Chicago City Wire

Emil Jones, III introduced SB1653 in the Illinois Senate on Feb. 5, 2025, during the general assembly session 104, according to the Illinois General Assembly.

According to the Illinois General Assembly site, the legislature summarized the bill's official text as follows: "Amends the Hospital Provider Funding Article of the Illinois Public Aid Code. In a provision requiring the Department of Healthcare and Family Services to create a pool of funding of at least $50,000,000 annually to be disbursed among safety-net hospitals that maintain perinatal designation from the Department of Public Health, provides that no safety-net hospital eligible for funds shall receive less than $5,000,000 annually."

The following is our breakdown, based on the actual bill text, and may include interpretation to clarify its provisions.

In essence, this bill amends the Illinois Public Aid Code to establish and extend various funding mechanisms aimed at improving healthcare access through payment systems for hospitals. Starting July 1, 2020, hospitals receive payments based on new structures, which include graduate medical education and fee-for-service supplemental payments, with a focus on safety-net and critical access hospitals. The bill mandates a $50 million annual pool for safety-net hospitals with perinatal designations and at least $5 million per hospital, and a $10 million annual support program for critical access hospitals, targeting perinatal and behavioral health services. Additionally, it introduces fixed payments for certain hospital categories and provides pandemic recovery payments of $460 million. These measures prioritize hospitals serving high Medicaid populations, safety nets, and pediatric cases, with the intention of stabilizing healthcare delivery and expanding access in rural and underserved areas. The bill's provisions are scheduled for review and potential adjustment based on federal regulations and funding availability through 2026.

Emil Jones, III has proposed one other bill since the beginning of the 104th session.

Emil Jones III is currently serving in the Illinois State Senate, representing the state's 14th Senate District. He replaced previous state senator Emil Jones Jr. in 2009.

Bills in Illinois follow a multi-step legislative process, beginning with introduction in either the House or Senate, followed by committee review, floor debates, and votes in both chambers before reaching the governor for approval or veto. The General Assembly operates on a biennial schedule, and while typically thousands of bills are introduced each session, only a fraction successfully pass through the process to become law.

You can read more about bills and other measures here.

Bill Number	Date Introduced	Short Description
SB1653	02/05/2025	Amends the Hospital Provider Funding Article of the Illinois Public Aid Code. In a provision requiring the Department of Healthcare and Family Services to create a pool of funding of at least $50,000,000 annually to be disbursed among safety-net hospitals that maintain perinatal designation from the Department of Public Health, provides that no safety-net hospital eligible for funds shall receive less than $5,000,000 annually.
SB1654	02/05/2025	Amends the Energy Conservation Act. Makes a technical change in a Section concerning the short title.
SB1439	01/31/2025	Creates the Best Customer Price Act. Provides that a public institution of higher education or a State agency may require best customer pricing for any goods it procures. Provides that, if goods are to be purchased by the State from a supplier or reseller, the supplier or reseller shall attest that the price is the best customer price. Provides that the supplier or reseller shall include a provision in the letter of supply from the manufacturer that the supplier or reseller can secure the supply and quantity of goods to be purchased, and that the manufacturer has extended the same best customer pricing from the manufacturer to each of the suppliers or resellers registered with the State for the goods to be purchased. Provides that, if a public institution of higher education or a State agency requires best customer pricing for the goods but does not believe the price is competitive, the public institution of higher education or the State agency may decline to award the bid. Effective immediately.