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| Public Act 103-0285
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| HB1615 Enrolled | LRB103 25827 AMQ 52178 b |
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AN ACT concerning regulation.
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Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
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represented in the General Assembly:
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Section 1. Legislative findings. The General Assembly |
finds: |
(1) There is a growing shortage of nurses working in |
Illinois health care facilities, which is most profound in |
Southern Illinois. |
(2) Nurse employers, including hospitals and long-term |
care facilities, cannot hire the number of nurses they |
need to provide quality nursing care. |
(3) The purpose of the Illinois Nursing Workforce |
Center is to address issues of supply and demand in the |
nursing profession, including issues of recruitment, |
retention, and utilization of nurse manpower resources. |
(4) The Center reports that the Department of |
Financial and Professional Regulation provides nursing |
licenses, as of June 2022, in the following amounts: |
17,931 advanced practice registered nurse licenses; |
200,600 registered nurse licenses; and 25,978 licensed |
practical nurse licenses. |
(5) The number of licenses does not equate to the |
number of nurses currently in the workforce in Illinois as |
many nurses renew their licenses even after retirement. |
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(6) There have been nursing surveys, but they have |
been voluntary. For instance, in 2020, only 22% of nurses |
responded to surveys. |
(7) Strategies and changes are necessary to solving |
the nursing shortage. There needs to be accurate and |
complete data. |
(8) Illinois must know whether there are regional |
shortages of nurses, shortages of nurses in specialty |
areas, or impediments to entering the nursing profession. |
A required survey will address these and other nurse |
shortage issues.
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Section 5. The Nurse Practice Act is amended by changing |
Sections 75-10 and 75-15 as follows:
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(225 ILCS 65/75-10) (was 225 ILCS 65/17-10) |
(Section scheduled to be repealed on January 1, 2028) |
Sec. 75-10. Illinois Nursing Workforce Center. The purpose |
of the Illinois Nursing Workforce Center to address issues of |
supply and demand in the nursing profession, including issues |
of recruitment, retention, and utilization of nurse manpower |
resources. The General Assembly finds that the Center will |
enhance the access to and delivery of quality health care |
services by providing an ongoing strategy for the allocation |
of the State's resources directed towards nursing. Each of the |
following objectives shall serve as the primary goals for the |
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Center: |
(1) To develop a strategic plan for nursing workforce |
in the State by selecting priorities to be addressed, |
including: manpower in Illinois by selecting priorities |
that must be addressed. |
(A) For license renewals beginning in 2024 and
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each renewal thereafter, to develop and require all |
licensed nurses,
including licensed practical nurses, |
registered
nurses, and advanced practice registered |
nurses, respond to the Center's nursing workforce |
supply survey.
Applicants shall respond to the |
Center's nursing workforce supply survey in |
conjunction with license renewal. However, license |
renewal shall not be contingent upon responding to the |
Center's nursing workforce supply survey and failure |
to respond to the Center's nursing workforce supply |
survey shall not result in encumbrance of the |
applicant's license. The survey shall use the National |
Forum of State Nursing Workforce Centers Minimum Nurse |
Supply
Dataset. The Center shall compile, process, and
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evaluate the survey findings and report to the
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Governor, the President of the Senate, and the Speaker
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of the House of Representatives with recommendations. |
As used in this subsection, "nursing workforce |
supply survey" means the nursing workforce supply |
survey conducted biennially by the Center that asks |
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nurses to provide information about their |
demographics, specialty, setting of work, and other |
information necessary to inform
the State on the |
status and characteristics of the State's nursing |
workforce. |
(B) No later than 2027, to develop a nurse demand
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and employer survey to be collected biennially. The
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survey shall use the National Forum of State Nursing
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Workforce Centers Minimum Nurse Demand Dataset. The
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Center shall compile, process, and evaluate the survey
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findings and report to the Governor, the President of
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the Senate, and the Speaker of the House of
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Representatives with recommendations. |
(2) To convene various groups of representatives of |
nurses, other health care providers, businesses and |
industries, consumers, legislators, and educators to: |
(A) review and comment on data analysis prepared |
by for the Center; and |
(B) recommend systemic changes, including |
strategies for implementation of recommended changes. |
(3) To enhance and promote recognition, reward, and |
renewal activities for nurses in the State Illinois by: |
(A) proposing and creating reward, recognition, |
and renewal activities for nursing; and |
(B) promoting positive media and positive |
image-building efforts for nursing.
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(Source: P.A. 100-513, eff. 1-1-18.)
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(225 ILCS 65/75-15) (was 225 ILCS 65/17-15) |
(Section scheduled to be repealed on January 1, 2028) |
Sec. 75-15. Illinois Nursing Workforce Center Advisory |
Board.
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(a) There is created the Illinois Nursing Workforce Center |
Advisory Board, which shall consist of 11 members appointed by |
the Secretary, with 6 members of the Advisory Board being |
nurses representative of various nursing specialty areas and 2 |
members representing a labor organization recognized under the |
National Labor Relations Act that represents active registered |
professional nurses licensed by the Department of Financial |
and Professional Regulation. The other 3 5 members may include |
representatives of associations, health care providers, |
nursing educators, and consumers. |
(b) The membership of the Advisory Board shall reasonably |
reflect representation from the geographic areas in this |
State. |
(c) Members of the Advisory Board appointed by the |
Secretary shall serve for terms of 4 years, with no member |
serving more than 10 successive years. A member shall serve |
until his or her successor is appointed and has qualified. |
Vacancies shall be filled in the same manner as original |
appointments, and any member so appointed shall serve during |
the remainder of the term for which the vacancy occurred. |
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(d) A quorum of the Advisory Board shall consist of a |
majority of Advisory Board members currently serving. A |
majority vote of the quorum is required for Advisory Board |
decisions. A vacancy in the membership of the Advisory Board |
shall not impair the right of a quorum to exercise all of the |
rights and perform all of the duties of the Advisory Board. |
(e) The Secretary may remove any appointed member of the |
Advisory Board for misconduct, incapacity, or neglect of duty |
and shall be the sole judge of the sufficiency of the cause for |
removal. |
(f) Members of the Advisory Board are immune from suit in |
any action based upon any activities performed in good faith |
as members of the Advisory Board. |
(g) Members of the Advisory Board shall not receive |
compensation, but shall be reimbursed for actual traveling, |
incidentals, and expenses necessarily incurred in carrying out |
their duties as members of the Advisory Board, as approved by |
the Department.
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(h) The Advisory Board shall meet annually to elect a |
chairperson and vice chairperson. |
(Source: P.A. 100-513, eff. 1-1-18.)
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