State of Illinois
91st General Assembly
Legislation

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[ Senate Amendment 001 ]

91_SB0368ham001

 










                                             LRB9104241ACcdam

 1                    AMENDMENT TO SENATE BILL 368

 2        AMENDMENT NO.     .  Amend Senate Bill 368  by  replacing
 3    the title with the following:
 4        "AN ACT concerning audiologists."; and

 5    by  replacing  everything  after the enacting clause with the
 6    following:

 7        "Section 5.  If and only if Senate Bill 1404 of the  91st
 8    General Assembly becomes law, the Hearing Instrument Consumer
 9    Protection Act is amended by changing Section 16 as follows:

10        (225 ILCS 50/16) (from Ch. 111, par. 7416)
11        Sec.  16.   Hearing Instrument Consumer Protection Board.
12    There shall be  established  a  Hearing  Instrument  Consumer
13    Protection   Board   which  shall  assist,  advise  and  make
14    recommendations to the Department.
15        The Board  shall  consist  of  6  members  who  shall  be
16    residents of Illinois.  One shall be a licensed physician who
17    specializes  in  otology  or  otolaryngology;  one shall be a
18    member of a consumer-oriented organization concerned with the
19    hearing impaired; one  shall  be  from  the  general  public,
20    preferably  a  senior  citizen;  and  2  3  shall be licensed
21    hearing  instrument  dispensers  who   are   National   Board
 
                            -2-              LRB9104241ACcdam
 1    Certified  Hearing  Instrument Specialists; and, one shall be
 2    of whom is a licensed audiologist.  If a vote  of  the  Board
 3    results in a tie, the Director shall cast the deciding vote.
 4        Members  of  the Board shall be appointed by the Director
 5    after    consultation    with    appropriate     professional
 6    organizations and consumer groups. The term of office of each
 7    shall  be  4  years.   Before  a  member's  term expires, the
 8    Director shall appoint a successor to assume member's  duties
 9    at  the  expiration  of  his  or  her  predecessor's term.  A
10    vacancy shall be filled  by  appointment  for  the  unexpired
11    term.  The  members  shall  annually  designate one member as
12    chairman.   No  member  of  the  Board  who  has   served   2
13    successive,  full  terms may be reappointed. The Director may
14    remove members for good cause.
15        Members of the  Board  shall  receive  reimbursement  for
16    actual  and  necessary  travel and for other expenses, not to
17    exceed the limit established by the Department.
18    (Source: P.A. 89-72, eff. 12-31-95; 91SB1404enr.)

19        Section 10.  If and only if Senate Bill 1404 of the  91st
20    General  Assembly  becomes  law, the Illinois Speech-Language
21    Pathology and Audiology Practice Act is amended  by  changing
22    Sections 4 and 16 as follows:

23        (225 ILCS 110/4) (from Ch. 111, par. 7904)
24        Sec. 4.  Powers and duties of the Department.  Subject to
25    the provisions of this Act, the Department shall exercise the
26    following functions, powers and duties:
27        (a)  Conduct  or  authorize examinations to ascertain the
28    fitness and qualifications  of  applicants  for  license  and
29    issue  licenses  to  those  who  are  found  to  be  fit  and
30    qualified.
31        (b)  Prescribe  rules  and  regulations  for  a method of
32    examination of candidates.
 
                            -3-              LRB9104241ACcdam
 1        (c)  Prescribe rules and regulations defining what  shall
 2    constitute  an  approved  school,  college or department of a
 3    university, except that no school, college or department of a
 4    university that refuses admittance to  applicants  solely  on
 5    account  of  race, color, creed, sex or national origin shall
 6    be approved.
 7        (d)  Conduct hearings on proceedings to revoke,  suspend,
 8    or refusal to issue such licenses.
 9        (e)  Promulgate  rules  and  regulations required for the
10    administration of this Act.
11        (f)  Discipline the supervisor of  a  graduate  audiology
12    student  as  provided  in  this  Act  for  a violation by the
13    graduate audiology student.
14        (g)  Enforce the provisions  of  the  Hearing  Instrument
15    Consumer  Protection  Act and rules promulgated under the Act
16    as that Act and those rules apply  to  licensed  audiologists
17    regulated by the Department.
18    (Source: P.A. 85-1391; 91SB1404enr.)

