Public Act 103-0533
 
HB2509 EnrolledLRB103 04652 AMQ 49660 b


  
    AN ACT concerning regulation.
  
 
    Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
 
represented in the General Assembly:
  


 
 
    Section 5. The Nurse Practice Act is amended  by changing 
Sections 60-5 and 60-10 as follows:
 
    (225 ILCS 65/60-5)
    (Section scheduled to be repealed on January 1, 2028)

    Sec. 60-5. RN education program requirements; out-of-State 
programs.
    (a)  All registered professional nurse education programs 
must be reviewed by the Board and approved by the Department 
before the successful completion of such a program may be 
applied toward meeting the requirements for registered 
professional nurse licensure under this Act.  Any program 
changing the level of educational preparation or the 
relationship with or to the parent institution or establishing 
an extension of an existing program must request a review by 
the Board and approval by the Department.  The Board shall 
review and make a recommendation for the approval or 
disapproval of a program by the Department based on the 
following criteria:
        (1) a feasibility study that describes the need for 
    the program and the facilities used, the potential of the 
    program to recruit faculty and students, financial support 
    for the program, and other criteria, as established by 
    rule;
        (2)  program curriculum that meets all State 
    requirements;
        (2.5) measurement of program effectiveness based on a 
    passage rate of all graduates over the 3 most recent 
    calendar years without reference to first-time test 
    takers; 
        (3)  the administration of the program by a Nurse 
    Administrator and the involvement of a Nurse Administrator 
    in the development of the program;
        (4)  the occurrence of a site visit prior to approval; 
    and
        (5) beginning December 31, 2022, obtaining and 
    maintaining programmatic accreditation by a national 
    accrediting body for nursing education recognized by the 
    United States Department of Education and approved by the 
    Department.
    The Department and Board of Nursing shall be notified 
within 30 days if the program loses its accreditation.  The 
Department may adopt rules regarding a warning process and 
reaccreditation. 
    (b)  In order to obtain initial Department approval and to 
maintain Department approval, a registered professional 
nursing program must meet all of the following requirements:
        (1)  The institution responsible for conducting the 
    program and the Nurse Administrator must ensure that 
    individual faculty members are academically and 
    professionally competent.
        (2)  The program curriculum must contain all applicable 
    requirements established by rule, including both theory 
    and clinical components.
        (3)  The passage rates of the program's graduating 
    classes on the State-approved licensure exam must be 
    deemed satisfactory by the Department.
    (c)  Program site visits to an institution conducting or 
hosting a professional nursing program may be made at the 
discretion of the Nursing Coordinator or upon recommendation 
of the Board. Full routine site visits may be conducted by the 
Department for periodic evaluation. Such visits shall be used 
to determine compliance with this Act.  Full routine site 
visits must be announced and may be waived at the discretion of 
the Department if the program maintains accreditation with an 
accrediting body recognized by the United States Department of 
Education and approved by the Department.
    (d)  Any institution conducting a registered professional 
nursing program that wishes to discontinue the program must do 
each of the following:
        (1)  Notify the Department, in writing, of its intent 
    to discontinue the program.
        (2)  Continue to meet the requirements of this Act and 
    the rules adopted thereunder until the official date of 
    termination of the program.
        (3)  Notify the Department of the date on which the 
    last student shall graduate from the program and the 
    program shall terminate.
        (4)  Assist remaining students in the continuation of 
    their education in the event of program termination prior 
    to the graduation of the program's final student.
        (5)  Upon the closure of the program, notify the 
    Department, in writing, of the location of student and 
    graduate records' storage.
    (e)  Out-of-State registered professional nursing education 
programs planning to offer clinical practice experiences in 
this State must meet the requirements set forth in this 
Section and must meet the clinical and faculty requirements 
for institutions outside of this State, as established by 
rule.  The institution responsible for conducting an 
out-of-State registered professional nursing education program 
and the administrator of the program shall be responsible for 
ensuring that the individual faculty and preceptors overseeing 
the clinical experience are academically and professionally 
competent.


(Source: P.A. 100-513, eff. 1-1-18.)
 
    (225 ILCS 65/60-10)
    (Section scheduled to be repealed on January 1, 2028)

    Sec. 60-10. RN licensure by examination.
    (a)  Each applicant who successfully meets the requirements 
of this Section is eligible for licensure as a registered 
professional nurse.
    (b)  An applicant for licensure by examination to practice 
as a registered professional nurse is eligible for licensure 
when the following requirements are met:
        (1) the applicant has submitted a completed written 
    application, on forms provided by the Department, and 
    fees, as established by the Department;
        (2) the applicant has graduated from a professional 
    nursing education program approved by the Department or 
    has been granted a certificate of completion of  
    pre-licensure requirements from another United States 
    jurisdiction;
        (3) the applicant has successfully completed a 
    licensure examination approved by the Department;
        (4) (blank);
        (5) the applicant has submitted to the criminal 
    history records check required under Section 50-35 of this 
    Act;
        (6) the applicant has submitted, either to the 
    Department or its designated testing service, a fee 
    covering the cost of providing the examination; failure to 
    appear for the examination on the scheduled date at the 
    time and place specified after the applicant's application 
    for examination has been received and acknowledged by the 
    Department or the designated testing service shall result 
    in the forfeiture of the examination fee; and
        (7) the applicant has met all other requirements 
    established by the Department by rule.

