102ND GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2021 and 2022
HB3120

 

Introduced 2/19/2021, by Rep. Edgar Gonzalez, Jr.

 

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
 
410 ILCS 50/3.5 new

    Amends the Medical Patient Rights Act. Provides that all contact tracing information shall be kept confidential by any contact tracer and may not be disclosed except as necessary to carry out contact tracing or a permitted purpose. Provides that an individual may waive the confidentiality provided for by this Section only by a written, informed, and voluntary waiver, in plain language and in a language understandable to the individual making the waiver, and not part of any other document. Provides that a disclosure of contact tracing information shall be limited in scope as to the identity of any individual, the information to be disclosed, and the party to which disclosure may be made, and shall not authorize re-disclosure except as explicitly authorized by the terms of the waiver. Provides that the provisions do not bar otherwise lawful disclosure, possession, or use of contact tracing information, including aggregate contact tracing information, that is de-identified. Requires disclosure, possession, or use under the provisions to only be for a public health or public health research purpose. Provides that no contact tracer may provide contact tracing information to a law enforcement agent or entity or immigration authority. Requires the Department of Public Health to adopt specified rules. Contains other provisions. Effective immediately.


LRB102 10779 CPF 16109 b

FISCAL NOTE ACT MAY APPLY

 

 

A BILL FOR

 

HB3120LRB102 10779 CPF 16109 b

1    AN ACT concerning health.
 
2    Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
3represented in the General Assembly:
 
4    Section 5. The Medical Patient Rights Act is amended by
5adding Section 3.5 as follows:
 
6    (410 ILCS 50/3.5 new)
7    Sec. 3.5. COVID-19 contact tracing; confidentiality.
8    (a) In this Section:
9    "Contact individual" means an individual who has or may
10have come in contact with a principal individual or who has or
11may have been exposed to and possibly infected with COVID-19.
12    "Contact tracer" mean an individual or entity employed by
13or under contract with the State, a local government, a State
14or local governmental entity, or an agent thereof, to conduct
15contact tracing, engage in contact tracing, or receive contact
16tracing information.
17    "Contact tracing" means case investigation and
18identification of principal individuals and contact
19individuals.
20    "Contact tracing information" means any information that
21includes or can reveal the identity of any principal
22individual or contact individual and any COVID-19-related
23information or test results received or collected for the

 

 

HB3120- 2 -LRB102 10779 CPF 16109 b

1purpose or in the course of contact tracing.
2    "COVID-19" means infection with or the disease caused by
3the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2
4(SARS-CoV-2).
5    "De-identified" means, in relation to contact tracing
6information, that the information cannot identify, be made to
7identify, or be associated with a particular individual,
8directly or indirectly, and is subject to technical safeguards
9and policies and procedures that prevent re-identification,
10whether intentionally or unintentionally, of any individual.
11    "Department" means the Department of Public Health.
12    "Immigration authority" means any entity, officer,
13employee, or government employee or agent thereof charged with
14or engaged in enforcement of the federal Immigration and
15Nationality Act, including the United States Immigration and
16Customs Enforcement or United States Customs and Border
17Protection, or any successor legislation or entity.
18    "Law enforcement agent or entity" means any governmental
19entity or public servant, or agent, contractor, or employee
20thereof, authorized to investigate, prosecute, or make an
21arrest for a criminal or civil offense, or engaged in any such
22activity, but shall not mean the Department, a local health
23department, a county health department, a local board of
24health, or a local health officer.
25    "Permitted purpose" means:
26        (1) disclosure to appropriate health care providers or

 

 

HB3120- 3 -LRB102 10779 CPF 16109 b

1    their personnel for the purpose of the clinical diagnosis,
2    care, or treatment of the principal individual or contact
3    individual who is the subject of the information where an
4    emergency exists and the individual is in immediate need
5    of medical attention and an attempt to secure consent
6    would result in delay of treatment that would increase the
7    risk to the individual's life or health;
8        (2) facilitation of a legally authorized public
9    health-related action, in relation to a specified
10    principal individual or contact individual, where and only
11    to the extent necessary it is to protect the public
12    health; or
13        (3) the investigation, prosecution, or defense of a
14    civil or legal action for a violation of this Section;
15    provided that if the use is initiated by a party other than
16    the principal individual or contact individual who is the
17    subject of the contact tracing information, the
18    information must be highly material and relevant for the
19    purpose.
20    "Principal individual" means an individual with a
21confirmed or probable diagnosis of COVID-19.
22    "Support" means resources or services provided to an
23individual to enable the individual to safely quarantine or
24isolate, including grocery, meal, or pharmacy delivery,
25laundry services, child or elder care, pet walking, assistance
26with telephone, Internet, or other communication services or

 

 

