Rep. Kent Gaffney

Filed: 3/2/2012

 

 


 

 


 
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1
AMENDMENT TO HOUSE BILL 5633

2    AMENDMENT NO. ______. Amend House Bill 5633 by replacing
3everything after the enacting clause with the following:
 
4    "Section 5. The Nursing Home Care Act is amended by
5changing Section 2-110 as follows:
 
6    (210 ILCS 45/2-110)  (from Ch. 111 1/2, par. 4152-110)
7    Sec. 2-110. (a) Any employee or agent of a public agency,
8any representative of a community legal services program or any
9other member of the general public shall be permitted access at
10reasonable hours to any individual resident of any facility,
11with the resident's consent, but only if there is neither a
12commercial purpose nor effect to such access and if the purpose
13is to do any of the following:
14        (1) Visit, talk with and make personal, social and
15    legal services available to all residents;
16        (2) Inform residents of their rights and entitlements

 

 

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1    and their corresponding obligations, under federal and
2    State laws, by means of educational materials and
3    discussions in groups and with individual residents;
4        (3) Assist residents in asserting their legal rights
5    regarding claims for public assistance, medical assistance
6    and social security benefits, as well as in all other
7    matters in which residents are aggrieved. Assistance may
8    include counseling and litigation; or
9        (4) Engage in other methods of asserting, advising and
10    representing residents so as to extend to them full
11    enjoyment of their rights.
12    Every individual, regardless of whether he or she is an
13employee or agent of a public agency, a representative of a
14community legal services program, or a member of the general
15public, entering a facility as authorized under this Section
16shall promptly notify the administrator or his or her designee
17of their presence and request access to those residents who
18have given consent to such access. Every visitor to whom this
19Section applies shall, upon request, produce identification to
20establish his or her identity and the identity of the agency,
21program, or organization he or she represents and the purpose
22of his or her visit.
23    For the purpose of ensuring that the nature of the visit is
24not for a commercial purpose or effect and to protect the
25residents of the facility from unwanted solicitations,
26potential financial exploitation, and abuse, including

 

 

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1identity theft scams, all individuals, upon request, shall
2provide copies of all informational materials, including, but
3not limited to, applications for services for which interested
4residents may be asked to provide personal, legal, financial,
5or medical information. Employees or agents of a public agency,
6an attorney with an existing relationship with a resident or
7who is acting at the behest of the courts, or an invited guest
8of a resident shall be exempted from providing copies of
9informational material to the administrator or his or her
10designee.
11    No individual shall enter the immediate living area of any
12resident without first identifying himself or herself and then
13shall receive permission to enter. The rights of other
14residents present in the room must be respected. This includes
15the requirement that a resident who has consented to an
16interview must be interviewed in another location if the other
17residents present in the room have denied consent to the
18interview taking place in that room.
19    A resident may terminate a visit under this Section at any
20time. Upon a resident's termination of a visit under this
21Section, the visitor must immediately leave the living area or
22alternative meeting area and notify the front desk that the
23visit has been terminated at the resident's request.
24    If a legal guardian has been appointed for a resident by a
25probate court, any individual, whether an employee or agent of
26a public agency, a representative of a community legal services

 

 

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1program, or a member of the general public, requesting
2personal, legal, financial, or medical information from the
3resident must have sought and received prior written approval
4from the guardian before seeking access to the resident and
5must present evidence of that approval to the administrator or
6the administrator's designee upon entering the facility.
7    Nothing in this subsection shall be interpreted to impede
8access to a resident with the express purpose of assisting the
9resident in transitioning to another care setting.
10    (a-5) If a resident of a licensed facility is an identified
11offender, any federal, State, or local law enforcement officer
12or county probation officer shall be permitted reasonable
13access to the individual resident to verify compliance with the
14requirements of the Sex Offender Registration Act, to verify
15compliance with the requirements of Public Act 94-163 and this
16amendatory Act of the 94th General Assembly, or to verify
17compliance with applicable terms of probation, parole, or
18mandatory supervised release.
19    (b) All persons entering a facility under this Section
20shall promptly notify appropriate facility personnel of their
21presence. They shall, upon request, produce identification to
22establish their identity. No such person shall enter the
23immediate living area of any resident without first identifying
24himself and then receiving permission from the resident to
25enter. The rights of other residents present in the room shall
26be respected. A resident may terminate at any time a visit by a

 

 

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1person having access to the resident's living area under this
2Section.
3    (c) This Section shall not limit the power of the
4Department or other public agency otherwise permitted or
5required by law to enter and inspect a facility.
6    (d) Notwithstanding paragraph (a) of this Section, the
7administrator of a facility may refuse access to the facility
8to any person if the presence of that person in the facility
9would be injurious to the health and safety of a resident or
10would threaten the security of the property of a resident or
11the facility, or if the person seeks access to the facility for
12commercial purposes. Any person refused access to a facility
13may within 10 days request a hearing under Section 3-703. In
14that proceeding, the burden of proof as to the right of the
15facility to refuse access under this Section shall be on the
16facility.
17(Source: P.A. 94-163, eff. 7-11-05; 94-752, eff. 5-10-06.)
 
18    Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon
19becoming law.".