HB 4632 appropriates $500,000 from the General Revenue Fund to the Illinois Student Assistance Commission (ISAC) to fund the Nurse Educator Loan Repayment Program. This program directly helps Illinois nurse educators who teach in nursing programs by repaying their qualifying student loans. The funding becomes available starting July 1, 2026, to support these educators in the state's healthcare workforce. The bill is a straightforward funding measure with no new policy requirements beyond the allocated resources.
Amends the Assisted Living and Shared Housing Act. In provisions concerning assessment and service plan requirements, provides that a comprehensive assessment shall be completed by a physician, a physician assistant, or an advanced practice registered nurse (instead of only a physician). In provisions concerning Alzheimer and dementia programs, provides that an assessment must be approved by a resident's physician, physician assistant, or advanced practice registered nurse (instead of only a physician) and shall occur prior to acceptance for residency, annually, and at such time that a change in the resident's condition is identified by a family member, staff of the establishment, or the resident's physician, physician assistant, or advanced practice registered nurse (instead of only a physician).
Amends the Nursing Education Scholarship Law. Provides that beginning with the 2026-2027 academic year, subject to appropriation from the General Revenue Fund and in addition to any other funds available to the Department of Public Health for nursing education scholarships, the Department may award additional nursing education scholarships. Removes a provision regarding nursing education scholarships for the 2021-2022 academic year. Effective immediately.
Creates the Operating Room Patient Safety Act. Provides that each surgical technologist hired or contracted by a health care facility on or after January 1, 2028 shall meet specified educational, certification, or experiential requirements. Provides that health care facilities located in a Health Professional Shortage Area or Medically Underserved Area, as determined by the federal government, shall be exempt as provided but shall have a hiring preference for surgical technologists who graduated from nationally accredited surgical technology programs and are certified through the National Board of Surgical Technology and Surgical Assisting or the National Center for Competency Testing. Provides that nothing in the Act prohibits a person licensed in the State under any other Act from engaging in the practice for which the person is licensed, including, but not limited to, a physician licensed to practice medicine in all its branches, a physician assistant, an advanced practice registered nurse, or a nurse performing surgery-related tasks within the scope of the nurse's license or registration; or a student or intern from performing surgical technology services under direct supervision, as defined in the Registered Surgical Assistant and Registered Surgical Technologist Title Protection Act.
Amends the School Code. Allows a school district, public school, charter school, or nonpublic school to authorize a school nurse or trained personnel to: (1) provide undesignated ready-to-use glucagon to authorized personnel to administer ready-to-use glucagon to a student that meets the student's prescription on file; (2) administer undesignated ready-to-use glucagon that meets the prescription on file to any student who has a plan that authorizes the use of ready-to-use glucagon; and (3) administer undesignated ready-to-use glucagon to any person that the school nurse or trained personnel believes in good faith is having a severe hypoglycemia emergency. Makes conforming changes regarding liability, where and when the undesignated ready-to-use glucagon may be administered, supply maintenance, notification of administration to the student's parent or guardian or emergency contact, training, and reports of administration to the State Board of Education, General Assembly, and Department of Public Health.
Amends the Higher Education Student Assistance Act. Provides that, subject to appropriation, the Illinois Student Assistance Commission shall award a nursing in correctional facilities scholarship to each qualified applicant. Provides that, prior to receiving scholarship assistance for an academic year, each recipient of a scholarship must sign an agreement pledging that, within the one-year period following the termination of the academic program for which the recipient was awarded a scholarship, the recipient shall begin working as a nurse within the Department of Corrections for a period of not less than 3 years. Sets forth provisions concerning the scholarship amount, applicant eligibility, the selection of recipients, applications, the distribution of funds, the fulfillment of the agreement, funding, and rulemaking. Provides that the Department of Corrections, in consultation with the Commission, shall provide an annual report to the General Assembly on effectiveness, including the number of recipients, their service periods, and any challenges faced. Makes other changes. Effective July 1, 2026.
