Bill Text: IL HB0349 | 2019-2020 | 101st General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: Creates the Drug and Sharps Waste Stewardship Act. Directs the Environmental Protection Agency to administer a drug and sharps waste stewardship program. Provides that the State Board of Pharmacy is to guide and advise the Agency in its administration of the program. Requires covered entities to provide lists of covered and not covered products to the State Board and to implement stewardship plans. Requires stewardship plans to be submitted to the Agency for review and acceptance. Requires that all counties have at least one collection site for unused drugs and sharps per 50,000 people, and no fewer than 5 such collection sites. Requires counties that do not have the necessary number of collection sites to establish a mail-back program, or alternative collection program for covered products, or both. Imposes an administrative fee on covered entities. Provides penalties for covered entities that fail to comply with the provisions of the Act. Creates the Drug and Sharps Stewardship Fund and the Drug and Sharps Stewardship Penalty Account within the Fund. Directs the Agency to post lists of compliant covered entities on its website. Exempts stewardship programs already in existence under local ordinances at the time the Act takes effect from the Act's provisions, but provides that those entities with programs that are not within the Act's purview are not to receive any monetary support from the Drug and Sharps Stewardship Fund or the Drug and Sharps Stewardship Penalty Account. Exempts confidential proprietary information from public disclosure by the Agency.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 6-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2020-06-02 - Added Co-Sponsor Rep. Daniel Didech [HB0349 Detail]

Download: Illinois-2019-HB0349-Introduced.html

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101ST GENERAL ASSEMBLY State of Illinois 2019 and 2020 HB0349 Introduced , by Rep. Kelly M. Cassidy SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
New Act
Creates the Drug and Sharps Waste Stewardship Act. Directs the Environmental Protection Agency to administer a drug and sharps waste stewardship program. Provides that the State Board of Pharmacy is to guide and advise the Agency in its administration of the program. Requires covered entities to provide lists of covered and not covered products to the State Board and to implement stewardship plans. Requires stewardship plans to be submitted to the Agency for review and acceptance. Requires that all counties have at least one collection site for unused drugs and sharps per 50,000 people, and no fewer than 5 such collection sites. Requires counties that do not have the necessary number of collection sites to establish a mail-back program, or alternative collection program for covered products, or both. Imposes an administrative fee on covered entities. Provides penalties for covered entities that fail to comply with the provisions of the Act. Creates the Drug and Sharps Stewardship Fund and the Drug and Sharps Stewardship Penalty Account within the Fund. Directs the Agency to post lists of compliant covered entities on its website. Exempts stewardship programs already in existence under local ordinances at the time the Act takes effect from the Act's provisions, but provides that those entities with programs that are not within the Act's purview are not to receive any monetary support from the Drug and Sharps Stewardship Fund or the Drug and Sharps Stewardship Penalty Account. Exempts confidential proprietary information from public disclosure by the Agency.
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FISCAL NOTE ACT MAY APPLY HOME RULE NOTE ACT MAY APPLY
A BILL FOR
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AN ACT concerning safety.
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
represented in the General Assembly:
Article 1. Short Title; Definitions
Section 1-1. Short title. This Act may be cited as the Drug
and Sharps Waste Stewardship Act.
Section 1-5. Definitions. In this Act:
"Agency" means the Illinois Environmental Protection
Agency.
"Authorized collection site" means a location where an
authorized collector operates a secure collection receptacle
for collecting covered products.
"Authorized collector" means a person or entity that has
entered into an agreement with a program operator to collect
covered drugs, including, but not limited to, any of the
following:
(1) A person or entity that is registered with the
United States Drug Enforcement Administration and that
qualifies under federal law to modify that registration to
collect controlled substances for the purpose of
destruction.
(2) A law enforcement agency.

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(3) A retail pharmacy that offers drug take-back
services in compliance with subpart 205 of part 889 of
title 35 of the Illinois Administrative Code.
"Controlled substance" means a substance listed under the
Illinois Controlled Substances Act or Section 812 or 813 of
Title 21 of the United States Code.
"Cosmetic" has the meaning provided in Section 2 of the
Illinois Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act.
"Covered drug" means a drug, including a brand name or
generic drug, sold, offered for sale, or dispensed in the State
of Illinois in any form, including, but not limited to, any of
the following:
(1) Prescription and nonprescription drugs approved by
the United States Food and Drug Administration under
Section 505 of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (21
U.S.C. 355) or Section 351 of the federal Public Health
Service Act (42 U.S.C. 262).
(2) A drug marketed pursuant to an over-the-counter
drug monograph.
(3) A drug in a medical device, or a combination
product containing a drug and a medical device.
"Covered drug" does not include any of the following:
(1) Vitamins or supplements.
(2) Herbal-based remedies and homeopathic drugs,
products, or remedies.
(3) Cosmetics, soap with or without germicidal agents,

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laundry detergent, bleach, household cleaning products,
shampoos, sunscreens, toothpaste, lip balm,
antiperspirants, or any other personal care product that is
regulated as both a cosmetic and a nonprescription drug
under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act.
(4) A drug for which a pharmaceutical product
stewardship program or drug take-back program is provided
in the State as part of a United States Food and Drug
Administration managed risk evaluation and mitigation
strategy under 21 U.S.C. 355-1.
(5) Biological drug products, as defined by 42 U.S.C.
262(i)(1), including those products currently approved in
the State under a new drug application that will be deemed
to be licensed under Section 351 of the Public Health
Service Act (42 U.S.C. 262) pursuant to Section 7002(e) of
the federal Biologics Price Competition and Innovation Act
of 2009 (Public Law 111-148).
(6) A medical device, or a component part or accessory
of a medical device, if it does not contain a covered drug.
(7) Drugs that are used for animal medicines,
including, but not limited to, parasiticide products for
animals.
(8) Dialysate drugs or other saline solutions required
to perform kidney dialysis.
"Covered entity" means:
(1) The manufacturer of covered products that are sold

