This legislative session, we scored big wins for patients, nurses, and communities! Check out the highlights:

SB 2713 – Health Care Violence Prevention
This legislation establishes new workplace violence prevention requirements for healthcare employers. The bill is significant for frontline nurses because it requires healthcare facilities to take a more structured approach to identifying, documenting, and addressing workplace violence, creating additional accountability around employee safety. We helped craft this bill alongside Emergency Physicians, and the main benefit is that it’s no longer legal for employers to discourage reporting of incidents, significantly helping us in worker’s comp claims. 

HB 4491 / SB 3076 – Public Employee Disability
These bills make changes to public employee disability provisions. HB 4491 expands Public Employee Disability Act protections to all full-time and part-time DHS employees working in state mental health facilities and developmental centers, in addition to existing DOC coverage. The Act provides full salary continuation and benefits when an employee is injured in the line of duty and unable to work.

SB 3076 is closely related to the Public Employee Disability Act. It expands the definition of eligible employees and requires continuation of health insurance benefits when covered employees suffer a line-of-duty injury that prevents them from working. It specifically includes DOC employees and DHS employees working in penal institutions.

HB 1807 – DFPR Nursing Education Program
This measure is intended to strengthen the nursing workforce pipeline through education and training initiatives. Over time, it may help address staffing shortages by increasing the number of qualified nurses entering the profession. Provides that a nursing education program may not use simulation as a substitute for traditional clinical experience for more than 25% (rather than 50%) of a course’s total clinical hours.

HB 4757 – Health Care Facility Planning
This legislation updates Illinois’ health facility planning process, which governs hospital expansions, relocations, and closures. Gives the HFSRB more intervention powers prior to sales and closures. 

HB 5000 – Health Facilities Planning
A companion measure addressing healthcare facility planning and oversight via the Attorney General’s office. Together with HB 4757, these bills provide important levers for intervention prior to private equity being able to purchase in healthcare spaces.

HB 4461 – Hospital Collection Liens
This legislation strengthens patient financial protections by limiting certain hospital collection practices. While patient-focused, changes to revenue collection policies can influence hospital administrative and financial operations. In provisions concerning hospitals and their agents pursuing collection actions, provides that a hospital may not file for or be granted a lien upon that patient’s primary residence or on any other real property owned by the patient.

HB 4747 / SB 3255 – DHS DSP Pilot Program
These companion bills create a pilot program focused on the direct support professional workforce. The legislation is intended to improve recruitment and retention in developmental disability services and may help address chronic staffing challenges in DHS-funded programs.

HB 4606 – DHS Newborn Home Visiting
This bill expands public health and community-based home visiting services for families with newborns. The measure is intended to improve health outcomes through early intervention and support.