Public Act 094-0528
 		





SB0451 Enrolled
LRB094 09293 RAS 39532 b






    AN ACT concerning regulation.

 
    Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
 
represented in the General Assembly:


 
    Section 5. The Illinois Speech-Language Pathology and

Audiology Practice Act is amended  by changing Sections 3, 3.5, 
4, 5, 7.1, and 8 as follows:

 



    (225 ILCS 110/3)  (from Ch. 111, par. 7903)



    (Section scheduled to be repealed on January 1, 2008)

    Sec. 3. Definitions. The following words and phrases shall 
have the
meaning ascribed to them in this Section unless the 
context clearly indicates
otherwise:

    (a) "Department" means the Department of Professional

Regulation.

    (b) "Director" means the Director of Professional 
Regulation.

    (c) "Board" means the Board of Speech-Language Pathology 
and Audiology
established under Section 5 of this Act.

    (d) "Speech-Language Pathologist" means a person who has 
received a
license pursuant to this Act and who engages in the 
practice
of speech-language pathology.

    (e) "Audiologist" means a person who has received a license 
pursuant to this
Act and who engages in the practice of 
audiology.

    (f) "Public member" means a person who is not a health 
professional.
For purposes of board membership, any person with 
a significant financial
interest in a health service or 
profession is not a public member.

    (g) "The practice of audiology" is the application of 
nonmedical methods
and procedures for the identification, 
measurement, testing,
appraisal, prediction, habilitation, 
rehabilitation, or instruction
related to hearing
and 
disorders of hearing.  These procedures are for the
purpose of 
counseling, consulting and rendering or offering to render

services or for participating in the planning, directing or 
conducting of
programs that are designed to modify 
communicative disorders
involving
speech, language or auditory 
function related to hearing loss.
The practice of audiology may 
include, but shall not be limited to, the
following:


        (1) any task, procedure, act, or practice that is 
    necessary for the
evaluation of hearing or
vestibular 
    function;


        (2) training in the use of amplification devices
, 
    including hearing aids;

        (3) the fitting, dispensing, or servicing of hearing 
    instruments; and


        (4)
(3) performing basic speech and language screening 
    tests and procedures
consistent with audiology training.

    (h) "The practice of speech-language pathology" is the 
application of
nonmedical methods and procedures for the 
identification,
measurement, testing, appraisal, prediction, 
habilitation, rehabilitation,
and modification related to 
communication development, and disorders or
disabilities of 
speech, language, voice, swallowing, and other speech,

language and voice related disorders.  These procedures are for 
the
purpose of counseling, consulting and rendering or offering 
to render
services, or for participating in the planning, 
directing or conducting of
programs that are designed to modify 
communicative disorders and
conditions in individuals or 
groups of individuals involving speech,
language, voice and 
swallowing function.

    "The practice of speech-language pathology" shall include, 
but
shall not be
limited to, the following:


        (1) hearing screening tests and aural rehabilitation 
    procedures
consistent with speech-language pathology 
    training;


        (2) tasks, procedures, acts or practices that are 
    necessary for the
evaluation of, and training in the use 
    of, augmentative communication
systems, communication 
    variation, cognitive rehabilitation, non-spoken
language 
    production and comprehension.

    (i) "Speech-language pathology assistant" means a person 
who has received
a license pursuant to this Act to assist a 
speech-language
pathologist in the manner provided in this Act.

(Source: P.A. 92-510, eff. 6-1-02.)

 



    (225 ILCS 110/4)  (from Ch. 111, par. 7904)



    (Section scheduled to be repealed on January 1, 2008)

    Sec. 4. Powers and duties of the Department. Subject to the

provisions of this Act, the Department shall exercise the 
following
functions, powers and duties:

    (a) Conduct or authorize examinations to ascertain the 
fitness and
qualifications of applicants for license and issue 
licenses to those who are
found to be fit and qualified.

    (b) Prescribe rules and regulations for a method of 
examination of
candidates.

    (c) Prescribe rules and regulations defining what shall 
constitute an
approved school, college or department of a 
university, except that no
school, college or department of a 
university that refuses admittance to
applicants solely on 
account of race, color, creed, sex or national origin
shall be 
approved.

    (d) Conduct hearings on proceedings to revoke, suspend, or 
refusal to
issue such licenses.

    (e) Promulgate rules and regulations required for the 
administration of this
Act.

    (f) Discipline the supervisor of a graduate audiology or 
speech-language pathology student as provided
in this Act for a 
violation by the graduate audiology or speech-language 
pathology student.

(Source: P.A. 91-932, eff. 1-1-01; 91-949, eff. 2-9-01.)