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in or into the State.
(2) If no entity that meets the definition in paragraph
(1) is located in the State, "covered entity" means the
distributor of covered products that are sold in or into
the State that is licensed as a wholesale drug distributor,
as defined in the Wholesale Drug Distribution Licensing
Act, but does not include a warehouse of a retail pharmacy
chain that is licensed as a wholesale drug distributor if
it engages only in intracompany transfers between any
division, affiliate, subsidiary, parent, or other entity
under complete common ownership and control.
(3) If no entity that meets the definitions in
paragraphs (1) or (2) is located in the State, "covered
entity" means any person or entity who repackages, as
defined in the Wholesale Drug Distribution Licensing Act,
covered products that are sold in or into the State.
(4) If no entity that meets the definitions in
paragraphs (1), (2), or (3) is located in the State,
"covered entity" means the owner or licensee of a trademark
or brand under which covered products are sold in or into
the State, regardless of whether the trademark is
registered.
(5) If no entity that meets the definitions in
paragraphs (1), (2), (3), or (4) is located in the State,
"covered entity" means the importer of the covered products
that are sold in or into the State.

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The Agency shall adopt regulations on the process for
determining what entity is a covered entity following the
priority order set forth in paragraphs (1) through (5).
"Covered product" means a covered drug or home-generated
sharps waste.
"Distributor" means a wholesale drug distributor, as that
term is defined in Wholesale Drug Distribution Licensing Act.
"Drug" means any of the following:
(1) An article recognized in the United States
Pharmacopoeia or the National Formulary published by the
United States Pharmacopoeia Convention, or the Homeopathic
Pharmacopoeia of the United States published by the
Homeopathic Pharmacopoeia Convention of the United States,
or any supplement of the Formulary or those Pharmacopoeiae.
(2) A substance intended for use in the diagnosis,
cure, mitigation, treatment, or prevention of disease in
humans or other animals.
(3) A substance, other than food, intended to affect
the structure or any function of the body of humans or
other animals.
(4) A substance intended for use as a component of any
substance specified in this subsection.
"Generic drug" means a drug that is chemically identical or
bioequivalent to a brand name drug in dosage form, safety,
strengths, route of administration, quality, performance,
characteristics, and intended use, though inactive ingredients

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may vary.
"Home-generated sharps waste" means hypodermic needles,
pen needles, intravenous needles, lancets, and other devices
that are used to penetrate the skin for the delivery of
medications derived from a household, including a multifamily
residence or household. "Home-generated sharps waste" does not
include either of the following:
(1) Components manufactured for use with external
ambulatory insulin pump therapy systems or continuous
glucose monitoring systems, including, but not limited to,
insulin infusion sets, glucose sensors that are sterile
goods indicated for single subcutaneous use, sterile drug
delivery channels indicated for single subcutaneous use,
and injection ports.
(2) A biological product, as defined in Section
262(i)(1) of Title 42 of the United States Code, including
a combination product, as defined in Section 3.2(e) of
Title 21 of the Code of Federal Regulations.
"Mail-back program" means a method of collecting covered
products from ultimate users by using prepaid, preaddressed
mailing envelopes.
"Medical waste generator" means any person whose act or
process produces medical waste and includes, but is not limited
to, a provider of health care. All of the following are
examples of businesses that generate medical waste:
(1) Medical and dental offices, clinics, hospitals,

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surgery centers, laboratories, research laboratories,
unlicensed health facilities, those facilities required to
be licensed, chronic dialysis clinics, and education and
research facilities.
(2) Veterinary offices, veterinary clinics, and
veterinary hospitals.
(3) Pet shops.
(4) Trauma scene waste management practitioners.
"Nonprescription drug" means any drug that may be lawfully
sold without a prescription.
"Pharmacy" has the meaning provided in the Pharmacy
Practice Act.
"Prescription drug" means a drug, including, but not
limited to, a controlled substance, that is required under
State or federal law to be dispensed with a prescription, or is
restricted to use by practitioners only.
"Program operator" means a covered entity, or stewardship
organization on behalf of a group of covered entities, that is
responsible for operating a stewardship program in accordance
with this Act.
"Proprietary information" means information that is all of
the following:
(1) Submitted under this Act.
(2) A trade secret, or commercial or financial
information, that is privileged or confidential, and is
identified as such by the entity providing the information

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to the Agency.
(3) Not required to be disclosed under any other law or
any regulation affecting a covered product or covered
entity.
"Retail pharmacy" has the meaning provided for "pharmacy"
in the Pharmacy Practice Act.
"Retail pharmacy chain" means a retail pharmacy with 5 or
more stores in the State.
"Sharps" means hypodermic needles, pen needles,
intravenous needles, lancets, and other devices that are used
to penetrate the skin for the delivery of medications.
"State Board" means the Illinois State Board of Pharmacy.
"Stewardship organization" means an organization exempt
from taxation under Section 501(c)(3) of the federal Internal
Revenue Code of 1986 that is established by a group of covered
entities in accordance with this Act to develop, implement, and
administer a stewardship program established under this Act.
"Stewardship plan," or "plan" means the plan that is
developed by a covered entity or stewardship organization under
this Act for collecting and properly managing covered products.
"Stewardship program" means a stewardship program for the
collection, transportation, and disposal of covered products.
"Ultimate user" means a State resident or other nonbusiness
entity and includes a person who has lawfully obtained, and who
possesses, a covered product, including a controlled
substance, for his or her own use or for the use of a member of