HB3120- 4 -LRB102 10779 CPF 16109 b

1devices, health and mental health services, legal services,
2provision of appropriate living space for individuals who
3cannot isolate or quarantine at home, and income replacement.
4"Support" includes support provided to other individuals for
5whom the individual commonly provides those resources or
6services.
7    (b) All contact tracing information shall be kept
8confidential by any contact tracer and may not be disclosed
9except as necessary to carry out contact tracing or a
10permitted purpose.
11    Where a contact tracer discloses contact tracing
12information for a permitted purpose, the contact tracer shall
13make a record of the disclosure, including to whom it was made,
14which shall be part of the contact tracing information.
15    (c) An individual may waive the confidentiality provided
16for by this Section only by a written, informed, and voluntary
17waiver, in plain language and in a language understandable to
18the individual making the waiver, and not part of any other
19document. The waiver shall state the scope and limit of the
20waiver. If an individual lacks the capacity to make a waiver,
21an individual authorized to consent to health care for the
22individual, or the individual's legal representative, may make
23the waiver. However, a waiver of confidentiality is not
24required to be written if it is solely for the purpose of
25arranging or providing support for the individual who is the
26subject of the contact tracing information.

 

 

HB3120- 5 -LRB102 10779 CPF 16109 b

1    A waiver of confidentiality under this subsection shall
2only apply for the purpose of arranging or providing support
3if the individual who is the subject of the contact tracing
4information provides voluntary, informed consent to the
5arranging or providing of the support.
6    (d) A disclosure of contact tracing information authorized
7under this Section shall be limited in scope as to the identity
8of any individual, the information to be disclosed, and the
9party to which disclosure may be made, and as necessary to
10achieve the purpose of the disclosure under this Section, and
11shall not authorize re-disclosure except as explicitly
12authorized by the terms of the waiver under subsection (c).
13However, this Section does not bar disclosure of contact
14tracing information pertaining to and identifying a principal
15individual or contact individual by the individual who is
16identified.
17    (e) This Section does not bar otherwise lawful disclosure,
18possession, or use of contact tracing information, including
19aggregate contact tracing information, that is de-identified.
20Disclosure, possession, or use under this Section shall only
21be for a public health or public health research purpose.
22    A person or entity may only possess or use de-identified
23contact tracing information if the person or entity maintains
24technical safeguards and policies and procedures that prevent
25re-identification, whether intentional or unintentional, of
26any individual, as may be required by the Department. The

 

 

HB3120- 6 -LRB102 10779 CPF 16109 b

1Department shall require safeguards, policies, and procedures
2under this Section, as the Department deems practicable.
3    Disclosure, possession, and use of de-identified contact
4tracing information under this Section shall be only pursuant
5to approval by the Department specifying the purpose, nature,
6and scope of the disclosure, possession, and use and measures
7to ensure that it will comply with this Section and the terms
8of the approval.
9    (f) No law enforcement agent or entity or immigration
10authority shall be a contact tracer or engage in contact
11tracing. This subsection does not bar an individual who is
12associated with a law enforcement entity or immigration
13authority from acting only as a principal individual or
14contact individual.
15    (g) No contact tracer may provide contact tracing
16information to a law enforcement agent or entity or
17immigration authority. Without consent under subsection (c),
18contact tracing information and any evidence derived therefrom
19shall not be subject to or provided in response to any legal
20process or be admissible for any purpose in any judicial or
21administrative action or proceeding. However, this subsection
22does not restrict providing information relating to a
23specified principal individual or contact individual where a
24permitted purpose exists, and only to the extent necessary for
25the permitted purpose.
26    (h) The Department shall adopt rules to require that

 

 

HB3120- 7 -LRB102 10779 CPF 16109 b

1contact tracing information possessed, used, or under the
2control of a contact tracer shall be subject to technical
3safeguards and policies and procedures for storage,
4transmission, use, and protection of the information. The
5rules shall prevent possession, use, or disclosure of the
6contact tracing information not permitted by this Section and
7shall be at least as or more protective than the safeguards,
8policies, and procedures the Department provides for other
9confidential information.
10    This subsection applies where contact tracing information
11is possessed or controlled by a contact tracer that is a
12nongovernmental individual or entity employed by or under
13contract with a governmental entity or an agent thereof.
14Within 30 days after collecting or receiving the contact
15tracing information, the nongovernmental individual or entity
16shall (i) remove information from its possession or control
17and deliver it to the appropriate governmental contact tracing
18entity, retaining no copy of it; (ii) expunge the information
19from its possession or control; or (iii) de-identify the
20information. However, the expungement or de-identification of
21particular contact tracing information may be postponed for up
22to 15 days while the contact tracer is actively engaged in
23contact tracing using that information, provided that the
24principal individual or contact individual to whom it pertains
25gives voluntary informed consent. The disclosure, possession,
26and use of the de-identified contact tracing information shall

 

 

HB3120- 8 -LRB102 10779 CPF 16109 b

1be subject to subsection (e).
2    (i) The Department shall adopt rules implementing this
3Section.
 
4    Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon
5becoming law.