A proposal to improve the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation’s ability to process healthcare licenses is heading to Gov. JB Pritzker after unanimously passing the General Assembly last week.
The bill, sponsored by Rep. Bob Morgan, D-Deerfield, would extend the expiration date or renewal period for any professional license if it is determined a delay is not the fault of the applicant or licensee.
The plan would also allow the department to pursue an expedited and competitive bid procurement process to update its software, which officials have identified as a key challenge facing the licensing process.
“Healthcare licensing delays are perhaps the greatest healthcare challenge facing Illinois right now, and this law will make a major difference,” Morgan said after the vote. “This law will modernize (the agency’s) application systems and give relief to those waiting months for their renewals.”
Lawmakers last week also approved a bill by Sen. Ann Gillespie, D-Arlington Heights, that would allow mental health boards that levy property taxes to pursue ballot referendums without having to comply with a state law requiring referendums to include language about the “financial impact on homeowners.”
She said the bill would uphold referendums held by five suburban townships, as well as Will County, that created mental health boards to levy taxes for mental health programs.
One proposal that did not move during the two-week veto session was a veto override of aplan by Rep. Stephanie Kifowit, D-Oswego, that would have provided property tax breaks for nursing homes operating in Cook County. The Health Care Council of Illinois sought the override, arguing that the extra taxes divert revenue that nursing homes can otherwise use for resident care.
“HCCI came to the General Assembly to be the arbiter of fairness and objectiveness in this process of taxing inequalities by the Cook County assessor,” HCCI Executive Director Matt Pickering said in a statement. “With property taxes six times higher than all other Illinois counties, our members in Cook County are now forced to make difficult decisions that will undoubtedly impact access to long-term care.”
Policymakers said they want to take a further look at other ways to support the facilities.