Sen. Christopher Belt

Amends the School Code. Requires the school board of each school district to grant full-time employees of the district 5 mental health days each school year at full pay. Provides that the employee is not required to provide a medical note or other documentation to use the mental health day. Provides that used and uncompensated mental health days are not eligible for pensionable service credit under the Illinois Pension Code. Effective immediately. Senate Floor Amendment No. 1 Deletes reference to: 105 ILCS 5/24-6.5 new Adds reference to: 105 ILCS 5/24-6 Replaces everything after the enacting clause. Amends the School Code. In provisions concerning sick leave for full-time teachers and eligible employees, adds mental or behavioral health complications to the enumerated interpretations of sick leave. Adds that the school board may require a certificate from a mental health professional licensed in Illinois providing ongoing care or treatment to the teacher or employee. Effective immediately. Senate Floor Amendment No. 2 Adds reference to: 105 ILCS 5/34-18.78 new Adds provisions to the bill as amended by Senate Amendment No. 1. Amends the Chicago School District Article of the School Code. Provides that, in addition to any interpretation or definition included in a collective bargaining agreement or board of education or district policy, sick leave, or its equivalent, to which a teacher or other eligible employee is entitled shall be interpreted to include mental or behavioral health complications. Provides that, unless contrary to a collective bargaining agreement or board of education or district policy, the board may require a certificate from a mental health professional licensed in Illinois providing ongoing care or treatment to the teacher or employee as a basis for pay during leave after an absence of 3 days for mental or behavioral health complications. Effective immediately.

Amends the School Code. Defines "school fees" or "fees" to mean any monetary charge collected by a public school, public school district, or charter school from a student or the parents or guardian of a student as a prerequisite for the student's participation in any curricular or extracurricular program of the school or school district. Provides that homeless children and youth as defined in Section 11434A of the federal McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act also qualify for a waiver for fees and fines for the loss or destruction of school property (currently, fees). Provides that the school board may provide for waiver verification no more often than once every academic year (currently, once every 60 days). Provides that no discrimination or punishment of any kind, including, but not limited to, the lowering of grades, exclusion from classes, or withholding of student records, transcripts or diplomas, (currently, lowering of grades or exclusion from classes) may be exercised against a student whose because the student's parents or guardians are unable to purchase required textbooks or instructional materials. House Committee Amendment No. 2 Replaces everything after the enacting clause. Reinserts the provisions of the introduced bill but removes the applicability of the fine waiver for the destruction of school property, removes the applicability for children living in households eligible for reduced lunch, and makes technical corrections.

Amends the School Code. Provides that the application fee for a Short-Term Substitute Teaching License shall be waived when the Governor has declared a disaster due to a public health emergency. Effective immediately.

Amends the School Code. Prohibits the State Board of Education from developing, purchasing, or requiring a school district to administer, develop, or purchase a standardized assessment for students enrolled or preparing to enroll in prekindergarten through grade 2, other than for diagnostic purposes. Prohibits the State Board of Education from providing funding for any standardized assessment of students enrolled or preparing to enroll in prekindergarten through grade 2. Effective immediately. Senate Committee Amendment No. 1 Changes the term "diagnostic purposes" to "diagnostic and screening purposes". Includes in the definition of diagnostic and screening purposes the determination of eligibility for special education, early intervention, bilingual education, dyslexia services, or other related educational services. Removes "child find" from the definition of diagnostic and screening purposes. Permits the State Board of Education to provide funding for any standardized assessment of students enrolled or preparing to enroll in prekindergarten through grade 2 for diagnostic and screening purposes.

Amends the Illinois Home Grown Business Opportunity Act. Provides for additional contents of the economic plan to assist businesses and municipalities located geographically close to bordering states as developed by the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity. Provides that the Department shall create the Border Community COVID-19 Mitigation Grant Program. Provides that grants shall only be provided to businesses and municipalities located geographically close to bordering states. Provides for the adoption of rules.

