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Be sure to check
NAMI Illinois’ 2005 Recommended Legislative
Priorities for the latest
information.
Rob
Roennigke, NAMI Illinois Treasurer and NAMI Madison County Board
member along with Susan Kniffel, past-president of NAMI Madison
County who is a consumer and long-time member of NAMI serve on the
NAMI Illinois Legislative Task Force, which compiled this list. Note
that several items on this list are already under consideration by
the Illinois Assembly.Read more about
it . . .
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Repeal sunset provision in mental health insurance parity law.
(HB4104)
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Move persons with mental illnesses out of IMD nursing homes.
-
Extend rights of persons in state hospitals to persons in private
hospitals at state expense.
(Modified version of HB4767)
-
Create agency to prosecute commitment/medication petitions.
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Create administrative hearing structure to handle medication/ect
hearings.
-
Amend venue provisions to require commitment/medication/ect hearings
to be held at hospital
where recipient is being confined.
-
Amend Confidentiality Act to permit sharing of mental health records
between the Departments of Corrections and Human Services. (HB6692)
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Prohibit execution of persons found Guilty But Mentally Ill.
-
Create research exception to MHDD Confidentiality Act.
-
Permit commitment to proceed on petition of hospital staff or others
when police officer transports
respondent to hospital. (This requires a change in the Mental Health
Code.)
-
Preserve operating funds in mental health system when state mental
hospital is closed or
downsized.
-
Place funds from sale of state mental hospitals in the Mental Health
Fund.
-
Require the Guardianship and Advocacy Commission to include in its
annual report a list of all
pending litigation it has initiated to enforce the rights of persons
with mental illnesses.
-
Exempt psychotropic medications from prior authorization. (last
session HB4559) (now HB0734 - see
Legislative Alert)
-
Create Pharmacy and Therapeutics Committee with “public” members.
(HB4932)
Several of us with
NAMI Madison County are particularly interested in points #1 and #10,
and will be focusing our efforts on those items; but all are
important. and deserve our attention. We urge our readers to inform
their legislators about our concerns and to ask for their help in
getting favorable legislation passed.
*You can read more about this
legislation at the Illinois General Assembly web site:
http://www.ilga.gov/ |
Legislative Watch