19        (225 ILCS 110/16) (from Ch. 111, par. 7916)
20        Sec. 16.  Refusal, revocation or suspension of licenses.
21        (1)  The  Department may refuse to issue or renew, or may
22    revoke, suspend, place on probation,  censure,  reprimand  or
23    take  other  disciplinary  action  as the Department may deem
24    proper,  including  fines  not  to  exceed  $5,000  for  each
25    violation,  with  regard  to  any  license  for  any  one  or
26    combination of the following causes:
27             (a)  Fraud in procuring the license.
28             (b)  Habitual intoxication or addiction to  the  use
29        of drugs.
30             (c)  Willful  or repeated violations of the rules of
31        the Department of Public Health.
32             (d)  Division of fees or agreeing to split or divide
33        the  fees  received  for  speech-language  pathology   or
 
                            -4-              LRB9104241ACcdam
 1        audiology  services  with  any  person  for  referring an
 2        individual, or assisting in the care or treatment  of  an
 3        individual,  without  the  knowledge of the individual or
 4        his or her legal representative.
 5             (e)  Employing,  procuring,  inducing,   aiding   or
 6        abetting  a  person  not  licensed  as  a speech-language
 7        pathologist or audiologist to engage in the  unauthorized
 8        practice of speech-language pathology or audiology.
 9             (f)  Making    any   misrepresentations   or   false
10        promises, directly or indirectly, to influence,  persuade
11        or induce patronage.
12             (g)  Professional connection or association with, or
13        lending  his  or  her  name  to  another  for the illegal
14        practice of speech-language  pathology  or  audiology  by
15        another,  or  professional connection or association with
16        any person, firm or corporation holding itself out in any
17        manner contrary to this Act.
18             (h)  Obtaining or seeking to obtain  checks,  money,
19        or  any  other  things  of  value  by false or fraudulent
20        representations, including but not limited  to,  engaging
21        in  such  fraudulent  practice  to  defraud  the  medical
22        assistance program of the Department of Public Aid.
23             (i)  Practicing  under  a name other than his or her
24        own.
25             (j)  Improper,   unprofessional   or    dishonorable
26        conduct of a character likely to deceive, defraud or harm
27        the public.
28             (k)  Conviction  in  this  or  another  state of any
29        crime which is a felony under the laws of this  State  or
30        conviction  of  a  felony  in  a  federal  court,  if the
31        Department determines,  after  investigation,  that  such
32        person has not been sufficiently rehabilitated to warrant
33        the public trust.
34             (1)  Permitting   a   person   under   his   or  her
 
                            -5-              LRB9104241ACcdam
 1        supervision to perform any  function  not  authorized  by
 2        this Act.
 3             (m)  A  violation  of  any  provision of this Act or
 4        rules promulgated thereunder.
 5             (n)  Revocation by another state,  the  District  of
 6        Columbia,  territory,  or  foreign nation of a license to
 7        practice speech-language pathology or  audiology  in  its
 8        jurisdiction  if  at  least  one  of the grounds for that
 9        revocation is the same as or the equivalent of one of the
10        grounds for revocation set forth herein.
11             (o)  Willfully failing  to  report  an  instance  of
12        suspected  child  abuse  or  neglect  as  required by the
13        Abused and Neglected Child Reporting Act.
14             (p)  Gross  or  repeated  malpractice  resulting  in
15        injury or death of an individual.
16             (q)  Willfully making or  filing  false  records  or
17        reports  in  his  or  her  practice  as a speech-language
18        pathologist or audiologist, including,  but  not  limited
19        to,  false  records  to support claims against the public
20        assistance program of the Illinois Department  of  Public
21        Aid.
22             (r)  Professional incompetence as manifested by poor
23        standards of care or mental incompetence as declared by a
24        court of competent jurisdiction.
25             (s)  Repeated  irregularities  in  billing  a  third
26        party  for  services  rendered  to  an  individual.   For
27        purposes  of  this  Section,  "irregularities in billing"
28        shall include:
29                  (i)  reporting  excessive   charges   for   the
30             purpose  of  obtaining  a total payment in excess of
31             that  usually  received   by   the   speech-language
32             pathologist   or   audiologist   for   the  services
33             rendered;
34                  (ii)  reporting  charges   for   services   not
 
