Sen. Paul Faraci

Declares December 19, 2024 as Illinois ABLE Day in the State of Illinois.

Amends the Department of Public Health Act. Establishes the role of HIV Treatment Innovation Coordinator to be housed within the Department. Provides that the Department shall create and fill the Coordinator role within 6 months after the effective date of the amendatory Act. Requires the Coordinator to develop and execute a comprehensive strategy to adopt a Rapid Start model for HIV treatment as the standard of care. Requires compensation and benefits for the Coordinator be at the Program Director level. Describes the specific job responsibilities of the Coordinator. Amends the Illinois Insurance Code. Provides that an individual or group policy of accident and health insurance amended, delivered, issued, or renewed in this State on or after January 1, 2025 shall provide coverage for home test kits for sexually transmitted infections, including any laboratory costs of processing the home test kit, that are deemed medically necessary or appropriate and ordered directly by a clinician or furnished through a standing order for patient use based on clinical guidelines and individual patient health needs. Makes a conforming change to the Illinois Public Aid Code regarding coverage for home test kits for sexually transmitted infections. Amends the AIDS Confidentiality Act. Creates the Illinois AIDS Drug Assistance Program. Provides that Illinois AIDS Drug Assistance Program applications shall be processed within 72 hours after the time of submission. Provides for conditional approval of Illinois AIDS Drug Assistance Program applications within 24 hours after time of submission. Requires Illinois AIDS Drug Assistance Program applicants to document residency within the State of Illinois. Provides for 8 Rapid Start for HIV Treatment pilot sites established by the Department of Public Health. Provides that the Department shall publish a report on the operation of the pilot program 15 months after the pilot sites have launched. Establishes requirements for the report, requires that the report be shared with the General Assembly, the Governor's Office, and requires that the report be made available on the Department's Internet website. Amends the County Jail Act. Creates new annual adult correctional facility public inspection report requirements on the topics of HIV and AIDS.

Maddy summaryThis Senate resolution honors Illinois State Trooper Corey Steven Thompsen, who died in the line of duty in October 2024. The bill formally expresses the Senate's condolences to his family and friends while acknowledging his service as a motorcycle officer with the Illinois State Police. It directs that a copy of the resolution be presented to Thompsen's family as a gesture of sympathy. This measure is a commemorative action rather than a law that changes policy or affects public programs.

Amends the Illinois Human Rights Act. Requires the Department of Human Rights to establish a hotline for any local government administrator to report a retaliation complaint due to the reporting of any civil rights violation under the Act. Authorizes the Department to intervene and mediate or counsel a local government concerning any retaliation complaints. Allows, upon the failure or rejection of mediation and counseling to resolve any retaliation complaint, the Department to file any necessary and appropriate charge under State or federal law as necessary to stop or to remedy the retaliation. Provides that the failure to cooperate with the Department in any counseling or mediation shall be considered a violation of the provisions and the person that fails to cooperate with the Department may be prosecuted by the Department or the Attorney General.

Amends the Illinois Freedom to Work Act. Provides that the definition of "first responders" means any persons who are currently or formerly employed as: (i) emergency medical services personnel, (ii) firefighters, and (iii) law enforcement officers. Effective January 1, 2025.

Amends the Illinois Estate and Generation-Skipping Transfer Tax Act. Makes certain changes concerning estates that contain qualified farm property. Provides that, for the purposes of calculating the State Death Tax Credit, those estates are subject to an exemption of $6,000,000 (rather than an exclusion amount of $4,000,000), which shall be deducted from the net estate value after the net estate value is computed in accordance with the Act. Provides that the exemption shall be adjusted each year according to the increase in the Consumer Price Index. Makes changes concerning the calculation of the deceased spousal unused exclusion amount for those estates. Provides for a special use valuation to provide that the value of the qualified farm property shall be calculated without regard to certain limitations under the Internal Revenue Code. Makes changes concerning the definition of "qualified heir" to provide that a decedent's brother, sister, uncle, aunt, niece, nephew, or first cousin is also included.

Appropriates $ 10,000,000 from the General Revenue Fund to the Department of Public Health for local health protection grants for health protection programs. Effective July 1,2024.

Amends the Nursing Home Care Act. Provides that a facility shall not take any retaliatory action against a resident of the facility because the resident (1) complains, discloses, or threatens to disclose to a supervisor, a public body, or any other person an activity, inaction, policy, or practice implemented by a facility that the resident reasonably believes is in violation of a law or rule, or regulation or that the resident believes to be problematic; (2) provides information to or testifies before any public body conducting an investigation, hearing, or inquiry into any violation of a law, rule, or regulation by a nursing home administrator; (3) assists or participates in a proceeding to enforce the provisions of the Act; (4) seeks assistance for himself or herself or others to transition to independent living or another setting outside of their current nursing home; (5) makes a request of the facility related to the resident's care; (6) becomes a member of a resident council, resident union, or similar organization; or (7) takes any other good faith action in support of any other right or remedy provided by law. Describes remedies that may be awarded to a resident of a facility for a violation of these requirements. Authorizes a claim of retaliation under the Act to be filed in any court of competent jurisdiction or any administrative hearing process conducted by the State and its agencies or departments with jurisdiction to hear complaints by employees or residents against nursing homes.

Amends the Higher Education Student Assistance Act. Provides that, subject to appropriation, beginning with the 2025-2026 academic year, the Illinois Student Assistance Commission shall establish a nursing student stipend program to reimburse eligible applicants for the pre-licensure nursing program cost incurred during the previous academic year from a baccalaureate degree nursing program. Sets forth provisions concerning application for a stipend, the amount of the stipend, the pre-licensure nursing program cost, the distribution of funds, information on the stipend program, and rulemaking. Effective July 1, 2025.

Amends the School Code. In provisions concerning fentanyl education, beginning with the 2025-2026 school year, provides that in at least one unit in the State-required health courses for grades 6 through 8 a school district shall provide instruction, study, and discussion on the dangers of fentanyl.