HB2336 amends the Illinois Municipal Code and the Fire Protection District Act to authorize reimbursement for certain “lift-assist services” provided to assisted living facilities and nursing homes. A lift-assist service is defined as a response by municipal fire personnel, emergency response units, or fire protection district personnel to help move a patient or other individual from one position to another at the facility. The bill excludes lifts performed as part of transportation to a hospital, emergency room, or other health care facility.
Under the bill, municipalities and fire protection districts may charge reasonable fees to assisted living facilities or nursing home facilities for lift-assist services after the sixth such service provided to that facility in a calendar year. Any fee collected is capped at the actual personnel and equipment costs incurred by the responding public safety agency. The measure is aimed at allowing local governments to recover costs associated with repeated non-transport lift-assist calls at long-term care facilities.
Impact
The bill creates new authority in two separate statutes: one new section in the Illinois Municipal Code and one new section in the Fire Protection District Act. It gives municipalities and fire protection districts a limited power to impose and collect fees from assisted living facilities and nursing homes for repeated lift-assist responses, while also setting a cost-recovery cap tied to actual personnel and equipment costs. The practical effect is to shift some of the financial burden of recurring lift-assist calls from local public safety agencies to the facilities receiving the service after the sixth call in a year.
Sentiment
The voting history suggests broad bipartisan support and little visible opposition. HB2336 passed the Illinois House 114-0 and the Senate 56-0, indicating unanimous approval in both chambers. No committee transcript was provided, and there is no recorded dissent in the available materials, which suggests the bill was viewed as a practical local-government and cost-recovery measure.
Contention
No explicit points of contention appear in the available record, likely because there were no recorded committee debates and the bill passed unanimously. The main policy issue implicit in the text is whether assisted living facilities and nursing homes should bear the cost of repeated lift-assist responses, especially after the sixth call in a year, versus local governments absorbing those costs. The bill addresses that concern by limiting fees to actual costs and excluding transport-related emergency responses, which may have helped reduce opposition.