HB5575eng 102ND GENERAL ASSEMBLY

  
  
  

 


 
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1    AN ACT concerning regulation.
 
2    Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
3represented in the General Assembly:
 
4    Section 1. Short title. This Act may be cited as the
5Comprehensive Licensing Information to Minimize Barriers Task
6Force Act.
 
7    Section 5. Declaration of public policy.
8    (a) The State of Illinois finds that persons from
9historically and economically disadvantaged groups have been
10directly and indirectly excluded from opportunity and shared
11prosperity and that it is in the public policy interest of the
12State to foster an environment where all people, particularly
13those equity-focused populations subjected to arbitrary
14barriers, have the freedom to create their own path to success
15and self-actualization.
16    (b) The State also finds that the freedom and access to
17opportunities needed to achieve one's highest potential
18through a lawful occupation is critically important to the
19well-being of people in Illinois, and that the right to pursue
20a lawful occupation is a fundamental right of all people.
21    (c) Therefore, it is in the public policy interest of the
22State to minimize and remove unnecessary, arbitrary, and
23ineffective barriers to employment and economic prosperity

 

 

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1that disproportionately exclude persons from historically and
2economically disadvantaged groups.
3    (d) The General Assembly finds that occupational licensing
4procedures and programs can unintentionally erect costly
5barriers to employment for low-income persons, persons who
6identify as black, indigenous, and people of color, formerly
7convicted or incarcerated persons, women, and other
8historically and economically disadvantaged populations.
9    (e) The General Assembly also finds that its Members do
10not receive enough objective, actionable information for the
11purpose of effectively legislating regarding occupational
12licensing programs, procedures, funding, administration, or
13reporting overseen by the Department of Financial and
14Professional Regulation.
15    (f) It is in the public policy interest of the State to
16ensure that costly, unnecessary personal qualification
17requirements or procedures in current occupational licensing
18policies are minimized or removed in order to expand equitable
19access to employment opportunities for persons in historically
20and economically disadvantaged populations.
 
21    Section 10. Definitions. As used in this Act:
22    "Department" means the Department of Financial and
23Professional Regulation.
24    "Low-income and middle-income licensed occupations" means
25any licensed occupation regulated by the Department where the

 

 

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1average annual income of those employed in the occupation in
2this State is equal to or less than the median annual income
3for residents of this State as determined by the 2020 United
4States Census.
5    "Task force" means the Comprehensive Licensing Information
6to Minimize Barriers Task Force.
 
7    Section 15. Task force.
8    (a) The Comprehensive Licensing Information to Minimize
9Barriers Task Force is hereby created within the Department of
10Financial and Professional Regulation.
11    (b) Within 60 days after the effective date of this Act,
12the Speaker of the House of Representatives shall appoint the
13chairperson of the task force and the President of the Senate
14shall appoint the vice-chairperson.
15    (c) Within 90 days after the appointment of the
16chairperson and vice-chairperson, the chairperson and
17vice-chairperson of the task force shall unanimously appoint
18the following members of the task force:
19        (1) one representative from a nonprofit organization
20    that focuses on workforce development;
21        (2) one representative from a nonprofit organization
22    that focuses on reintegrating citizens returning from a
23    period of incarceration;
24        (3) one member of the public that works in a
25    low-income or middle-income licensed occupation and holds

 

 

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1    an active license in good standing who has faced barriers
2    to employment through licensure, who may be recommended by
3    the member described in item (1);
4        (4) one member of the public that works in a
5    low-income or middle-income licensed occupation and holds
6    an active license in good standing who has faced barriers
7    to employment through licensure specifically due to a
8    period of incarceration, who may be recommended by the
9    member described in item (2);
10        (5) one member who holds an advanced degree and is an
11    expert in the field of licensing, workforce development,
12    or labor economics and is currently either a member of the
13    faculty at an accredited college or university in this
14    State or conducting related research through a research
15    institute affiliated with an accredited college or
16    university in this State; and
17        (6) one member who holds an advanced degree and is an
18    expert in the field of public health and safety regulation
19    and is currently either a member of the faculty at an
20    accredited college or university in this State or
21    conducting related research through a research institute
22    affiliated with an accredited college or university in
23    this State.
24    (d) Within 90 days after the appointment of the
25chairperson and vice-chairperson, the following members shall
26be appointed to the task force:

