HB4403eng 98TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HB4403 Engrossed LRB098 17858 KTG 52982 b

AN ACT concerning healthcare.

Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois, represented in the General Assembly:

Section 5. The Community Expanded Mental Health Services Act is amended by changing Sections 15 and 25 as follows:

(405 ILCS 22/15)

Sec. 15. Creation of Expanded Mental Health Services Program and Governing Commission.

(a) Whenever in a municipality with more than 1,000,000 inhabitants, the question of creating an Expanded Mental Health Services Program within a contiguous territory included entirely within the municipality is initiated by resolution or ordinance of the corporate authorities of the municipality or by a petition signed by not less than 8% of the total votes cast for candidates for Governor in the preceding gubernatorial election by registered voters of the territory, the registered voters of which are eligible to sign the petition, it shall be the duty of the election authority having jurisdiction over such municipality to submit the question of creating an Expanded Mental Health Services Program to the electors of the territory at the regular election specified in the resolution, ordinance, or petition initiating the question. A petition initiating a question described in this Section shall be filed with the election authority having jurisdiction over the municipality. The petition shall be filed and objections thereto shall be made in the manner provided in the general election law. A resolution, ordinance, or petition initiating a question described in this Section shall specify the election at which the question is to be submitted. The referendum on such question shall be held in accordance with general election law. Such question, and the resolution, ordinance, or petition initiating the question, shall include a description of the territory, the name of the proposed Expanded Mental Health Services Program, and the maximum rate at which the Expanded Mental Health Services Program shall be able to levy a property tax. The question shall be in substantially the following form:

Shall there be established, to serve the territory commonly described on this ballot or notice of this question, a ........ (fill in community name) Expanded Mental Health Services Program, to provide direct free mental health services for any resident of the territory who needs assistance in overcoming or coping with mental or emotional disorders, where such program will be funded through an increase of not more than ..... (fill in tax rate from .025% to .044% .004 to .007) of the equalized assessed valuation real estate property tax bill of all properties parcels within the boundaries of the territory (for example, $..... (fill in tax rate figure) for every $1,000 of taxes you currently pay)?

All of that area within the geographic boundaries of the territory described in such question shall be included in the Program, and no area outside the geographic boundaries of the territory described in such question shall be included in the Program. If the election authority determines that the description cannot be included within the space limitations of the ballot, the election authority shall prepare large printed copies of a notice of the question, which shall be prominently displayed in the polling place of each precinct in which the question is to be submitted.

(b) Whenever a majority of the voters on such public question approve the creation of an Expanded Mental Health Services Program as certified by the proper election authorities, within 90 days of the passage of the referendum the Governor shall appoint 5 members and the Mayor of the municipality shall appoint 4 members, to be known as commissioners, to serve as the governing body of the Expanded Mental Health Services Program.

(c) Of the 5 commissioners appointed by the Governor, the Governor shall choose 4 commissioners from a list of nominees supplied by a community organization or community organizations as defined in this Act; these 4 commissioners shall reside in the territory of the Program. Of the commissioners appointed by the Governor, one shall be a mental health professional and one shall be a mental health consumer residing in the territory of the Program.

(d) Of the 4 commissioners appointed by the Mayor of the municipality, the Mayor shall choose 3 commissioners from a list of nominees supplied by a community organization or community organizations as defined in this Act; these 3 commissioners shall reside in the territory of the Program. Of the commissioners appointed by the Mayor, one shall be a mental health professional and one shall be a mental health consumer residing in the territory of the Program.

(e) A community organization may recommend up to 10 individuals to the Governor and up to 10 individuals to the Mayor to serve on the Governing Commission.

(f) No fewer than 7 commissioners serving at one time shall reside within the territory of the Program.

(g) Upon creation of a Governing Commission, the terms of the initial commissioners shall be as follows: (i) of the Governor's initial appointments, 2 shall be for 3 years, one for 2 years, and 2 for one year; and (ii) of the Mayor's initial appointments, one shall be for 3 years, 2 for 2 years, and one for one year. All succeeding terms shall be for 3 years, or until a successor is appointed and qualified. Commissioners shall serve without compensation except for reimbursement for reasonable expenses incurred in the performance of duties as a commissioner. A vacancy in the office of a member of a Governing Commission shall be filled in like manner as an original appointment.

