97TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2011 and 2012
SB2529

 

Introduced 11/10/2011, by Sen. Heather A. Steans

 

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
 
20 ILCS 415/4d  from Ch. 127, par. 63b104d
30 ILCS 500/20-30
305 ILCS 5/11-5.1

    Amends the Personnel Code. Provides that 20 selected Senior Public Service Administrator positions within the Department of Healthcare and Family Services designated by the Director of that agency as requiring specific knowledge of healthcare administration, healthcare finance, healthcare data analytics, or information technology are exempt from jurisdiction B under certain conditions. Amends the Illinois Procurement Code. Provides that, notwithstanding any other law, rule, regulation, or provision of any kind, the Department of Healthcare and Family Services may procure goods and services for the verification of income and eligibility from a vendor as an emergency procurement to meet the agency's responsibilities, and may enter into a contract following that emergency procurement for not more than 18 months and sets forth procurement procedures for this type of transaction. Amends the Illinois Public Aid Code. Provides that, notwithstanding the provisions of the Illinois Procurement Code to the contrary, to expedite the expansion of electronic verification of income, the Department of Healthcare and Family Services may contract with an income verification service vendor for a contract term of up to 18 months in accordance with the Illinois Procurement Code and that the services of the vendor shall be available for verification of eligibility for any means-tested health benefits programs administered by the Department. Effective immediately.


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FISCAL NOTE ACT MAY APPLY

 

 

A BILL FOR

 

SB2529LRB097 14746 KTG 59759 b

1    AN ACT concerning State government.
 
2    Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
3represented in the General Assembly:
 
4    Section 5. The Personnel Code is amended by changing
5Section 4d as follows:
 
6    (20 ILCS 415/4d)  (from Ch. 127, par. 63b104d)
7    Sec. 4d. Partial exemptions. The following positions in
8State service are exempt from jurisdictions A, B, and C to the
9extent stated for each, unless those jurisdictions are extended
10as provided in this Act:
11    (1) In each department, board or commission that now
12maintains or may hereafter maintain a major administrative
13division, service or office in both Sangamon County and Cook
14County, 2 private secretaries for the director or chairman
15thereof, one located in the Cook County office and the other
16located in the Sangamon County office, shall be exempt from
17jurisdiction B; in all other departments, boards and
18commissions one private secretary for the director or chairman
19thereof shall be exempt from jurisdiction B. In all
20departments, boards and commissions one confidential assistant
21for the director or chairman thereof shall be exempt from
22jurisdiction B. This paragraph is subject to such modifications
23or waiver of the exemptions as may be necessary to assure the

 

 

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1continuity of federal contributions in those agencies
2supported in whole or in part by federal funds.
3    (2) The resident administrative head of each State
4charitable, penal and correctional institution, the chaplains
5thereof, and all member, patient and inmate employees are
6exempt from jurisdiction B.
7    (3) The Civil Service Commission, upon written
8recommendation of the Director of Central Management Services,
9shall exempt from jurisdiction B other positions which, in the
10judgment of the Commission, involve either principal
11administrative responsibility for the determination of policy
12or principal administrative responsibility for the way in which
13policies are carried out, except positions in agencies which
14receive federal funds if such exemption is inconsistent with
15federal requirements, and except positions in agencies
16supported in whole by federal funds.
17    (4) All beauticians and teachers of beauty culture and
18teachers of barbering, and all positions heretofore paid under
19Section 1.22 of "An Act to standardize position titles and
20salary rates", approved June 30, 1943, as amended, shall be
21exempt from jurisdiction B.
22    (5) Licensed attorneys in positions as legal or technical
23advisors, positions in the Department of Natural Resources
24requiring incumbents to be either a registered professional
25engineer or to hold a bachelor's degree in engineering from a
26recognized college or university, licensed physicians in

 

 

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1positions of medical administrator or physician or physician
2specialist (including psychiatrists), and registered nurses
3(except those registered nurses employed by the Department of
4Public Health), except those in positions in agencies which
5receive federal funds if such exemption is inconsistent with
6federal requirements and except those in positions in agencies
7supported in whole by federal funds, are exempt from
8jurisdiction B only to the extent that the requirements of
9Section 8b.1, 8b.3 and 8b.5 of this Code need not be met.
10    (6) All positions established outside the geographical
11limits of the State of Illinois to which appointments of other
12than Illinois citizens may be made are exempt from jurisdiction
13B.
14    (7) Staff attorneys reporting directly to individual
15Commissioners of the Illinois Workers' Compensation Commission
16are exempt from jurisdiction B.
17    (8) Twenty selected Senior Public Service Administrator
18positions within the Department of Healthcare and Family
19Services designated by the Director of that agency as requiring
20specific knowledge of healthcare administration, healthcare
21finance, healthcare data analytics, or information technology
22are exempt from jurisdiction B only to the extent that the
23requirements of Sections 8b.1, 8b.3, and 8b.5 of this Code need
24not be met.
25(Source: P.A. 93-721, eff. 1-1-05.)
 