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his or her household. "Ultimate user" does not include a needle
exchange program, or a medical waste generator as defined in
this Act.
Article 5. Covered Entities and Stewardship Organizations
Section 5-1. Covered and noncovered products.
(a) No later than 90 days after the effective date of this
Act, a covered entity shall provide to the State Board a list
of covered products and a list and description of any drugs or
sharps that are not covered products that it sells or offers
for sale in the State.
A covered entity, or a stewardship organization on behalf
of a group of covered entities, shall update the lists
described in this subsection and provide the updated lists to
the State Board on or before January 15 of each year or upon
request by the Agency.
(b) No later than 90 days after the effective date of this
Section, a retail pharmacy that sells a covered product under
its own label shall provide written notification to the State
Board identifying the covered entity from which the retail
pharmacy obtains a covered product that the retail pharmacy
sells under its store label.
(c) The State Board shall verify the information received
under subsections (a) and (b) and make it available to the
Agency upon request.

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(d) The State Board may issue a letter of inquiry to any
covered entity, requesting a list of all drugs and sharps it
distributes in Illinois, regardless of whether the drugs or
sharps are covered under this Act, the name of the manufacturer
of such products, and any additional information necessary to
carry out this Act. An entity that is issued a letter of
inquiry under this subsection shall respond in writing no later
than 60 days after receipt of the letter. Responses to those
inquiries may be shared with the Agency, but are otherwise
deemed proprietary and exempt from disclosure. If the entity
does not believe it is a covered entity for purposes of this
Act, it shall submit all of the following to the State Board in
response to the letter of inquiry:
(1) the basis for the claim that it is not a covered
entity;
(2) a list of any drugs and sharps it sells,
distributes, repackages, or otherwise offers for sale
within the State; and
(3) if applicable, the name and contact information of
the person or entity from which it obtains a drug or sharp
identified under paragraph (2).
(e) The State Board shall obtain and verify and, within 30
days of receipt or upon request by the Agency, submit to the
Agency a list of drugs and sharps sold or offered for sale in
the State excluded from the definition of covered drugs or from
the definition of home-generated sharps waste.

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(f) Notwithstanding Section 30-10, information submitted
by the State Board to the Agency under this Act may include
proprietary information.
(g) The State Board shall notify the Agency if any covered
entity or stewardship organization is in violation of this
Section for purposes of enforcement by the Agency.
Section 5-5. Implementation and administration.
(a) The Agency shall adopt regulations for the
implementation of this Act with an effective date of no later
than January 1, 2021.
(b) The State Board may adopt rules for the administration
of the portions of this Act for which it has been given
responsibility.
Section 5-10. Compliance.
(a) Except as specified in subsection (d) of Section 25-1,
a covered entity is not in compliance with this Act and is
subject to penalties under Article 25 if, commencing one year
after the adoption of rules under Section 5-5, a covered
product sold or offered for sale by the covered entity is not
subject to an approved stewardship plan, which is submitted by
the covered entity or by a stewardship organization that
includes the covered entity, that has been approved by the
Agency under Section 10-1.
(b) In order to comply with the requirements of this Act, a

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covered entity may establish and implement a stewardship
program independently, or as part of a group of covered
entities through membership in a stewardship organization
exempt from taxation under Section 501(c)(3) of the federal
Internal Revenue Code of 1986.
Section 5-15. Education and outreach program.
(a) A program operator shall conduct a comprehensive
education and outreach program intended to promote
participation in the stewardship program. At a minimum, the
education and outreach program shall do all of the following:
(1) promote its stewardship program to ultimate users
by providing signage for hospitals, pharmacies, and other
locations, as necessary;
(2) provide educational and outreach materials for
persons authorized to prescribe drugs, pharmacies,
pharmacists, ultimate users, and others, as necessary;
(3) establish a website that publicizes the location of
authorized collectors and provides other information
intended to promote the use of the stewardship program;
(4) prepare and provide additional outreach materials
not specified in this Section, as needed, to promote the
collection and proper management of covered drugs and
home-generated sharps waste; and
(5) encourage ultimate users to separate products that
are not covered products from covered products, when

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appropriate, before submitting the covered products to an
authorized collection site or mail-back program.
(b) A program operator shall not, as part of the education
and outreach program, promote the disposal of a covered product
in a manner inconsistent with the services offered to ultimate
users by the stewardship program.
Article 10. Stewardship Plans
Section 10-1. Stewardship plan; submission; Agency review.
(a) Within 6 months after the adoption of regulations by
the Agency under Section 5-5, a program operator shall submit
to the Agency for approval a complete stewardship plan that
meets the requirements of Section 10-5 for the establishment
and implementation of a stewardship program, in a format
determined by the Agency. The Agency shall approve a proposed
stewardship program if the program operator submits a completed
plan that meets the requirements of this Section.
(b) Before submitting a stewardship plan to the Agency
under this Section, a program operator shall submit its
proposed stewardship plan to the State Board for review, and to
any other applicable State agencies with areas of authority
relative to the stewardship plan. The duration of time that the
State Board takes to review a stewardship plan under this
subsection shall not count toward the time limit specified in
subsection (a).

