Sen. Tom Bennett

Amends the Guardians for Adults With Disabilities Article of the Probate Act of 1975. Provides that an adult child, spouse, adult grandchild, parent, adult sibling, or other interested person (instead of an adult child) may petition for visitation privileges with the ward. Provides that "other interested person" means any person who has a significant, ongoing relationship based on or productive of strong affection.

Amends the Abandoned Mobile Homes Act. Repeals and deletes provisions authorizing a municipality to remove and dispose of an abandoned mobile home within the municipality upon notice to each owner and each lienholder and provisions regarding various matters relating to the removal or disposal of an abandoned mobile home. Adds provisions authorizing a mobile home park owner or operator to commence a proceeding seeking a declaration by a court that a manufactured home has been abandoned and seeking removal of the manufactured home if specified conditions are met. Also adds provisions regarding: procedure; execution of judgments; disposition of property; responsibility for costs; and other matters. Defines "manufactured home resident" and "manufactured home owner". Makes corresponding changes in the Mobile Home Local Services Tax Act and the Illinois Vehicle Code. Makes other changes.

Amends the Liquor Control Act of 1934. In a provision that allows a manufacturer, distributor, or importing distributor to provide signs to a retailer if certain conditions are met, including a limitation on the dollar value of the signs that may be provided, provides that the cost adjustment factor applied to the limitation on the dollar value of the signs is 5% annually (rather than the change in the consumer price index or 5%, whichever is greater). Effective immediately.

Amends the Stalking No Contact Order Act. Makes a technical change in a Section concerning the short title.

Amends the School Code. Requires the State Board of Education to establish and maintain the Growing Future Educators Program to train high school graduates who at one time have been identified as English learners and who are enrolled in an approved educator preparation program, among other qualifications, to become secondary language educators. Provides that each school district that chooses to participate in the Program shall partner with one public, regionally accredited institution of higher education in this State that offers a pre-approved educator preparation program and each qualified high school graduate participating in the program through the district must be enrolled at that institution in its educator preparation program. Provides that for each semester that a qualified high school graduate is participating in the program, the State Board shall issue the person a paraprofessional educator endorsement on an Educator License with Stipulations and the person must be employed as a part-time employee by the participating district as a paraprofessional working under the supervision of a district employee with a Professional Educator License. Sets forth provisions concerning funding, submitting program data, reporting to the General Assembly, and rulemaking. Effective immediately.

Amends the Unified Code of Corrections. Provides that the Department of Corrections shall collect and report specified data regarding violence within Department institutions and facilities. Provides that the Department of Corrections shall collect and report specified data regarding public safety of released committed persons. Provides that the data shall be published not less than once each quarter and published with an aggregate chart at the agency level and individual reports by each correctional institution or facility of the Department of Corrections. Provides that the Director of Corrections shall ensure that the agency level data is reviewed by the Director's executive team on a quarterly basis. Provides that the correctional institution or facility's executive team and each chief administrative officer of the correctional institution or facility shall examine statewide and local data at least quarterly. Provides that during these reviews each chief administrative officer shall: (1) identify trends; (2) develop action items to mitigate the root causes of violence; and (3) establish committees at each correctional institution or facility which shall review the violence data on a quarterly basis and develop action plans to reduce violence. These plans shall include a wide range of strategies to incentivize good conduct.

Amends the Illinois Vehicle Code. Provides for the issuance of Operation Desert Shield/Desert Storm license plates to any Illinois resident who has earned the Southwest Asia Service Medal from the United States Armed Forces. Effective immediately.

Amends the Guardians For Adults With Disabilities Article of the Probate Act of 1975. Provides that the court shall not appoint as guardian an employee of an agency that is directly providing residential services to the ward.

Amends the Government Electronic Records Act. Makes a technical change in a Section concerning the short title.

Amends the Illinois Public Aid Code. Requires long-term care providers to submit all changes in resident status, including, but not limited to, death, discharge, changes in patient credit, third party liability, and Medicare coverage to the Department of Healthcare and Family Services through the Medical Electronic Data Interchange System, the Recipient Eligibility Verification System, or the Electronic Data Interchange System under a specified schedule. Requires the Department and other agencies to establish an expedited long-term care eligibility determination and enrollment system. Requires the Director of Healthcare and Family Services, in coordination with the Secretary of Human Services and the Director of Aging, to hold meetings for provider associations representing facilities licensed under the Nursing Home Care Act and certified as supportive living programs. Provides that the meetings shall be held every 6 weeks until all backlogged cases have been adjudicated and the application process has been reduced to the federal timeframe. Contains provisions concerning a 45-day extension of the federal eligibility application processing deadline in suspected cases of fraud; the identification of applicants who had full Medicaid benefits in the community for 6 months or more immediately before entering the long-term care facility; reporting requirements; public-private partnerships aimed at redeploying caseworkers to targeted high-Medicaid facilities for the purpose of expediting initial Medicaid and long-term care benefits applications; the establishment of a Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act compliant database; and other matters. Effective immediately.