Sen. Julie Morrison

Amends the Nursing Home Care Act. Replaces provisions concerning serious mental illness rescreening. Provides that all persons admitted to a nursing home facility with a diagnosis of serious mental illness shall receive a follow-up visit within 60 days after admission and shall receive a resident review by the Department of Human Services or its designee promptly after a significant change in the resident's physical or mental condition. Provides that the Department of Human Services shall ensure there are no conflicts of interest for pre-admission screeners.

Specifies that the amendatory Act may be referred to as the Plastic Pellet Free Waters Act. Amends the Environmental Protection Act. Requires the Environmental Protection Agency to adopt rules establishing effluent limitations for wastewater, spills, and runoff associated with the production, transport, and packaging of plastic pellets and other preproduction plastic materials. Amends the Illinois Administrative Procedure Act to grant the Agency emergency rulemaking powers. Effective immediately.

Creates the Workplace Extreme Temperature Safety Act. Provides that the Director of Labor shall adopt rules to establish excessive heat and excessive cold standards. Sets forth temporary excessive heat and excessive cold standards. Provides that, on or before January 1, 2026, the Director shall establish by rule an occupational temperature-related illness and injury prevention plan. Sets forth provisions concerning retaliation; violations; penalties; and enforcement of the Act.

Amends the School Code. In provisions concerning radon testing, provides that every school building of a school district that is occupied or will be occupied shall be tested by January 1, 2029 and shall be retested every 5 years thereafter for radon (instead of recommending that every occupied school building of a school district be tested every 5 years for radon). Provides that all new schools of a school district shall be built using radon resistant new construction techniques in accordance with the American National Standards Institute/American Association of Radon Scientists and Technologists CC-1000, Soil Gas Control Systems in New Construction of Multifamily, School, Commercial and Mixed-Use Buildings standard or a successor standard (instead of recommending that new schools of a school district be built using radon resistant new construction techniques, as shown in the United States Environmental Protection Agency document, Radon Prevention in the Design and Construction of Schools and Other Large Buildings). Removes a provision allowing a person to perform radon screening tests without a license. Makes changes concerning the exemption. Provides that if radon is found to exceed specified levels, then the school district shall (instead of may) hire a licensed radon professional to perform confirmatory measurements (instead of to perform measurements before any mitigation decisions are made). Sets forth provisions concerning mitigation. Provides that a school district may use life safety funds, if available, for radon testing and mitigation. Preempts home rule powers.

Amends the Illinois Pesticide Act. Provides that, except as expressly authorized under specific provisions of the Act, no person shall distribute, sell, offer for sale, or use in the State any herbicide product containing paraquat dichloride or any other chemical form of paraquat. Requires all persons that use, distribute, or sell paraquat in this State to report certain information to the Department of Agriculture. Directs the Department of Agriculture to adopt any rules necessary to implement and administer these provisions. Effective immediately.

Creates the Operating Room Patient Safety Act. Provides that each surgical technologist hired or contracted by a health care facility on or after January 1, 2028 shall meet specified educational, certification, or experiential requirements. Provides that health care facilities located in a Health Professional Shortage Area or Medically Underserved Area, as determined by the federal government, shall be exempt as provided but shall have a hiring preference for surgical technologists who graduated from nationally accredited surgical technology programs and are certified through the National Board of Surgical Technology and Surgical Assisting or the National Center for Competency Testing. Provides that nothing in the Act prohibits a person licensed in the State under any other Act from engaging in the practice for which the person is licensed, including, but not limited to, a physician licensed to practice medicine in all its branches, a physician assistant, an advanced practice registered nurse, or a nurse performing surgery-related tasks within the scope of the nurse's license or registration; or a student or intern from performing surgical technology services under direct supervision, as defined in the Registered Surgical Assistant and Registered Surgical Technologist Title Protection Act.

