Sen. Ram Villivalam

Amends the Toll Highway Act. Makes a technical change in a definitions Section.

States that education support professionals in public schools should be treated with the same respect, recognition, value, and standards as teachers. Urges the General Assembly to seek solutions via study and legislation that include, but are not limited to, legislated salary parity, quality professional development and training, and mandated access to health benefits for all education support professionals.

Amends the Public Community College Act. Provides for a new board of trustees of the City Colleges of Chicago beginning with the 2023 consolidated election. Sets forth provisions concerning nominating petitions and ballots. Provides that the City of Chicago shall be subdivided into 20 trustee districts by the General Assembly for seats on the board of trustees, in addition to one at-large trustee. Provides that the City of Chicago trustee districts must be drawn on or before May 31, 2022. Provides that in the year following each decennial census, the General Assembly shall redistrict the trustee districts to reflect the results of each decennial census. Makes other changes. Effective immediately.

Amends the Medical Assistance Article of the Illinois Public Aid Code. Requires the Department of Healthcare and Family Services to be responsible for and actively oversee managed care organization compliance and shall immediately modify all contractual arrangements with each of the managed care organizations in conflict with the provisions of the amendatory Act. Provides that a managed care organization's failure to agree to all necessary amendments to its contract with the State shall constitute the company's notice of withdrawal from the medical assistance program. Requires the Department to attest to each managed care organization's compliance with all provisions of the amendatory Act within 60 days after the effective date of the amendatory Act. Provides that if the Department cannot attest to each managed care organization's compliance by the end of the 60 days or after any of the audits required under the amendatory Act, then the Department shall prohibit the managed care organization from managing skilled nursing facilities patients under the medical assistance managed care program. Contains provisions concerning the transition of network residents to managed care organizations in good standing; quarterly audits of each managed care organization's business practices; monthly audits of each managed care organization's information technology and systems; Medicaid fee-for-service reimbursement rates for nursing facilities under contract with managed care organizations; fines for non-compliance; and other matters.

Appropriates $8,000,000 from the General Revenue Fund to the Office of the State Treasurer for the Illinois Higher Education Savings Program. Effective July 1, 2022.

Amends the Illinois Lottery Law. Removes language that would require that sales of the special instant scratch-off game to benefit Alzheimer's care, support, education, and awareness be discontinued on January 1, 2022. Effective immediately. Senate Committee Amendment No. 1 Replaces everything after the enacting clause. Amends the Illinois Lottery Law. Extends the sale of the special instant scratch-off game to benefit Alzheimer's care, support, education, and awareness to January 1, 2025 (rather than January 1, 2022). Effective immediately.

Amends the Hospital Licensing Act. Provides that no later than January 1, 2023, the Department of Public Health shall convene a comprehensive stakeholder process to develop standards for hospitals to establish specialized units for children and adolescents with an autism spectrum disorder and other intellectual or developmental disabilities. Amends the Child Care Act of 1969. Provides that child welfare supervisors shall satisfy specified requirements. Provides that the Central Office of Licensing at the Department of Children and Family Services shall convene a 5 person panel to review all transcripts and course information and make a decision on the equivalency of the college degree to a human services degree. Provides that the panel must include representation from a community-based provider. Amends the Illinois Public Aid Code. Expands eligibility under the Department of Human Services' child care assistance program to youth in care and to families receiving Extended Family Support Program services from the Department of Children and Family Services. Amends the Early Intervention Services System Act. Provides that the definition of "eligible infants and toddlers" includes any child under the age of 3 who is the subject of a substantiated case of child abuse or neglect, as defined by the federal Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act. Effective immediately, except that changes to the Illinois Public Aid Code take effect July 1, 2023. Senate Committee Amendment No. 1 Deletes reference to: 225 ILCS 10/7.12 new Removes the amendatory changes made to the Child Care Act of 1969 concerning educational requirements for child welfare supervisors. Senate Committee Amendment No. 2 Deletes reference to: 210 ILCS 85/6.2 new Removes provisions amending the Hospital Licensing Act. Further amends the Illinois Public Aid Code. Removes provisions expanding eligibility under the Department of Human Services' Child Care Assistance Program to include youth in the care of the Department of Children and Family Services and families receiving Extended Family Support Program services from the Department of Children and Family Services. Instead expands eligibility under the Child Care Assistance Program to include the following categories of families: (i) foster parents or caregivers of youth in care, regardless of whether they are working or participating in Department-approved employment or education or training programs; (ii) youth in care who are parents, regardless of whether they are working or participating in Department-approved employment or education or training programs; (iii) parents who have custody of their children and their children are the subjects of pending cases under the Abused, Neglected or Dependent Minors Article of the Juvenile Court Act of 1987, regardless of whether they are working or participating in Department-approved employment or education or training programs; (iv) families with children who have an open intact family services case with the Department of Children and Family Services (rather than families with children under the age of 5 who have an open intact family services case with the Department of Children and Family Services); and (v) families receiving Extended Family Support Program services from the Department of Children and Family Services, regardless of whether they are working or participating in Department-approved employment or education or training programs. Provides that youth in care who are parents and parents whose children are the subjects of pending cases under the Abused, Neglected or Dependent Minors Article of the Juvenile Court Act of 1987 shall receive extended child care eligibility for a specified period of time, regardless of whether they are working or participating in Department-approved employment or education or training programs. Makes a technical change to the effective date.

Amends the Public Community College Act. Allows the board of trustees of a community college district to establish and offer a baccalaureate-level early childhood education program and confer a bachelor of applied science degree in early childhood education and a Professional Educator License with endorsements in early childhood education and early childhood special education under certain conditions. Provides for an application for approval from the Illinois Community College Board. Sets forth college requirements and prohibitions. Provides that a candidate for educator licensure must successfully complete applicable testing requirements prior to the issuance of an educator license and any endorsements. Provides for a statewide evaluation of such programs.

Amends the Election Code. Provides for the election of the Chicago Board of Education at the general primary election in 2022 only as a nonpartisan election on a separate ballot. Provides that a member of the Chicago Board of Education shall be elected at each consolidated election thereafter. Makes related changes. Amends the Chicago School District Article of the School Code. Provides that a person shall be a U.S. citizen and registered voter and shall have been a resident of the city and the electoral district for at least one year immediately preceding his or her election. Sets forth provisions concerning nominating petitions and ballots. Sets forth provisions providing that the City of Chicago shall be subdivided into 20 electoral districts by the General Assembly for seats on the Chicago Board of Education. Sets forth provisions providing that in the year following each decennial census, the General Assembly shall redistrict the electoral districts to reflect the results of each decennial census. Makes other changes. Effective immediately.

Amends the Illinois Public Labor Relations Act. Provides for the right to organize and bargain collectively for legislative assistants of the General Assembly as public employees under the Act. Makes conforming changes.