Sen. Pat McGuire

Mourns the death of Paul R. Hollenbeck.

Creates the Legislative Accessibility Act. Provides that the General Assembly shall make all efforts to increase the accessibility of the General Assembly for people with disabilities. Provides that the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President of the Senate shall each appoint an accessibility coordinator who, in consultation with the Architect of the Capitol, shall be responsible for addressing accessibility needs for his or her corresponding house. Provides that the Illinois General Assembly website shall include either an email address, webform, or other similar mechanism to request reasonable accommodations to meet the accessibility needs of people with disabilities attending legislative events. Establishes the General Assembly Accessibility Task Force. Provides for the membership and meetings of the Task Force. Provides that members and ex officio members of the Task Force shall serve without compensation. Provides administrative support for the Task Force. Provides that the Task Force shall examine issues concerning accessibility of persons with a disability. Requires the Task Force to make recommendations to the General Assembly concerning General Assembly accessibility no later than December 31, 2020. Repeals specified provisions January 1, 2022. Effective immediately.

Amends the Environmental Protection Act. Provides that within 180 days after the effective date of the amendatory Act, the Pollution Control Board shall adopt amendments to the rules adopted under specified provisions to require groundwater monitoring at all clean construction or demolition debris fill operations and all uncontaminated soil fill operations. Provides that the groundwater monitoring requirements adopted under specified provisions shall be designed to detect and prevent any exceedance of the Board's Class I groundwater quality standards and meet specified requirements. Provides that groundwater monitoring shall be required for all clean construction or demolition debris fill operations and all uncontaminated soil fill operations unless, before the effective date of the amendatory Act, the owner or operator has completed post-closure maintenance and, for clean construction or demolition debris fill operations, received specified notice from the Environmental Protection Agency, or, for uncontaminated soil fill operations, submitted specified information to the Agency. Effective immediately.

Creates the Local Journalism Task Force Act. The Task Force shall consist of one member of the House of Representatives appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives, one member of the Senate appointed by the President of the Senate; one member appointed by the Governor, and one representative of each of the following entities: the Medill School of Journalism, Media, Integrated Marketing Communications at Northwestern University; the Journalism Department of the College of Media at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign; the School of Journalism at Southern Illinois University Carbondale; the Illinois Press Association; the Illinois Broadcasters Association; the Illinois Legislative Correspondents Association; and the Illinois Municipal League. Directs the Task Force to study communities underserved by local journalism and review all aspects of journalism. Requires the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity to provide administrative support. Provides that the Task Force shall report its findings and recommendations of legislation to the Governor and General Assembly.

Amends the State Treasurer Act. Provides that the State Treasurer shall establish the Illinois Higher Education Savings Program for the purpose of expanding access to higher education through savings. Provides for enrollment in the Program. Provides further duties and requirements of the Treasurer regarding the Program. Creates the Illinois Higher Education Savings Program Fund as a fund held outside of the State treasury to be the official repository of all contributions, appropriations, interest, and dividend payments, gifts, or other financial assets received by the State Treasurer in connection with the operation of the Program or related partnerships. Provides for audits and reports concerning the Program. Allows the Treasurer to adopt any rules that may be necessary to implement the Program. Amends the Freedom of Information Act to provide an exemption for information that is exempt from disclosure under the Illinois Higher Education Savings Program. House Floor Amendment No. 2 Provides that notwithstanding any court order which would otherwise prevent the release of information, the Department of Public Health is authorized to release specified information to the State Treasurer for the purposes of the Illinois Higher Education Savings Program. State Mandates Fiscal Note (Dept. of Commerce & Economic Opportunity) This bill does not create a State mandate. Fiscal Note (Office of the Treasurer) Based upon Illinois' current birth rate of 155,000 to 165,000 newborns per year, the annual cost for this program is expected to be $9-10 million per year, beginning in FY21. This includes approximately $8 million for the initial seed funding of $50 per child and an estimated $1.5 million to develop local savings incentive partnerships, engage parents and children in related financial literacy initiatives, and administer the program. Because unclaimed and unused funds will remain with the program for future use, the need for annual appropriations will decline after year 10 of the program as unclaimed and unused funds are recycled. House Floor Amendment No. 3 Modifies the definition of "eligible child".

Amends the Children and Family Services Act. In a provision permitting the Department of Children and Family Services to refer any child or family to services available from other agencies in the community if the conditions in the child's or family's home are reasonably likely to subject the child or family to future reports of suspected child abuse or neglect, provides that if the family chooses to receive family preservation services and there are children under the age of 6 living in the household, those children shall be enrolled in appropriate early childhood education services. Effective immediately.

Amends the Higher Education Student Assistance Act. Provides that on and after the effective date of the amendatory Act, 15% of the total annual funds appropriated for grants made under the monetary award program shall be set aside by the Illinois Student Assistance Commission for the purpose of making grants that shall be awarded to students attending a public community college in this State. Effective immediately.

Amends the Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities Administrative Act and the Illinois Public Aid Code. Provides that within 30 days after the effective date of the amendatory Act, the Department of Human Services and the Department of Healthcare and Family Services (Departments) shall increase by 20% rates and reimbursements in effect on June 30, 2020 for community-based providers of services for persons with developmental disabilities and for ID/DD facilities and MC/DD facilities. Requires community-based providers, ID/DD facilities, and MC/DD facilities to use at least 75% of the amount of the rate increase to increase the wages and benefits paid to their staff. Requires the Departments to ensure wage rate components are at least 145% of the statewide, regional, or local minimum wage rate, whichever is higher, as determined by the Departments. Requires community-based providers of services for persons with developmental disabilities, ID/DD facilities, and MC/DD facilities to certify compliance with the provisions of the amendatory Act in a form and manner prescribed by the Departments. Requires the Departments to adopt emergency rules to implement the provisions of the amendatory Act. Amends the Illinois Administrative Procedure Act. Grants the Departments emergency rulemaking authority. Effective immediately.

Amends the Illinois Grant Funds Recovery Act. Provides that "grantor agency" includes the Illinois Equal Justice Foundation when it makes grants under the Access to Justice Act or the Illinois Equal Justice Act. Amends the Access to Justice Act. Provides that grants or distributions made under the Act by (rather than to) the Illinois Equal Justice Foundation are subject to the requirements of the Illinois Grant Funds Recovery Act. Effective immediately.

Amends the Medical Assistance Article of the Illinois Public Aid Code. Provides that the medical assistance program shall cover charges incurred, and anesthetics provided, in conjunction with dental care that is provided to an individual in a hospital or an ambulatory surgical treatment center if the individual is otherwise eligible for medical assistance and any of the following applies: (1) the individual has a medical condition that requires hospitalization or general anesthesia for dental care; or (2) the individual is a person with a disability. Defines "person with a disability" to mean a person, regardless of age, with a chronic disability if the chronic disability meets specified conditions. Provides that the medical assistance program shall cover charges incurred, and anesthetics provided by a dentist with a permit provided under the Illinois Dental Practice Act, in conjunction with dental care that is provided to an individual in a dental office, oral surgeon's office, hospital, or ambulatory surgical treatment center if the individual, regardless of age, is otherwise eligible for medical assistance and has been diagnosed with (i) an autism spectrum disorder as defined in the Autism Spectrum Disorders Reporting Act or (ii) a developmental disability. Defines "developmental disability". Requires the Department of Healthcare and Family Services to reimburse providers of services covered under the amendatory Act at the same rates as the Medicare program's rates for similar services.