Amends the Medical Assistance Article of the Illinois Public Aid Code. Provides that, in applying the regional wage adjuster component of the RUG-IV 48 reimbursement methodology, no adjuster shall be lower than 0.95. Effective immediately.
Amends the State Finance Act. Provides that, as soon as possible after the effective date of the amendatory Act, the State Comptroller shall order transferred and the State Treasurer shall transfer the sum of $5,000,000 from the General Revenue Fund to the Traffic and Criminal Conviction Surcharge Fund. Effective immediately.
Creates the Sickle Cell Prevention, Care, and Treatment Program Act. Requires the Department of Healthcare and Family Services to establish a program for the purpose of providing for the prevention, care, and treatment of sickle cell disease and for educational programs concerning the disease. Requires the Department to: (1) develop application criteria and standards of eligibility for groups or organizations that apply for funds under the program; (2) develop standards for determining eligibility for individuals requesting care and treatment for sickle cell disease under the program; and (3) make available grants to groups and organizations who meet the eligibility standards set by the Department. Provides that the highest priority for grants shall be accorded to established sickle cell disease community-based organizations, and priority shall be given to ensuring the establishment of sickle cell disease centers in underserved areas that have a higher population of sickle cell disease patients. Provides that the program must: (i) increase access to health care, mental health resources, and pain management therapies for individuals with sickle cell disease; (ii) provide counseling to any individual, at no cost, concerning sickle cell disease and the sickle cell trait; (iii) provide for the establishment of additional sickle cell disease infusion centers; and (iv) provide for the development of a sickle cell disease educational outreach program. Requires the Department to conduct a study to determine the prevalence, impact, and needs of individuals with sickle cell disease and the sickle cell trait in Illinois. Amends the State Finance Act. Creates the Sickle Cell Chronic Disease Fund. Senate Committee Amendment No. 1 Deletes reference to: 30 ILCS 105/5 Replaces everything after the enacting clause. Creates the Sickle Cell Prevention, Care, and Treatment Program Act. Requires the Department of Healthcare and Family Services to establish a grant program for the purpose of providing for the prevention, care, and treatment of sickle cell disease and for educational programs concerning the disease. Requires the Department to: (1) develop application criteria and standards of eligibility for groups or organizations that apply for funds under the program; and (2) make available grants to groups and organizations who meet the eligibility standards set by the Department. Provides that the highest priority for grants shall be accorded to established sickle cell disease community-based organizations, and priority shall be given to ensuring the establishment of sickle cell disease centers in underserved areas that have a higher population of sickle cell disease patients. Requires the Department to determine the maximum amount available for each grant; determine policies for the expiration and renewal of grants; require that all grant funds be used for the purpose of prevention, care, and treatment of sickle cell disease or for educational programs concerning the disease; and develop a sickle cell disease educational outreach program that includes the dissemination of educational materials to specified persons and institutions. Permits the Department to contract with an entity to implement the sickle cell disease educational outreach program. Requires the Department to adopt rules. Requires the Department to conduct a study to determine the prevalence, impact, and needs of individuals with sickle cell disease and the sickle cell trait in Illinois. Provides that implementation of the Act is subject to appropriation. Amends the State Finance Act. Creates the Sickle Cell Chronic Disease Fund.
Provides that, in addition to any other funding that may be provided to the Illinois Transportation Enhancement Program (ITEP) from federal, State, or other sources, the Department of Transportation shall set aside an amount equal to 2% of the total appropriation received by the Department from the Road Fund for the projects in the categories of pedestrian and bicycle facilities, streetscape projects, and the conversion of abandoned railroad corridors to trails. Provides that the funds shall be administered according to the requirements of the current Guidelines Manual published by the Department for ITEP. Provides that, for projects funded under the Section: (1) local matching funding shall be required according to a sliding scale based on community size, median income, and total property tax base, (2) Phase I Studies and Phase I Engineering Reports are not required to be completed before application is made, and (3) at least 25% of funding shall be directed towards projects in high-need communities. Provides that the Department shall adopt rules necessary to implement the Section. Senate Committee Amendment No. 1 Provides that the Department shall adhere to a 2-year funding cycle for ITEP with calls for projects at least every other year and shall make all funded and unfunded ITEP applications publicly available upon the completion of each funding cycle, including how each application scored on the program criteria. Senate Committee Amendment No. 2 Deletes reference to: 20 ILCS 2705/615 new Adds reference to: 20 ILCS 2705/2705-1 Replaces everything after the enacting clause. Amends the Department of Transportation Law of the Civil Administrative Code of Illinois. Makes a technical change in a Section concerning the short title.