            
    An applicant for licensure by examination may take the 
Department-approved examination in another jurisdiction.
    (b-3)     An applicant who graduates from a professional

nursing program in this State on or after the effective date of

this amendatory Act of the 103rd General Assembly and does not 
take the licensure examination within 180 days after his or 
her
degree is conferred by the institution of higher education 
or fails the licensure examination for a second time shall be 
required to demonstrate proof of completion of a National 
Council Licensure Examination preparatory  class or a 
comparable test preparatory program before taking a subsequent 
licensure examination or the graduate may return to the 
institution of higher education from which he or she graduated 
which shall provide remedial educational resources to the 
graduate at no cost to the graduate. Such an applicant must 
contact the
institution of higher education from which he or 
she graduated prior to retesting. 
    (b-4) All professional nursing programs in probationary 
status on the effective date of this amendatory Act of the 
103rd General Assembly and subject to a program revision plan 
shall be deemed in good standing for a period of 3 years 
beginning on the effective date of this amendatory Act of the 
103rd General Assembly. Prior to September 1, 2026, no 
professional nursing program shall be placed on probationary 
status for failing to reach  a passage rate of less than 75%. 
    (b-5)  If an applicant for licensure by examination 
neglects, fails, or refuses to take an examination or fails to 
pass an examination for a license within 3 years of the date of 
initial application, the application shall be denied. When an 
applicant's application is denied due to the failure to pass 
the examination within the 3-year period, that applicant must 
undertake an additional course of education as defined by rule 
prior to submitting a new application for licensure. Any new 
application must be accompanied by the required fee, evidence 
of meeting the requirements in force at the time of the new 
application, and evidence of completion of the additional 
course of education prescribed by rule.
    (c)  An applicant for licensure by examination shall have 
one year after the date of notification of the successful 
completion of the examination to apply to the Department for a 
license. If an applicant fails to apply within one year, the 
applicant shall be required to retake and pass the examination 
unless licensed in another jurisdiction of the United States.
    (d)  An applicant for licensure by examination who passes 
the Department-approved licensure examination for professional 
nursing may obtain employment as a license-pending registered 
nurse and practice under the direction of a registered 
professional nurse or an advanced practice registered nurse 
until such time as he or she receives his or her license to 
practice or until the license is denied.  In no instance shall 
any such applicant practice or be employed in any management 
capacity. An individual may be employed as a license-pending 
registered nurse if all of the following criteria are met:
        (1)  He or she has completed and passed the 
    Department-approved licensure exam and presents to the 
    employer the official written notification indicating 
    successful passage of the licensure examination.
        (2)  He or she has completed and submitted to the 
    Department an application for licensure under this Section 
    as a registered professional nurse.
        (3) He or she has submitted the required licensure 
    fee.
        (4)  He or she has met all other requirements 
    established by rule, including having submitted to a 
    criminal history records check.
    (e)  The privilege to practice as a license-pending 
registered nurse shall terminate with the occurrence of any of 
the following:
        (1)  Three months have passed since the official date 
    of passing the licensure exam as inscribed on the formal 
    written notification indicating passage of the exam. The 
    3-month license pending period may be extended if more 
    time is needed by the Department to process the licensure 
    application.
        (2)  Receipt of the registered professional nurse 
    license from the Department.
        (3)  Notification from the Department that the 
    application for licensure has been refused.
        (4)  A request by the Department that the individual 
    terminate practicing as a license-pending registered nurse 
    until an official decision is made by the Department to 
    grant or deny a registered professional nurse license.
    (f) (Blank).
    (g) (Blank).
    (h) (Blank).
    (i) (Blank).
    (j)  (Blank).
    (k)  All applicants for registered professional nurse 
licensure have 3 years after the date of application to 
complete the application process.  If the process has not been 
completed within 3 years after the date of application, the 
application shall be denied, the fee forfeited, and the 
applicant must reapply and meet the requirements in effect at 
the time of reapplication.
    (l)  All applicants for registered nurse licensure by 
examination who are graduates of practical nursing educational 
programs in a country other than the United States and its 
territories shall have their nursing education credentials 
evaluated by a Department-approved nursing credentialing 
evaluation service.  No such applicant may be issued a license 
under this Act unless the applicant's program is deemed by the 
nursing credentialing evaluation service to be equivalent to a 
professional nursing education program approved by the 
Department.  An applicant who has graduated from a nursing 
educational program outside of the United States or its 
territories and whose first language is not English shall 
submit evidence of English proficiency, as defined by rule.
    (m) (Blank).

(Source: P.A. 100-513, eff. 1-1-18.)