 

 

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1    Section 7. The Illinois Procurement Code is amended by
2changing Section 20-30 as follows:
 
3    (30 ILCS 500/20-30)
4    Sec. 20-30. Emergency purchases.
5    (a) Conditions for use. In accordance with standards set by
6rule, a purchasing agency may make emergency procurements
7without competitive sealed bidding or prior notice when there
8exists a threat to public health or public safety, or when
9immediate expenditure is necessary for repairs to State
10property in order to protect against further loss of or damage
11to State property, to prevent or minimize serious disruption in
12critical State services that affect health, safety, or
13collection of substantial State revenues, or to ensure the
14integrity of State records; provided, however, that the term of
15the emergency purchase shall be limited to the time reasonably
16needed for a competitive procurement, not to exceed 90 days. A
17contract may be extended beyond 90 days if the chief
18procurement officer determines additional time is necessary
19and that the contract scope and duration are limited to the
20emergency. Prior to execution of the extension, the chief
21procurement officer must hold a public hearing and provide
22written justification for all emergency contracts. Members of
23the public may present testimony. Emergency procurements shall
24be made with as much competition as is practicable under the
25circumstances. A written description of the basis for the

 

 

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1emergency and reasons for the selection of the particular
2contractor shall be included in the contract file.
3    (b) Notice. Notice of all emergency procurements shall be
4provided to the Procurement Policy Board and published in the
5online electronic Bulletin no later than 3 business days after
6the contract is awarded. Notice of intent to extend an
7emergency contract shall be provided to the Procurement Policy
8Board and published in the online electronic Bulletin at least
914 days before the public hearing. Notice shall include at
10least a description of the need for the emergency purchase, the
11contractor, and if applicable, the date, time, and location of
12the public hearing. A copy of this notice and all documents
13provided at the hearing shall be included in the subsequent
14Procurement Bulletin. Before the next appropriate volume of the
15Illinois Procurement Bulletin, the purchasing agency shall
16publish in the Illinois Procurement Bulletin a copy of each
17written description and reasons and the total cost of each
18emergency procurement made during the previous month. When only
19an estimate of the total cost is known at the time of
20publication, the estimate shall be identified as an estimate
21and published. When the actual total cost is determined, it
22shall also be published in like manner before the 10th day of
23the next succeeding month.
24    (c) Affidavits. A chief procurement officer making a
25procurement under this Section shall file affidavits with the
26Procurement Policy Board and the Auditor General within 10 days

 

 

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1after the procurement setting forth the amount expended, the
2name of the contractor involved, and the conditions and
3circumstances requiring the emergency procurement. When only
4an estimate of the cost is available within 10 days after the
5procurement, the actual cost shall be reported immediately
6after it is determined. At the end of each fiscal quarter, the
7Auditor General shall file with the Legislative Audit
8Commission and the Governor a complete listing of all emergency
9procurements reported during that fiscal quarter. The
10Legislative Audit Commission shall review the emergency
11procurements so reported and, in its annual reports, advise the
12General Assembly of procurements that appear to constitute an
13abuse of this Section.
14    (d) Quick purchases. The chief procurement officer may
15promulgate rules extending the circumstances by which a
16purchasing agency may make purchases under this Section,
17including but not limited to the procurement of items available
18at a discount for a limited period of time.
19    (e) The changes to this Section made by this amendatory Act
20of the 96th General Assembly apply to procurements executed on
21or after its effective date.
22    (f) Notwithstanding any other law, rule, regulation, or
23provision of any kind, the Department of Healthcare and Family
24Services may procure goods and services for the verification of
25income and eligibility from a vendor as an emergency
26procurement within the meaning of subsection (a) of this

 

 