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A State agency that receives a plan shall review the plan
for compliance with State and federal laws and regulations
related to that agency's respective authority. The agency shall
determine compliance or noncompliance with those laws and
regulations, and provide to the program operator that
determination and an explanation for any finding of
noncompliance, within 90 days of receipt of the plan.
A program operator may submit an updated proposed plan to a
State agency that issued a determination of noncompliance to
attempt to obtain a determination of compliance. A program
operator shall submit any determination received from an agency
when it submits its stewardship plan to the Agency.
If, 90 days after submitting a plan to an applicable State
agency, a program operator has not received a response from the
applicable agency, the program operator may submit a
certification to the Agency that the stewardship plan is
consistent with all other applicable laws and regulations.
(c) The Agency shall determine if a stewardship plan is
complete, including the determinations required under
subsection (b), and notify the submitting program operator
within 30 days of receipt.
If the Agency finds that the stewardship plan is complete,
the Agency's 90-day review period for consideration of approval
of the plan set forth in subsection (d) shall commence upon the
original date of receipt.
If the Agency determines the stewardship plan is

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incomplete, the Agency shall identify for the program operator
the required additional information, and the program operator
shall resubmit the plan within 30 days.
If the Agency determines upon resubmission that the
stewardship plan is complete, the Agency's 90-day review period
for consideration of approval of the plan shall commence upon
the date of receipt of the resubmitted plan.
(d) The Agency shall review a complete submitted
stewardship plan and shall approve, disapprove, or
conditionally approve the plan within 90 days of receipt of the
complete plan. The Agency may consult with, or submit a
stewardship plan for review to, the State Board or another
State agency it determines is necessary to determine the
completeness of the stewardship plan or for making a
determination on the approval of the stewardship plan or an
amendment to the stewardship plan. The duration of time that
the Agency takes to review a stewardship plan shall not count
toward the 90-day time limit specified in this subsection.
(e) A program operator shall submit any significant changes
to a stewardship plan in writing for approval by the Agency,
and shall not implement the changes prior to that approval.
(f) If the Agency disapproves a submitted stewardship plan
under subsection (d), the Agency shall explain, in writing
within 30 days, how the plan does not comply with this Act, and
the program operator shall resubmit a revised plan to the
Agency.

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If the Agency finds that the revised stewardship plan
submitted by the program operator does not comply with the
requirements of this Act and disapproves the plan, the covered
entity operating its own stewardship program, or the
stewardship organization and the covered entities that are
members of the stewardship organization, are not in compliance
with this Act until the program operator submits a plan that
the Agency approves.
(g) A program operator shall fully implement an approved
stewardship program no later than 270 days after approval by
the Agency of the stewardship plan.
(h) If a stewardship plan is revoked under subsection (a)
of Section 25-10 or terminated by the program operator that
submitted the plan, a covered entity no longer subject to that
plan may, without being subject to penalties under Article 25,
sell or offer for sale covered products in the State for a
period of up to one year after the plan terminated or was
revoked if the covered entity continues to operate under the
most recent approved stewardship plan to which the covered
entity was subject.
(i) The Agency shall make all stewardship plans submitted
under this Section available to the public, except proprietary
information in the plans protected under Section 30-10.
Section 10-5. Stewardship plan requirements.
(a) To be complete, a stewardship plan for covered drugs

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shall do all of the following:
(1) Identify and provide contact information for the
stewardship organization, if applicable, and each
participating covered entity, and identify each covered
drug sold or offered for sale by each participating covered
entity.
(2) Identify and provide contact information for the
authorized collectors for the stewardship program, as well
as the reasons for excluding any potential authorized
collectors from participation in the program.
(3) Include any determinations provided by a State
agency under subsection (b) of Section 10-1. Any
determination of noncompliance shall be accompanied by a
superseding determination of compliance.
(4) Demonstrate adequate funding for all
administrative and operational costs of the stewardship
program, to be borne by participating covered entities.
(5) Provide for a handling, transport, and disposal
system that complies with applicable State and federal
laws, including, but not limited to, regulations adopted by
the United States Drug Enforcement Administration.
(6) Provide for a collection system that complies with
the requirements of this Act and meets all of the following
requirements for authorized collection sites in each
county in which the plan will be implemented:
(A) Provides for a minimum of 5 authorized

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collection sites or one authorized collection site per
50,000 people, whichever is greater.
(B) Provides for a reasonable geographic spread of
authorized collection sites and an explanation for the
geographic spread.
(C) Provides for a mail-back program covering any
counties where there is not an authorized retail
pharmacy operating as an authorized collection site.
(7) Require a program operator to do all of the
following:
(A) Permit an ultimate user who is a homeless,
homebound, or disabled individual to request prepaid,
preaddressed mailing envelopes, or an alternative form
of a collection and disposal system, as described in
paragraph (2) of subsection (c), that would render the
covered drug inert. A program operator shall accept
that request through a website and toll-free telephone
number that it shall maintain to comply with the
requests.
(B) Provide alternative methods of collection from
ultimate users for any covered drugs, other than
controlled substances, that cannot be accepted or
commingled with other covered drugs in secure
collection receptacles or through a mail-back program,
to the extent technically feasible and permissible
under applicable State and federal law, including, but

