Sen. Cristina Castro

Mourns the passing of Arnold M. "Arnie" Bochum Jr.

Mourns the death of Dennis Sugino of Elgin.

Mourns the passing of Mark Bell of Streamwood.

Mourns the death of Angel Rivera Renderos.

Mourns the death of Laurel Bault.

Creates the Ensuring a More Qualified, Competent, and Diverse Community Behavioral Health Workforce Act. Requires the Department of Human Services, Division of Mental Health, to award grants or contracts to licensed community mental health centers or behavioral health clinics to establish or enhance training and supervision of interns and behavioral health providers-in-training pursuing licensure as a licensed clinical social worker, licensed clinical professional counselor, and licensed marriage and family therapist. Creates the Mental Health Assessment Reform Act to remove barriers to care in the Medicaid mental health assessment and treatment planning process. Creates the Recovery and Mental Health Tax Credit Act. Requires the Department to establish and administer a recovery tax credit program to provide tax incentives to qualified employers who employ eligible individuals in recovery from a substance use disorder or mental illness in part-time and full-time positions. Creates an Advisory Council to advise the Department regarding employment of persons with mental illnesses and substance use disorders in minority communities. Amends the Illinois Income Tax Act to make conforming changes. Amends the Department of Healthcare and Family Services Law of the Civil Administrative Code. Requires the Department of Healthcare and Family Services to take all necessary action to ensure that proposed modifications, additions, deletions, or amendments to the healthcare and behavioral healthcare (mental health and substance use disorder) provisions of the Illinois Public Aid Code are announced, shared, disseminated, and explained prior to the Department undertaking such proposed modifications, if legally possible and subject to federal law. Amends the Clinical Social Work and Social Work Practice Act. Provides that an individual applying for licensure as a clinical social worker who has been licensed at the independent level in another jurisdiction for 5 (rather than 10) consecutive years without discipline is not required to submit proof of completion of education and supervised clinical professional experience. Makes similar changes to the Marriage and Family Therapy Licensing Act and to the Professional Counselor and Clinical Professional Counselor Licensing and Practice Act. Effective immediately. Senate Committee Amendment No. 1 Adds reference to: 225 ILCS 15/13 from Ch. 111, par. 5363 225 ILCS 20/11 from Ch. 111, par. 6361 225 ILCS 107/50 Reinserts the provisions creating the Recovery and Mental Health Tax Credit Act with the following changes: Requires the Department of Human Services to maintain an electronic listing of the tax credit certificates it issues under the recovery tax credit program so that the Department of Revenue may confirm the eligibility of qualified employers for the tax credit. Provides that the tax credit authorized under the Act may not be carried forward. Contains provisions concerning tax credits for partners, shareholders of S corporations, and owners of limited liability companies. Makes other changes. Amends the Illinois Income Tax Act. Provides that a taxpayer who has been awarded a credit under the Recovery and Mental Health Tax Credit Act is entitled to a credit against the tax imposed under specified provisions of the Illinois Income Tax Act. Amends the Clinical Psychologist Licensing Act, the Clinical Social Work and Social Work Practice Act, and the Professional Counselor and Clinical Professional Counselor Licensing and Practice Act. Provides that notwithstanding any other provision of law certain requirements set forth in those Acts to restore an inactive or expired license of 5 years or less are suspended for specified licensed clinicians who have had no disciplinary action taken against their licenses in this State or in any other jurisdiction during the entire period of licensure. Senate Floor Amendment No. 2 Deletes reference to: 5 ILCS 100/5-45.21 new Removes provisions creating the Mental Health Assessment Reform Act. Removes amendatory changes made to the Illinois Administrative Procedure Act permitting the Department of Healthcare and Family Services to adopt emergency rules to implement the Mental Health Assessment Reform Act. Senate Floor Amendment No. 3 Reinserts the provisions creating the Recovery and Mental Health Tax Credit Act with the following changes: Requires the Department of Human Services to maintain an electronic listing of the certificates of tax credit issued by which the Department of Revenue may verify tax credit certificates issued to qualifying employers. Provides that the tax credit authorized under the Act may not be carried forward. Provides that a taxpayer who is a qualified employer who has received a certificate of tax credit from the Department shall be allowed a credit against the tax imposed equal to the amount shown on such certificate of tax credit. Provides that if the taxpayer is a partnership or Subchapter S corporation the credit shall be allowed to the partners or shareholders in accordance with the determination of income and distributive share of income as provided under specified provisions of the Internal Revenue Code. Makes other changes. Amends the Illinois Income Tax Act. Provides that for taxable years beginning on or after January 1, 2023, a taxpayer who has been awarded a credit under the Recovery and Mental Health Tax Credit Act is entitled to a credit against the tax imposed under specified provisions of the Illinois Income Tax Act. Senate Floor Amendment No. 5 Deletes reference to: 20 ILCS 2205/2205-40 new Removes the amendatory changes made to the Department of Healthcare and Family Services Law requiring the Department of Healthcare and Family Services to take all necessary action to ensure that proposed modifications, additions, deletions, or amendments to the healthcare and behavioral healthcare (mental health and substance use disorder) provisions of the Illinois Public Aid Code are announced, shared, disseminated, and explained prior to the Department undertaking such proposed modifications, if legally possible. House Floor Amendment No. 1 Further amends the Clinical Psychologist Licensing Act. In a provision suspending the requirements under the Act for restoration of an inactive or expired clinical psychologist license, provides that an individual may not restore his or her license more than once. Further amends the Clinical Social Work and Social Work Practice Act. In a provision suspending the requirements under the Act for restoration of an inactive or expired clinical social worker license, provides that an individual may not restore his or her license more than once. Removes a provision exempting individuals applying for a clinical social worker license who are licensed in another jurisdiction from submitting proof of passage of the examination for the practice of clinical social work as authorized by the Department of Financial and Professional Regulation. Further amends the Professional Counselor and Clinical Professional Counselor Licensing and Practice Act. In a provision suspending the requirements under the Act for restoration of an inactive or expired clinical professional counselor license, provides that an individual may not restore his or her license more than once. Makes other changes. House Floor Amendment No. 3 Adds reference to: 210 ILCS 49/1-102 Further amends the Specialized Mental Health Rehabilitation Act of 2013. Defines the term "APRN". Provides that, for purposes of the Act, any required psychiatric visit to a consumer may be conducted by an APRN or by a physician.

