SB1573ham001 101ST GENERAL ASSEMBLY

Rep. Jay Hoffman

Filed: 5/17/2019

10100SB1573ham001 LRB101 07820 KTG 60694 a

AMENDMENT TO SENATE BILL 1573

AMENDMENT NO. ______. Amend Senate Bill 1573 on page 1, by inserting immediately below line 3 the following:

"Section 1. The Equity in Long-term Care Quality Act is amended by adding Section 25 as follows:

(30 ILCS 772/25 new)

Sec. 25. Nursing home labor force program.

(a) The Department of Public Health shall establish a nursing home labor force promotion, expansion, and retention program no later than January 1, 2020 using moneys appropriated from the Equity in Long-term Care Quality Fund.

(b) Components of the program shall include, but are not limited to: (1) a public relations campaign to encourage people to become nursing home workers; (2) scholarships for certified nursing assistants, licensed practical nurses, and registered nurses; and (3) retention incentives for nursing home workers.

(c) The Department shall establish partnerships with one or more community colleges or universities to execute the program. Sixty percent of the scholarships provided by the program shall be distributed to candidates living in counties with 3,000,000 or more residents. Preferential scholarship consideration shall be given to certified nursing assistants, single parents, and applicants from communities that are economically depressed or that have high percentages of Medicaid beneficiaries, immigrants, or racial or ethnic minorities.

(d) The Department shall report to the General Assembly no later than January 30, 2020 on the status of the establishment of the program. No later than January 1, 2021, and each January 1 thereafter, the Department shall report to the General Assembly the number of scholarships awarded during the preceding year and the demographics of the awardees."; and

on page 9, by inserting immediately below line 17 the following:

"Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon becoming law.".