SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WAND) — Illinois House Democrats have a clean-up bill which would make some new changes in the Department of Human Services.
Experts from the University of Illinois Gies College of Business argue the insurance industry is a major economic driver for the state.
This includes a new education facility called Illinois Center for Rehabilitation and Education-Wood. This center will help the blind and vision impaired to get full time salaried jobs (Correction: This is not a new facility, it is being separated from ICRE-Roosevelt in name only. This facility has existed in the past and there are no planned changes for it).
Another expansion would be adding a mental health practitioner who could revoke a FOID card. An advanced practice psychiatric nurse would be able to revoke a FOID card if they perceive that person to be unstable and dangerous.
"They're already allowed to do certificates for commitment," Christina Smith from DHS said. "They're also allowed to do orders for restraint and every other professional in the mental health code that's allowed to do these things are allowed to make a determination on clear and present danger."
The proposal would also change how medical documents of the developmentally disabled are released.
Currently, it requires a consent form with a signature from the disabled person and a witness. The plan would remove the need for a witness signature, which some lawmakers say could negatively impact their privacy rights.
"Mental health records are actually protected at a higher level than just HIPAA," State Rep. Jackie Hass (R-Kankakee) said. "So if we're looking at a risk of those being released, without a higher level of scrutiny, we're putting people in treatment at greater risk of their privacy being violated."
The bill passed the House human services committee on a partisan vote 8-3, where it now heads to the House floor. The Democrat lawmaker who sponsored the bill said she may send the bill back for an amendment due to some of the concerns other lawmakers raised during the hearing.
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