Sen. Mike Simmons-Gessesse

Appropriates $9,000,000 from the General Revenue Fund to the Department of Public Health for grants to the Illinois Association of Free and Charitable Clinics for expenses of free and charitable clinics. Provides that the funds shall be used to provide care or make referrals for uninsured or underinsured people living with acute and chronic health issues. Provides for reappropriations to the Department of Public Health. Effective July 1, 2023.

Amends the Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities Administrative Act. Provides that for community-based providers serving persons with intellectual or developmental disabilities, the rates taking effect for services delivered on or after January 1, 2024 shall be increased sufficiently to: (i) provide a minimum $4.00 per hour wage increase over the wages in for front-line personnel; and (ii) provide wages for all other residential non-executive direct care staff, excluding direct support personnel, at the U.S. Department of Labor's average wage as defined in by the Department of Human Services. Amends the Illinois Public Aid Code. Provides that for ID/DD facilities and MC/DD facilities, the rates taking effect for services delivered on or after January 1, 2024 shall be increased sufficiently to: (i) provide a minimum $4.00 per hour wage increase over the wages in for front-line personnel; and (ii) provide wages for all other residential non-executive direct care staff, excluding direct support personnel, at the U.S. Department of Labor's average wage as defined in rule by the Department of Healthcare and Family Services. Amends the Illinois Administrative Procedure Act. Grants the Departments of Human Services and Healthcare and Family Services emergency rulemaking authority. Effective immediately.

Amends the School Code. Requires each school board to provide for a program by which both halal and kosher food options are offered in public school cafeterias by request. Provides further requirements concerning the provision of halal and kosher food in public schools. Amends the Halal Food Act. Defines "State-owned or State-operated facility". Provides that any State-owned or State-operated facility that provides food services or cafeteria services for which food products are provided or offered for sale also shall offer, upon request provided with reasonable notice, halal food options at the State-owned or State-operated facility. Provides that any halal food product offered shall be certified as halal by a State-approved organization or purchased from a State-approved halal-certified vendor. Provides that any person, organization, or vendor falsely representing a food product it provides as halal or falsely representing itself as a halal-certified vendor shall be subject to penalties under the Act. Provides for the adoption of rules. Provides that the amendatory provisions shall not infringe upon or affect any obligation in a contract entered into and in effect on or before the amendatory Act's effective date. Amends the Kosher Food Act. Makes substantially similar changes as to kosher food options at State facilities, defines "kosher", and provides that a violation of the provisions concerning State facility kosher food services is a Class C misdemeanor for a first offense and a Class A misdemeanor for the second and each subsequent offense. Effective June 1, 2024.

Amends the Illinois Act on the Aging. Provides that rates for homemaker services shall be increased to $29.64 beginning July 1, 2023 to sustain a minimum wage of $18 per hour for direct service workers. Requires rates in subsequent State fiscal years to be no lower than the rates in effect on July 1, 2023. Requires providers of in-home services to be required to certify to the Department on Aging that they remain in compliance with the mandated wage increase for direct service workers. Provides that fringe benefits, including, but not limited to, paid time off and payment for training, health insurance, travel, or transportation, shall not be reduced in relation to the rate increases described in the amendatory Act. Effective July 1, 2023.

Amends the Illinois Income Tax Act. Provides that the research and development credit applies for taxable years ending prior to January 1, 2037 (currently, January 1, 2027). Provides that, in the case of qualifying quantum information science expenditures, the research and development credit shall be equal to 13% of the qualifying expenditures for increasing research activities in this State (currently, 6.5%). Provides that certain qualified startup taxpayers may elect to claim the credit against their obligation to pay withholding taxes. Effective immediately.

Amends the Department of Agriculture Law of the Civil Administrative Code of Illinois. Provides that the Department of Agriculture shall conduct an access to nutritious food program to establish and operate projects and strategies within food deserts that focus on: (1) distribution of fresh and nutritious food; and (2) education in food preparation and nutrition. Provides that the Department shall promote the sharing of information concerning best practices and programs, including specified projects, that have proven to be effective in improving distribution of fresh and nutritious food and education in food preparation and nutrition. Provides that the Department shall convene an annual meeting of nonprofit organizations and other interested parties to share best practices and information on programs, including specified projects, that have proven to be effective in improving distribution of fresh and nutritious food and education in food preparation and nutrition. Defines "food desert" and "program".

Amends the Department of Professional Regulation Law of the Civil Administrative Code of Illinois. Requires health care professionals who have continuing education requirements to complete cultural competency training, which shall include information on sensitivity relating to and best practices for providing affirming care to people in the person's preferred language, people with disabilities, documented or undocumented immigrants, people who are intersex, people living with HIV, and people of diverse sexual orientations and gender identities. Provides that for every license or registration renewal occurring on or after the effective date of the amendatory Act, a health care professional who has continuing education requirements must complete at least 5 hours in cultural competency training. Provides that for every license or registration renewal occurring on or after the effective date of the amendatory Act, a person licensed or registered by the Department under the Medical Practice Act of 1987 and who has continuing education requirements must complete at least 10 hours in cultural competency training. Provides that these continuing education hours may count toward meeting the minimum credit hours required for continuing education. Provides for rulemaking. Effective January 1, 2024.

Appropriates $6,000,000 from the General Revenue Fund to the Department on Aging for services provided under the Family Caregiver Act. Effective immediately.

Amends the Administration Article of the Illinois Public Aid Code. Provides that the amendatory Act may be referred to as the Healthy Illinois for All Law. Provides that by July 1, 2023, the Department of Healthcare and Family Services may provide medical services to noncitizens 19 years of age through 41 years of age who (i) are not eligible for medical assistance due to their not meeting the otherwise applicable provisions under the Code concerning citizenship requirements and (ii) have income at or below 133% of the federal poverty level plus 5% for the applicable family size as determined under applicable federal law and regulations. Provide that persons eligible for medical services under the amendatory Act shall receive benefits identical to the benefits provided under the Health Benefits Service Package as that term is defined in the Code. Requires the Department to establish by rule the medical services available, the standards for eligibility, and other conditions of participation for persons eligible to receive medical services under the amendatory Act. Requires any such rules to be at least as restrictive as the rules for medical assistance. Amends the Illinois Administrative Procedure Act. Grants the Department emergency rulemaking authority to implement the amendatory Act. Effective July 1, 2023.

Amends the Criminal Identification Act. Provides that a petitioner may file a petition to vacate and expunge certain felony possession violations under the Illinois Controlled Substances Act or the Methamphetamine Control and Community Protection Act. Amends the Counties Code. Provides that the States Attorney's office of each county shall report annually to the Sentencing Policy Advisory Council certain information regarding each person whose case was disposed under the Illinois Controlled Substances Act, the Cannabis Control Act, and the Methamphetamine Control and Community Protection Act. Amends the Illinois Controlled Substances Act. Provides that notwithstanding any provision of the statute prohibiting the knowing manufacture, delivery, or intent to manufacture or deliver a controlled substance to the contrary, this provision does not apply to possession with intent to deliver an amount of a controlled or counterfeit substances or controlled substance analogs for which possession is classified as a Class A misdemeanor. Reduces the penalties for the knowing manufacture or delivery, possession with intent to manufacture or deliver, or possession of certain specified controlled substances. Reduces the penalties for the knowing possession of certain specified controlled substances. Amends the Unified Code of Corrections and the Code of Civil Procedure to make conforming changes.