SB0462 EngrossedLRB099 03214 HAF 23222 b

1    AN ACT concerning regulation.
 
2    Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
3represented in the General Assembly:
 
4    Section 5. The Hearing Instrument Consumer Protection Act
5is amended by changing Section 8 as follows:
 
6    (225 ILCS 50/8)  (from Ch. 111, par. 7408)
7    (Section scheduled to be repealed on January 1, 2026)
8    Sec. 8. Applicant qualifications; examination.
9    (a) In order to protect persons who are deaf or hard of
10hearing, the Department shall authorize or shall conduct an
11appropriate examination, which may be the International
12Hearing Society's licensure examination, for persons who
13dispense, test, select, recommend, fit, or service hearing
14instruments. The frequency of holding these examinations shall
15be determined by the Department by rule. Those who successfully
16pass such an examination shall be issued a license as a hearing
17instrument dispenser, which shall be effective for a 2-year
18period.
19    (b) Applicants shall be:
20        (1) at least 18 years of age;
21        (2) of good moral character;
22        (3) the holder of an associate's degree or the
23    equivalent;

 

 

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1        (4) free of contagious or infectious disease; and
2        (5) a citizen or person who has the status as a legal
3    alien.
4    Felony convictions of the applicant and findings against
5the applicant involving matters set forth in Sections 17 and 18
6shall be considered in determining moral character, but such a
7conviction or finding shall not make an applicant ineligible to
8register for examination.
9    (c) Prior to engaging in the practice of fitting,
10dispensing, or servicing hearing instruments, an applicant
11shall demonstrate, by means of written and practical
12examinations, that such person is qualified to practice the
13testing, selecting, recommending, fitting, selling, or
14servicing of hearing instruments as defined in this Act. An
15applicant must obtain a license within 12 months after passing
16either the written or practical examination, whichever is
17passed first, or must take and pass those examinations again in
18order to be eligible to receive a license.
19    The Department shall, by rule, determine the conditions
20under which an individual is examined.
21    (d) Proof of having met the minimum requirements of
22continuing education as determined by the Board shall be
23required of all license renewals. Pursuant to rule, the
24continuing education requirements may, upon petition to the
25Board, be waived in whole or in part if the hearing instrument
26dispenser can demonstrate that he or she served in the Coast

 

 

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1Guard or Armed Forces, had an extreme hardship, or obtained his
2or her license by examination or endorsement within the
3preceding renewal period.
4    (e) Persons applying for an initial license must
5demonstrate having earned, at a minimum, an associate degree or
6its equivalent from an accredited institution of higher
7education that is recognized by the U.S. Department of
8Education or that meets the U.S. Department of Education
9equivalency as determined through a National Association of
10Credential Evaluation Services (NACES) member, and meet the
11other requirements of this Section. In addition, the applicant
12must demonstrate the successful completion of (1) 12 semester
13hours or 18 quarter hours of academic undergraduate course work
14in an accredited institution consisting of 3 semester hours of
15anatomy and physiology of the speech and hearing mechanism, 3
16semester hours of hearing science, 3 semester hours of
17introduction to audiology, and 3 semester hours of aural
18rehabilitation, or the quarter hour equivalent, or (2) an
19equivalent program as determined by the Department. Persons
20licensed before January 1, 2003 who have a valid license on
21that date may have their license renewed without meeting the
22requirements of this subsection.
23(Source: P.A. 98-827, eff. 1-1-15; 99-204, eff. 7-30-15.)