Amends the Underserved Health Care Provider Workforce Act. Changes the definition of "designated shortage area" to mean an area designated as a medically underserved area or a health professional shortage area (rather than a physician shortage area, a medically underserved area, or a critical health manpower shortage area). Changes the term "eligible medical student" to "eligible student", and includes in the definition of that term a person who is studying optometry in an optometry college or institution located in Illinois and that a person may agree to practice full-time in a designated shortage area as an optometrist or anesthesiologist one year for each year he or she is a scholarship recipient. Includes a rural health center, a federally qualified health center, a federally qualified health center look alike, and an optometric office in the definition of "medical facility". Includes an optometrist in the definition of "eligible health care provider". Includes an obstetrician or gynecologist in the definition of "primary care physician". Includes loan repayment recipients in a provision regarding scholarship recipients who fail to fulfill specified obligations, and provides that the amounts paid by these scholarship or loan repayment recipients shall be deposited into the fund where the payment originated from (rather than the Community Health Center Care Fund). Repeals a different provision defining "primary care physician". Effective January 1, 2026.
Amends the Acupuncture Practice Act, the Illinois Athletic Trainers Practice Act, the Illinois Dental Practice Act, the Massage Therapy Practice Act, the Medical Practice Act of 1987, the Nurse Practice Act, the Illinois Optometric Practice Act of 1987, the Orthotics, Prosthetics, and Pedorthics Practice Act, the Illinois Physical Therapy Act, the Physician Assistant Practice Act of 1987, the Podiatric Medical Practice Act of 1987, the Respiratory Care Practice Act, the Registered Surgical Assistant and Registered Surgical Technologist Title Protection Act, and the Rights of Crime Victims and Witnesses Act. Provides that any Department of Financial and Professional Regulation process under statute or rule used to verify the criminal history of an applicant for licensure shall be used for all applicants for licensure, applicants for renewal of a license, or persons whose conviction of a crime or other behavior warrants review of a license. Provides that a finding of guilt by a judge or jury, a guilty plea, or plea of no contest to specified offenses entered after the effective date of the amendatory Act is a disqualifying offense, and the individual's license shall be automatically revoked when the Department is notified that the individual has been found guilty or has pled guilty or no contest. Provides that the individual may appeal the revocation to the Department only upon the reversal of the criminal conviction. Provides that crime victims have the right to file a complaint against the accused with the agency or department that licensed, certified, permitted, or registered the accused if the accused holds a license, certificate, permit, or registration to practice a profession. Effective 6 months after becoming law.
Amends the Unified Code of Corrections. Provides within 24 hours of admission to a correctional institution or facility of the Department of Corrections, each committed person shall be screened for substance use disorders as part of an initial and ongoing substance use screening and assessment process. Provides that this process includes screening and assessment for opioid use disorders. Provides that if at any time a committed person screens positive as having or being at risk for an opioid use disorder, is diagnosed with an opioid use disorder or is exhibiting symptoms of withdrawal from an opioid use disorder, and medication assisted treatment is clinically indicated by a licensed physician, a licensed physician assistant, or a licensed nurse practitioner, then the individual may consent to commence medications for opioid use disorder, which shall be provided by the Department. Provides that the committed person shall be authorized to receive the medication immediately and for as long as clinically indicated. Provides that upon reentry, the Department shall provide an individual participating in medication assisted treatment with a referral to a community-based provider who may assist the individual with continued medications for opioid use disorder and medication assisted treatment care.
Amends the Nurse Practice Act. Provides that a certified nurse midwife with full practice authority may enter into a written collaborative agreement with an advanced practice registered nurse. Provides that an advanced practice registered nurse certified as a nurse midwife may enter into a written collaborative agreement with an advanced practice registered nurse with full practice authority who is certified as a nurse midwife or a physician. Provides that, for an advanced practice registered nurse certified as a nurse midwife, the clinical experience shall be in collaboration with a certified nurse midwife with full practice authority. Makes conforming changes in provisions concerning written collaborative agreements, prescriptive authority under a written collaborative agreement, and full practice authority.
