiting from the treatment, or by policy period. Provides that nothing in the provisions prevents insurers from requesting treatment notes and anticipated duration of treatment and outcomes. Effective immediately.

Creates the Respond, Innovate, Succeed, and Empower Act. Requires a public institution of higher education to adopt a policy that makes certain documentation submitted by an enrolled or admitted student sufficient to establish that the student is an individual with a disability. Requires the policy to be transparent and explicit regarding information about the process by which the public institution of higher education determines eligibility for accommodations for an individual with a disability. Provides that each public institution of higher education shall disseminate such information to students, parents, and faculty in accessible formats and make the information readily available on a public website of the institution. Allows a public institution of higher education to establish less burdensome criteria to establish whether an enrolled or admitted student is an individual with a disability. Requires a public institution of higher education to engage in an interactive process to establish a reasonable accommodation for an individual pursuant to the federal Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the federal Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990.

Amends the Illinois Insurance Code to provide that a group or individual policy of accident and health insurance or managed care plan that is amended, delivered, issued, or renewed on or after January 1, 2024 shall provide coverage for compression sleeves. Makes conforming changes in the State Employees Group Insurance Act of 1971, the Counties Code, the Illinois Municipal Code, the School Code, the Health Maintenance Organization Act, the Limited Health Service Organization Act, the Voluntary Health Services Plans Act, and the Medical Assistance Article of the Illinois Public Aid Code.

Creates the Dog Breed Insurance Underwriting Protection Act. Provides that with respect to homeowner's insurance policies and renter's insurance policies issued, renewed, modified, altered, or amended on or after the effective date of the Act, no insurer shall refuse to issue or renew, cancel, or charge or impose an increased premium or rate for a policy or contract, or exclude, limit, restrict, or reduce coverage under a policy or contract based solely upon harboring or owning any dog of a specific breed or mixture of breeds. Provides that with respect to homeowner's insurance policies and renter's insurance policies issued, renewed, modified, altered, or amended on or after the effective date of the Act, the provisions shall not prohibit an insurer from refusing to issue or renew or from cancelling a contract or policy nor from imposing a reasonably increased premium or rate for a policy or contract based upon the designation of a dog of any breed or mixture of breeds as a dangerous dog based on sound underwriting and actuarial principles reasonably related to actual or anticipated loss experience. Provides that the Department of Insurance shall have the authority to adopt rules that are not inconsistent with and that are necessary to administer and enforce the provisions. Effective 6 months after becoming law.

Amends the State Designations Act. Provides that the soybean is designated as the official State bean of the State of Illinois.

Amends the Early Mental Health and Addictions Treatment Act. Requires the Department of Human Services to implement a 2-year pilot program to provide FDA-approved 8-milligram naloxone nasal spray kits to licensed community substance use providers and public health departments in Cook County, DuPage County, Winnebago County, Sangamon County, and St. Clair County. Requires the Department to implement a data collection program to determine the number of 8-milligram naloxone nasal spray kits administered by emergency medical service providers and bystanders per overdose incident during the 2-year term of the pilot program. Provides that the data collected must also include the number of overdose reversals and deaths following the administration of the 8-milligram naloxone nasal spray. Requires the Department to prepare a report on the results of the 2-year pilot program and submit the report to the General Assembly by July 1, 2026. Effective January 1, 2024.

Declares that local governments in Illinois should abide by IDA's guidelines and lighting principles to help mitigate the effects of light pollution produced by outdoor lighting.

Urges the Illinois Department of Transportation and the High Speed Railroad Commission to move expeditiously in preparing a Statewide Integrated Network Plan, including the identification of desired service points and key transfer stations, the construction of a theoretical rail and bus schedule with timed transfers, the creation of a ridership and revenue model for the desired network, the estimation of needed infrastructure investments, and the development of a phased implementation plan.

Urges the Administration of President Biden to publish and certify without delay the Equal Rights Amendment as the Twenty-Eighth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Urges Congress to pass a joint resolution affirming the Equal Rights Amendment as the Twenty-Eighth Amendment. Calls on other states to join in this action by passing the same or similar resolutions.

Amends the Township Open Space Article of the Township Code. Reduces the acreage that constitutes open land or open space under the Article to 25 acres (currently, 50 acres). Provides, in the definition of "open space purposes", that development includes development for agricultural purposes. Provides that a township board may lease open space for open space purposes and may not lease any part of open space to anyone other than the federal government, a state government, or a local government. Provides that leased open space may be used for agricultural purposes. Provides that the township board may not sell, convey, donate, or otherwise dispose of open space without referendum approval by the majority of the voters of the township at a regular election, and provides that the board may certify the question of disposition of property to the appropriate election authority only if the board approves the question by at least a two-thirds majority of the board members. Provides that, if a township dissolves or is consolidated or merged or the boundaries of the township are altered, any affected open space shall continue to be used as required in the open space plan unless the open space is disposed of is approved by a two-thirds vote of the board of the unit of local government in control of that open space and after referendum of the voters of the unit of local government.