Sen. Julie Morrison

Mourns the death of Dr. Frank James Kerous IV.

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.

Creates the Human Trafficking Task Force Act. Provides requirements regarding the composition and duties of the task force. Provides that the task force shall provide a report containing specified information to the General Assembly and Governor no later than June 30, 2016. Abolishes the task force and repeals the Act on July 1, 2016. Effective immediately.

Amends the College Campus Press Act. Makes a technical change in a Section concerning the short title.

Amends the Veterans and Servicemembers Court Treatment Act. Provides that the Chief Judge of each judicial circuit shall (rather than may) establish a Veterans and Servicemembers Court program including a format under which it operates under the Act. Effective January 1, 2018.

Amends various Acts relating to the governance of public universities in Illinois. Requires the governing board of each public university to establish an admissions process in which honorably discharged veterans are permitted to submit an application for admission to the University as a freshman student enrolling in the spring semester if the veteran was on active duty during the fall semester. Allows the university to request that the Department of Veterans' Affairs confirm the status of an applicant as an honorably discharged veteran who was on active duty during the fall semester. Effective immediately.

Amends the Code of Criminal Procedure of 1963. Provides a new definition for a moderately intellectually disabled person and a severely or profoundly intellectually disabled person in the Section pertaining to hearsay exceptions for the admission of evidence in a prosecution for a physical or sexual act perpetrated upon or against a severely or profoundly intellectually disabled person or a moderately intellectually disabled person. Defines a moderately intellectually disabled person as a person, who at the time of the commission of the offense, suffers from a mental illness in which the person's ability to exercise rational judgment is impaired. Defines a severely or profoundly intellectually disabled person, as a person, who at the time of the commission of the offense, suffers from a significant mental illness to the extent that the person's ability to exercise rational judgment is impaired.

Amends the Medical Assistance Article of the Illinois Public Aid Code. Requires each Medicaid Managed Care Entity (MMCE) contracted by the Department of Healthcare and Family Services to: (i) make available on the entity's website a provider directory in a machine readable file and format; (ii) make provider directories publicly accessible without the necessity of providing a password, a username, or personally identifiable information; (iii) make available through an electronic provider directory, for each Medicaid Managed Care Entity Plan offered by the entity, certain information in an easily understandable and searchable format, including the contact information and website URLs, if applicable, of all health care professionals, hospitals, pharmacies, and facilities that provide services to Medicaid recipients under the Medicaid Managed Care Entity Plan. Requires each MMCE to ensure that all information included in a print version of the provider directory is updated at least monthly and that the electronic provider directory is updated no later than 3 business days after the MMCE receives updated provider information. Provides that non-compliance with these and other specified requirements may subject the MMCE to certain sanctions. Requires the Department's client enrollment services broker to post certain information on the broker's website, including, information explaining the circumstances under which a Medicaid enrollee can file a grievance or request a hearing to appeal an adverse action by the Department or the MMCE; information on the Medicaid eligibility redetermination process; and information on Medicaid care coordination. Requires the Department to create a consumer quality comparison tool to assist enrollees with Medicaid Managed Care Entity Plan selection. Effective immediately.

Amends the Firearm Owners Identification Card Act. Provides that upon adjudication of any individual as a person with a mental disability or a finding that a person has been involuntarily admitted, the circuit court clerk shall (rather than the court shall direct the circuit court clerk to) immediately notify the Department of State Police, Firearm Owner's Identification (FOID) department. Provides that beginning July 1, 2016, and each July 1 and December 30 of every year thereafter, the court shall direct the circuit court clerk to notify the Department of State Police, Firearm Owner's Identification (FOID) department if the court has not adjudicated any individual as a person with a mentally disability within the preceding 6 months. Provides that any clerk who knowingly fails to perform these duties is guilty of a petty offense and shall be fined by the court not exceeding $100, and for any subsequent offense he or she is guilty of a Class A misdemeanor and if convicted may be removed from office by the court. Effective immediately.