Amends the Illinois Insurance Code. Provides that when an insured receives emergency services or covered ancillary services from a nonparticipating provider or a nonparticipating facility, the health insurance issuer shall ensure that cost-sharing requirements are applied as though the services had been received from a participating provider or facility, and that the insured or any group policyholder or plan sponsor shall not be liable to or billed by the health insurance issuer, the nonparticipating provider, or the facility beyond the cost-sharing amount. Contains provisions concerning a notice and consent process for out-of-network coverage; billing for reasonable administrative fees; assignment of benefits to nonparticipating providers; and cost-sharing amounts and deductibles. Amends the Illinois Insurance Code and the Health Maintenance Organization Act to make a change in provisions concerning disclosure of nonparticipating provider benefits. Amends the Network Adequacy and Transparency Act. Provides that a beneficiary who receives care at a participating health care facility shall not be required to search for participating providers under certain circumstances. Amends the Managed Care Reform and Patient Rights Act. Provides that prior authorization or approval by the plan shall not be required for post-stabilization services that constitute emergency services. Amends the Health Maintenance Organization Act and the Voluntary Health Services Plans Act to provide that health maintenance organizations and voluntary health services plans are subject to provisions of the Illinois Insurance Code concerning billing and cost sharing. Makes other changes. Effective July 1, 2022, except that certain changes take effect January 1, 2023. House Floor Amendment No. 1 In provisions concerning cost sharing for emergency services and cost sharing for non-emergency services, provides that if the cost sharing for the same item or service furnished by a participating provider would have been a flat-dollar copayment, that amount shall be the cost-sharing amount unless the provider has billed a lesser total amount. Provides that upon receipt of the provider's bill or facility's bill, the health insurance issuer shall provide the nonparticipating provider or the facility with a written explanation of benefits (rather than the health insurance issuer shall provide the nonparticipating provider or the facility with a written explanation of benefits). Provides that the arbitrator shall not establish a rebuttable presumption that the qualifying payment amount should be the total amount owed to the provider or facility by the combination of the issuer and the insured, beneficiary, or enrollee. Defines "qualifying payment amount". Makes other changes.

