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91_SB1859
LRB9113230RCcs
1 AN ACT concerning indigent senior citizens and disabled
2 persons.
3 WHEREAS, Adequate housing, quality health care,
4 nutritional, food, and utilities relief is becoming of
5 increasing concern to senior citizens and disabled persons
6 who are indigent; and
7 WHEREAS, Insurance and pharmaceutical industries should
8 help to build regional choice and supply some of the funding
9 for those projects so that each county will be able to supply
10 needed medical attention to indigent senior citizens and
11 disabled persons; and
12 WHEREAS, General construction contractors and the food
13 industry should provide for the maintenance of these regional
14 hospitals and contribute the necessary funding; and
15 WHEREAS, The utility industry should provide the senior
16 citizen and disabled person a flat rate usage for light, gas,
17 and telephone service after requesting the necessary funding
18 from the Illinois Commerce Commission; and
19 WHEREAS, Health care industries doing business with this
20 State should also support this Act by contributing 1.5% to 3%
21 of their net profit so that the indigent senior citizens and
22 disabled persons would be able to survive and live a longer
23 life; therefore
24 Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
25 represented in the General Assembly:
26 Section 1. Short title. This Act may be cited as the
27 Indigent Senior Citizen and Disabled Person Survival Act.
28 Section 5. Definitions. In this Act:
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1 "Authority" means the Indigent Senior Citizen and
2 Disabled Person Survival Authority.
3 "Fund" means the Indigent Senior Citizen and Disabled
4 Person Survival Authority Fund.
5 "Indigent disabled person" means any individual who has
6 an income of less than $10,000 per year, is a resident of
7 this State, and is mentally or physically disabled as defined
8 by the United States Social Security Administration.
9 "Indigent senior citizen" means any individual who has an
10 income of less than $10,000 per year, is a resident of this
11 State, and is 62 years of age or older.
12 Section 10. The Indigent Senior Citizen and Disabled
13 Person Survival Authority.
14 (a) There is created the Indigent Senior Citizen and
15 Disabled Person Survival Authority that is constituted an
16 instrumentality and an administrative agency of this State.
17 The Authority shall consist of one member from each county of
18 this State, who shall be appointed by the president or
19 chairman of each county board for a term concurrent and
20 commensurate with the term of the Governor or for 4 years.
21 These appointed members shall select their own chair.
22 (b) The Authority shall cooperate and coordinate its
23 activities with federal, State, and local agencies or bodies
24 established to assist senior citizens and disabled persons
25 with their health and living needs.
26 (c) The Authority shall seek funds from the insurance,
27 general contractors, pharmaceutical, food, utilities, and
28 health care industries doing business in this State and from
29 block grants and other funds available through the federal
30 government.
31 (d) The Authority shall oversee moneys distributed from
32 the Indigent Senior Citizen and Disabled Person Survival
33 Authority Fund established under this Act. The Authority
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1 shall establish procedures for managing and accounting for
2 the moneys distributed from the Fund.
3 (e) The Authority shall conduct negotiations with
4 utility companies, common carriers, communications companies,
5 and other service providers for discounted or flat rates to
6 assist indigent persons who are 62 years of age or older or
7 who are disabled to obtain needed services.
8 Section 15. The Indigent Senior Citizen and Disabled
9 Person Survival Authority Fund.
10 (a) The Indigent Senior Citizen and Disabled Person
11 Survival Authority Fund is created as a special fund in the
12 State Treasury. All money in the Fund shall be distributed,
13 subject to appropriation by the General Assembly, to the
14 Authority.
15 (b) Annual voluntary contributions from housing,
16 insurance, pharmaceutical, food distributing, and utility
17 companies seeking licenses or license renewal to do business
18 in this State shall be deposited into the Fund. The specific
19 amounts of these contributions shall be determined by the
20 Authority and shall be based on the percentage of profits
21 earned in this State and reported each year by each company
22 for the year preceding license or license renewal
23 applications. When the company is submitting an application
24 for the first time, the percentage may not exceed 1.5%. The
25 amount of voluntary contributions by other companies shall be
26 based on their scope and expected profits but may not exceed
27 overall 3% uniformly throughout the State. Contributions
28 shall be remitted to the Authority within 60 days of
29 notification of the amount by the Authority.
30 (c) The moneys distributed from the Fund shall be used
31 exclusively for indigent senior citizens and disabled persons
32 defined by this Act to provide them with hospital, surgical,
33 and medical care, food, and utility services through
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1 supplemental vouchers under rules issued by the Authority.
2 Section 20. Block grants. The Authority shall seek
3 federal block grants and other funds to assist in
4 establishing clinics in cooperation with large hospitals or
5 medical centers within each county to serve indigent senior
6 citizens and disabled persons. Physicians from this State's
7 research and teaching hospitals, other hospitals and
8 institutions, and from private medical practice shall be
9 encouraged to volunteer their time to assist the indigent
10 persons served in these clinics. Prescription costs for
11 persons served by these clinics shall be reduced 60% by the
12 pharmaceutical manufacturers and 15% by the druggist and
13 pharmaceutical industry.
14 Section 25. Cooperation with other agencies. The
15 Authority shall cooperate with the Illinois Housing
16 Authority, the Illinois Housing Development Authority, the
17 Housing Authority of Cook County, the Chicago Housing
18 Authority, and any other housing authority under the Housing
19 Authorities Act to seek funding from the United States
20 Department of Housing and Urban Development, the United
21 States Department of Agriculture, or other federal agencies
22 to provide housing for senior citizens and disabled persons
23 in each county.
24 Section 30. Coordination and planning of nutritional
25 services. The Authority shall coordinate and assist in the
26 planning of nutritional services for indigent senior citizens
27 and disabled persons with State, county, and local agencies
28 or not-for-profit groups.
29 Section 35. Prevention of abuse. The Authority shall
30 coordinate with and assist State, county, and local agencies
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1 in developing and enhancing programs for the prevention of
2 abuse, neglect, and exploitation of indigent senior citizens
3 and disabled persons.
4 Section 40. Gas and electrical utilities. Gas and
5 electrical utilities doing business in this State shall allow
6 every indigent senior citizen and disabled person as defined
7 by this Act unlimited usage of service at a rate of $25 per
8 month.
9 Section 45. Adjustment for inflation. The Authority
10 shall adjust the dollar amounts listed in this Act annually
11 to meet the requirements of inflation as defined by the
12 United States Government.
13 Section 105. The State Finance Act is amended by adding
14 Section 5.541 as follows:
15 (30 ILCS 105/5.541 new)
16 Sec.5.541. The Indigent Senior Citizen and Disabled
17 Person Survival Authority Fund.
18 Section 999. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon
19 becoming law.