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not limited to, United States Drug Enforcement
Administration regulations.
(C) Provide a service schedule that meets the needs
of each authorized collection site to ensure that each
secure collection receptacle is serviced as often as
necessary to avoid reaching capacity and that
collected covered drugs are transported to final
disposal in a timely manner. A receipt or collection
manifest shall be left with the authorized collection
site to support verification of the service. The
authorized collection site shall maintain and make
available to the Agency this documentation. An
authorized collector shall comply with applicable
State and federal laws regarding collection and
transportation standards, and the handling of covered
drugs, including United States Drug Enforcement
Administration regulations.
(8) Provide the policies and procedures for the safe
and secure collection, transportation, and disposal of the
covered drug, describe how and where records will be
maintained, describe how, at a minimum, instances of
security problems that occur will be addressed, and explain
the processes that will be taken to change the policies,
procedures, and tracking mechanisms to alleviate the
problems and to improve safety and security.
(b) At least 120 days before submitting a stewardship plan

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to the Agency, the operator of a stewardship program for
covered drugs shall notify potential authorized collectors in
the county or counties in which it operates of the opportunity
to serve as an authorized collector for the proposed
stewardship program. If a potential authorized collector
expresses interest in participating in a stewardship program,
the program operator shall commence good faith negotiations
with the potential authorized collector within 30 days.
A retail pharmacy shall make a reasonable effort to serve
as an authorized collector as part of a stewardship program in
the county in which it is located. If the minimum threshold
described in subparagraph (A) of paragraph (6) of subsection
(a) is not met in each county in which a retail pharmacy chain
has store locations, the retail pharmacy chain shall have at
least one location or 15 percent of its store locations,
whichever is greater, in that county serve as authorized
collectors in a stewardship program.
A program operator shall include as an authorized collector
under its stewardship program any entity that meets the
definition of an authorized collector and offers to participate
in the stewardship program, in writing and without
compensation, even if the minimum threshold described in
subparagraph (A) of paragraph (6) of subsection (a) has been
achieved. The program operator shall include the offering
entity as an authorized collector in the program within 90 days
of receiving the written offer to participate. A program

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operator shall not be required to respond to offers under this
subsection until the program operator's stewardship plan has
been approved by the Agency.
(c) After a stewardship plan for covered drugs has been
approved, the program operator may supplement service, if
approved by the Agency, for a county in which it operates that
does not have the minimum number of authorized collection sites
due to circumstances beyond the program operator's control, by
establishing one or both of the following:
(1) A mail-back program. The mail-back program may
include providing information on where and how to receive
mail-back materials or providing the locations at which it
distributes prepaid, preaddressed mailing envelopes. The
program operator shall propose the locations of those
envelope distribution locations as part of the stewardship
plan. Prepaid mailing envelopes may be mailed to an
ultimate user upon request.
(2) An alternative form of collection and disposal of
covered drugs that complies with applicable State and
federal law, including, but not limited to, United States
Drug Enforcement Administration regulations.
(d) To be complete, a stewardship plan for home-generated
sharps waste shall do all of the following:
(1) Identify and provide contact information for the
stewardship organization, if applicable, and each
participating covered entity, and identify each covered

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product sold or offered for sale by each participating
covered entity.
(2) Include any determinations provided by a State
agency under subsection (b) of Section 10-1. Any
determination of noncompliance shall be accompanied by a
superseding determination of compliance.
(3) Demonstrate adequate funding for all
administrative and operational costs of the stewardship
program, to be borne by participating covered entities.
(4) Provide for a handling, transport, and disposal
system, at no cost to the ultimate user, that complies with
applicable State and federal laws.
(5) Maintain a website and toll-free telephone number
for purposes of providing information on the program,
including disposal options, and to receive requests for
sharps waste containers from ultimate users.
(6) Provide that a stewardship program for
home-generated sharps waste shall be a mail-back program
for home-generated sharps waste that complies with this Act
and that meets all the following requirements:
(A) The program provides or initiates distribution
of a sharps waste container and mail-back materials at
the point of sale, to the extent allowable by law.
Containers and mail-back materials shall be provided
at no cost to the ultimate user. The program operator
shall select and distribute a container and mail-back

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materials sufficient to accommodate the volume of
sharps purchased by an ultimate user over a selected
time period. Containers and mail-back materials shall
include:
(i) for any sharps, on the packaging, inserts,
instructions, or separate information provided to
the ultimate user, information on proper sharps
waste disposal;
(ii) on a label affixed to the container or
packaging or on a separate insert included in the
container or packaging, the program operator's
website and toll-free telephone number; and
(iii) prepaid postage affixed to the container
or to the mail-back packaging.
(B) Upon request, the program provides for
reimbursement to local agencies for disposal costs
related to home-generated sharps waste, unless the
program operator provides for the removal of the
home-generated sharps waste from the local household
hazardous waste facility.
(i) A local agency shall not knowingly request
reimbursement for disposal expenses under this
subparagraph for disposal costs resulting from a
municipal needle exchange program or a medical
waste generator.
(ii) Reimbursement costs shall be limited to

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the actual costs of transportation from the
household hazardous waste facility and for the
actual costs of disposal.
(iii) A request for reimbursement under this
subparagraph shall be submitted with a declaration
under penalty of perjury that the local agency has
not knowingly requested reimbursement for expenses
prohibited by this Section.
(iv) A cost is eligible for reimbursement
under this subparagraph if the cost is incurred 270
days or more after the approval of a stewardship
plan for home-generated sharps waste.
(e) A stewardship plan shall include provisions to expand
into jurisdictions not included in the stewardship plan under
Section 30-5, in the event a jurisdiction repeals its local
stewardship program ordinance.
(f) A stewardship plan shall include educational and
outreach provisions to meet the requirements under Section
5-15.
Article 15. Budgets, Reports, and Records
Section 15-1. Stewardship plan program budget. With the
submission of a stewardship plan, a program operator shall
submit to the Agency an initial stewardship program budget for
the first 5 calendar years of operation of its stewardship