(h) Any member of the Governing Commission may be removed by a majority vote of all other commissioners for absenteeism, neglect of duty, misconduct or malfeasance in the office, after being given a written statement of the charges and an opportunity to be heard thereon.

(i) All proceedings and meetings of the Governing Commission shall be conducted in accordance with the provisions of the Open Meetings Act.

(Source: P.A. 96-1548, eff. 1-1-12.)

(405 ILCS 22/25)

Sec. 25. Expanded mental health services fund.

(a) The Governing Commission shall maintain the expanded mental health services fund for the purposes of paying the costs of administering the Program and carrying out its duties under this Act, subject to the limitations and procedures set forth in this Act.

(b) The expanded mental health services fund shall be raised by means of an annual tax levied on each property within the territory of the Program. The rate of this tax may be changed from year to year by majority vote of the Governing Commission but in no case shall it exceed the ceiling rate established by the voters in the territory of the Program in the binding referendum to approve the creation of the Expanded Mental Health Services Program. The ceiling rate must be set within the range of .025% to .044% of the equalized assessed valuation of all properties .004 to .007 on each property in the territory of the Program. A higher ceiling rate for a territory may be established within that range only by the voters in a binding referendum from time to time to be held in a manner as set forth in this legislation. The commissioners shall cause the amount to be raised by taxation in each year to be certified to the county clerk in the manner provided by law, and any tax so levied and certified shall be collected and enforced in the same manner and by the same officers as those taxes for the purposes of the county and city within which the territory of the Governing Commission is located. Any such tax, when collected, shall be paid over to the proper officer of the Governing Commission who is authorized to receive and receipt for such tax. The Governing Commission may issue tax anticipation warrants against the taxes to be assessed for a calendar year.

(c) The moneys deposited in the expanded mental health services fund shall, as nearly as practicable, be fully and continuously invested or reinvested by the Governing Commission in investment obligations which shall be in such amounts, and shall mature at such times, that the maturity or date of redemption at the option of the holder of such investment obligations shall coincide, as nearly as practicable, with the times at which monies will be required for the purposes of the Program. For the purposes of this Section, "investment obligation" means direct general municipal, state, or federal obligations which at the time are legal investments under the laws of this State and the payment of principal of and interest on which are unconditionally guaranteed by the governing body issuing them.

(d) The fund shall be used solely and exclusively for the purpose of providing expanded mental health services and no more than 15% of the annual levy may be used for reasonable salaries, expenses, bills, and fees incurred in administering the Program.

(e) The fund shall be maintained, invested, and expended exclusively by the Governing Commission of the Program for whose purposes it was created. Under no circumstances shall the fund be used by any person or persons, governmental body, or public or private agency or concern other than the Governing Commission of the Program for whose purposes it was created. Under no circumstances shall the fund be commingled with other funds or investments.

(f) No commissioner or family member of a commissioner, or employee or family member of an employee, may receive any financial benefit, either directly or indirectly, from the fund. Nothing in this subsection shall be construed to prohibit payment of expenses to a commissioner in accordance with subsection (g) of Section 15.

(g) Annually, the Governing Commission shall prepare for informational purposes in the appropriations process: (1) an annual budget showing the estimated receipts and intended disbursements pursuant to this Act for the fiscal year immediately following the date the budget is submitted, which date must be at least 30 days prior to the start of the fiscal year; and (2) an independent financial audit of the fund and the management of the Program detailing the income received and disbursements made pursuant to this Act during the fiscal year just preceding the date the annual report is submitted, which date must be within 90 days of the close of that fiscal year. These reports shall be made available to the public through any office of the Governing Commission or a public facility such as a local public library located within the territory of the Program. In addition, and in an effort to increase transparency of public programming, the Governing Commission shall effectively create and operate a publicly accessible website, which shall publish results of all audits for a period of no less than six months after the initial disclosure of the results and findings of each audit.

(h) Any expanded Mental Health Services Program existing on the effective date of this amendatory Act of the 98th General Assembly and created before December 31, 2012 by majority voter support on a binding referendum shall be authorized to levy for the 2013 levy year at the minimum tax rate of .025% of the equalized assessed valuation of all properties within its territory.

(Source: P.A. 96-1548, eff. 1-1-12; 97-813, eff. 7-13-12.)

Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon becoming law.