Rep. Dee Avelar

Declares January 17, 2021 as Muhammad Ali Day in the State of Illinois.

Creates the Community Health Worker Certification and Reimbursement Act. Amends various Acts regarding medical staff credentials; electronic posters and signs; N95 masks; Legionella bacteria testing; continuing education on implicit bias awareness; overdoses; the Prescription Monitoring Program; a dementia training program; taxation of blood sugar testing materials; funding of safety-net hospitals; a Child Care Assistance Program Eligibility Calculator; managed care organizations; Federally Qualified Health Centers; care coordination; billing; the Medicaid Business Opportunity Commission; reimbursement rates; doula services; personal care of family members; the State Health Assessment; the State Health Improvement Plan; child care training; and a Medicaid Managed Care Oversight Commission. Creates the Behavioral Health Workforce Education Center of Illinois Act. Creates the Underlying Causes of Crime and Violence Study Act. Creates the Special Commission on Gynecologic Cancers Act. Creates the Racial Impact Note Act to require the estimate of the impact on racial and ethnic minorities of certain bills. Creates the Health and Human Services Task Force and Study Act to review health and human service departments and programs. Creates the Anti-Racism Commission Act concerning elimination of systemic racism. Creates the Sickle Cell Prevention, Care, and Treatment Program Act regarding programs and other matters. Amends the Illinois Health Facilities Planning Act in relation to the Health Facilities and Services Review Board, facility closure, and other matters. Creates the Medicaid Technical Assistance Act. Repeals, adds, and changes other provisions. Effective immediately. House Committee Amendment No. 1 Deletes reference to: 305 ILCS 5/9A-11 from Ch. 23, par. 9A-11 Replaces everything after the enacting clause with the provisions of the introduced bill with the following changes: Removes language requiring the SHA and SHIP Partnership to regularly evaluate and update the State Health Assessment and track implementation of the State Health Improvement Plan with revisions as necessary. In provisions amending the Illinois Controlled Substances Act and regarding the Prescription Monitoring Program: (1) presents the findings of the General Assembly; (2) provides that opioid treatment programs may not transmit information without patient consent, and reports made may not be utilized for law enforcement purposes; and (3) provides that treatment of a patient may not be conditioned upon his or her consent to reporting. Removes provisions amending the Illinois Public Aid Code regarding child care. Removes language requiring the Department of Healthcare and Family Services to issue quarterly reports to the Governor and the General Assembly indicating: (i) the number of determinations of noncompliance since the last quarter; (ii) the number of financial penalties imposed; and (iii) the outcome or status of each determination. Makes other changes. House Floor Amendment No. 3 Deletes reference to: 720 ILCS 570/316 Removes provisions amending the Illinois Controlled Substances Act regarding the Prescription Monitoring Program. Makes changes in provisions amending the Adult Protective Services Act regarding adult protective services dementia training. In provisions regarding increasing access to primary care in hospitals, removes language providing that the program developed by the Department of Healthcare and Family Services shall encourage coordination between FQHCs and hospitals. In the Sickle Cell Prevention, Care, and Treatment Program Act, provides that expenditures from the Sickle Cell Chronic Disease Fund shall be subject to appropriation. Makes the following changes to the Medicaid Technical Assistance Center Act: (1) provides that the Center: (i) shall undertake efforts to identify and engage community-based providers offering behavioral health services or services addressing the social determinants of health, especially those predominantly serving communities of color or those operating within or near service deserts, for the purpose of offering training and technical assistance to them through the Center; and (ii) is committed to the principle that all Medicaid recipients have accessible and equitable physical and mental health care services; (2) requires all providers served through the Center to deliver services notwithstanding the patient's race, color, gender, gender identity, age, ancestry, marital status, military status, religion, national origin, disability status, sexual orientation, order of protection status, or immigration status; and (3) provides that moneys in the Medicaid Technical Assistance Center Fund shall be used for specified purposes, subject to appropriation. Makes other changes.

Declares May 29, 2021 as College Savings Day in the State of Illinois to help raise awareness about the escalating costs of higher education and the importance of saving for college with the help of 529 college savings plans.

Designates February 2021 as Career and Technical Education Month to celebrate Career and Technical Education across the State of Illinois

Amends the Election Code. Provides that in distribution of the remaining funds received under the federal Help America Vote Act, the State Board of Elections may make such funds available to election authorities for the maintenance of secure collection sites for the return of vote by mail ballots. Allows election authorities to establish curb-side voting for individuals to cast a ballot during early voting or on election day. Provides that an election authority's curb-side voting program shall designate at least 2 election judges from opposite parties per vehicle and the individual must have the option to mark the ballot without interference from the election judges. Requires election authorities to accept any vote by mail ballot returned, including ballots returned with insufficient or no postage. Allows election authorities to establish secure collection sites for postage-free return of vote by mail ballots. Provides for the collection and processing of vote by mail ballots submitted to collection sites. Provides that the State Board of Elections shall establish additional guidelines for the security of collection sites. Effective immediately.

Proposes to amend the General Provisions Article of the Illinois Constitution. Provides that the oath of office for each prospective holder of a State office shall include an affirmation to protect and honor the diversity of the people of Illinois. Effective upon being declared adopted.