Health Care Conscientious Law Changes Will Head To Governor | Government-and-politics
SPRINGFIELD – The Illinois Senate joined the House on Thursday to approve an amendment to the right to conscience law in health care requested by the Governor and Attorney General, putting it on a signature of become law.
The HCRC Act currently prohibits discrimination against any person for their “conscientious refusal to receive, obtain, accept, perform, assist, advise, suggest, recommend, refer or to participate in any way whatsoever in any particular form of health service contrary to his conscience. . “
The bill passed Thursday would add language indicating that it is not a violation of the law for an employer to “take action or impose requirements … designed to prevent the contraction or transmission of COVID-19.”
Supporters believe the measure will clarify the intention of the legislature as a number of court cases continue in the system in which Illinoisians challenge COVID-19 vaccine or testing requirements, citing protections offered by the HCRC law. There is a need to fill a legal loophole that allows people to flout these mandates, they argued.
Critics of the bill, however, argued that the language is too broad and that the Health Care Right of Conscience Act was in fact intended to protect an individual’s right to make their own decisions by making their own decisions. health care.
It passed the Senate 31-24 just before 11 p.m. Thursday without Republican votes. As the bill did not obtain a three-fifths majority in both chambers, its date of entry into force is set for June 1, 2022, in accordance with a provision of the state constitution relating to adopted bills. after May 31.
Supporters, including the bill’s sponsors, Rep. Robyn Gabel, D-Elgin, and Senate Speaker Don Harmon, D-Oak Park, have argued over the past two days that the measure does not impose the vaccination.
âUnlike widespread disinformation campaigns, this bill is not a vaccination mandate,â Gabel said Wednesday. âIn fact, it doesn’t require anyone to do anything. As the bill itself says, it is simply a statement of existing law and should not be interpreted as new law.
Harmon argued Thursday evening that existing law should not be applicable to mitigation measures aimed at slowing a deadly pandemic. Those with health concerns or religious concerns regarding mandate compliance can still access federal exemptions, he said during the debate on the ground.
Harmony
âThe Health Care Right of Conscience Act was passed in 1977 and was intended, I think quite clearly, to protect doctors, nurses, pharmacists, other health professionals who, because of their own conscience, did not want to participate in some of the reproductive health services or prescriptions, âhe said.
“This law, written in a broad sense, is interpreted today and the litigation is essentially a” I choose not to follow these rules and to justify this I will cite the law of conscience law in health care “. I don’t think this is consistent with the original intention,” he added.
He compared the effort of using the law to not be tested to trying to avoid detection for impaired driving.
âLet’s say your voter is arrested on the pretext of drunk driving,â Harmon said during a committee discussion with Senator Jil Tracy, R-Quincy. “Could this voter tell the officer that he would refuse a breathalyzer test under the Health Care Right of Conscience Act?” Could they refuse a field sobriety test because a medical condition is being tested? This is the absurd conclusion we come to if you read it as at length as you suggest.
Tracy said she didn’t agree with the interpretation.
Tracy
“So I think repealing this law or amending it goes away from the basic premise for which it was designed, to allow the Americans, the Illinois to invoke something that they don’t have to do. and which they disagree with because of their moral conscience. âshe said.
More than 50,000 witness records have been filed against the bill on the General Assembly’s website. Lawmakers have reported receiving hundreds of calls to their offices against the change.
Senator Sue Rezin, R-Morris, said the HCRC law, when initially passed, “created a line that prevented the government from forcing its citizens to receive medical procedures and services that would go against their sincere beliefs “.
âNow the government is trying to erase that line,â she said. âAgain, it’s our job here today to stand up for those who stand up for themselves.
Senator John Curran, R-Downers Grove, said the proposal “diminishes religious protections in the workplace”.
âToday, we are decreasing the protections in the workplace for a minor medical intervention,â he said. âMy objection is not about vaccinations. I am vaccinated. … We are following this path, we do not know where it ends.
