Sen. Mattie Hunter

Creates the Apprentice Assistance and Support Services Pilot Program Act. Provides that the Department of Labor shall develop a 5 year Apprentice Assistance and Support Services Pilot Program. Specifies that the Pilot Program shall provide transportation assistance and a child care subsidy to eligible individuals participating in a qualified apprenticeship. Provides that no later than January 1, 2028, the Department shall submit to the Governor and the General Assembly a report that evaluates the results of the Pilot Program and its effectiveness in assisting Program participants in entering the workforce or in obtaining better employment. Provides for the adoption of rules. Repeals Act on January 1, 2029. House Floor Amendment No. 1 Replaces everything after the enacting clause. Reinserts the provisions of the introduced bill with the following changes: Changes the name to the Act to the Job Training Assistance and Support Services Pilot Program Act. Provides that the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (rather than the Department of Labor) shall develop the Pilot Program. Provides that the Department shall award grants to organizations to distribute subsidies to qualifying individuals. Provides that to be eligible for assistance under the Pilot Program, an individual is required to participate in a registered apprenticeship program, pre-apprenticeship program as defined by the United States Department of Labor, or work-based learning programs, such as an internship, paid work experience, transitional jobs training, on-the-job training, or incumbent worker programs administered by the Department. Provides that the assistance provided by the Pilot Program may include funds for transportation, child care, housing-related expenses, including, but not limited to, rent and utilities, transportation, child care, digital technology needs, education needs, mental health services, substance abuse services, income support, and work-related supplies that are not typically covered by programmatic supportive services.

Amends the School Code. Prohibits the State Board of Education from developing, purchasing, or requiring a school district to administer, develop, or purchase a standardized assessment for students enrolled or preparing to enroll in prekindergarten through grade 2, other than for diagnostic purposes. Prohibits the State Board of Education from providing funding for any standardized assessment of students enrolled or preparing to enroll in prekindergarten through grade 2. Effective immediately. Senate Committee Amendment No. 1 Changes the term "diagnostic purposes" to "diagnostic and screening purposes". Includes in the definition of diagnostic and screening purposes the determination of eligibility for special education, early intervention, bilingual education, dyslexia services, or other related educational services. Removes "child find" from the definition of diagnostic and screening purposes. Permits the State Board of Education to provide funding for any standardized assessment of students enrolled or preparing to enroll in prekindergarten through grade 2 for diagnostic and screening purposes.

Amends the School Breakfast and Lunch Program Act. As a part of the school lunch program, requires a school district to provide a plant-based school lunch option to those students who submit a prior request to the school district requesting a plant-based school lunch option. Effective immediately. House Floor Amendment No. 1 Requires the plant-based school lunch option to comply with federal nutritional mandates. Changes the effective date from immediate to August 1, 2023.

Amends the Illinois Vehicle Code. Provides that no registration fee for a Gold Star license plate shall be required from a child (in addition to a surviving widow, widower, or parent) of a person who served in the Armed Forces of the United States and lost his or her life while serving on active duty (instead of "while in service while in wartime"). House Floor Amendment No. 2 Replaces everything after the enacting clause. Amends the Illinois Vehicle Code. Provides that the Secretary of State shall issue Gold Star license plates to any Illinois resident who is a surviving widow, widower, parent, child, stepchild, child through adoption, brother, half-brother, sister, or half-sister (rather than only a surviving widow, sibling, daughter, son, or parent) of a person who served in the Armed Forces of the United States and lost his or her life while serving in peacetime or war. Provides that no registration fee for a Gold Star license plate shall be required from children of persons who served in the Armed Forces of the United States and who lost their lives while serving during time-specified armed hostilities, military operations, and terrorist attacks (instead of "while in service while in wartime").

Amends the Illinois Home Grown Business Opportunity Act. Provides for additional contents of the economic plan to assist businesses and municipalities located geographically close to bordering states as developed by the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity. Provides that the Department shall create the Border Community COVID-19 Mitigation Grant Program. Provides that grants shall only be provided to businesses and municipalities located geographically close to bordering states. Provides for the adoption of rules.

