Springfield – Long-awaited medical malpractice reforms, financial protections for military personnel and their families, and tougher graduation requirements for high school students are among the bills signed into law last week, according to State Sen. Dan Rutherford (R-Pontiac).
 

            Senator Rutherford says legislators have been fighting for more than two years to protect citizens’ access to quality health care, and the new medical malpractice reform should help keep doctors from leaving the state.

            Signed into law Aug. 25, Senate Bill 475 implements a number of medical, insurance and legal reforms, and caps non-economic damages in medical malpractice lawsuits at $500,000 for doctors and $1 million for hospitals. Other provisions of the agreement will:

•                    Raise the standards that medical malpractice lawsuits must meet before moving forward, as a means of preventing frivolous lawsuits;

•                    Allow doctors to apologize to patients without those statements being used against them legally;

•                    Enhance competition in the medical malpractice insurance market;

•                    Increase the number of medical investigators and coordinators;

•                    Create a Web site where patients can access information about Illinois physicians and any medical malpractice lawsuits that have been filed against them.

Senate Bill 475 has an immediate effective date.

            Illinois residents serving on active military duty overseas, and their families back home, will have fewer day-to-day financial worries as a result of legislation signed into law Aug. 22.
 

            An initiative known as the Illinois Patriot Plan, Senate Bill 2060 provides financial protections for members of the United States armed services or reserve forces, Illinois National Guard members who are deployed on active duty, and their spouses. The protections address cell phone contracts, life insurance policies, gas/electric assistance, rent assistance, credit interest and finance charges, and motor vehicle leases.   
        

High school students will now have to take more core education classes, under legislation signed Aug. 24. Senate Bill 575 raises High School graduation requirements beginning in the 2005-2006 school year, specifically requiring more math and writing courses. The high school reform package requires students to take four years of English instead of three; three years of math instead of two; two years of science instead of one; and two writing-intensive classes.

            Other legislation signed during the week of Aug. 22-26 includes:

            Long-term care (HB 2531) – Requires nursing home administrators to conduct criminal background checks on potential employees who have contact with residents.

            Child allergies (HB 991) – Requires a recreational camp to allow a child with severe, potentially life-threatening allergies to possess and use an epinephrine auto-injector or inhaler.

            Death penalty fund (SB 2082) – Closes a loophole that allowed attorneys who are appointed to defend death cases to bill the state excessive sums of money.

            Sex offenders (HB 712) – Requires a parent who plans to marry a sex offender to tell the other parent of their children.

            Elections (HB 1968) – Requires public colleges to post electronic voter registration forms.      

Former spouses (SB 1446) – Allows a former spouse to be eligible for a portion of his or her former spouse’s death benefits.

            Hospitals (HB 1350) – Requires hospitals to report accidents involving children younger than 18 to the trauma registry when the accident involves a motor vehicle or the power window of a motor vehicle.

            Military bases (SB 1354) – Creates a Committee to coordinate the State’s activities and to act as a communications center for issues relating to military base closures.

            Bilingual students (HB 678) – Allows the time allotted to take State tests to be extended for students who are in a transitional bilingual program.

            Research fund (SB 61) – Creates a new income tax check-off for the Illinois Brain Tumor Research Fund.

            Fireworks (SB 1821) – Requires firework operators to complete a training course and requires background checks before firework permits are issued.

            Legal counsel (SB 1883) – Provides that an unlicensed person may not advertise or hold themselves out to provide legal services.