Bill Status of SB 544   95th General Assembly

Short Description:  HLTH FACILITY-LANGUAGE ASSIST

Senate Sponsors
Sen. William Delgado

House Sponsors
(Rep. Elizabeth Hernandez)


Last Action  View All Actions

DateChamber Action
  10/17/2007SenatePublic Act . . . . . . . . . 95-0667

Statutes Amended In Order of Appearance
210 ILCS 87/15

Synopsis As Introduced
Amends the Language Assistance Services Act. Makes changes in the list of things a health facility must do to ensure access to health care information and services for limited-English-speaking or non-English-speaking residents and deaf residents. Provides that a facility must do all (instead of one or more) of the following: (1) adopt and review annually a policy for providing language assistance services to patients with language or communication barriers; (2) develop and post notices that advise patients and their families of the availability of interpreters; and (3) notify the facility's employees of the language services available at the facility and train them on how to make these language services available to patients. Provides that, in addition, a facility may do one or more of the following: (i) review existing policies regarding interpreters; (ii) adopt a policy for language assistance services that includes certain procedures; (iii) identify and record a patient's primary language and dialect; (iv) prepare a list of interpreters; (v) review standardized forms and other materials; (vi) consider providing its nonbilingual staff with standardized picture and phrase sheets; and (vii) develop community liaison groups. Effective immediately.

Senate Committee Amendment No. 1
Replaces everything after the enacting clause with similar provisions amending the Language Assistance Services Act but with changes that include the following: (1) restores provisions of current law stating that a health facility must adopt and review annually a policy for providing language assistance services and that the policy must include certain items (deletes an amendatory provision that a facility may adopt such a policy); (2) requires that notices of the availability of interpreters list the languages "most commonly encountered at the facility" for which interpreter services are available; and (3) eliminates a provision that a facility may review existing policies regarding interpreters. Effective immediately.

Senate Floor Amendment No. 3
Provides that telephone numbers that must be posted by a health facility include a TTY number for persons who are deaf or hard of hearing (instead of a T.D.D. number for the hearing impaired). Provides that a health facility may maintain a list of interpreters who have been identified as proficient in sign language according to the Interpreters for the Deaf Act and a list of the languages of the population of the geographical area served by the facility (instead of a list of interpreters who have been identified as proficient in sign language and in the languages of the population of the geographical area served by the facility). Deletes a provision concerning an interpreter's ability to translate the names of body parts, injuries, and symptoms.

Governor Amendatory Veto Message
Recommends that, with respect to a health facility's policy for providing language assistance services, a reference to "a family member" of a patient who volunteers to interpret be changed to "an adult family member".

Actions 
DateChamber Action
  2/8/2007SenateFiled with Secretary by Sen. William Delgado
  2/8/2007SenateFirst Reading
  2/8/2007SenateReferred to Rules
  2/21/2007SenateAssigned to Human Services
  3/6/2007SenateSenate Committee Amendment No. 1 Filed with Secretary by Sen. William Delgado
  3/6/2007SenateSenate Committee Amendment No. 1 Referred to Rules
  3/6/2007SenateSenate Committee Amendment No. 1 Rules Refers to Human Services
  3/7/2007SenateSenate Committee Amendment No. 1 Postponed - Human Services
  3/8/2007SenatePostponed - Human Services
  3/14/2007SenateSenate Committee Amendment No. 1 Adopted
  3/14/2007SenateDo Pass as Amended Human Services; 011-000-000
  3/14/2007SenatePlaced on Calendar Order of 2nd Reading March 15, 2007
  3/20/2007SenateSecond Reading
  3/20/2007SenatePlaced on Calendar Order of 3rd Reading March 21, 2007
  3/23/2007SenateSenate Floor Amendment No. 2 Filed with Secretary by Sen. William Delgado
  3/23/2007SenateSenate Floor Amendment No. 2 Referred to Rules
  3/27/2007SenateSenate Floor Amendment No. 2 Rules Refers to Human Services
  3/28/2007SenateSenate Floor Amendment No. 2 Recommend Do Adopt Human Services; 008-000-000
  3/30/2007SenateRule 2-10 Third Reading Deadline Established As May 31, 2007
  4/20/2007SenateSenate Floor Amendment No. 3 Filed with Secretary by Sen. William Delgado
  4/20/2007SenateSenate Floor Amendment No. 3 Referred to Rules
  4/25/2007SenateSenate Floor Amendment No. 3 Rules Refers to Human Services
  4/26/2007SenateSenate Floor Amendment No. 3 Recommend Do Adopt Human Services; 006-000-000
  5/8/2007SenateRecalled to Second Reading
  5/8/2007SenateSenate Floor Amendment No. 2 Motion to Table Amendment - Prevailed Delgado
  5/8/2007SenateSenate Floor Amendment No. 2 Tabled
  5/8/2007SenateSenate Floor Amendment No. 3 Adopted; Delgado
  5/8/2007SenatePlaced on Calendar Order of 3rd Reading
  5/8/2007SenateThird Reading - Passed; 052-000-000
  5/8/2007HouseArrived in House
  5/8/2007HousePlaced on Calendar Order of First Reading
  5/15/2007HouseChief House Sponsor Rep. Elizabeth Hernandez
  5/15/2007HouseFirst Reading
  5/15/2007HouseReferred to Rules Committee
  5/24/2007HouseAssigned to Human Services Committee
  5/25/2007HouseFinal Action Deadline Extended-9(b) May 31, 2007
  5/30/2007HouseDo Pass / Short Debate Human Services Committee; 009-000-000
  5/30/2007HousePlaced on Calendar 2nd Reading - Short Debate
  5/30/2007HouseSecond Reading - Short Debate
  5/30/2007HousePlaced on Calendar Order of 3rd Reading - Short Debate
  5/31/2007HouseThird Reading - Short Debate - Passed 116-000-000
  5/31/2007SenatePassed Both Houses
  6/29/2007SenateSent to the Governor
  8/28/2007SenateGovernor Amendatory Veto
  10/2/2007SenatePlaced on Calendar Amendatory Veto October 3, 2007
  10/3/2007SenateMotion Filed Override Amendatory Veto Sen. William Delgado
  10/3/2007Senate3/5 Vote Required
  10/3/2007SenateOverride Amendatory Veto - Senate Passed 053-000-000
  10/4/2007HousePlaced on Calendar Amendatory Veto October 10, 2007
  10/5/2007HouseMotion Filed Override Amendatory Veto Rep. Elizabeth Hernandez
  10/11/2007House3/5 Vote Required
  10/11/2007HouseOverride Amendatory Veto - House Passed 112-000-000
  10/11/2007SenateAmendatory Veto Overridden Both Houses
  10/17/2007SenateEffective Date October 11, 2007
  10/17/2007SenatePublic Act . . . . . . . . . 95-0667

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