Amends the Illinois Insurance Code. Provides that a contract between a pharmacy benefit manager or third-party payer and a covered entity under Section 340B of the federal Public Health Service Act shall not contain specified provisions. Provides that a violation by a pharmacy benefit manager constitutes an unfair or deceptive act or practice in the business of insurance, and that a provision that violates the prohibition on certain provisions in a contract between a pharmacy benefit manager or a third-party payer and a 340B covered entity that is entered into, amended, or renewed after July 1, 2022 shall be void and unenforceable. Defines terms. Amends the Illinois Public Aid Code. In provisions concerning pharmacy payments, provides that no later than January 1, 2023, the Department of Healthcare and Family Services shall implement a mechanism for entities participating in the federal drug pricing program and their contracted pharmacies to submit quarterly retrospective utilization files containing the minimum fields necessary to accurately identify the drugs to the Department or its contractor for processing Medicaid drug rebate requests to Medicaid beneficiaries or Medicaid managed care organization enrollees. Provides that the Department or its contractor shall use the utilization files to remove 340B claims from the Department's Medicaid drug rebate requests and that the Department shall not require the entities or their contracted pharmacies to use any other method or billing code to identify 340B drugs billed to Medicaid or Medicaid managed care organizations. In provisions concerning pharmacy benefits, provides that a Medicaid managed care organization or pharmacy benefit manager administering or managing benefits on behalf of a Medicaid managed organization shall not include specified provisions in a contract with a covered entity or with any pharmacy owned by or contracted with the covered entity. Provides that a violation by a Medicaid managed care organization or its pharmacy benefit manager constitutes an unfair or deceptive act or practice in the business of insurance, and that a provision that violates the prohibition on certain provisions in a contract between a Medicaid managed care organization or its pharmacy benefit manager and a 340B covered entity entered into, amended, or renewed after July 1, 2022 shall be void and unenforceable. Effective July 1, 2022. House Floor Amendment No. 1 Replaces everything after the enacting clause. Amends the Illinois Insurance Code. Provides that a contract between a pharmacy benefit manager or third-party payer and a 340B entity or 340B pharmacy shall not contain specified provisions. Provides that a violation by a pharmacy benefit manager constitutes an unfair or deceptive act or practice in the business of insurance, and that a provision that violates the prohibition on certain provisions in a contract between a pharmacy benefit manager or a third-party payer and a 340B entity that is entered into, amended, or renewed after July 1, 2022 shall be void and unenforceable. In provisions concerning pharmacy benefit managers, provides that the provisions apply to contracts entered into or renewed on or after July 1, 2022 (rather than July 1, 2020). Defines terms. Amends the Illinois Public Aid Code. In provisions concerning pharmacy benefits, provides that a Medicaid managed care organization or pharmacy benefit manager administering or managing benefits on behalf of a Medicaid managed organization shall not include specified provisions in a contract with a 340B entity or 340B pharmacy. Provides that a provision that violates the prohibition on certain provisions in a contract between a Medicaid managed care organization or its pharmacy benefit manager and a 340B entity entered into, amended, or renewed after July 1, 2022 shall be void and unenforceable. Effective July 1, 2022.

Amends the Electric Vehicle Act and the Electric Vehicle Rebate Act. Deletes language providing that "electric vehicle" does not include electric motorcycles. Effective immediately. Senate Floor Amendment No. 1 Adds reference to: 415 ILCS 120/27 In provisions amending the Electric Vehicle Act and the Electric Vehicle Rebate Act, provides that "electric vehicle" does not include electric mopeds or electric off-highway vehicles. Further amends the Electric Vehicle Rebate Act. Provides that only electric vehicles that are not an electric motorcycle qualify for specified rebates. Provides that, beginning July 1, 2022, each person shall be eligible to apply for a $1,500 rebate for the purchase of an electric vehicle that is an electric motorcycle. Provides that purchasers applying for a rebate must continue to reside in Illinois (rather than a covered area) for a minimum of 12 consecutive months immediately after the vehicle purchase date. Provides that rebates administered under the provisions shall be available for both new and used electric vehicles (rather than for new and used passenger electric vehicles). House Floor Amendment No. 2 In the Electric Vehicle Rebate Act, provides that beginning July 1, 2028, each person shall be eligible to apply for a $1,500 (rather than $1,000) rebate for the purchase of an electric vehicle that is not an electric motorcycle.

Amends the Higher Education Student Assistance Act. Requires the Illinois Student Assistance Commission to annually include information about the Child Care Assistance Program and the federal dependent care allowance in the language that schools are required to provide to students eligible for Monetary Award Program grants. Specifies the information that must be included. Provides that an institution of higher learning that participates in the Monetary Award Program shall provide, at a minimum, the information to all students who are enrolled, or who are accepted for enrollment and are intending to enroll, and who have been identified by the Commission as Monetary Award Program-eligible at the institution. Provides that an institution of higher learning shall also provide the information to any student identified by the institution of higher learning as a student with dependents. Provides that an institution of higher learning may designate a public benefits liaison or single point person to assist students in taking the necessary steps to obtain public benefits if eligible. Requires the Commission to adopt rules to implement the provisions on or before October 1, 2022. Effective immediately.

Amends the School Code. Provides that school counseling services may include the promotion of career and technical education by assisting each student to determine an appropriate postsecondary plan based upon the student's skills, strengths, and goals and assisting the student to implement the best practices that improve career or workforce readiness after high school. Senate Committee Amendment No. 1 Provides that the school counseling services of developing individual career plans with students and assisting all students with a college or postsecondary education plan includes planning for postsecondary education, as appropriate, and engaging in related and relevant career and technical education coursework in high school.

Amends the Chicago Police and Chicago Firefighter Articles of the Illinois Pension Code. Provides that beginning January 1, 2023, the minimum widow's annuity shall be no less than 150% (rather than 125%) of the Federal Poverty Level for all persons receiving widow's annuities on or after that date, without regard to whether the deceased policeman or fireman is in service on or after the effective date of the amendatory Act. Makes a conforming change. Amends the State Mandates Act to require implementation without reimbursement by the State. Effective immediately.