West Central Reporter

Norine K. Hammond introduced HB1460 in the Illinois House on Jan. 21, 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 Medical Assistance Article of the Illinois Public Aid Code. Provides that beginning January 1, 2026, for a person who is a resident in a facility licensed under the ID/DD Community Care Act, the Community-Integrated Living Arrangements Licensure and Certification Act, or the MC/DD Act for whom payments are made under the Article throughout a month and who is determined to be eligible for medical assistance, the State shall pay an amount in addition to the minimum monthly personal needs allowance authorized under the Social Security Act so that the person's total monthly personal needs allowance from both State and federal sources equals $90. Provides that beginning January 1, 2027, the personal needs allowance described in the amendatory Act shall increase annually at the same rate as the Social Security cost-of-living adjustment to take effect on January 1 of each year."

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 increase the monthly personal needs allowance for residents in facilities licensed under certain acts who are eligible for medical assistance. Starting Jan. 1, 2026, the state will supplement the federal allowance to ensure the total equals $90 per month. Additionally, beginning Jan. 1, 2027, this personal needs allowance will annually adjust based on the Social Security cost-of-living adjustment effective Jan. 1 each year. This change aims to provide increased financial support for the personal needs of individuals in care facilities.

Norine K. Hammond is currently serving in the Illinois State House, representing the state's 94th House District. She replaced previous state representative Randy Frese in 2023.

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
HB1460	01/21/2025	Amends the Medical Assistance Article of the Illinois Public Aid Code. Provides that beginning January 1, 2026, for a person who is a resident in a facility licensed under the ID/DD Community Care Act, the Community-Integrated Living Arrangements Licensure and Certification Act, or the MC/DD Act for whom payments are made under the Article throughout a month and who is determined to be eligible for medical assistance, the State shall pay an amount in addition to the minimum monthly personal needs allowance authorized under the Social Security Act so that the person's total monthly personal needs allowance from both State and federal sources equals $90. Provides that beginning January 1, 2027, the personal needs allowance described in the amendatory Act shall increase annually at the same rate as the Social Security cost-of-living adjustment to take effect on January 1 of each year.
HB1457	01/21/2025	Amends the Illinois Estate and Generation-Skipping Transfer Tax Act. Increases the exclusion amount from $4,000,000 to $12,060,000 for persons dying on or after January 1, 2026. Effective immediately.
HB1458	01/21/2025	Amends the Use Tax Act, the Service Use Tax Act, the Service Occupation Tax Act, and the Retailers' Occupation Tax Act. Provides that motor carriers that sell items of tangible personal property to purchasers for use or consumption in addition to rendering service as a motor carrier are engaged in a profession or service occupation as a motor carrier and are not considered retailers or servicemen within the meaning of those Acts. Effective immediately.
HB1459	01/21/2025	Amends the Gas Use Tax Law. Exempts certain business enterprises from taxation under the Act. Amends the Gas Revenue Tax Act. Provides that the definition of "gross receipts" does not include consideration received from certain business enterprises. Amends the Electricity Excise Tax Law. Provides that the tax under the Act is not imposed with respect to any use by the purchaser in the process of manufacturing or assembling tangible personal property for wholesale or for retail sale or lease. Effective immediately.
HB1461	01/21/2025	Authorizes the Director of Natural Resources, on behalf of the State of Illinois, to execute and deliver a permanent easement to real property located in Fulton County to KSS Conservation Partners, LLC. Effective immediately.
HB1462	01/21/2025	Amends the Wildlife Code. Provides that tracking wounded wild birds or wounded wild mammals by use of unmanned aircraft is permissible under certain conditions, including that: (1) the wild bird or wild mammal is wounded when a properly licensed hunter has struck the animal with a projectile fired from a legal hunting device during the open season; (2) any person operating the unmanned aircraft has obtained permission from the public or private landowner, or the landowner's authorized representative, before launching or landing the unmanned aircraft from or on the landowner's property; (3) the person operating the unmanned aircraft does not possess or control a firearm, bow, or other implement whereby wildlife could be killed or taken while afield, whether acting singly or as a group of persons while the unmanned aircraft is in flight, except this prohibition does not apply to a person lawfully carrying a concealed firearm under the Firearm Concealed Carry Act if the concealed firearm is not used to take wildlife; and (4) the unmanned aircraft is operated in a manner that does not harass any wildlife. Exempts an operator of an unmanned aircraft that meets these conditions from hunting permit requirements if the operator is not the taker of the wounded animal. Effective July 1, 2025.