Public Act 097-0528
 
SB1622 EnrolledLRB097 07393 KTG 49938 b

    AN ACT concerning health.
 
    Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
represented in the General Assembly:
 
    Section 5. The Community Services Act is amended by adding
Section 6 as follows:
 
    (405 ILCS 30/6 new)
    Sec. 6. Geographic analysis of supports and services in
community settings.
    (a) For purposes of this Section:
    "Direct support professionals" means direct support
workers, direct care workers, personal assistants, personal
attendants, and paraprofessionals that provide assistance to
individuals with developmental disabilities or mental illness
in the form of daily living, and provide the habilitation,
rehabilitation, and training needs of these individuals.
    "Licensed professionals" means, but is not limited to,
dentists, dental hygienists, dental assistants, advanced
practice nurses, licensed practical nurses, registered nurses,
psychiatrists, psychologists, and qualified mental health
professionals.
    "Supports and services" means direct support
professionals, licensed professionals, and residential
services, including, but not limited to, private residences,
community-integrated living arrangements, supported
residential programs, supervised residential programs, or
supportive housing programs.
    (b) Long-term care rebalancing. Pursuant to Public Act
96-1501, the State of Illinois has established a long-term care
rebalancing initiative. This amendatory Act of the 97th General
Assembly seeks to further the goals of that initiative by
ensuring that individuals with developmental disabilities or
mental illness who utilize long-term care services under the
medical assistance program and other long-term care related
benefit programs administered by the State have meaningful
access to a reasonable array of community-based and
institutional program options. Furthermore, the General
Assembly declares that it is the policy of the State to ensure
that the clinical, habilitative, and social needs of
individuals with developmental disabilities or mental illness
who choose to reside in integrated community-based settings can
have those needs met in integrated community-based settings. In
order to meaningfully comply with this policy, the General
Assembly must have an understanding of the existing capacity in
integrated-community based settings, including direct support
professionals and licensed professionals, such as dentists,
nurses, and psychiatrists, as well as residential capacity to
provide for these needs.
    (c) By no later than July 1, 2012, subject to
appropriation, the Department shall conduct a geographic
analysis of supports and services for individuals with
developmental disabilities or mental illness. The Department
may work with other State agencies to perform the geographic
analysis or to gather data for purposes of performing the
geographic analysis. This analysis shall also identify gaps
between required supports and services by region of the State.
The Department shall prepare a final report by no later than
January 1, 2013 that shall be made available to the Governor
and shall be presented by the Department to the appropriate
standing committees in the Senate, as determined by and on a
date determined by the President of the Senate, and the House
of Representatives, as determined by and on a date determined
by the Speaker of the House. The final report shall be made
available to the public and shall be published on the
Department's website in an appropriate location a minimum of
one week prior to presentation of the report to the General
Assembly.
 
    Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon
becoming law.