Harmon said in his closing speech that lawmakers are “trying to strike a balance” between freedom and public safety,
âYou asked where we draw the line,â he said. âThe line of my personal freedom ends at the start of your nose. ⦠This law was never intended to prevent public health responses to a global pandemic. “
See the new Illinois laws that came into effect on July 1
665 tickets
The Democrat-controlled Illinois General Assembly approved 665 bills this legislative session, with the vast majority awaiting Gov. JB Pritzker’s signature.
But, Pritzker signed 42 bills. A handful of them will come into effect on January 1, 2022, but most have entered into force upon signature or will take effect on Thursday.
Here are some notable new laws in effect now or Thursday that Illinoisans should know about.
CAPITOL NEWS ILLINOIS
Electoral reform
With the pandemic-related delays in the U.S. census redistribution numbers, lawmakers have pushed back the state’s 2022 primary elections from March 15 to June 28. The legislation also makes election day a public holiday, requires every county to have at least one universal voting center, and allows people to be added to a permanent mail-ballot list. (SB825)
Photo by Jose M. Osorio, Chicago Tribune
Vote by mail
Some pandemic-induced changes to voting for the 2020 general election, such as postal voting and curbside filing, will now be permanent features of future elections. (House bill 1871)
State legislative redistribution
As they’re tasked with doing every 10 years, lawmakers approved new district boundaries for the Illinois House and Senate. Maps drawn by Democrats, who used the U.S. community survey of the U.S. census instead of waiting for decennial census figures to arrive later this year, have been challenged in court by Republicans and some other groups. (HB2777)
Photo by Brian Cassella, Chicago Tribune
Illinois Supreme Court Redistribution
The Illinois Supreme Court’s seven-person district boundaries were successfully redrawn for the first time since the 1960s. (SB642)
Photo from Capitol News Illinois
Police reform
There has not been a more controversial bill that passed this year than House Bill 3653, also known as the SAFE-T Act, which passed during the Duck Session. lame in January. The provisions ending the cash bond and requiring all police officers to wear body cameras will not come into effect until 2023 and 2025, respectively. But from Thursday, the police will have to rescue the wounded, intervene when a fellow officer uses excessive force and limit their use of force. It also offers more stringent guidelines for the decertification of officers and would allow people to file anonymous complaints of police misconduct. (HB3653)
Payday loans
Lenders are now prohibited from charging more than 36% annual percentage rate on consumer loans. The average rate in Illinois was nearly 300% before the law was signed. (SB1792)
Vaccine lottery
The state’s fiscal year 2022 budget includes $ 10 million for a “vaccine lottery.” All Illinois residents vaccinated before July 1 will automatically be entered into the contest. It includes $ 7 million in cash prizes for vaccinated adults, ranging from $ 100,000 to $ 1 million, and $ 3 million in scholarships for vaccinated youth. (SB2800)
Photo by Antonio Perez, Chicago Tribune
COVID-19 emergency housing
Created guidelines for distributing over $ 1 billion in federal stimulus funds for COVID-related housing assistance. Also creates automatic sealing of evictions during the pandemic. (SB2877)
Interest before judgment
Victims of personal injury and wrongful death will be entitled to collect interest from defendants from the time a lawsuit is filed. It aims to encourage the settlement of these cases. He was supported by trial lawyers and opposed by business groups. (SB72)
Casino work
All Illinois casino applicants are now required to enter into a project-work agreement when seeking a new or renewed license. (SB1360)
Compensation for victims of crime
Provides that a victim’s criminal history or crime status does not automatically preclude compensation for that victim or their family. Extends the applicant’s period for submitting requested information to 45 days instead of 30 days and provides that a final reward should not exceed $ 45,000, compared to $ 27,000, for a crime committed on August 7, 2022 or after. (HB3295)
Electronic signature
Provides that a contract, recording or signature cannot be denied legal effect or enforceability simply because it is in electronic form or an electronic recording was used in its formation. Provides that if a law requires that a recording be in writing, an electronic recording complies with the law. (SB2176)
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