Healthcare (Healthcare Workforce)

Amends the Nursing Home Care Act. In provisions concerning monetary penalties for noncompliance with minimum staffing standards, provides that monetary penalties shall be established based on a formula that calculates on a quarterly basis (instead of a daily basis). Provides that the monetary penalty may not be waived, except where there is no more than a 10% deviation from the staffing requirements, in which case the facility shall not receive a penalty. Makes changes regarding the notice that a facility that has received a notice of violation for a violation of the minimum staffing requirements shall display. Effective immediately.

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.

Creates the Hospital Staffing Plans Act. Provides that for each hospital there shall be established a hospital professional and technical staffing committee. Sets forth requirements and makeup of committee members and cochairs. Directs the professional and technical staffing committee to develop a written hospital-wide professional and technical staffing plan. Sets forth committee rules of operation. Requires the plan to be consistent with the approved nurse staffing plan for the hospital and takes into account the hospital service staffing plan for the hospital. Provides that if the committee does not adopt a staffing plan, or adopts only part of a plan, then either cochair may invoke an additional 60 day period to continue to develop the plan. Sets forth opportunities to extend the discussion, amendment, or adoption timeframe of the staffing plan. Provides that the committee must meet 3 times per year and additionally at the call of either cochair. Sets forth open meeting and recordkeeping requirements. Requires the hospital to submit the staffing plan to the Department of Public Health. Provides for a hospital service staffing plan in the same manner and methods as the professional and technical staffing committee. Provides that hospitals may combine 2 or more staffing committees into one committee in particular circumstances. Provides for a nurse staffing committee as the same manner and methods of the professional and technical staffing committee. Provides that hospitals may combine 2 or more staffing committees into one committee in particular circumstances. Sets forth the roles and responsibilities of a nurse in a hospital setting. Sets forth arbitration and complaint resolution. Sets forth required periodic reviews. Provides for penalties for violations of the Act. Provides that the Department of Labor may grant a variance to a written hospital-wide staffing plan. Provides for emergency staffing variances. Establishes the Nurse Staffing Advisory Board within the Department of Public Health. Effective immediately.

Creates the Mental Health Professional Career Scholarship Act. Requires the Illinois Student Assistance Commission to create the Mental Health Professional Career Scholarship Program to award scholarships to Illinois students pursuing a mental health professional career in order to increase diversity rates by recruiting individuals to work in mental health fields in the public sector or mental health jobs that have a high demand for new employees and retain those individuals. Sets forth provisions concerning the selection of recipients, the amount of assistance, applications for assistance, the payment of assistance, administering the scholarship program, and rulemaking.

Amends the Hospital Licensing Act. Defines "hospital worker" as any person who receives an hourly wage, directly or indirectly via a subcontractor, from a hospital licensed under the Act. In provisions concerning limitations on mandated overtime and requiring rest periods for nurses, replaces "nurse" with "hospital worker". Requires additional hospital staffing information to be reported to the Department of Public Health, including any and all staffing matrices, staffing metrics, and underlying materials used to determine the metrics. Provides that the Department shall produce an annual report based on staffing disclosures and make recommendations for minimum staffing standards for hospital workers in each hospital unit. Requires hospitals to conduct a competency validation for each hospital worker hired, as a condition of employment, within the first month of employment and at no cost to the new hire. Provides that each hospital worker's competency validation must be submitted to the Department within 2 weeks after the hospital worker's start date. Establishes ongoing verification requirements for each hospital worker, and requires hospitals to submit a list of all competent employees currently employed at the end of each calendar year. Requires the Department to maintain, and make available to the public, a registry of all competent employees, including the hospital worker's name, address, contact information, and current employer. Provides that hospital employers that fail to comply with the competency validations requirements shall receive a fine equal to 0.1% of annual revenue reported during the most recently completed fiscal year each day until the hospital complies. Sets forth provisions concerning a hospital's requirements regarding assignment despite objection forms, a resolution process under the Department for assignment despite objection for certain hospital workers, and a fine for hospitals that fail to honor the assignment despite objection process. Makes other changes.

Amends the Nurse Practice Act. Ratifies and approves the Nurse Licensure Compact, which allows for the issuance of multistate licenses that allow nurses to practice in their home state and other compact states. Provides that the Compact does not supersede existing State labor laws. Provides that the State may not share with or disclose to the Interstate Commission of Nurse Licensure Compact Administrators or any other state any of the contents of a nationwide criminal history records check conducted for the purpose of multistate licensure under the Nurse Licensure Compact.

Amends the Nurse Practice Act. Ratifies and approves the Nurse Licensure Compact, which allows for the issuance of multistate licenses that allow nurses to practice in their home state and other compact states. Provides that the Compact does not supersede existing State labor laws. Provides that the State may not share with or disclose to the Interstate Commission of Nurse Licensure Compact Administrators or any other state any of the contents of a nationwide criminal history records check conducted for the purpose of multistate licensure under the Nurse Licensure Compact. Makes conforming changes.

Creates the Safe Patient Limits Act. Provides the maximum number of patients that may be assigned to a registered nurse in specified situations. Provides that nothing shall preclude a facility from assigning fewer patients to a registered nurse than the limits provided in the Act. Provides that the maximum patient assignments may not be exceeded, regardless of the use and application of any patient acuity system. Requires the Department of Public Health to adopt rules governing the implementation and administration of the Act. Provides that all facilities shall adopt written policies and procedures for the training and orientation of nursing staff and that no registered nurse shall be assigned to a nursing unit or clinical area unless that nurse has, among other things, demonstrated competence in providing care in that area. Provides requirements for the Act's implementation. Establishes recordkeeping requirements. Provides rights and protections for nurses. Contains a severability provision and other provisions. Amends the Hospital Licensing Act. Provides that a hospital shall not mandate that a registered professional nurse delegate nursing interventions. Makes changes concerning staffing plans. Amends the Nurse Practice Act. Requires the exercise of professional judgment by a direct care registered professional nurse in the performance of his or her scope of practice to be provided in the exclusive interests of the patient.

Appropriates $1,000,000 from the Education Assistance Fund to the Illinois Student Assistance Commission for grants to eligible nurse educators to use for payment of their educational loans pursuant to Public Act 94-1020. Appropriates $1,000,000 from the General Revenue Fund to the Board of Higher Education for nurse educator fellowships to supplement nurse faculty salaries. Appropriates $1,500,000 from the General Revenue Fund to the Board of Higher Education for competitive grants for nursing schools to increase the number of graduating nurses. Appropriates $6,000,000 from the Nursing Dedicated and Professional Fund to the Illinois Student Assistance Commission for expenses related to the Nursing Education Scholarship Law. Effective July 1, 2025.

Amends the Nurse Practice Act. Provides that an individual licensed under this Section may apply for a program that provides a full tuition reimbursement to individuals who: (1) attended and graduated from an education program based in the State; and (2) commit to working in a safety-net hospital in the State for at least 5 years.