We wanted to share a mid-session update on our legislative program and highlight several important advances that reflect the priorities of bedside nurses across Illinois. 

Major Legislative Progress (Final Passage Pending) 

Workplace Violence Prevention Improvements 
We are very close to final passage of legislation that strengthens workplace violence prevention standards in hospitals. This bill would: 

• Encourage and standardize reporting of workplace violence incidents without fear of retaliation 

• Require hospitals to assess and improve physical infrastructure to better protect staff and patients 

• Strengthen accountability so incidents are tracked and addressed, not minimized or ignored 

This is a major step forward in acknowledging what nurses experience every day and ensuring hospitals take proactive responsibility for safety. 

Protecting Access to Care Through Hospital Oversight 
We have advanced legislation that gives the Health Facilities and Services Review Board (HFSRB) stronger authority to review and, when appropriate, block hospital closures or the closure of specific units. 

This helps ensure that decisions about hospital capacity are not made purely on financial grounds without considering community need, patient access, and workforce impact. 

Surgical Technologist Training Standards 
We are also moving forward a bill alongside the Illinois Association of Surgical Technologists to establish standardized education requirements for surgical technologists, requiring a structured 21-month training program before they are permitted to operate on live patients. Currently, many surgical technologists enter the operating room with primarily on-the-job training. This legislation aims to ensure consistent preparation, improve patient safety, and support operating room teams with better-trained colleagues from day one. It also reduces liability as they practice under RN licensure within the operating room. 

Update on the Nurse Licensure Compact 

We also want to address our ongoing opposition to the Nurse Licensure Compact (NLC), as many members have questions about it. 

We understand why the idea can initially sound appealing. On the surface, allowing nurses to move more freely between states feels like it could improve staffing flexibility and reduce barriers to practice. We respect that perspective, and many nurses who support the Compact are motivated by a desire to help patients and colleagues. 

However, after reviewing outcomes in other states and the structure of the Compact itself, we remain concerned for several reasons: 

• It does not address the root cause of staffing shortages. 
  States that have joined the Compact have not seen meaningful, sustained improvements in staffing levels or retention. The core issues of burnout, unsafe staffing ratios, wages, and working conditions remain unchanged. 

• It shifts focus away from fixing conditions here in Illinois. 
  Instead of investing in retention, safe staffing, and workplace improvements, the Compact can create an assumption that out-of-state labor will fill the gap. 

• It weakens Illinois’ ability to set and enforce standards. 
  Licensure decisions become more centralized, limiting the state’s ability to ensure accountability tied to local practice conditions and workforce needs. 

• It risks normalizing a “travel nurse as primary staffing model.” 
  While travel nurses play an important role, overreliance on temporary staffing can destabilize units and undermine long-term workforce development. 

Our position is not about limiting opportunity for nurses. It is about ensuring that policy solutions actually improve staffing conditions, strengthen the workforce, and protect patient care in Illinois rather than shifting responsibility elsewhere. 

Thank you for your continued advocacy, your work on the frontlines, and your engagement in shaping these policies. These legislative advances are a direct result of nurse voices being heard in Springfield.