 

 

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1        (1) the Director of Financial and Professional
2    Regulation, or his or her appointed designee;
3        (2) one member appointed by the Minority Leader of the
4    House of Representatives; and
5        (3) one member appointed by the Minority Leader of the
6    Senate.
7    (e) Members of the task force shall serve without
8compensation, but may be reimbursed for necessary expenses
9incurred in the performance of their duties from funds
10appropriated for that purpose.
11    (f) The Department shall provide administrative support to
12the task force.
13    (g) Within 60 days after the final selection and
14appointment of the members of the task force, the chairperson
15shall convene the first meeting of the task force.
16    (h) Meetings of the task force shall be held monthly, with
17at least 30 days between the previous meeting and the upcoming
18meeting. Meetings shall be posted publicly.
 
19    Section 20. Report.
20    (a) The task force shall conduct an analysis of
21occupational licensing, including, but not limited to,
22processes, procedures, and statutory requirements for
23licensure administered by the Department. The findings of this
24analysis shall be delivered to the General Assembly, the
25Office of Management and Budget, the Department, and the

 

 

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1public in the form of a final report. For the purpose of
2ensuring that historically and economically disadvantaged
3populations are centered in this analysis, the task force
4shall identify low-income and middle-income licensed
5occupations in this State and aggregate the information from
6those occupations under their respective regulatory boards
7overseen by the Department to form the basis of the report.
8    (b) The report shall contain information from each
9licensing board as follows:
10        (1) the number of license applications submitted
11    compared with the number of licenses issued;
12        (2) data concerning why licenses were denied or
13    revoked and a ranking of the most common reasons for
14    denial or revocation;
15        (3) an analysis of the information required of license
16    applicants by the Department compared with the information
17    that the Department is required by statute to verify, to
18    ascertain if applicants are required to submit superfluous
19    information;
20        (4) demographic information for the last 5 years of
21    (i) active license holders, (ii) license holders who were
22    disciplined in that period, (iii) license holders whose
23    licenses were revoked in that period, and (iv) license
24    applicants who were not issued licenses;
25        (5) data aggregated from the last 5 years of monthly
26    enforcement reports, including a ranking of the most

 

 

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1    common reasons for both initiating an enforcement action
2    and the enforcement action taken;
3        (6) the cost of licensure to the individual,
4    including, but not limited to, the fees for initial
5    licensure and renewal, the average cost of training and
6    testing required for initial licensure, and the average
7    cost of meeting continuing education requirements for
8    license renewal;
9        (7) the locations within this State of each program or
10    school that provides the required training and testing
11    needed to obtain or renew a license, and whether the
12    required training and testing can be fulfilled online;
13        (8) the languages in which the required training or
14    testing is offered;
15        (9) the acceptance rates, graduation rates, and
16    dropout rates of the training facilities that provide
17    required training;
18        (10) the percentage of students at each school that
19    offers required training who financed the required
20    training through student loans; and
21        (11) the average annual salary of those in the
22    occupation.
23    (c) The final report shall also contain a general
24description of the steps taken by the task force to fulfill the
25report criteria and shall include in an appendix of the report
26any results of the task force's analysis in the form of graphs,

 

 

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1charts, or other data visualizations. The task force shall
2also exercise due care in the reporting of this information to
3protect sensitive information of personal or proprietary value
4or information that would risk the security of residents of
5this State.
6    (d) The task force shall publish the final report by
7December 1, 2023 with recommendations to the General Assembly,
8including recommendations for continued required reporting
9from the Department to better support the General Assembly in
10revoking, modifying, or creating new licensing Acts.
 
11    Section 90. Repeal. This Act is repealed December 1, 2024.
 
12    Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon
13becoming law.