Amends the Illinois Human Rights Act. Provides that the amendatory Act may be referred to as the CROWN (Create a Respectful and Open Workplace for Natural Hair) Act. Provides that "race", as used in the Employment Article, includes traits historically associated with race, including, but not limited to, hair texture and protective hairstyles such as braids, locks, and twists. House Floor Amendment No. 1 Adds reference to: 775 ILCS 5/5-102.2 Replaces everything after the enacting clause. Amends the Illinois Human Rights Act. Provides that the amendatory Act may be referred to as the CROWN (Create a Respectful and Open Workplace for Natural Hair) Act. Provides that "race" includes traits associated with race, including, but not limited to, hair texture and protective hairstyles such as braids, locks, and twists. Provides that, with respect to certain places of public accommodation, the Department of Human Rights has jurisdiction over the denial or refusal of the full and equal enjoyment of (rather than the denial of access to) facilities, goods, or services.

Amends the School Code. Exempts from contract bidding requirements contracts for goods, services, or management in the operation of a school's food service, including a school that participates in any of the United States Department of Agriculture's child nutrition programs. Effective immediately. Senate Floor Amendment No. 2 Replaces everything after the enacting clause. Reinserts the provisions of the engrossed bill with the following changes. Limits the exemption from the contract bidding requirements for contracts for goods, services, or management in the operation of a school's food service only if a good faith effort is made by the school district to give preference to (1) contracts that procure food that promotes the health and well-being of students in compliance with United States Department of Agriculture nutrition standards; (2) contracts that give a preference to State or regional suppliers that source local food products; (3) contracts that give a preference to food suppliers that utilize producers that adopt hormone and pest practices recommended by the United States Department of Agriculture; (4) contracts that give a preference to food suppliers that value animal welfare; and (5) contracts that increase opportunities for businesses owned and operated by minorities, women, or persons with disabilities. Requires food supplier data to be submitted to the school district at the time of the bid and updated annually thereafter during the term of the contract. Requires the contractor to submit the updated food supplier data. Provides that food supplier data shall include the name and address of each supplier, distributor, processor, and producer involved in the provision of the products that the bidder is to supply. Effective immediately.

Amends the Children and Family Services Act, the Illinois Youthbuild Act, the Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities Administrative Act, the School Code, the Public University Uniform Admission Pilot Program Act, the Public Community College Act, the Higher Education Student Assistance Act, the Illinois Insurance Code, the Pharmacy Practice Act, the Structural Pest Control Act, the Community Association Manager Licensing and Disciplinary Act, the Home Inspector License Act, the Real Estate License Act of 2000, the Illinois Public Aid Code, the Firearm Concealed Carry Act, the Illinois Vehicle Code, and the Unified Code of Corrections. Changes references from high school equivalency certificate to State of Illinois High School Diploma. Senate Floor Amendment No. 2 In the provisions of the School Code concerning high school equivalency, specifies that a State of Illinois High School Diploma is a recognized high school equivalency certificate for purposes of reciprocity with other states and a high school equivalency certificate from another state is equivalent to a State of Illinois High School Diploma.