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1Section to meet the agency's responsibilities as set forth
2under Section 11-5.1 of the Illinois Public Aid Code, also
3known as the Medicaid Reform Law, and may, moreover, enter into
4a contract following that emergency procurement for a duration
5of not more than 18 months. For purposes of this transaction
6only, the acquisition of goods and services for income and
7eligibility verification for purposes of compliance with
8Section 11-5.1 of the Illinois Public Aid Code shall be deemed
9an emergency within the meaning of subsection (a) of this
10Section. For purposes of this transaction, the Department of
11Healthcare and Family Services may conduct the procurement of
12these goods and services, and enter into a contract for a
13period not to exceed 18 months without adhering to the
14requirements set forth in subsections (b), (c), and (d) of this
15Section. The Director of the Department of Healthcare and
16Family Services shall have the exclusive authority only with
17respect to this transaction to conduct the procurement for the
18necessary goods and services and subsequently enter into a
19contract resulting from that procurement for a term not
20exceeding 18 months.
21(Source: P.A. 96-795, eff. 7-1-10 (see Section 5 of P.A. 96-793
22for the effective date of changes made by P.A. 96-795).)
 
23    Section 10. The Illinois Public Aid Code is amended by
24changing Section 11-5.1 as follows:
 

 

 

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1    (305 ILCS 5/11-5.1)
2    Sec. 11-5.1. Eligibility verification. Notwithstanding any
3other provision of this Code, with respect to applications for
4medical assistance provided under Article V of this Code,
5eligibility shall be determined in a manner that ensures
6program integrity and complies with federal laws and
7regulations while minimizing unnecessary barriers to
8enrollment. To this end, as soon as practicable, and unless the
9Department receives written denial from the federal
10government, this Section shall be implemented:
11    (a) The Department of Healthcare and Family Services or its
12designees shall:
13        (1) By no later than July 1, 2011, require verification
14    of, at a minimum, one month's income from all sources
15    required for determining the eligibility of applicants for
16    medical assistance under this Code. Such verification
17    shall take the form of pay stubs, business or income and
18    expense records for self-employed persons, letters from
19    employers, and any other valid documentation of income
20    including data obtained electronically by the Department
21    or its designees from other sources as described in
22    subsection (b) of this Section.
23        (2) By no later than October 1, 2011, require
24    verification of, at a minimum, one month's income from all
25    sources required for determining the continued eligibility
26    of recipients at their annual review of eligibility for

 

 

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1    medical assistance under this Code. Such verification
2    shall take the form of pay stubs, business or income and
3    expense records for self-employed persons, letters from
4    employers, and any other valid documentation of income
5    including data obtained electronically by the Department
6    or its designees from other sources as described in
7    subsection (b) of this Section. The Department shall send a
8    notice to recipients at least 60 days prior to the end of
9    their period of eligibility that informs them of the
10    requirements for continued eligibility. If a recipient
11    does not fulfill the requirements for continued
12    eligibility by the deadline established in the notice a
13    notice of cancellation shall be issued to the recipient and
14    coverage shall end on the last day of the eligibility
15    period. A recipient's eligibility may be reinstated
16    without requiring a new application if the recipient
17    fulfills the requirements for continued eligibility prior
18    to the end of the month following the last date of
19    coverage. Nothing in this Section shall prevent an
20    individual whose coverage has been cancelled from
21    reapplying for health benefits at any time.
22        (3) By no later than July 1, 2011, require verification
23    of Illinois residency.
24    (b) The Department shall establish or continue cooperative
25arrangements with the Social Security Administration, the
26Illinois Secretary of State, the Department of Human Services,

 

 

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1the Department of Revenue, the Department of Employment
2Security, and any other appropriate entity to gain electronic
3access, to the extent allowed by law, to information available
4to those entities that may be appropriate for electronically
5verifying any factor of eligibility for benefits under the
6Program. Data relevant to eligibility shall be provided for no
7other purpose than to verify the eligibility of new applicants
8or current recipients of health benefits under the Program.
9Data shall be requested or provided for any new applicant or
10current recipient only insofar as that individual's
11circumstances are relevant to that individual's or another
12individual's eligibility. Notwithstanding the provisions of
13the Illinois Procurement Code to the contrary, in order to
14expedite the expansion of electronic verification of income,
15the Department of Healthcare and Family Services is authorized
16to contract with an income verification service vendor for a
17contract term of up to 18 months in accordance with the
18procedures set forth for such procurement within subsection (f)
19of Section 20-30 of the Illinois Procurement Code. The services
20of such vendor shall be available for verification of
21eligibility for any means-tested health benefits programs
22administered by the Department of Healthcare and Family
23Services.
24    (c) Within 90 days of the effective date of this amendatory
25Act of the 96th General Assembly, the Department of Healthcare
26and Family Services shall send notice to current recipients

 

 

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1informing them of the changes regarding their eligibility
2verification.
3(Source: P.A. 96-1501, eff. 1-25-11.)
 
4    Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon
5becoming law.