LEGISLATIVE REPORT – JUNE 6, 2022

GOVERNOR ACTING UPON APPROVED LEGISLATION

Governor JB Pritzker has been steadily working through the 410 bills that have been sent to his desk for consideration from the 2022 spring legislative session. All but about 60 of these have been signed into law.

Last week, the Governor signed into law HB 4645 (Greenwood, D-East St. Louis), which creates a student loan forgiveness program and a scholarship program for health care providers. The Equity and Representation in Health Care Act includes the Health Care Workforce Repayment Program and the Equity and Representation in Health Care Workforce Scholarship Program. ICS was successful in working with the bill sponsor to amend the bill to add chiropractic physicians to those that qualify for eligibility in the program.

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The bill is now Public Act 102-0942, effective January 1, 2023. The Illinois Department of Public Health must now adopt rules necessary for the establishment and maintenance of the Repayment Program and Scholarship Program as required by the act.

Eligibility requirements are fairly narrow and are focused on those health care providers who work for a federally qualified health center, and/or work in a health professional shortage area or medically underserved area.

The bill also contained a provision that stated that the program was “subject to appropriation.” The final budget did include funding for the program. A line item in Public Act 102-0698 appropriates $1 million for a “Health Professional Educational Loan Repayment Program.”

Also signed into law were the following bills: the renewal of the Naprapathic Practice Act (Public Act 102-0880, effective May 13, 2022; the Athletic Trainers Licensing Act renewal (Public Act 102-0940, effective January 1, 2023); and the Dietitian Nutritionist Licensing Act renewal (Public Act 102-0945, effective January 1, 2023).

Lawmakers are back in their districts and will not return to the Capitol until the Fall Veto Session, which is scheduled for November 15-17 and November 29-December 1. The primary election is slated for June 28, while the general election is set for November 8.