 



    (225 ILCS 110/5)  (from Ch. 111, par. 7905)



    (Section scheduled to be repealed on January 1, 2008)

    Sec. 5. Board of Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology. 
There is created a Board of Speech-Language Pathology and 
Audiology to be
composed of persons designated from time to 
time by the Director, as follows:


        (a) Five persons, 2 of whom have been licensed 
    speech-language
pathologists for
a period of 5 years or 
    more, 2 of whom have been licensed audiologists for
a 
    period of
5 years or more, and one public member.  The board 
    shall annually elect a
chairperson and a vice-chairperson.


        (b) Terms for all members shall be for 3 years. Partial 
    terms over 2
years in length shall be considered as full 
    terms.  A member may be
reappointed for a successive term, 
    but no member shall serve more than 2 full
terms.


        (c) The membership of the Board should reasonably 
    reflect representation
from the various geographic areas 
    of the State.


        (d) In making appointments to the Board, the Director 
    shall give due
consideration to recommendations by 
    organizations of the speech-language
pathology and 
    audiology professions in Illinois, including the Illinois

    Speech-Language-Hearing Association and the Illinois 
    Academy of Audiology, and shall promptly give due notice to

    such organizations of any vacancy in the membership of the 
    Board.  The
 Director may terminate the appointment of any 
    member for any cause, which
in the opinion of the Director, 
    reasonably justifies such termination.


        (e) A majority of the Board members currently appointed 
    shall constitute
a
quorum. A vacancy in the membership of 
    the Board shall not impair the right
of a quorum to 
    exercise all the rights and perform all the duties of the 
    Board.


        (f) The members of the Board shall each receive as 
    compensation a
reasonable sum as determined by the Director 
    for each day actually engaged
in the duties of the office, 
    and all legitimate and necessary expenses
incurred in 
    attending the meetings of the Board.


        (g) Members of the Board shall be immune from suit in 
    any action based
upon any disciplinary proceedings or other 
    activities performed in good
faith as members of the Board.


        (h) The Director may consider the recommendations of 
    the Board in
establishing guidelines for professional 
    conduct, the conduct of formal
disciplinary  proceedings 
    brought under this Act, and
qualifications of applicants. 
    Notice of proposed rulemaking
shall be transmitted to the 
    Board and the Department shall review the response
of the 
    Board and any recommendations made in the response. The 
    Department, at
any time, may seek the expert advice and 
    knowledge of the Board on any matter
relating to the 
    administration or enforcement of this Act.


        (i) Whenever the Director is satisfied that 
    substantial justice has not
been done either in an 
    examination or in the revocation, suspension, or refusal
of 
    a license, or other disciplinary action relating to a 
    license, the Director
may order a
reexamination or 
    rehearing.

(Source: P.A. 90-69, eff. 7-8-97.)

 



    (225 ILCS 110/7.1)



    (Section scheduled to be repealed on January 1, 2008)

    Sec. 7.1. Graduate audiology students. Full-time Graduate 
students
enrolled
in a program of audiology in an
accredited

college or university may engage in the dispensing of hearing 
instruments
as a part of a program of audiology without a 
license under
the supervision of an audiologist licensed under 
this Act.

    The supervisor and the supervisor's employer shall be 
jointly and
severally liable for any acts of the student

relating to the practice of fitting or dispensing hearing 
instruments as
defined
in the rules promulgated
under this Act.

(Source: P.A. 91-932, eff. 1-1-01.)

 



    (225 ILCS 110/8)  (from Ch. 111, par. 7908)



    (Section scheduled to be repealed on January 1, 2008)

    Sec. 8. Qualifications for licenses to practice 
speech-language pathology
or audiology.
The Department shall 
require that each applicant for a license to practice

speech-language pathology or audiology shall:


        (a) (Blank);


        (b) be at least 21 years of age;


        (c) not have violated any provisions of Section 16 of 
    this
Act;


        (d) present satisfactory evidence of receiving a 
    master's
or doctoral degree in
speech-language pathology 
    or audiology from a program approved by the
Department.  
    Nothing in this Act shall be construed to prevent any 
    program
from establishing higher standards than specified 
    in this Act;


        (e) pass a national
an examination recognized

    authorized by the Department in the
theory and
practice of 
    the profession, provided that the Department may recognize 
    a
certificate granted by the American 
    Speech-Language-Hearing Association in
lieu of such 
    examination; and


        (f) for a license as a speech-language pathologist,

    have completed the equivalent of 9 months of
full-time,

    supervised professional experience; and
.

        (g) for a license as an audiologist, have completed a 
    minimum of 1,500 clock hours of supervised experience.

    Applicants have 3 years from the date of application to 
complete the
application process. If the process has not been 
completed within 3 years, the
application shall be denied, the 
fee shall be forfeited, and the applicant must
reapply
and meet 
the requirements in effect at the time of reapplication.

(Source: P.A. 92-510, eff. 6-1-02.)


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




Effective Date:  8/10/2005