Amends the Illinois Optometric Practice Act of 1987. Provides that a licensed optometrist may independently administer the influenza vaccine, the COVID-19 vaccine, or the shingles vaccine upon completion of the required training. Provides that vaccinations for influenza and COVID-19 shall be limited to patients 5 years of age and older. Provides that the shingles vaccine shall be administered to patients pursuant to guidelines provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Provides that vaccines must be administered by the optometrist and cannot be delegated to an assistant. Provides that vaccination shall be documented in the patient's record and shall include: the vaccine administered; the site of injection; the name, dose, manufacturer, lot number, and beyond-use date of the vaccine; the name and address of the patient's primary health care provider named by the patient; a notation that the patient was presented with the appropriate vaccine information statement prior to administration of each vaccine; and any adverse events that followed the vaccination. Requires that the optometrist must complete the necessary training and certification unless the optometrist has completed the training required under a proclamation issued by the Secretary of Financial and Professional Regulation on March 24, 2021. Provides that an optometrist administering immunizations may also initiate and administer epinephrine or diphenhydramine by injection or the treatment of a severe allergic reaction to an immunization. Provides that vaccines ordered and administered in accordance with the amendatory Act shall be covered and reimbursed at no less than the rate the vaccine is reimbursed when ordered and administered by a physician. Allows the Department of Financial and Professional Regulation to adopt any rules necessary to implement the amendatory Act. House Floor Amendment No. 1 Replaces everything after the enacting clause with the provisions of the introduced bill and makes the following changes. Provides that a licensed optometrist may independently administer the COVID-19 vaccine upon completion of the required training (instead of the shingles, influenza, and COVID-19 vaccine). Provides that vaccinations for COVID-19 shall be limited to patients 17 (instead of 5) years of age and older. Makes corresponding changes.

Amends the Department of Public Health Powers and Duties Law of the Civil Administrative Code of Illinois. Provides that, for license renewals occurring on or after January 1, 2023, Emergency Medical Services personnel must complete at least one one-hour course of training on the diagnosis, treatment, and care of individuals with Alzheimer's disease or other dementias per license renewal period. Contains training requirements. Provides that completion of the course may count toward meeting minimum credit hours required for relicensure requirements. Provides that specified training may count toward the continuing education required under the amendatory provisions. Provides that the Department of Public Health may adopt rules for the implementation of the amendatory provisions. Effective immediately.

Amends the Higher Education Student Assistance Act. Requires the Illinois Student Assistance Commission to annually include information about the Child Care Assistance Program and the federal dependent care allowance in the language that schools are required to provide to students eligible for Monetary Award Program grants. Specifies the information that must be included. Provides that an institution of higher learning that participates in the Monetary Award Program shall provide, at a minimum, the information to all students who are enrolled, or who are accepted for enrollment and are intending to enroll, and who have been identified by the Commission as Monetary Award Program-eligible at the institution. Provides that an institution of higher learning shall also provide the information to any student identified by the institution of higher learning as a student with dependents. Provides that an institution of higher learning may designate a public benefits liaison or single point person to assist students in taking the necessary steps to obtain public benefits if eligible. Requires the Commission to adopt rules to implement the provisions on or before October 1, 2022. Effective immediately.

Amends the School Code. Provides that school counseling services may include the promotion of career and technical education by assisting each student to determine an appropriate postsecondary plan based upon the student's skills, strengths, and goals and assisting the student to implement the best practices that improve career or workforce readiness after high school. Senate Committee Amendment No. 1 Provides that the school counseling services of developing individual career plans with students and assisting all students with a college or postsecondary education plan includes planning for postsecondary education, as appropriate, and engaging in related and relevant career and technical education coursework in high school.

Amends the Sex Offender Registration Act. Provides for the transfer of the remaining balance from the Sex Offender Investigation Fund to the Offender Registration Fund. Dissolves the Sex Offender Investigation Fund. Provides that any future deposits into the Sex Offender Investigation Fund and any outstanding obligations or liabilities of the Sex Offender Investigation Fund pass to the Offender Registration Fund. Provides for the use of the moneys transferred to the Offender Registration Fund. Contains a purpose provision. Effective immediately. Senate Floor Amendment No. 1 Deletes reference to: 730 ILCS 150/11 Adds reference to: 30 ILCS 105/5.970 new 30 ILCS 105/6z-130 new Replaces everything after the enacting clause. Amends the State Finance Act. Creates the Law Enforcement Recruitment and Retention Fund. Provides that moneys in the Fund shall be used by the Illinois Law Enforcement Training Standards Board to award grants to units of local government, public institutions of higher education, and qualified nonprofit entities for the purpose of hiring and retaining law enforcement officers. Effective immediately.