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program that includes both of the following:
(a) the total anticipated revenues and costs of
implementing the stewardship program; and
(b) a total recommended funding level sufficient to cover
the plan's budgeted costs and to operate the stewardship
program over a multiyear period.
Section 15-5. Program operator reports.
(a) On or before March 31, 2022, and each year thereafter,
a program operator shall prepare and submit to the Agency both
of the following:
(1) a written report describing the stewardship
program activities during the previous reporting period of
one calendar year; and
(2) a written program budget for stewardship program
implementation for the upcoming calendar year.
(b) An annual report submitted under paragraph (1) of
subsection (a) shall include, at a minimum, all of the
following for the prior year:
(1) A list of covered entities participating in the
stewardship organization.
(2) The updated and reverified list provided under
subsection (a) of Section 5-1 of covered products that each
covered entity subject to the stewardship plan sells or
offers for sale.
(3) The amount, by weight, of covered products

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collected from ultimate users at each authorized
collection site that is part of the stewardship program.
(4) For a stewardship plan for covered drugs, the name
and location of authorized collection sites at which
covered drugs were collected.
(5) For a stewardship plan for home-generated sharps
waste, information on the mail-back program.
(6) Whether policies and procedures for collecting,
transporting, and disposing of covered products, as
established in the stewardship plan, were followed during
the reporting period and a description of each instance of
noncompliance, if any occurred.
(7) Whether any safety or security problems occurred
during collection, transportation, or disposal of
collected covered products during the reporting period
and, if so, what changes have been or will be made to
policies, procedures, or tracking mechanisms to alleviate
the problem and to improve safety and security.
(8) How the program operator complied with all elements
in its stewardship plan.
(9) Any other information the Agency reasonably
requires.
(c) An annual program budget submitted under paragraph (2)
of subsection (a) shall include, at a minimum, both of the
following for the upcoming calendar year:
(1) an independent financial audit of the stewardship

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program, as required under subsection (b) of Section 15-10,
funded by the stewardship organization from the charge paid
from its member covered entities under Section 20-1 or by a
covered entity if it operates its own stewardship program;
and
(2) anticipated costs and the recommended funding
level necessary to implement the stewardship program,
including, but not limited to, costs to cover the
stewardship plan's budgeted costs and to operate the
stewardship program over a multiyear period in a prudent
and responsible manner.
(d) The Agency shall determine if a submitted annual report
and program budget are complete and notify the submitting
stewardship organization or covered entity within 30 days.
If the Agency finds that an annual report and program
budget are complete, the Agency's 90-day review period for
consideration of approval of the annual report and program
budget, set forth in subsection (e), shall commence upon the
original date of receipt.
If the Agency determines either an annual report or a
program budget is incomplete, the Agency shall identify for the
program operator within 30 days the required additional
information, and the program operator shall submit a revised
annual report or program budget, as applicable, within 30 days.
If the Agency determines upon resubmission that the annual
report or program budget is complete, the Agency's 90-day

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review period for consideration of approval of the annual
report or program budget shall commence upon the date of
receipt of the resubmitted report or program budget.
(e) The Agency shall review the annual report and program
budget required under subsection (a) and within 90 days of
receipt shall approve, disapprove, or conditionally approve
the annual report and program budget.
If the Agency conditionally approves an annual report or
program budget, the Agency shall identify the deficiencies in
the annual report or program budget and the program operator
shall comply with the conditions of the conditional approval
within 60 days of the notice date, unless the Director of the
Agency determines that additional time is needed.
If the Agency conditionally approves an annual report or
program budget and the conditions are not met within 60 days of
the notice date, unless additional time is granted under this
subsection, the Agency shall disapprove the annual report or
program budget.
If the Agency disapproves an annual report or program
budget, the Agency shall identify the deficiencies in the
annual report or program budget and the program operator shall
submit a revised annual report or program budget and provide
any supplemental information requested within 60 days of the
notice date.
Section 15-10. Keeping minutes, books, and records;

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audits.
(a) A program operator shall keep minutes, books, and
records that clearly reflect the activities and transactions of
the program operator's stewardship program.
(b) The minutes, books, and records of a program operator
shall be audited at the program operator's expense by an
independent certified public accountant retained by the
program operator at least once each calendar year.
A program operator shall arrange for the independent
certified public accountant audit to be delivered to the
Agency, along with the annual report and program budget
submitted under subsection (a) of Section 15-5.
The Agency may conduct its own audit of a program operator.
The Agency shall review the independent certified public
accountant audit for compliance with this Act and consistency
with the program operator's stewardship plan, annual report,
and program budget submitted under this Act. The Agency shall
notify the program operator of any conduct or practice that
does not comply with this Act or of any inconsistencies
identified in the Agency's audit. The program operator may
obtain copies of the Agency's audit, including proprietary
information contained in the Agency's audit, upon request. The
Agency shall not disclose any confidential proprietary
information protected under Section 30-10 that is included in
the Agency's audit.

