Amends the Code of Civil Procedure. Provides that the prohibition on the recovery of punitive damages in a legal malpractice action includes damages sought as compensatory damages which were assessed against the legal malpractice plaintiff or failed to be obtained by the legal malpractice plaintiff.
Amends the Criminal Code of 2012. Provides for enhanced penalties for aggravated assault or aggravated battery of emergency department staff of a health care facility. Defines "emergency department staff" as any clinical or nonclinical staff present in the emergency department or emergency room of a health care facility who may come in contact with patients, including, but not limited to, physicians, nurses, nonphysician providers, technicians, security staff, patient transporters, respiratory therapists, housekeeping personnel, secretaries, and pharmacists. Defines "health care facility" as a facility, hospital, or establishment licensed or organized under the Ambulatory Surgical Treatment Center Act, the University of Illinois Hospital Act, the Hospital Licensing Act, the Nursing Home Care Act, the Assisted Living and Shared Housing Act, or the Community Living Facilities Licensing Act. Effective immediately.
Amends the Hospital Services Trust Fund Article of the Illinois Public Aid Code. Increases by 20% hospital reimbursement rates for dates of service on and after January 1, 2024, for specified services, including, but not limited to: inpatient general acute care services; inpatient psychiatric services for safety-net hospitals; general acute care hospitals that are not safety-net hospitals; and outpatient general acute care services. Provides that the rates for the listed services shall be increased, beginning on January 1, 2025 and each January 1 thereafter, based on the annual increase in the national hospital market basket price proxies (DRI) hospital cost index from the midpoint of the calendar year 2 years prior to the current year, to the midpoint of the preceding calendar year. Provides that in no instance shall the adjustment result in a reduction to the rates in place at the time of the required adjustment. Provides that if the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services finds that the increases required under the amendatory Act would result in rates of reimbursement which exceed the federal maximum limits applicable to hospital payments, then the payments and assessment tax imposed on hospital providers shall be reduced as provided in the Hospital Provider Funding Article. Requires the Department of Healthcare and Family Services to promptly take all actions necessary to ensure the changes authorized in the amendatory Act are in effect for dates of service on and after January 1, 2024. Requires the Department to ensure that all necessary adjustments to the managed care organization capitation base rates necessitated by the adjustments in the amendatory Act are completed, published, and applied 90 days prior to the implementation date of the changes required under the amendatory Act. Provides that, by October 1, 2023, the Department shall by rule implement a methodology effective for dates of service beginning on and after January 1, 2024 to reimburse hospitals for extended stays in a hospital emergency department. Amends the Illinois Administrative Procedure Act. Grants the Department emergency rulemaking authority. Effective immediately.
Amends the School Code. Makes a technical change in a Section concerning the School Code's construction.
Congratulates the Brown County Middle School eighth grade boys basketball team, the Hornets, on winning the 2023-2024 Illinois Elementary School Association Class 2A State Championship and wishes them many for successful seasons.
Amends the Educator Licensure Article of the School Code. In provisions concerning the conviction of certain offenses as grounds for disqualification for licensure or suspension or revocation of a license, includes the sex offense of abuse by an educator or authority figure under the definition of "sex or other offense". Amends the Sex Offenses Article of Criminal Code of 2012. Provides that a person commits abuse by an educator or authority figure if that person holds a position of trust, authority, or supervision in relation to a student in a school, the student is at least 18 years of age, the person is at least 4 years older than the student, and the person either (1) commits an act of sexual conduct with the student or (2) commits an act of sexual penetration with the student. Provides that abuse by an educator or authority figure is a Class 3 felony for the first offense and a Class 2 felony for a second or subsequent offense or if there is more than one victim. Provides that consent of the victim is not a defense to abuse by an educator or authority figure. Amends the Sex Offender Registration Act. Includes abuse by an educator or authority figure under the definitions of "sex offense" and "sexual predator".
Amends the Use Tax Act, the Service Use Tax Act, the Service Occupation Tax Act, and the Retailers' Occupation Tax Act. Provides that, beginning on July 1, 2024, certain food, drugs, and medical appliances that were taxed at the rate of 1% shall be exempt from the taxes under those Acts. Provides that certain amounts shall be transferred from the General Revenue Fund to certain local tax funds. Effective immediately.
Amends the Higher Education Student Assistance Act. With regard to the Monetary Award Program, provides that, in addition to other eligibility requirements for applicants of the grant program enrolled at a qualified for-profit institution, the following shall apply to the qualified for-profit institution in which the applicant is enrolled: (i) beginning with the 2023-2024 academic year, a qualified for-profit institution may not exceed a 15% national 3-year student loan cohort default rate, as published by the U.S. Department of Education, and (ii) beginning with the 2024-2025 academic year, a qualified for-profit institution must maintain an 80% student success rate; defines "student success rate". Provides that a for-profit institution's failure to meet those eligibility requirements shall result in a probationary academic year during which the institution is required to notify all current and prospective students eligible for Monetary Award Program grants of the student's possibility of losing that eligibility. Provides that if the institution fails to meet the for-profit institution eligibility requirements for 2 consecutive academic years, an applicant enrolled at the institution must lose Monetary Award Program grant eligibility and for a student to regain Monetary Award Program grant eligibility at that institution, the institution must meet the for-profit institution eligibility requirements for at least 2 consecutive academic years. Effective immediately.
Amends the Herptiles-Herps Act. Provides that, notwithstanding any administrative rule to the contrary, snapping turtles may be taken by trap.
Amends the Criminal Code of 2012. Provides that a person who, in committing a domestic battery, other than by discharge of a firearm, knows the individual battered to be a person 60 years of age or older commits aggravated domestic battery.
