(a) This Act provides for licensure of long term care facilities that are federally designated as institutions for the mentally diseased on the effective date of this Act and specialize in providing services to individuals with a serious mental illness. On and after the effective date of this Act, these facilities shall be governed by this Act instead of the Nursing Home Care Act. The existence of a current or pending administrative hearing, notice of violation, or other enforcement action, except for a pending notice of revocation, authorized under the Nursing Home Care Act shall not be a barrier to the provisional licensure of a facility under this Act. Provisional licensure under this Act shall not relieve a facility from the responsibility for the payment of any past, current, or future fines or penalties, or for any other enforcement remedy, imposed upon the facility under the Nursing Home Care Act.
     (b) All consent decrees that apply to facilities federally designated as institutions for the mentally diseased shall continue to apply to facilities licensed under this Act.
     (c) A facility licensed under this Act may voluntarily close, and the facility may reopen in an underserved region of the State, if the facility receives a certificate of need from the Health Facilities and Services Review Board. At no time shall the total number of licensed beds under this Act exceed the total number of licensed beds existing on July 22, 2013 (the effective date of Public Act 98-104).