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Section 15-15. Local jurisdiction reimbursement;
requirements. For a local jurisdiction that requests removal of
home-generated sharps waste or cost recovery or reimbursement
for removal under Section 10-5, the local jurisdiction shall
provide information on home-generated sharps waste to the
covered entity or program operator, within a reasonable time,
upon request by the covered entity or program operator.
Section 15-20. Adequate access report. As part of the
administration of this Act, within 12 months of a program
operator's submission of 3 consecutive complete annual reports
submitted under Section 15-5, the Agency shall develop, and
post on its website, a report analyzing whether the program
operator's stewardship program provides adequate access to
safe disposal of home-generated sharps waste or covered drugs,
as applicable, to the ultimate user.
Article 20. Financial Provisions
Section 20-1. Administrative and operational costs. In
order to further the objective that covered entities establish
and implement stewardship programs that comply with the
requirements of this Act, each covered entity, either
individually or through a stewardship organization, shall pay
all administrative and operational costs associated with
establishing and implementing the stewardship program in which

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it participates, including the cost of collecting,
transporting, and disposing of covered products.
Section 20-5. Administrative fee.
(a) On or before the end of State Fiscal Year 2023, and
once every 3 months thereafter, a program operator shall pay to
the Agency an administrative fee. The Agency shall set the fee
at an amount that, when paid by every covered entity, is
adequate to cover the Agency's and any other State agency's
full costs of administering and enforcing this Act. The total
amount of fees collected shall not exceed the State's actual
and reasonable regulatory costs to implement and enforce this
Act. These costs may include the actual and reasonable costs
associated with regulatory activities under this Act before
submission of stewardship plans under Section 10-1.
For a stewardship organization, the administrative fee
paid under this subsection shall be funded by the covered
entities that make up the stewardship organization. This
administrative fee shall be in addition to the charge paid
under Section 20-1. A stewardship organization may require its
participating covered entities to pay the administrative fee
and the charge paid under Section 20-1 at the same time.
(b) The fees received by the Agency under this Section
shall be deposited into the Drug and Sharps Stewardship Fund,
which is hereby created as a special fund in the State
treasury. Upon appropriation by the General Assembly, moneys in

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the fund may be expended by the Agency, the State Board, and
any other agency that assists in the regulatory activities of
administering and enforcing this Act. Upon appropriation by the
General Assembly, moneys in the fund may be used for those
regulatory activities and to reimburse any outstanding loans
made from other funds used to finance the startup costs of the
Agency's activities under this Act. Moneys in the fund shall
not be expended for any purpose not enumerated in this Act.
(c) The penalties received by the Agency under Section 25-5
shall be deposited into the Pharmaceutical and Sharps
Stewardship Penalty Account, which is hereby created as an
account within the Pharmaceutical and Sharps Stewardship Fund.
Upon appropriation by the General Assembly, moneys in the
account may be expended by the Agency on activities including,
but not limited to, the promotion of safe handling and disposal
of covered products, grants for related purposes, and the
administration and enforcement this Act.
Section 20-10. Audits.
(a) A stewardship organization may conduct an audit of
covered entities that are required to remit a charge or
administrative fee to the stewardship organization under
Sections 20-1 and 20-5 to verify that the administrative fees
and charges paid are proper and accurate. A stewardship
organization may conduct an audit of authorized collectors to
verify the charges submitted are proper and accurate.

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The purpose of the audits described in this subsection is
to ensure parties required by this Act to pay or collect an
administrative fee or charge are paying or collecting the
proper amount to implement the program.
(b) If a stewardship organization conducts an audit under
subsection (a), it shall do each of the following:
(1) conduct the audit in accordance with generally
accepted auditing practices;
(2) limit the scope of the audit of covered entities to
confirming whether a charge or administrative fee has been
properly paid by the covered entities;
(3) hire an independent third-party auditor to conduct
the audit; and
(4) provide a copy of the audit to the Agency.
Article 25. Enforcement
Section 25-1. Posting listed stewardship organizations.
(a) On or before June 30, 2022, and at least annually
thereafter, the Agency shall post on its website a list of
stewardship organizations, including entities with an approved
stewardship plan, and covered entities, authorized collection
sites, retail pharmacies, and retail pharmacy chains provided
in the stewardship plans that are in compliance with this Act.
The State Board shall coordinate with the Agency to verify
that the list posted under this subsection is consistent with

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the information submitted to each agency under Section 5-1.
(b) A covered entity or stewardship organization that is
not listed on the Agency's website under subsection (a), but
demonstrates compliance with this Act before the Agency is
required to post the following year's list under subsection
(a), may request a certification letter from the Agency stating
that the covered entity or stewardship organization is in
compliance with this Act. A covered entity or stewardship
organization that receives a certification letter shall be
deemed to be in compliance with this Act.
(c) A distributor or wholesale drug distributor of covered
products, and a pharmacy or other retailer that sells or offers
for sale a covered product, shall monitor the Agency's website
to determine which covered entities and stewardship
organizations are in compliance with this Act. The distributor
or wholesale drug distributor and the pharmacy or other
retailer shall notify the Agency if it determines that a
covered product that it sells or offers for sale is from a
covered entity that is not listed on the Agency's website.
(d) The sale, distribution, or offering for sale of any
inventory that was in stock before the commencement of a
stewardship program is exempt from this Act and not required to
be subject to a stewardship plan.
(e) If the Act determines a covered entity or stewardship
organization is not in compliance with this Act, the Agency
shall remove the entity from the list maintained on the

