* The Chicago Tribune…

Gov. JB Pritzker signed a bill into law Friday that places guardrails on a drug discount program that hospitals and other healthcare providers say they rely on to help them care for vulnerable patients.

The new law prohibits drugmakers from restricting the number or types of pharmacies that hospitals and other providers can contract with to dispense medications to their patients through a federal program called the 340B Drug Pricing Program. It also bars drugmakers from placing certain other restrictions and requirements on providers and pharmacies participating in the program. […]

Under the federal 340B program, drugmakers provide outpatient medications at a significant discount to certain healthcare providers, including those that serve large numbers of low-income patients.

The idea behind the program is to help healthcare providers expand services using the money they save and pass the medication savings on to patients.

But drug manufacturers argue that the savings are not being passed along to patients, and that hospitals and others are instead profiting from the program.

* Illinois Environmental Protection Agency…

Governor JB Pritzker signed three bills (HB 5070, SB 3772 and HB 4418) that protect Illinoisans from the legacy of toxic pollution and insulate the state from some of the worst impacts of the Trump administration’s federal environmental policy rollbacks. Environmental and community advocates across the state are celebrating the new laws as a set of historic “firsts” that will result in cleaner air and water and improved public health across the state. […]
As the federal government aggressively moves to weaken federal environmental protections, Illinois is instead strengthening them. In signing HB 5070, Gov. Pritzker, his Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the General Assembly have, for the first time, ended the state’s automatic adoption of federal environmental rules when such rollbacks would weaken existing state protections. […]

By enacting SB 3772, Gov. Pritzker and the Illinois General Assembly have further solidified Illinois’ legacy as the home of the Environmental Justice (EJ) movement. SB 3772 codifies, for the first time in Illinois law, a legal framework for addressing the cumulative impact of industrial air pollution in Illinois’ Environmental Justice communities. The Illinois EPA will have greater air permitting authority to protect environmental justice communities, now defined by data analysis pinpointing low-income communities of color with historically disproportionately high concentrations of polluting industries, against increasingly toxic accumulations of air pollution. Researchers estimate that air pollution contributes to about five percent of premature deaths in environmental justice communities. […]

With the Governor’s signature of HB 4418, Illinois state law will officially designate plastic pellets as a pollutant for the first time. In doing so, Illinois will become the first of the Great Lakes states to hold producers of industrial plastic pellets accountable for spills of these toxic pellets into our waterways.

* WAND…

Gov. JB Pritzker signed a bill into law Friday to help women receive proper medical treatment for menopause.

Healthcare professionals in Illinois are already required to complete a one-hour implicit bias training during their license renewal period. However, this law will allow a course covering perimenopause and menopause to satisfy the requirement. […]

Pritzker also signed legislation mandating private insurance plans cover medically necessary evaluation and treatment of perimenopause and menopause conditions, including hormone conditions and medications. It also amends the Human Rights Act to state it is unlawful to discriminate against an individual due to a menopause-related condition, including in the workplace.

“Illinois should be a leader in caring for women going through perimenopause and menopause - and that means removing obstacles that have held too many back from getting help,” said Senate Majority Leader Kimberly Lightford (D-Maywood). “Requiring private insurance to cover these evaluations and treatments will make care more affordable and help prevent serious long-term health issues.”

* WTVO…

Illinois rideshare drivers will soon have the ability to unionize and collectively bargain under a new law signed by Gov. JB Pritzker, a measure supporters say will give more than 100,000 Uber and Lyft drivers a greater voice in pay, benefits and working conditions.

The legislation, House Bill 5090, creates the Transportation Network Driver Labor Relations Act, establishing a framework for drivers working through app-based transportation companies to organize, select bargaining representatives and negotiate industrywide agreements with rideshare companies. […]

The measure creates a statewide bargaining unit for transportation network drivers and allows an exclusive bargaining representative to negotiate with covered rideshare companies on issues including compensation, benefits, paid leave, deactivation appeals, earnings transparency and workplace safety requirements. Any negotiated agreement would require approval from the Illinois Department of Labor before taking effect.

The law also establishes a Rideshare Workers Support Fund, financed through a per-trip fee paid by covered transportation network companies. Revenue from the fund will help cover administrative costs and support education and representation efforts for drivers.

* WCIA…

A new pilot program in Illinois aims to make it easier to obtain disability parking placards.

The program, spearheaded by Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias, was announced on Thursday. Giannoulias said it follows a newly signed law that expands parking relief for families caring for children and individuals with disabilities.

Under the new law, legal guardians who transport people with disabilities that are unable to drive themselves will be able to obtain a meter-exempt disability parking placard. This allows individuals to park in reserved spaces, like at malls and grocery stores, without paying a parking meter free. Previously, those placards had primarily been available to people with disabilities who are able to drive themselves. […]

House Bill 4843 was signed into law by Governor JB Pritzker on July 31. It took effect immediately.

* Sen. Christopher Belt…

State Senator Christopher Belt’s measure to reduce unfair barriers to employment for people living with disabilities was signed into law.

“Everyone in our state deserves the opportunity to earn a living and support their family,” said Belt (D-Swansea). “Too many people are being shut out of good jobs because of requirements that have nothing to do with the work, and this measure will help change that.”

