Amends the Illinois Act on the Aging, the Disabled Persons Rehabilitation Act, and the Illinois Public Aid Code. Regarding services provided under the Community Care Program, the Home Services Program, the supportive living facilities program, and the nursing home prescreening project, provides that individuals with a score of 29 or higher based on the determination of need assessment tool are eligible to receive institutional and home and community-based long term care services until the State receives federal approval and implements an updated assessment tool. Requires the Department on Aging, the Department of Human Services, and the Department of Healthcare and Family Services to promulgate rules regarding the updated assessment tool, but prohibits those Departments from promulgating emergency rules regarding the updated assessment tool. Provides that the State shall not implement an updated assessment tool that causes more than 1% of then-current recipients to lose eligibility; and that anyone determined to be ineligible for services due to the updated assessment tool shall continue to be eligible for services for at least one year following that determination and must be reassessed no earlier than 11 months after that determination. Further amends the Illinois Public Aid Code by deleting a provision requiring the Department of Healthcare and Family Services to, subject to federal approval, on and after July 1, 2012, effectuate an increase in the determination of need scores from 29 to 37 for applicants for institutional and home and community-based long term care. Amends the Nursing Home Care Act. Provides that no individual receiving care in an institutional setting shall be involuntarily discharged as the result of the updated assessment tool until a transition plan has been developed by the Department on Aging or its designee and all care identified in the transition plan is available to the resident immediately upon discharge. Effective immediately.
Sponsored bills
Amends the Governor Succession Act. Makes a technical change in a Section concerning the line of succession for the office of Governor.
Amends the Urban Weatherization Initiative Act. Provides that the efforts of the Urban Weatherization Initiative shall be coordinated with federal weatherization programs. Requires the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity to administer the Initiative so as to qualify for federal grant or matching programs. Provides the salary of employees hired under the Initiative in accordance with the hourly wages associated with the federal prevailing wage rates for weatherization workers. Provides that the maximum per unit expenditure is limited to $10,000 (currently $6,500) and that a grant recipient may not be awarded grants totaling more than $2,000,000 (currently $500,000) per fiscal year. Provides that 2 voting members of the Weatherization Initiative Board must have experience in residential weatherization or energy efficiency and that one voting member must have experience in workforce development. Requires the Board's annual report to be filed by May 31 (instead of December 31).
Creates the Unclaimed Life Insurance Benefits Act. Provides that the purpose of the Act is to require all authorized insurers regulated by the Department of Insurance to undertake good faith efforts, as specified in the Act, to locate and pay beneficiaries' proceeds under unclaimed life insurance policies, annuity contracts, and retained asset accounts issued in the State or remit such proceeds as unclaimed property to the appropriate jurisdiction if the beneficiaries are unable to be located or paid. Requires insurers to implement the certain policies and procedures for performing a comparison of its policies, annuity contracts, and retained asset accounts against the United States Social Security Administration's Death Master File. Provides that failure to meet any requirement of the Act is an unfair trade practice under the Illinois Insurance Code, and amends the Illinois Insurance Code to make a corresponding change.
Amends the Criminal Code of 2012. Creates the offense of firearms trafficking. Provides that a person commits the offense when he or she has not been issued a currently valid Firearm Owner's Identification Card and knowingly brings, or causes to be brought, into the State, a firearm or firearm ammunition, or both, for the purpose of sale, delivery, or transfer to any other person or with the intent to sell, deliver, or transfer the firearm or firearm ammunition to any other person. Provides that firearms trafficking is a Class 1 felony for which the person, if sentenced to a term of imprisonment, shall be sentenced to not less than 4 years and not more than 20 years. Provides that firearms trafficking by a person who has been previously convicted of firearms trafficking, gunrunning, or a felony offense for the unlawful sale, delivery, or transfer of a firearm or firearm ammunition in this State or another jurisdiction is a Class X felony. Amends the Unified Code of Corrections. Provides that a period of probation, a term of periodic imprisonment or conditional discharge shall not be imposed when the person has been found guilty of firearms trafficking involving both a firearm and firearm ammunition. Provides that the court shall sentence the offender to not less than the minimum term of imprisonment for the offense. Effective immediately.
Amends the Nursing Home Care Act. Requires the Department of Public Health to make the Health Care Worker Registry that includes background check and training information accessible by health care employers. Allows the Department to maintain a publicly accessible registry. Makes changes regarding information that must be contained in the registry accessible to health care employers. Requires the Department to limit specific offense information on an applicant or employee. Requires that after June 30, 2016, the public registry report that an individual is ineligible for employment if he or she has a disqualifying offense under the Health Care Worker Background Check Act and has not received a waiver under that Act. Requires that the public registry report than an individual is eligible for employment if he or she has received a waiver but not the waiver information. Amends the Health Care Worker Background Check Act. Allows a health care employer to hire an individual with a disqualifying offense if the individual has received a waiver under the Act (rather than in the discretion of the Department of Public Health, no health care employer shall knowingly hire, employ, or retain any individual in a position with duties involving direct care for clients, patients, or residents, and no long-term care facility shall knowingly hire, employ, or retain any individual in a position with duties that involve or may involve contact with residents or access to the living quarters or the financial, medical, or personal records of residents, who has been convicted of committing or attempting to commit certain offenses). Creates a Health Care Worker Registry working group in the Office of the Governor. Makes other changes. Effective immediately.
Amends the School Code. Makes a technical change in a provision concerning promoting students to the next higher grade level.
Amends the Charter Schools Law of the School Code. Provides that a charter shall be granted for a period of 5 school years (instead of may be granted for a period not less than 5 and not more than 10 school years) and may be renewed in incremental periods not to exceed 10 (instead of 5) school years. With respect to start-up grants and loans from the Charter Schools Revolving Loan Fund, makes changes concerning their use and the maximum amount that may be awarded. Provides that (i) an additional charter school campus of a replicating charter school is eligible to receive a loan; (ii) if a charter school is located in a building owned by its school district, the State Board of Education shall award 10% of the loan for that charter school to the district; (iii) the State Board may prioritize awarding loan funds to charter schools located in buildings owned by their school district; and (iv) a charter school is responsible for repaying only the loan amount that the charter school received. Effective immediately.
Amends the Department of Human Services Act. Requires the Department of Human Services to issue upon the request of a person medically diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder, or the guardian or custodian of the person, an Autism Spectrum Disorder wallet card that specifies that the cardholder has been medically diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder. Requires the Department to establish, by rule, the proof required in order to obtain an Autism Spectrum Disorder wallet card and the process for administration of the card. Permits the Department to collect a reasonable fee for the issuance of the card not to exceed $10.
Amends the Fire Protection District Act. Provides that a fire chief has authority to enforce the provisions of any rules adopted and promulgated by the State Fire Marshal under the provisions of the Fire Investigation Act or to carry out the duties imposed on local officers under the Fire Investigation Act. Provides that the fire chief shall order removal or remedy of dangerous conditions including that the fire chief may order that the property be vacated until an inspection occurs and the dangerous condition is no longer present. Provides notice requirements and procedures for dangerous conditions. Effective immediately.