(225 ILCS 410/3-7) (from Ch. 111, par. 1703-7)
    (Section scheduled to be repealed on January 1, 2026)
    Sec. 3-7. Licensure; renewal; continuing education. The holder of a license issued under this Article III may renew that license during the month preceding the expiration date thereof by paying the required fee, giving such evidence as the Department may prescribe of completing not less than 14 hours of continuing education for a cosmetologist, and 24 hours of continuing education for a cosmetology teacher or cosmetology clinic teacher, within the 2 years prior to renewal. The training shall be in subjects approved by the Department as prescribed by rule upon recommendation of the Board and may include online instruction.
    For the initial renewal of a cosmetologist's license which requires continuing education, as prescribed by rule, one hour of the continuing education shall include domestic violence and sexual assault awareness education as prescribed by rule of the Department. For every subsequent renewal of a cosmetologist's license, one hour of the continuing education may include domestic violence and sexual assault awareness education as prescribed by rule of the Department. The one-hour domestic violence and sexual assault awareness continuing education course shall be provided by a continuing education provider approved by the Department, except that completion from March 12, 2016 to March 15, 2016 of a one-hour domestic violence and sexual assault awareness course from a domestic violence and sexual assault awareness organization shall satisfy this requirement.
    The Department may prescribe rules regarding the requirements for domestic violence and sexual assault awareness continuing education courses and teachers.
    The Department shall establish by rule a means for the verification of completion of the continuing education required by this Section. This verification may be accomplished through audits of records maintained by registrants, by requiring the filing of continuing education certificates with the Department, or by other means established by the Department.
    The Department, in its discretion, may waive enforcement of the continuing education requirement in this Section, including the domestic violence and sexual assault awareness education requirement, and shall adopt rules defining the standards and criteria for that waiver under the following circumstances:
        (a) the licensee resides in a locality where it is
    
demonstrated that the absence of opportunities for such education would interfere with the ability of the licensee to provide service to the public;
        (b) that to comply with the continuing education
    
requirements would cause a substantial financial hardship on the licensee;
        (c) that the licensee is serving in the United States
    
Armed Forces; or
        (d) that the licensee is incapacitated due to illness.
(Source: P.A. 98-911, eff. 1-1-15; 99-427, eff. 8-21-15; 99-766, eff. 1-1-17.)