Creates the Senior Citizens and Disabled Persons Prescription Drug Discount Program Act. Provides that the Program shall be administered by the Department of Central Management Services to enable eligible senior citizens and disabled persons to purchase prescription drugs at discounted prices and that the Department shall (i) enroll eligible seniors and disabled persons into the Program, (ii) enter into rebate agreements with drug manufacturers, either itself or through an agent, and (iii) reimburse pharmacies for the cost of providing discounts using the proceeds from the manufacturer rebate agreements. Amends the State Finance Act to create the Senior Citizens and Disabled Persons Prescription Drug Discount Program Fund into which rebate payments and enrollment fees shall be deposited. Provides for an initial transfer from the General Revenue Fund into the Senior Citizens and Disabled Persons Prescription Drug Discount Program Fund of $27,000,000 to be repaid to the General Revenue Fund out of rebate payments. Amends the Department of Central Management Services Law of the Civil Administrative Code of Illinois. Provides that the Department shall establish a Prescription Drug Purchasing Policy Office to determine and implement strategies for best price purchasing practices for State agencies that pay for prescription drugs by direct purchase or by other arrangements. Effective July 1, 2003.
Sponsored bills
Amends the Electronic Fund Transfer Act. Prohibits the imposition of fees upon a consumer for the use of a Link card or other access device used to obtain benefits under the Illinois Public Aid Code.
Amends the Minimum Wage Law. Increases the minimum wage for workers 18 years and older to $6.50 per hour on January 1, 2004. Provides that, beginning in 2005, the minimum wage shall be annually adjusted by the Department of Labor. Provides that the adjustment shall be calculated each September 30, using the consumer price index for urban wage earners and clerical workers, and shall take effect on January 1 of the following year. Provides that the Director of Labor shall by rule establish the minimum wage for employees under the age of 18 years. Deletes language providing that: (i) wages may not be less than the federal minimum hourly wage and wages paid to any employee under 18 years of age may not be more than 50 cents less than the wage required to be paid to employees who are at least 18 years of age; and (ii) every employer of an employee engaged in an occupation in which gratuities have customarily been recognized as part of the remuneration is entitled to an allowance for gratuities as part of the hourly wage rate in an amount not to exceed 40% of the applicable minimum wage rate.
Amends provisions of the School Code relating to waivers and modifications of School Code mandates. Requires the local public hearing on a district's waiver or modification application to be held on a day other than a regular school board meeting day, requires the district to give written notice of the public hearing to the State legislators who represent the district, and requires a district to attest to the district's compliance with applicable notification and procedural requirements. Requires the application for the waiver or modification as submitted to the State Board of Education to include a description of the public hearing. Effective immediately.
Amends the Higher Education Student Assistance Act. Changes the name of the Illinois Incentive for Access Grant Program to the Silas Purnell Illinois Incentive for Access Grant Program. For these grants, provides that the maximum amount paid per applicant per year is $1,000 for applicants with an expected family contribution of $0 and $500 for applicants with an expected family contribution of $500 or less but more than $0. Requires the Commission to give priority to applicants with an expected family contribution of $0. Effective July 1, 2004.
Creates the Illinois Civil Rights Act of 2003. Prohibits any unit of State, county, or local government from excluding a person from participation in, denying a person the benefits of, or subjecting a person to discrimination under any program or activity on the grounds of his or her race, color, or national origin and from using criteria or methods of administration that have the effect of subjecting individuals to discrimination because of their race, color, or national origin. Authorizes a person to bring a lawsuit for a violation of the Act in State or federal court.
Creates the Council on Responsible Fatherhood Act. Creates the Council on Responsible Fatherhood. Provides for the appointment of members to the Council. Sets the duties of the Council. Requires the Council on Fatherhood to establish a responsible fatherhood initiative. Sets the goals and components of the fatherhood initiative. Provides that the Act is repealed on July 1, 2005. Amends the State Finance Act to create the Responsible Fatherhood Fund. Effective immediately.
Amends the School Code and the School Breakfast and Lunch Program Act. Requires the State Board of Education, regional superintendents of schools, school boards (and their schools), and nonpublic schools that receive funds for free or reduced-price lunches under the School Breakfast and Lunch Program Act to agree in writing with the Department of Public Aid to share with the Department information on applicants for free or reduced-price lunches. Provides that the sharing of information shall be for the sole purpose of helping the Department identify and enroll children in the State Medical Assistance Program or the State Children's Health Insurance Program or both as allowed and under the restrictions set forth in federal law. Provides that before an entity shares with the Department of Public Aid information on an applicant, that entity must obtain the consent of the applicant's parent or legal guardian. Effective July 1, 2003.
Amends the Unified Code of Corrections. Provides that a prisoner serving a sentence in a Department of Corrections facility for a crime committed as a result of the use of, abuse of, or addiction to alcohol or a controlled substance and committed on or after the effective date of the amendatory Act shall receive no good conduct credit until he or she participates in and completes a substance abuse treatment program. Provides that if treatment is not available, the prisoner shall be placed on a waiting list and may be required by the Department to attend a substance abuse education class or attend substance abuse self-help meetings. Provides that a prisoner may not lose good conduct credit as a result of being placed on a waiting list. Effective September 1, 2003.
Amends the Illinois Public Aid Code. In provisions concerning child care for TANF recipients, provides that the Department of Human Services must annually establish income thresholds for determining eligibility for child care benefits. Provides that the thresholds must be no less than 50% of the then-current State median income for each family size, and deletes a provision requiring such a 50% threshold only for FY 1998. Provides that in determining a family's income, the Department must disregard 10% of the family's gross wages and salary.