LEGISLATIVE SESSION 2023 REVIEW
The 2023 Illinois spring legislative session came to a close in the early morning hours of May 27 upon the House of Representatives approving a Fiscal Year 2024 state budget package. The Senate had passed the budget bills two days earlier. Though the scheduled adjournment date was May 19, budget negotiations had slowed, and it took another week before the spending plan was ready to be voted upon. The $50 billion budget was approved along partisan lines with most Democrats voting for it and all Republicans voting “no.”
The General Assembly is not scheduled to return to the Capitol until the fall Veto Session begins in October.
Advertisement
The Illinois Chiropractic Society was very involved in the legislative process, diligently watching for legislation that would have an impact on the chiropractic community. On behalf of the chiropractic physicians throughout the state, the ICS monitored and analyzed all bill introductions (there were over 6,000 bills introduced this spring) and amendments, and presented our insight to legislators as part of the overall advocacy efforts of our organization. This diligence was rewarded, especially on a couple of key issues.
ICS-Initiated Bill Wins Approval to Enhance Chiropractic Physician Equity
The ICS initiated SB 1590 (Belt, D- E. St. Louis) which would allow chiropractic physicians and chiropractic students to be eligible for student loan forgiveness and scholarships under the Underserved Health Care Provider Workforce Act and the Loan Repayment for Physicians Act.
The bill was approved unanimously by both chambers and will be sent to the Governor this summer for his consideration. These programs have already existed under state statutes but have excluded chiropractic physicians from eligibility for the programs. Last year, the ICS was also successful in amending a bill to include chiropractic physicians with other essential health care providers in a similar program, the Equity in Health Care Act.
The bill, if signed, could assist chiropractic physicians with the costs of their medical education, provide for additional chiropractic physicians to treat patients who live in areas underserved by health care professionals, and improve the equity among licensees under the Medical Practice Act.
ICS and Healthcare Provider Coalition Gain Win in CME Legislation
The ICS also joined with other healthcare provider organizations to oppose legislation that would have added a number of hours of a new mandatory training component. HB 2450 (Avelar, D-Romeoville) initially required 10 additional hours of cultural competency training in every renewal period for physicians licensed under the Medical Practice Act. While all other mandated continuing education training courses are one hour each, this proposal far exceeded the hours required for other mandated education subjects. Because cultural competency training is included in the 60 required formal hours per renewal cycle, a 10-hour requirement was likely to result in physicians completing fewer hours of clinical education out of the 60 required formal hours. The ICS teamed with the Illinois State Medical Society and the organizations that represent nurses, dentists, pharmacists, physical therapists, and other medical professionals to work with bill sponsors for a more manageable approach to this issue.
As passed, the bill now adds one hour of cultural competency training over two license renewal cycles. It also provides that the current Alzheimer’s Awareness training may be earned over two (every other) license renewal cycles and maintains that Implicit Bias training and Sexual Harassment Prevention Training be taken every licensure cycle. The legislation adds a trigger mechanism that if any additional training or education mandates are added, then the time period in which health care professionals must complete all of the statutory mandates will be extended to once every three licensure cycles for physicians and dentists.
With ICS advocacy, and a strong coalition of the other healthcare provider groups, what initially would have been a new 10-hour training mandate will now actually lessen the overall hours required per license renewal cycle.
HB 2450 was approved by both the House and Senate and will be sent to the Governor for consideration. The original bill would have significantly impacted chiropractic physicians’ rights as to how to apportion the content of their required 60 hours of formal continuing medical education, and the result was a legislative win for the ICS.
Other Licensure Legislation that was Approved
HB 2756 (Ladisch Douglass. D-Westmont) amends the Massage Licensing Act to require that for each license renewal period, one hour of continuing education must be completed regarding domestic violence and sexual assault awareness education. The bill was sent to the Governor on June 2, 2023.
HB 2827 (Mah, D-Chicago) and SB 1617 (Morrison, D-Deerfield) amend the Health Care Professional Credentials Data Collection Act to provide that “recredentialing” and “single credentialing cycle” must be undertaken for a period not to exceed three years (currently it is every two years) which will lessen the burden of the credentialing process for chiropractic physicians. HB 2827 would also require that online credentials be available. The bills will be sent to the Governor for his consideration.
HB 3109 (Hauter, R-Morton), in provisions concerning applications for licensure and disciplinary action, provides that the Illinois State Medical Board, in determining mental capacity of an applicant or licensee, shall consider the latest recommendations of the Federation of State Medical Boards. The bill will be sent to the Governor for his consideration.
HB 3206 (McCombie, R- Savannah) requires that IDFPR, beginning July 1, 2024, supplement all paper-based certificates and licenses with a digitally verified electronic credential. The bill will be sent to the Governor for his consideration.
Employer/Business Legislation that was Approved
HB 1122 (Guzzardi, D-Chicago) creates the Freelance Worker Protection Act that requires any person or entity that hires a freelance worker to do any kind of work of $500 or more, to provide a contract in writing and make payment to the worker within 30 days of the work being performed. The bill will be sent to the Governor for his consideration, and if signed, would become effective July 1, 2024. The ICS will be providing additional information on this bill once it is signed into law.
HB 1286 (Stuart, D-Collinsville) allows businesses, public places and other entities to build or convert restrooms to be all-gender multiple occupancy restrooms. No business is required to do so, but if it does certain specific designs are required, such as: there must be floor-to-ceiling stall dividers, specific signage, there can be no urinals, and trash receptacles and vending machines for menstruation products must be present. The bill will be sent to the Governor for his consideration. If signed, it would become effective immediately.
HB 1363 (Guzzardi) amends the Gender Violence Act to provide that an employer is liable for gender-related violence committed in the workplace by an employee if the employer had failed to supervise, train, or monitor the employee or had failed to investigate prior complaints against the employee. The bill will be sent to the Governor for his consideration.
HB 2145 (Evans, D-Chicago) provides that the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR) shall refuse the issuance or renewal of a license to, or suspend or revoke the license of, any individual, corporation, partnership, or other business entity that has been found by the Workers’ Compensation Commission or the Department of Insurance to have failed to secure workers’ compensation obligations (such as workers’ compensation insurance) in the manner required by the acts. The bill was sent to the Governor on June 2, 2023 and, if signed, would become effective on January 1, 2024. The ICS will be providing additional information on the bill once it is signed into law.
HB 3129 (Canty, D-Arlington Heights) requires employees with 15 or more employees to include the pay scale and benefits of any job posting. The bill will be sent to the Governor for his consideration. If signed into law, it would become effective on January 1, 2025.
Other Bills of Interest
SB 1527 (Ellman, D-Naperville) requires health insurance policies to cover compression sleeves beginning January 1, 2025. The bill will be sent to the Governor for his consideration.
SB 1748 (Halpin, D-Rock Island) amends the Code of Civil Procedure to give the plaintiff the right to bring another person to video record a physical examination conducted as part of discovery. The bill will be sent to the Governor for his consideration and, if signed, would become effective immediately. The ICS will be providing additional information on the bill once it is signed into law.