                            -6-              LRB9104241ACcdam
 1             rendered; or
 2                  (iii)  incorrectly  reporting services rendered
 3             for the purpose of obtaining payment not earned.
 4             (t)  (Blank).
 5             (u)  Violation   of   the   Health    Care    Worker
 6        Self-Referral Act.
 7             (v)  Physical  illness, including but not limited to
 8        deterioration through the aging process or loss of  motor
 9        skill,  mental illness, or disability that results in the
10        inability to  practice  the  profession  with  reasonable
11        judgment, skill, or safety.
12             (w)  Violation  of  the  Hearing Instrument Consumer
13        Protection Act.
14        (2)  The Department  shall  deny  a  license  or  renewal
15    authorized  by this Act to any person who has defaulted on an
16    educational loan guaranteed by the Illinois State Scholarship
17    Commission; however, the Department may issue  a  license  or
18    renewal  if  the  aforementioned  persons  have established a
19    satisfactory repayment record as determined by  the  Illinois
20    State Scholarship Commission.
21        (3)  The   entry   of   an   order  by  a  circuit  court
22    establishing that any person holding a license under this Act
23    is subject to involuntary admission or judicial admission  as
24    provided   for   in   the  Mental  Health  and  Developmental
25    Disabilities Code, operates as  an  automatic  suspension  of
26    that  license.  That  person  may  have  his  or  her license
27    restored only upon the determination by a circuit court  that
28    the  patient is no longer subject to involuntary admission or
29    judicial admission and the issuance of an  order  so  finding
30    and   discharging   the   patient,   and   upon  the  Board's
31    recommendation  to  the  Department  that  the   license   be
32    restored.  Where the circumstances so indicate, the Board may
33    recommend to the Department that it  require  an  examination
34    prior  to restoring any license automatically suspended under
 
                            -7-              LRB9104241ACcdam
 1    this subsection.
 2        (4)  The Department may refuse to issue  or  may  suspend
 3    the  license  of any person who fails to file a return, or to
 4    pay the tax, penalty, or interest shown in a filed return, or
 5    to pay any final assessment of the tax penalty  or  interest,
 6    as  required by any tax Act administered by the Department of
 7    Revenue, until such time as the requirements of any such  tax
 8    Act are satisfied.
 9        (5)  In  enforcing this Section, the Board upon a showing
10    of a possible violation may compel an individual licensed  to
11    practice  under  this  Act,  or who has applied for licensure
12    pursuant to this Act, to  submit  to  a  mental  or  physical
13    examination,  or  both,  as required by and at the expense of
14    the  Department.   The  examining  physicians   or   clinical
15    psychologists  shall  be those specifically designated by the
16    Board.  The individual to be examined may have, at his or her
17    own expense, another physician or  clinical  psychologist  of
18    his  or  her  choice  present  during  all  aspects  of  this
19    examination.  Failure of any individual to submit to a mental
20    or  physical examination, when directed, shall be grounds for
21    suspension of his or her license until the individual submits
22    to the examination if  the  Board  finds,  after  notice  and
23    hearing,  that  the  refusal to submit to the examination was
24    without reasonable cause.
25        If the Board  finds  an  individual  unable  to  practice
26    because  of  the reasons set forth in this Section, the Board
27    may require that individual to submit to care, counseling, or
28    treatment by physicians or clinical psychologists approved or
29    designated by the Board, as a condition, term, or restriction
30    for continued, reinstated, or renewed licensure to  practice;
31    or,  in lieu of care, counseling, or treatment, the Board may
32    recommend  to  the  Department  to  file   a   complaint   to
33    immediately  suspend,  revoke,  or  otherwise  discipline the
34    license of the individual. Any individual whose  license  was
 
                            -8-              LRB9104241ACcdam
 1    granted,   continued,  reinstated,  renewed,  disciplined  or
 2    supervised   subject   to   such   terms,   conditions,    or
 3    restrictions,  and  who  fails  to  comply  with  such terms,
 4    conditions,  or  restrictions,  shall  be  referred  to   the
 5    Director  for  a  determination  as to whether the individual
 6    shall have his or her license suspended immediately,  pending
 7    a hearing by the Board.
 8        In instances in which the Director immediately suspends a
 9    person's  license  under  this  Section,  a  hearing  on that
10    person's license must be convened by the Board within 15 days
11    after the suspension and completed without appreciable delay.
12    The Board shall have the  authority  to  review  the  subject
13    individual's record of treatment and counseling regarding the
14    impairment  to  the  extent  permitted  by applicable federal
15    statutes and regulations safeguarding the confidentiality  of
16    medical records.
17        An  individual licensed under this Act and affected under
18    this Section shall be afforded an opportunity to  demonstrate
19    to the Board that he or she can resume practice in compliance
20    with acceptable and prevailing standards under the provisions
21    of his or her license.
22    (Source: P.A. 90-69, eff. 7-8-97.)

23        Section  99.   Effective  date.  This Act takes effect on
24    January 1, 2001.".

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