The legislation will prohibit employers and employment agencies from requiring applicants to have a valid driver’s license in job postings unless driving is an essential function of the position and is considered a business necessity.

Currently, many job descriptions continue to include driver’s license requirements regardless of whether operating a vehicle is actually necessary for the role. Advocates estimate nearly 1.85 million Illinoisans face barriers to employment because they do not possess a driver’s license, including many people with disabilities who rely on public transportation, paratransit services, rides from caregivers or family members or other accessible transportation options.

House Bill 4758 was signed into law on Friday.

* The Illinois Manufacturers’ Association…

The Illinois Manufacturers’ Association (IMA) today released the following statement after Gov. JB Pritzker signed SB3070, an initiative led by the IMA that will allow high school students to take Career & Technical Education courses in lieu of foreign language classes currently required for graduation:

“We commend Governor Pritzker for signing this important measure, which expands student access to technical education, opening more career pathways to high demand jobs in manufacturing and the skilled trades,” said Sarah Hartwick, Senior Vice President and Corporate Board Secretary for the Illinois Manufacturers’ Association. “Providing hands-on learning opportunities is critical to the development of a skilled manufacturing workforce that will strengthen our state’s economy for generations to come. We thank Sen. Willie Preston and Rep. Will Davis for their leadership on this issue and look forward to preparing more students for rewarding careers in the manufacturing industry.”

* The Illinois State Medical Society…

The Illinois State Medical Society (ISMS) today applauded the governor’s signing of House Bill 5228, which amends the Workers’ Compensation Act to improve the care received by injured workers accessing treatment through the workers’ compensation system.

This landmark legislation addresses longstanding challenges in the Illinois workers’ compensation system that have delayed care and created unnecessary barriers for injured workers and their physicians. The law streamlines the medical review process, reduces treatment delays, strengthens patient safety and reinforces patient privacy protections by limiting insurers’ access to medical records that are unrelated to the injury being treated. […]

The significant reforms laid out in HB 5228 will:

1. Require that adverse determinations of medical necessity during the utilization process be made by a board-certified physician specialist with experience treating and managing patients with the medical condition for which the service is being requested.
2. Specify that utilization review certifications be valid for three months or for the length of treatment. For surgical procedures, an additional three-month certification will be provided for post-surgical care.
3. Require that certification determinations must be inclusive of services typically included with the requested healthcare service.
4. Require that an individual reviewing appeals of non-certified services be a board-certified physician specialist, or a subspecialist when applicable. The physician must have experience treating and managing patients with the medical condition of the service that is being appealed.
5. Require that an Independent Medical Examination (IME) used to determine reasonableness and medical necessity be provided by a board-certified physician specialist. The IME report must be furnished to the employee, or their representative, and the treating physician within 90 days, with the clock starting when the employer receives the medical records from the physician requesting the medical service.
6. Create a rebuttable presumption that if the timeline is not followed then payment of benefits and approval of medical services will be paid for by the employer. The language also provides penalties should the employer fail to meet the provisions of this section.

* More…

* Press release | Cunningham formalization of mobile IDs is now law: The law was an initiative of Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias and updates state law to align terminology and requirements related to mobile identification, ensuring clarity and consistency as digital ID technology becomes more widely used. In addition to formalizing mobile IDs, the law will prohibit any relying party, including law enforcement, from physically taking a person’s phone to verify a mobile ID. Making certain that individuals maintain control of their personal devices during the verification process.

* Press release | New Illinois Law Requires Easier Access to Local Government Financial Records: “The people of Illinois deserve transparency when it comes to how units of government manage their tax dollars,” said Plummer. “Public financial records should not be difficult to find or buried in websites. This law is a simple, commonsense step to make important financial information easier for taxpayers to locate and review.” House Bill 2137 requires local governments, counties, and municipalities that already maintain a public website to post information directing residents to where audit reports and financial statements can be accessed through the Illinois Comptroller’s Office.

* WRMJ | Hammond Bill Strengthening Assisted Living & Shared Housing Act Signed Into Law: Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker recently signed legislation sponsored bylocal State Rep. Norine Hammond (R-Macomb), which modernizes and strengthens the Assisted Living and Shared Housing Act to improve resident safety, elevate professional standards, and enhance regulatory clarity across Illinois. House Bill 3392 ensures that residents in assisted living and shared housing establishments will continue to receive high-quality care, with regulations that adapt to meet the changing needs of those who receive care in these settings.

* Alton Telegraph | New Illinois law changes how prosecutors get DNA match results:A new Illinois law that will take effect Jan. 1 requires the Illinois State Police to automatically share certain DNA results with a county’s prosecutor. But the change comes with some confusion because the law applies only to DNA results that match a suspect. Illinois House Bill 5580, which Gov. JB Pritzker signed into law almost a week ago, requires DNA test results from the Illinois State Police crime lab to be sent automatically to the law enforcement agency handling the case, with a copy sent to the county state’s attorney prosecuting the case.

* Press release | Johnson’s new law requires life-saving training: House Bill 3275 will require all paid school head coaches and chief sponsors of the sports activities to obtain training in CPR, first aid and the use of an AED. School districts will be required to conduct an annual cardiac response drill to practice the steps established in its cardiac emergency response plan. The drills are able to be conducted without student participation.