AGING-PERSONS WHO WANDER

Amends the Illinois Act on the Aging. Requires the Department on Aging to establish and administer a statewide 5-year pilot program to provide grant awards to counties and municipalities interested in maintaining a local recovery program for individuals who wander due to a medical condition such as Alzheimer's disease and related dementias, autism, or other specified disorders. Provides that under a county's or municipality's local recovery program, persons with a history of wandering shall receive a fitted electronic bracelet that emits a unique radio signal 24 hours a day that can be identified and tracked by a designated search team of volunteers, lead by local law enforcement, when alerted through a 911 emergency call about a missing person who has a history of wandering. Provides that any grant amounts provided to a county or municipality under the pilot program must be used to cover the costs associated with purchasing the electronic bracelets, training a designated team of volunteer search personnel, conducting community outreach activities to inform local residents and eligible families about the local recovery program, and any other costs required to implement the local recovery program. Provides that all funding for the pilot program shall come from private donations to the Department. Requires all donated moneys received by the Department for the pilot program to be deposited into the Local Recovery Programs for Persons Who Wander Fund, a special fund created in the State treasury. Provides that moneys in the Fund shall be expended to make grant awards under the pilot program and for no other purpose; and that all interest earned on moneys in the Fund shall be deposited into the Fund. Requires the Department to adopt any rules necessary to implement the pilot program, including, but not limited to, rules on the application and eligibility requirements, grant amounts awarded under the pilot program, and equipment standards for the electronic bracelets. Amends the State Finance Act to create the Local Recovery Programs for Persons Who Wander Fund. Effective immediately.

• Jackie HaasR