Rep. Maura Hirschauer

Filed: 3/20/2023

 

 


 

 


 
10300HB1615ham002LRB103 25827 SPS 59081 a

1
AMENDMENT TO HOUSE BILL 1615

2    AMENDMENT NO. ______. Amend House Bill 1615, AS AMENDED,
3by replacing everything after the enacting clause with the
4following:
 
5    "Section 1. Legislative findings. The General Assembly
6finds:
7        (1) There is a growing shortage of nurses working in
8    Illinois health care facilities, which is most profound in
9    Southern Illinois.
10        (2) Nurse employers, including hospitals and long-term
11    care facilities, cannot hire the number of nurses they
12    need to provide quality nursing care.
13        (3) The purpose of the Illinois Nursing Workforce
14    Center is to address issues of supply and demand in the
15    nursing profession, including issues of recruitment,
16    retention, and utilization of nurse manpower resources.
17        (4) The Center reports that the Department of

 

 

10300HB1615ham002- 2 -LRB103 25827 SPS 59081 a

1    Financial and Professional Regulation provides nursing
2    licenses, as of June 2022, in the following amounts:
3    17,931 advanced practice registered nurse licenses;
4    200,600 registered nurse licenses; and 25,978 licensed
5    practical nurse licenses.
6        (5) The number of licenses does not equate to the
7    number of nurses currently in the workforce in Illinois as
8    many nurses renew their licenses even after retirement.
9        (6) There have been nursing surveys, but they have
10    been voluntary. For instance, in 2020, only 22% of nurses
11    responded to surveys.
12        (7) Strategies and changes are necessary to solving
13    the nursing shortage. There needs to be accurate and
14    complete data.
15        (8) Illinois must know whether there are regional
16    shortages of nurses, shortages of nurses in specialty
17    areas, or impediments to entering the nursing profession.
18    A required survey will address these and other nurse
19    shortage issues.
 
20    Section 5. The Nurse Practice Act is amended by changing
21Sections 75-10 and 75-15 as follows:
 
22    (225 ILCS 65/75-10)  (was 225 ILCS 65/17-10)
23    (Section scheduled to be repealed on January 1, 2028)
24    Sec. 75-10. Illinois Nursing Workforce Center. The purpose

 

 

10300HB1615ham002- 3 -LRB103 25827 SPS 59081 a

1of the Illinois Nursing Workforce Center to address issues of
2supply and demand in the nursing profession, including issues
3of recruitment, retention, and utilization of nurse manpower
4resources. The General Assembly finds that the Center will
5enhance the access to and delivery of quality health care
6services by providing an ongoing strategy for the allocation
7of the State's resources directed towards nursing. Each of the
8following objectives shall serve as the primary goals for the
9Center:
10        (1) To develop a strategic plan for nursing workforce
11    in the State by selecting priorities to be addressed,
12    including: manpower in Illinois by selecting priorities
13    that must be addressed.
14            (A) For license renewals beginning in 2024 and
15        each renewal thereafter, to develop and require all
16        licensed nurses, including licensed practical nurses,
17        registered nurses, and advanced practice registered
18        nurses, respond to the Center's nursing workforce
19        supply survey. Applicants shall respond to the
20        Center's nursing workforce supply survey in
21        conjunction with license renewal. However, license
22        renewal shall not be contingent upon responding to the
23        Center's nursing workforce supply survey and failure
24        to respond to the Center's nursing workforce supply
25        survey shall not result in encumbrance of the
26        applicant's license. The survey shall use the National

 

 

10300HB1615ham002- 4 -LRB103 25827 SPS 59081 a

1        Forum of State Nursing Workforce Centers Minimum Nurse
2        Supply Dataset. The Center shall compile, process, and
3        evaluate the survey findings and report to the
4        Governor, the President of the Senate, and the Speaker
5        of the House of Representatives with recommendations.
6            As used in this subsection, "nursing workforce
7        supply survey" means the nursing workforce supply
8        survey conducted biennially by the Center that asks
9        nurses to provide information about their
10        demographics, specialty, setting of work, and other
11        information necessary to inform the State on the
12        status and characteristics of the State's nursing
13        workforce.
14            (B) No later than 2027, to develop a nurse demand
15        and employer survey to be collected biennially. The
16        survey shall use the National Forum of State Nursing
17        Workforce Centers Minimum Nurse Demand Dataset. The
18        Center shall compile, process, and evaluate the survey
19        findings and report to the Governor, the President of
20        the Senate, and the Speaker of the House of
21        Representatives with recommendations.
22        (2) To convene various groups of representatives of
23    nurses, other health care providers, businesses and
24    industries, consumers, legislators, and educators to:
25            (A) review and comment on data analysis prepared
26        by for the Center; and

 

 

10300HB1615ham002- 5 -LRB103 25827 SPS 59081 a

1            (B) recommend systemic changes, including
2        strategies for implementation of recommended changes.
3        (3) To enhance and promote recognition, reward, and
4    renewal activities for nurses in the State Illinois by:
5            (A) proposing and creating reward, recognition,
6        and renewal activities for nursing; and
7            (B) promoting positive media and positive
8        image-building efforts for nursing.
9(Source: P.A. 100-513, eff. 1-1-18.)
 
10    (225 ILCS 65/75-15)  (was 225 ILCS 65/17-15)
11    (Section scheduled to be repealed on January 1, 2028)
12    Sec. 75-15. Illinois Nursing Workforce Center Advisory
13Board.
14    (a) There is created the Illinois Nursing Workforce Center
15Advisory Board, which shall consist of 11 members appointed by
16the Secretary, with 6 members of the Advisory Board being
17nurses representative of various nursing specialty areas and 2
18members representing a labor organization recognized under the
19National Labor Relations Act that represents active registered
20professional nurses licensed by the Department of Financial
21and Professional Regulation. The other 3 5 members may include
22representatives of associations, health care providers,
23nursing educators, and consumers.
24    (b) The membership of the Advisory Board shall reasonably
25reflect representation from the geographic areas in this

 

 

10300HB1615ham002- 6 -LRB103 25827 SPS 59081 a

1State.
2    (c) Members of the Advisory Board appointed by the
3Secretary shall serve for terms of 4 years, with no member
4serving more than 10 successive years. A member shall serve
5until his or her successor is appointed and has qualified.
6Vacancies shall be filled in the same manner as original
7appointments, and any member so appointed shall serve during
8the remainder of the term for which the vacancy occurred.
9    (d) A quorum of the Advisory Board shall consist of a
10majority of Advisory Board members currently serving. A
11majority vote of the quorum is required for Advisory Board
12decisions. A vacancy in the membership of the Advisory Board
13shall not impair the right of a quorum to exercise all of the
14rights and perform all of the duties of the Advisory Board.
15    (e) The Secretary may remove any appointed member of the
16Advisory Board for misconduct, incapacity, or neglect of duty
17and shall be the sole judge of the sufficiency of the cause for
18removal.
19    (f) Members of the Advisory Board are immune from suit in
20any action based upon any activities performed in good faith
21as members of the Advisory Board.
22    (g) Members of the Advisory Board shall not receive
23compensation, but shall be reimbursed for actual traveling,
24incidentals, and expenses necessarily incurred in carrying out
25their duties as members of the Advisory Board, as approved by
26the Department.

 

 

10300HB1615ham002- 7 -LRB103 25827 SPS 59081 a

1    (h) The Advisory Board shall meet annually to elect a
2chairperson and vice chairperson.
3(Source: P.A. 100-513, eff. 1-1-18.)
 
4    Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon
5becoming law.".