SB0462sam001 99TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

Sen. Iris Y. Martinez

Filed: 4/12/2016

 

 


 

 


 
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1
AMENDMENT TO SENATE BILL 462

2    AMENDMENT NO. ______. Amend Senate Bill 462 by replacing
3everything after the enacting clause with the following:
 
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7    (Section scheduled to be repealed on January 1, 2026)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

 

 

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1instrument dispenser, which shall be effective for a 2-year
2period.
3    (b) Applicants shall be:
4        (1) at least 18 years of age;
5        (2) of good moral character;
6        (3) the holder of an associate's degree or the
7    equivalent;
8        (4) free of contagious or infectious disease; and
9        (5) a citizen or person who has the status as a legal
10    alien.
11    Felony convictions of the applicant and findings against
12the applicant involving matters set forth in Sections 17 and 18
13shall be considered in determining moral character, but such a
14conviction or finding shall not make an applicant ineligible to
15register for examination.
16    (c) Prior to engaging in the practice of fitting,
17dispensing, or servicing hearing instruments, an applicant
18shall demonstrate, by means of written and practical
19examinations, that such person is qualified to practice the
20testing, selecting, recommending, fitting, selling, or
21servicing of hearing instruments as defined in this Act. An
22applicant must obtain a license within 12 months after passing
23either the written or practical examination, whichever is
24passed first, or must take and pass those examinations again in
25order to be eligible to receive a license.
26    The Department shall, by rule, determine the conditions

 

 

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1under which an individual is examined.
2    (d) Proof of having met the minimum requirements of
3continuing education as determined by the Board shall be
4required of all license renewals. Pursuant to rule, the
5continuing education requirements may, upon petition to the
6Board, be waived in whole or in part if the hearing instrument
7dispenser can demonstrate that he or she served in the Coast
8Guard or Armed Forces, had an extreme hardship, or obtained his
9or her license by examination or endorsement within the
10preceding renewal period.
11    (e) Persons applying for an initial license must
12demonstrate having earned, at a minimum, an associate degree or
13its equivalent from an accredited institution of higher
14education that is recognized by the U.S. Department of
15Education or that meets the U.S. Department of Education
16equivalency as determined through a National Association of
17Credential Evaluation Services (NACES) member, and meet the
18other requirements of this Section. In addition, the applicant
19must demonstrate the successful completion of (1) 12 semester
20hours or 18 quarter hours of academic undergraduate course work
21in an accredited institution consisting of 3 semester hours of
22anatomy and physiology of the speech and hearing mechanism, 3
23semester hours of hearing science, 3 semester hours of
24introduction to audiology, and 3 semester hours of aural
25rehabilitation, or the quarter hour equivalent, or (2) an
26equivalent program as determined by the Department. Persons

 

 

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1licensed before January 1, 2003 who have a valid license on
2that date may have their license renewed without meeting the
3requirements of this subsection.
4(Source: P.A. 98-827, eff. 1-1-15; 99-204, eff. 7-30-15.)".