Sen. Kimberly Lightford

Amends the School Code. Makes a technical change in a Section concerning charter schools.

Amends the Illinois Public Aid Code. Requires the Department of Healthcare and Family Services to reimburse advanced practice nurses for psychiatric services they provide, as authorized by Illinois law, to Medicaid recipients. Effective immediately.

Amends the School Code. Makes a technical change in a Section concerning the School Code's construction.

Amends the School Code. Makes a technical change in a Section concerning the length of a school term.

Amends the Illinois Health and Hazardous Substances Registry Act and the Freedom of Information Act. Provides that certain data elements from the Illinois Health and Hazardous Substances Registry, alone or in combination, are confidential, shall not be open to public inspection or dissemination, and are exempt from disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act. Makes a corresponding change in the Freedom of Information Act. Adds definitions of "news medium" and "researcher". Provides that upon review and approval of an appropriate Institutional Review Board (IRB) or its equivalent on the protection of human subjects in research, the Department of Public Health shall release data to researchers for purposes of medical and scientific research consistent with the fundamental purposes of the Registry. Provides that upon review and approval of an appropriate IRB or its equivalent on the protection of human subjects in research, the Department shall release data not otherwise available for release under the Freedom of Information Act to news media for purposes of public interest research consistent with the fundamental purpose of the Registry. In a Section concerning the annual report to be published by the Department, provides that identification or contact of individuals from public reports or data released under the Freedom of Information Act is prohibited. Provides that the Department shall make available on its web site non-confidential public use databases for easy and direct access and download by the public. Effective July 1, 2007.

Amends the Senior Citizens and Disabled Persons Property Tax Relief and Pharmaceutical Assistance Act. In connection with the pharmaceutical assistance program, provides eligibility for persons who have a maximum household income at or below 225% of the Federal Poverty Level if they qualify under certain conditions. Eliminates an Eligibility Group consisting of persons who are disabled and under age 65, or age 65 or older with incomes related to 200% of the Federal Poverty Level, and who are eligible for Medicare Part D coverage. Provides that for persons who have a diagnosis of HIV or AIDS, "covered prescription drug" means those drugs covered by the Medicare Part D Prescription Drug Plan in which the beneficiary is enrolled (eliminates a reference to drugs included in the formulary of the Illinois AIDS Drug Assistance Program operated by the Illinois Department of Public Health). Provides that in defining countable income for purposes of the pharmaceutical assistance program, the Department of Healthcare and Family Services or the Department on Aging must disregard the cost-of-living increase to any benefit administered by the Social Security Administration in any year that the percentage increase of the Social Security Administration cost-of-living adjustment is higher than the percentage increase in the Federal Poverty Level. Adds provisions concerning the effective date of eligibility for the pharmaceutical assistance program. Effective immediately.

Amends the Charter Schools Law of the School Code. Under specified circumstances, allows for a maximum of 5 additional charter schools exclusively for truants or dropouts in Chicago if the limit on the number of charter schools that may operate at any one time in the rest of the State has not been reached. Provides that if any of the additional charter schools are not used exclusively for truants or dropouts, then the State Board of Education shall withhold and the charter school shall forfeit all State funding designated for that school.

Amends the Payday Loan Reform Act. Changes the definition of "payday loan" to include any loan with a finance charge exceeding an annual percentage rate of 36% (instead of with a finance charge exceeding an annual percentage rate of 36% and with a term that does not exceed 120 days). Provides that no lender may make a payday loan with periodic payments unless the periodic payments are substantially equal term payments and, if paid as scheduled, result in full payment of the principal and interest owed on the loan at the end of the loan term. Requires the licensee, as part of the information that he or she must collect and maintain, to include the total number of lawsuits filed by the licensee or its agent against consumers to collect on payday loans from consumers during the preceding calendar year. Prohibits a licensee or a person making payday loans from evading the requirements and prohibitions of the Act by use of a device or subterfuge including, but not limited to, (i) disguising a payday loan as a different type of transaction, or (ii) characterizing a required fee as a purchase of a good or service in connection with a payday loan. Authorizes the Department to develop rules to determine if any person or entity seeks to evade the applicability of this Act by any device, subterfuge, or pretense. Effective immediately.

Amends the State Finance Act and the School Code. Provides that on or before the 11th and 21st days of each of the months of August through the following June (instead of July), the State Treasurer and the State Comptroller shall transfer from the General Revenue Fund to the Common School Fund and Education Assistance Fund 1/22 (instead of 1/24) of the amount appropriated to the State Board of Education for distribution to all school districts from those Funds. With respect to payments from the Common School Fund, provides that as soon as may be after the 10th and 20th days of each of the months of August through the following June (instead of July), the State Comptroller shall draw his or her warrants upon the State Treasurer as directed by the State Board of Education in an amount equal to 1/22 (instead of 1/24) of the total amount to be distributed to school districts for the fiscal year. Effective July 1, 2008.

Amends the School Code. Makes a technical change in a Section concerning debt limitations of school districts.