Sen. Sara Feigenholtz

Amends the State Employees Group Insurance Act of 1971. Provides that if a prescription drug approved by the federal Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of a mental illness is removed or substituted on the drug formulary and that prescription drug has been prescribed to an employee, retired employee, annuitant, or beneficiary covered under the Act and has been successfully treating the employee, retired employee, annuitant, or beneficiary for 6 or more months, the program of health benefits shall continue to provide coverage to that individual for that prescription drug as though the prescription drug had not been removed or substituted on the drug formulary.

Amends the Medication Aide Pilot Program Article of the Nurse Practice Act. Changes the title of the Article to Medication Aide Program. Provides that the Department of Public Health (instead of the Department of Financial and Professional Regulation) shall administer and enforce a Certified Medication Aide Program (instead of a Licensed Medication Aide Pilot Program). Makes conforming changes. Provides that the term "qualified employer" means an assisted living or shared housing establishment (instead of a long-term care facility) licensed by the Department of Public Health that meets specified qualifications; makes changes concerning the qualifications. Amends the Administration and Enforcement Article of the Nurse Practice Act to specify that the Department of Public Health shall administer and enforce the provisions of the Article with regards to a certified medication aide.

Amends the Medical Assistance Article of the Illinois Public Aid Code. Provides that for the purpose of removing barriers to the timely treatment of serious mental illnesses, prior authorization mandates and utilization management controls shall not be imposed under the fee-for-service and managed care medical assistance programs on any FDA-approved prescription drug that is recognized by a generally accepted standard medical reference as effective in the treatment of conditions specified in the most recent Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders published by the American Psychiatric Association. Provides that the following shall be permitted for prescription drugs covered under the amendatory Act: (i) clinically appropriate drug utilization review (DUR) edits, including, but not limited to, drug-to-drug, drug-age, and drug-dose; (ii) generic drug substitution if a generic drug is available for the prescribed medication in the same dosage and formulation; and (iii) any utilization management control that is necessary for the Department of Healthcare and Family Services to comply with any current consent decrees or federal waivers. Defines "serious mental illness".

Amends the Illinois Vehicle Code. Provides that, if a county or a municipality certifies to the Department of Transportation that, whenever possible, it uses a biodiesel blend that meets or exceeds the requirements for a use tax exemption, then that municipality or county is entitled to an additional payment equal to 1% of the municipality's or county's allotment from the Local Government Distributive Fund during that fiscal year. Provides for the transfer of certain amounts from the General Revenue Fund to the Local Government Biodiesel Supplemental Distributive Fund and amends the State Revenue Sharing Act to create the Local Government Biodiesel Supplemental Distributive Fund. Amends the Illinois Administrative Procedure Act to provide for emergency rulemaking. Effective July 1, 2024.

Declares March 12, 2024 as "Equal Pay Day". Encourages the citizens of this State to learn about the pay gap that women experience in society and to learn about these various dates that bring attention to the pay gap that specific groups experience.

Amends the Humane Care for Animals Act. Provides that a person shall not perform surgical claw removal, declawing, or a tendonectomy on any cat or otherwise alter a cat's toes, claws, or paws to prevent or impair the normal function of the cat's toes, claws, or paws, except for a therapeutic purpose. Provides that the Department of Agriculture shall subject a person who violates the provisions to a civil penalty of $500 for a first violation, $1,000 for a second violation, and $2,500 for a third or subsequent violation.

Amends the Telephone Solicitations Act. Provides that a person, business, or organization may not spoof a caller's information or otherwise misrepresent the origin of a telemarketing call unless the person, business, or organization has the right to use the name and phone number displayed. Requires telephone solicitations placed in a manner other than by a live operator to immediately disclose their identity and the purpose of the call and prompt the recipient of the call to consent to the solicitation. Defines terms.

Mourns the passing of Karen Ruth Boehning.

Amends the Illinois Estate and Generation-Skipping Transfer Tax Act. Provides that, for persons dying on or after January 1, 2024, the exclusion amount shall be the applicable exclusion amount calculated under Section 2010 of the Internal Revenue Code, including any deceased spousal unused exclusion amount (currently, the exclusion amount for Illinois estate tax purposes is $4,000,000). Effective immediately.

Mourns the death of Firefighter Andrew Benjamin "Drew" Price of the Chicago Fire Department, who passed away due to injuries sustained in the line of duty.