2013 End of Session Legislation Review

With the end of another legislative season, there are a large number of pieces of legislation that I believe might be of interest to our members. The best place to find the full text of any of these bills is www.ilga.gov. All of the bills below have passed both chambers unless otherwise noted.

Health Care Legislation

Medical Marijuana

Medical Marijuana was legalized for those with specific debilitating medical conditions. (HB1)

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A new law prohibits anyone under the age of 18 from using tanning equipment. (HB188)

Advance Practice Nurses pursued prescriptive rights but failed, and the bill was amended to simply give APNs more leeway in health screenings and physicals. (HB1052)

Licensure of direct-access midwives failed and was ultimately not called for a vote. (HB1194)

A bill granting Dentists the ability to give vaccinations was rejected, and in the end, the new law only made minor changes to the Dental Act. (HB1217)

Verification of Benefits

ICS initiated a push to make verification of benefits performed by a physician to be contractually binding. Due to multiple factors, including intense opposition by the insurance industries, the bill failed to get the traction it needed to pass the chamber this legislative session. We will continue to pursue this issue for our members. (HB2251)

A new law requires hospitals to check for heart defects in newborns. (HB2661)

School personnel are now required to identify the warning signs of mental illness. (HB3070)

Hospitals will be required to offer flu shots to patients between September 1 and April 1. (HB3191)

Licensure Fees

Increased the licensure fees for DCs, MDs, and DOs to $700 for the next renewal cycle and then lowers it back down to $500 for each cycle after that to make up for a structural deficit within the Department of Professional Regulation. (SB622)

A bill which attempted to create a license for Naturopathic Physicians failed to get out of committee. (SB1168)

An ICS Initiative passed (currently on the Governor’s desk) that solidifies DCs ability to initiate and consult on medically prescribed diets when working with Dietitians and Nutritionists. (SB1229)

ICS initiated legislation that strove to create better EOB/RA transparency, in an effort to clarify and somewhat standardize these forms. This effort was defeated by the insurance companies, although other groups expressed interest in working with us on this in the future. (SB1642)

Copayment Cap

ICS initiated legislation attempting to place a 50% Copayment Cap. Sadly, the insurance companies were able to defeat most insurance reform bills by confusing the issues and hiding behind a “wait until after Obamacare” philosophy. Like several others, this was not called for a vote. (SB1754)

Psychologists attempted to gain limited authority to prescribe medicine, but it failed to pass its second chamber and will not become law this session. (SB2187)

A smoking prohibition on State College campuses stalled out after only passing one chamber. (SB2202)

Other Legislation of Note

A new law puts various restrictions on the outdoor tethering of dogs, including time limits and providing shelter requirements. (HB83)

Illinois finally passed a court-mandated Conceal and Carry law, making Illinois the 50th state to allow people to carry concealed handguns. Permits won’t be issued until next spring. (HB183)

Although texting while driving was already illegal, the law was expanded to ban general handheld cellphone usage while driving – hands-free device usage still allowed. (HB1247)

Legislator Pay Cut

The Legislature enacted a 10% Legislator Pay Cut and prohibited any cost of living adjustments for elected officials. (HB1441)

Despite Illinois’ current budget crisis, no Pension Reform solutions have yet to be agreed upon. As of now it is still an unresolved issue and remains in Conference Committee. (SB1)

Legislation to legalize Same Sex Marriage only passed one chamber, but promises were made to readdress the issue before the end of the year. (SB10)

New laws for School bus cameras were enacted to catch drivers who pass school buses while they are engaged in receiving or disembarkment of passengers. (SB923)

Homeless Bill of Rights

A law created the Homeless Bill of Rights, which prevents employment discrimination against those who do not have a fixed or regular residence. (SB1210)

The compulsory school age has been lowered from 7 to 6 years-old. (SB1307)

A new law clarifies the charge of boating under the influence and assigns penalties. (SB1479)

Law enforcement will now work with schools to establish drills in the event of a shooter or other threat. (SB1625)

We saw the creation of a Puppy Lemon Law, which results in a 21-day refund period in the event of the death of a newly purchased dog or cat. (SB1639)

A compromise was finally reached allowing for fracking, high-volume oil and gas drilling, in Illinois. (SB1715)

Gambling Expansion

Several efforts have been made to further Gambling Expansion: including 5 new casinos in Chicago. The bill only passed one chamber and will be revisited next year. (SB1739)

A new law now allows individuals to show proof of vehicular insurance digitally through a tablet or smartphone. (SB1775)

The rural interstate speed limit was increased from 65 to 70 mph. (SB2356)