Public Act 1280 96TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HB6178 Enrolled LRB096 16249 RLC 31505 b

Public Act 096-1280

AN ACT concerning criminal law.

Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois, represented in the General Assembly:

Section 5. The County Jail Act is amended by changing Section 17 as follows:

(730 ILCS 125/17) (from Ch. 75, par. 117)

Sec. 17. Bedding, clothing, fuel, and medical aid; reimbursement for medical expenses. The Warden of the jail shall furnish necessary bedding, clothing, fuel, and medical services for all prisoners under his charge, and keep an accurate account of the same. When services that result in qualified medical expenses are required by any person held in custody, the county, private hospital, physician or any public agency which provides such services shall be entitled to obtain reimbursement from the county for the cost of such services. The county board of a county may adopt an ordinance or resolution providing for reimbursement for the cost of those services at the Department of Healthcare and Family Services' rates for medical assistance. To the extent that such person is reasonably able to pay for such care, including reimbursement from any insurance program or from other medical benefit programs available to such person, he or she shall reimburse the county or arresting authority. If such person has already been determined eligible for medical assistance under the Illinois Public Aid Code at the time the person is detained, the cost of such services, to the extent such cost exceeds $500, shall be reimbursed by the Department of Healthcare and Family Services under that Code. A reimbursement under any public or private program authorized by this Section shall be paid to the county or arresting authority to the same extent as would have been obtained had the services been rendered in a non-custodial environment.

The sheriff or his or her designee may cause an application for medical assistance under the Illinois Public Aid Code to be completed for an arrestee who is a hospital inpatient. If such arrestee is determined eligible, he or she shall receive medical assistance under the Code for hospital inpatient services only. An arresting authority shall be responsible for any qualified incurred medical expenses relating to the arrestee until such time as the arrestee is placed in the custody of the sheriff. However, the arresting authority shall not be so responsible if the arrest was made pursuant to a request by the sheriff. When medical expenses are required by any person held in custody, the county shall be entitled to obtain reimbursement from the County Jail Medical Costs Fund to the extent moneys are available from the Fund. To the extent that the person is reasonably able to pay for that care, including reimbursement from any insurance program or from other medical benefit programs available to the person, he or she shall reimburse the county.

The county shall be entitled to a $10 fee for each conviction or order of supervision for a criminal violation, other than a petty offense or business offense. The fee shall be taxed as costs to be collected from the defendant, if possible, upon conviction or entry of an order of supervision. The fee shall not be considered a part of the fine for purposes of any reduction in the fine.

All such fees collected shall be deposited by the county in a fund to be established and known as the County Jail Medical Costs Fund. Moneys in the Fund shall be used solely for reimbursement to the county of costs for medical expenses and administration of the Fund.

For the purposes of this Section, "arresting authority" means a unit of local government, other than a county, which employs peace officers and whose peace officers have made the arrest of a person. For the purposes of this Section, "qualified medical expenses" include medical and hospital services but do not include (i) expenses incurred for medical care or treatment provided to a person on account of a self-inflicted injury incurred prior to or in the course of an arrest, (ii) expenses incurred for medical care or treatment provided to a person on account of a health condition of that person which existed prior to the time of his or her arrest, or (iii) expenses for hospital inpatient services for arrestees enrolled for medical assistance under the Illinois Public Aid Code.

(Source: P.A. 94-494, eff. 8-8-05; 94-962, eff. 1-1-07; 95-842, eff. 8-15-08.)

Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon becoming law.

Effective Date: 7/26/2010