Amends the Illinois Power Agency Act. Makes a technical change in a Section concerning the short title. Senate Committee Amendment No. 2 Deletes reference to: 20 ILCS 3855/1-1 Adds reference to: 20 ILCS 3855/1-135 new 20 ILCS 3855/1-140 new Replaces everything after the enacting clause. Amends the Illinois Power Agency Act. Provides that the Illinois Power Agency shall conduct at least one workshop and issue a report regarding the importance of fuel diversity in Illinois for capacity. Provides that the Agency shall conduct at least one workshop and issue a report on the level of demand response resources in the Illinois capacity markets and the benefits that demand response brings to wholesale markets and demand response providers, and identify barriers to market participation by consumers. Provides that the reports shall be submitted to the Governor and the General Assembly, as well as posted on the Internet website of the Agency, on or before March 1, 2020. Repeals the provisions on January 1, 2021. Effective immediately.
Directs the Department of Natural Resources to maintain existing regulations in Part 3700 of Title 17 of the Illinois Administrative Code that preserve the Department's authority to regulate levees to protective standards. Directs the Department of Natural Resources to conduct a study of the State's floodplains and determine meaningful trends in how floodplain use impacts public safety, marginalized and poor communities, farm economics, fish and wildlife populations, natural resources, and water quality and to make recommendations to the General Assembly as to how Illinois can better integrate floodplain programs to promote development and restoration activities that protect public safety, especially for our most vulnerable citizens, enhance the quality of the natural environment of Illinois, and support flood-compatible economies.
Amends the School Code. Provides that if a professional worker employed by a school district that is party to a joint special education agreement is displaced by dissolution of the joint agreement, reorganization of the joint agreement, or by withdrawal, removal, or addition of a school district to the joint agreement and the displaced professional worker is hired by or transferred to another school district, the length of continuing service, pay, and benefits, or substantially equal benefits if the same benefits are not available, of the professional worker are transferred to the other school district. Provides that the new or transferred employment shall be deemed a continuation of the previous employment of the professional worker in the school district, regardless of the participation of the school district in the joint agreement. Effective immediately.
Urges the State to redouble its efforts to work with the federal government, local governments, the private sector, civil society, schools, students, farmers, ranchers, fishing communities, and sportsmen to conserve the land, rivers, and lakes of Illinois for present and future generations to enjoy, taking into account a wide range of flexible and enduring conservation solutions that will improve access to nature for all people within Illinois, especially for communities that that have historically lacked access to natural spaces. Further urges the State to pursue this goal in a way that protects private property rights and traditional land uses and enables landowners to pass down the working land of those landowners to the next generation.
Urges the U.S. Congress to expand the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program so that it includes farming as an applicable career for loan forgiveness.
Amends the Livestock Management Facilities Act. Provides that the owner or operator of a livestock management facility of less than 1,000 animal units shall be (rather than shall not be) required to prepare and maintain a waste management plan. Requires the owner or operator of an existing livestock management facility that has or will exceed more than 5,000 animal units to file its waste management plan with the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Agriculture (rather than only the Department of Agriculture). Provides that a waste management plan shall be submitted electronically to both the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Agriculture. Provides that any person who is issued a warning from the Department for failure to submit a waste management plan shall have 15 working days (rather than 30 working days) to prepare a waste management plan. Provides that following the second violation, the Department shall (rather than may) issue an operational cease and desist order until compliance is attained.