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Agency's website under subsection (a).
Section 25-5. Administrative penalties.
(a) The Agency may impose an administrative penalty on any
covered entity, program operator, stewardship organization, or
authorized collector that sells, offers for sale, or provides a
covered product in violation of this Act.
The amount of the administrative penalty imposed under this
subsection shall not exceed $10,000 per day per violation
unless the violation is intentional, knowing, or reckless, in
which case the administrative penalty shall not exceed $50,000
per day per violation.
(b) The Agency shall not impose a penalty on a program
operator under this Section for failure to comply with this Act
if the program operator demonstrates it received false or
misleading information that contributed to its failure to
comply, including, for a stewardship organization, from a
participating covered entity.
Section 25-10. Additional penalties. Upon a written
finding that a covered entity, program operator, stewardship
organization, or authorized collector has not met a material
requirement of this Act, in addition to any other penalties
authorized under this Act, the Agency may take one or both of
the following actions to ensure compliance with the
requirements of this Act, after affording the covered entity,

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stewardship organization, or authorized collector a reasonable
opportunity to respond to, or rebut, the finding:
(a) Revoke the program operator's stewardship plan
approval or require the program operator to resubmit the plan.
(b) Require additional reporting relating to compliance
with the material requirement of this Act that was not met.
Section 25-15. Agency access and records; keeping records.
(a) A covered entity, stewardship organization, program
operator, retail pharmacy, or retail pharmacy chain shall do
both of the following:
(1) Upon request, provide the Agency with reasonable
and timely access, as determined by the Agency, to its
facilities and operations, as necessary to determine
compliance with this Act.
(2) Upon request, provide the Agency with relevant
records necessary to determine compliance with this Act.
(b) A covered entity, stewardship organization, program
operator, retail pharmacy, or retail pharmacy chain shall
maintain and keep accessible all records required to be kept or
submitted under this Section for a minimum of 3 years.
(c) All reports and records provided to the Agency under
this Section shall be provided under penalty of perjury.
(d) The Agency may take disciplinary action against a
covered entity, stewardship organization, program operator,
pharmacy, retail pharmacy, or retail pharmacy chain that fails

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to provide the Agency with the access to information required
under this Section, including one or both of the following:
(1) Imposing an administrative penalty under Section 25-5.
(2) Posting a notice on the Agency's website, in
association with the list that the Agency maintains under
subsection (a) of Section 25-1, that the covered entity,
stewardship organization, program operator, pharmacy, retail
pharmacy, or retail pharmacy chain is no longer in compliance
with this Act.
(e) The Agency shall not prohibit as a disciplinary action
a covered entity, stewardship organization, program operator,
pharmacy, retail pharmacy, or retail pharmacy chain from
selling a covered product.
Section 25-20. Handling, transport, and disposal. All
handling, transport, and disposal undertaken as part of a
stewardship program under this Act shall comply with applicable
State and federal laws, including, but not limited to,
regulations adopted by the United States Drug Enforcement
Administration.
Article 30. Miscellaneous Provisions
Section 30-1. Violation exceptions.
(a) Except as provided in subsection (c), an action
specified in subsection (b) that is taken by a stewardship

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organization or a covered entity under this Act is not a
violation of the Illinois Antitrust Act.
(b) Subsection (a) shall apply to all of the following
actions taken by a stewardship organization or covered entity:
(1) The creation, implementation, or management of a
stewardship plan approved by the Agency under Article 10
and the determination of the types or quantities of covered
products collected or otherwise managed under a
stewardship plan.
(2) The determination of the cost and structure of an
approved stewardship plan.
(3) The establishment, administration, collection, or
disbursement of the charge or administrative fee imposed
under Section 20-1 or 20-5.
(c) Subsection (a) shall not apply to an agreement that
does any of the following:
(1) Fixes a price of or for covered products, except
for an agreement related to costs, charges, or
administrative fees associated with participation in a
stewardship plan approved by the Agency and otherwise in
accordance with this Act.
(2) Fixes the output of production of covered products.
(3) Restricts the geographic area in which, or
customers to whom, covered products are sold.
Section 30-5. Ordinances affected; local stewardship

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programs.
(a) This Act does not apply to a drug or sharp within a
jurisdiction that is subject to a local stewardship program
under an ordinance that took effect before January 1, 2020. If
that ordinance is repealed, the drug or sharp program shall be
subject to this Act in that jurisdiction within 270 days after
the date on which the ordinance is repealed.
(b) This Act shall preempt a local stewardship program for
drugs or sharps enacted by an ordinance with an effective date
on or after January 1, 2020. The regulation of the collection,
transportation, and disposal of drugs and sharps as described
in this Act is an exclusive power and function of the State. A
home rule unit may not regulate the collection, transportation,
and disposal of drugs and sharps. This Section is a denial and
limitation of home rule powers and functions under subsection
(h) of Section 6 of Article VII of the Illinois Constitution.
(c) A local stewardship program for covered products
enacted by an ordinance that has an effective date before
January 1, 2020, may continue in operation, but the program and
its participants shall not receive or benefit from moneys from
the Pharmaceutical and Sharps Stewardship Fund or the
Pharmaceutical and Sharps Stewardship Penalty Account,
including, but not limited to, for administrative or
enforcement costs. Participants of a local stewardship program
for covered products enacted by an ordinance that has an
effective date before January 1, 2020, shall be eligible to

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participate in a stewardship program under this Act and thereby
become eligible to receive funds from the Drug and Sharps
Stewardship Fund or the Drug and Sharps Stewardship Penalty
Account only if the local stewardship program is dissolved.
Section 30-10. Confidential proprietary information.
Proprietary information submitted to the Agency under this Act
shall be protected by all parties as confidential and shall be
exempt from public disclosure under the State Records Act and
the Freedom of Information Act. The Agency and other parties
may only disclose proprietary information in an aggregated form
that does not directly or indirectly identify financial,
production, or sales data of an individual covered entity or
stewardship organization. Proprietary information may be
disclosed to the party that submitted the proprietary
information.