Amends the School Code. In provisions concerning a school board's suspension or expulsion of pupils, provides that a student who is determined to have initiated sexual activity with another individual without that individual's consent, a sexual assault, or an attempted sexual assault at a school, a school-sponsored activity or event, or an activity or event that bears a reasonable relationship to school shall be expelled for a period of not less than one year. Provides that (i) a student initiates sexual activity with another individual without that individual's consent if the student uses force or a threat of force to make the other individual perform a nonconsensual sexual act; (ii) a student initiates a sexual assault if the student commits an act of sexual penetration and uses force or a threat of force; and (iii) a student initiates an attempted sexual assault if, with the intent to commit a sexual assault, the student commits an act that constitutes a substantial step toward the commission of a sexual assault. Allows the expulsion requirement to be modified by the superintendent of the school district and the superintendent's determination to be modified by the school board on a case-by-case basis. Provides that the expulsion shall be construed in a manner consistent with the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act and a student who is subject to expulsion may be eligible for a transfer to an alternative school program. Effective immediately.

Amends the Illinois State Police Law. Provides that the Division of Patrol shall enforce the motor carrier safety provisions of the Illinois Vehicle Code and serve as the lead State agency for administering the commercial vehicle safety plan of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. Adds human trafficking, sexual assault, and sexual abuse in-service training requirements for Illinois State Police officers. Provides that the Division of Statewide 9-1-1 shall cooperate with federal and State authorities that are engaged in aeronautics and that request to use the Illinois State Police's radio network system. Provides that the State Police shall maintain a statewide statistical police contact recordkeeping system (rather than develop a separate statewide statistical police recordkeeping system) for the study of juvenile delinquency. Provides that, with the permission (rather than written permission) of a child's parent or guardian, the Illinois State police may collect (rather than retain) the fingerprints or DNA (rather than only the fingerprint record) of the child. Specifies that the fingerprints or DNA may be retained by the child's parent or guardian and later used for specified purposes. Amends the Intergovernmental Drug Laws Enforcement Act. Provides that a Metropolitan Enforcement Group may enforce crimes concerning terrorism and threats to public officials and human service providers. Amends the Code of Criminal Procedure of 1963. In provisions concerning criminal prosecutions for violations of the Cannabis Control Act, the Illinois Controlled Substances Act, or the Methamphetamine Control and Community Protection Act and criminal prosecutions for reckless homicide, or driving under the influence of alcohol, other drug, or combination of both, or in any civil action held under a statutory summary suspension or revocation hearing, deletes provisions requiring specified information to be attached to laboratory report from the Illinois State Police, Division of Forensic Services. Amends the Freedom from Drone Surveillance Act. In provisions requiring the chief executive officer of a law enforcement agency to report the use of a drone to the State's Attorney under specified circumstances, adds language allowing the report to be made by the chief executive officer's designee. Makes other and conforming changes. Effective immediately.

Amends the Environmental Protection Act. In provisions concerning the regulation of air pollution, water pollution, drinking water, hazardous waste, and landfills, provides that the Illinois Pollution Control Board shall not adopt any standards that are less stringent than those existing in Board regulations. Provides that various provisions of the Act shall not be construed to limit the right of a person to submit to the Board, or for the Board to adopt, regulations more stringent than the regulations promulgated by the Administrator of the United States Environmental Protection Agency.

Amends the Guardianship and Advocacy Act. Changes references from the federal Developmental Disabilities Services and Facilities Construction Act to the federal Developmental Disabilities Assistance and Bill of Rights Act of 2000. Provides that a majority of members of the Guardianship and Advocacy Commission, excluding vacancies, (instead of 6 members of the Commission) constitute a quorum. In a provision concerning regional authorities making their findings and recommendations public, provides that it shall include in any such public statement any reply made by the State agency, service provider, or other person investigated, if requested by the provider. Amends the Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities Code. Makes changes to the definitions of "guardian" and "mental illness" and adds a definition of "under guardianship". Changes references from the Guardianship and Mental Health Advocacy Commission to the Guardianship and Advocacy Commission.