August 14,
2009
To the
Honorable Members of the Illinois House of Representatives,
96th
General Assembly:
Today I return House Bill 366 with my specific
recommendations for change. I thank the sponsors for their hard work and the
members of the General Assembly for passing this bill. Furthermore, I
recognize that many advocates and members of the General Assembly have fought
long and hard for this change. I wholeheartedly agree that we all must work
together to provide support to seniors and disabled persons throughout our
State. However, there are aspects of this bill that I must address.
The expansions of healthcare under House Bill 366 do not
qualify for federal Medicaid matching. During this period of unprecedented
financial strain, we cannot create any new programs without sufficient revenue.
Accordingly, I am recommending that the effective date of this bill be changed
to July 1, 2012, and that the programs be made subject to appropriation, in
order to allow the state time to improve its fiscal health.
Therefore,
pursuant to Article IV, Section 9(e) of the Illinois Constitution of 1970, I
hereby return House Bill 366, entitled “AN ACT concerning public aging”, with
the following specific recommendations for change:
on page 6, by replacing line 13 with “Article. The
benefits under this Act are subject to appropriation."; and
on page 15, by replacing lines 18-22 with "For 2011
claim year applications submitted during calendar year 2012, and claim years
thereafter, a household must have annual household income of less than the applicable
limit for its size, calculated to reflect the annual cost of living
adjustment in Social Security and Supplemental Security Income benefits that
are applicable to the year for which those benefits are being reported as
income on an application in each intervening year for the 2006 through 2011
calendar years, keeping the limit commensurate with the Pharmaceutical
Assistance Program."; and
on page 15, line 24 by replacing "2011" with
"2013"; and
on page 22, by replacing lines 14-24 with
"(5) for the 2007 claim
year through the 2010 claim year, have a maximum household income of (i) less
than $22,218 for a household containing one person, (ii) $29,480 for a
household containing 2 persons, or (iii) $36,740 for a household containing
3 or more persons; and
6) for 2011 claim year applications
submitted during calendar year 2012, and claim years thereafter, a household
must have annual household income of less than the applicable limit for
its size, as calculated to reflect the annual cost of living adjustment in
Social Security and Supplemental Security Income benefits that is applicable to
the year for which those benefits are being reported as income on an
application in each intervening year for the 2006 through 2011 calendar
years."; and
on page 22, line 26 by replacing "2011" with
"2013"; and
on page 40, by replacing line 11 with "1,
2010. The changes made by this amendatory Act with respect to eligibility
groups and pharmaceutical benefits in Section 4(g) shall take effect on January
1, 2012."
With these changes, House Bill 366 will have my approval.
I respectfully request your concurrence.
Sincerely,
PAT QUINN
Governor