225 ILCS 135/15

(225 ILCS 135/15)

(Text of Section before amendment by P.A. 103-763)

(Section scheduled to be repealed on January 1, 2030)

Sec. 15. Exemptions.

(a) This Act does not prohibit any persons legally regulated in this State by any other Act from engaging in the practice for which they are authorized as long as they do not represent themselves by the title of "genetic counselor" or "licensed genetic counselor". This Act does not prohibit the practice of nonregulated professions whose practitioners are engaged in the delivery of human services as long as these practitioners do not represent themselves as or use the title of "genetic counselor" or "licensed genetic counselor".

(b) Nothing in this Act shall be construed to limit the activities and services of (i) a student, intern, resident, or fellow in genetic counseling or genetics seeking to fulfill educational requirements in order to qualify for a license under this Act if these activities and services constitute a part of the student's supervised course of study or (ii) an individual seeking to fulfill the post-degree experience requirements in order to qualify for licensing under this Act, as long as the activities and services are supervised by a qualified supervisor. A student, intern, resident, or fellow must be designated by the title "intern", "resident", "fellow", or any other designation of trainee status. Nothing contained in this subsection shall be construed to permit students, interns, residents, or fellows to offer their services as genetic counselors or geneticists to any other person and to accept remuneration for such genetic counseling services, except as specifically provided in this subsection or subsection (c).

(c) Corporations, partnerships, and associations may employ students, interns, or post-degree candidates seeking to fulfill educational requirements or the professional experience requirements needed to qualify for a license under this Act if their activities and services constitute a part of the student's supervised course of study or post-degree professional experience requirements. Nothing in this subsection shall prohibit a corporation, partnership, or association from contracting with a licensed health care professional to provide services that they are licensed to provide.

(d) Nothing in this Act shall prevent the employment, by a genetic counselor, person, association, partnership, or corporation furnishing genetic counseling services for remuneration, of persons not licensed as genetic counselors under this Act to perform services in various capacities as needed, if these persons are not in any manner held out to the public or do not hold themselves out to the public by any title or designation stating or implying that they are genetic counselors.

(e) Nothing in this Act shall be construed to limit the services of a person, not licensed under the provisions of this Act, in the employ of a federal, State, county, or municipal agency or other political subdivision or not-for-profit corporation providing human services if (i) the services are a part of the duties in his or her salaried position, (ii) the services are performed solely on behalf of his or her employer, and (iii) that person does not in any manner represent himself or herself as or use the title of "genetic counselor" or "licensed genetic counselor".

(f) Duly recognized members of any religious organization shall not be restricted from functioning in their ministerial capacity provided they do not represent themselves as being genetic counselors or as providing genetic counseling.

(g) Nothing in this Act shall be construed to require or prohibit any hospital, clinic, home health agency, hospice, or other entity that provides health care to employ or to contract with a person licensed under this Act to provide genetic counseling services.

(h) Nothing in this Act shall be construed to prevent any licensed social worker, licensed clinical social worker, licensed clinical psychologist, licensed professional counselor, or licensed clinical professional counselor from practicing professional counseling as long as that person is not in any manner held out to the public as a "genetic counselor" or "licensed genetic counselor" or does not hold out his or her services as being genetic counseling.

(i) Nothing in this Act shall be construed to limit the practice of a person not licensed under this Act who is a physician licensed to practice medicine in all of its branches under the Medical Practice Act of 1987 or intern, fellow, or resident from using the title "genetic counselor" or any other title tending to indicate they are a genetic counselor.

(j) Nothing in the Act shall prohibit a visiting ABGC or ABMG certified genetic counselor from outside the State working as a consultant, or organizations from outside the State employing ABGC or ABMG certified genetic counselors providing occasional services, who are not licensed under this Act, from engaging in the practice of genetic counseling subject to the stated circumstances and limitations defined by rule.

(Source: P.A. 93-1041, eff. 9-29-04; 94-661, eff. 1-1-06.)

(Text of Section after amendment by P.A. 103-763)

(Section scheduled to be repealed on January 1, 2030)

Sec. 15. Exemptions.

(a) This Act does not prohibit any persons legally regulated in this State by any other Act from engaging in the practice for which they are authorized as long as they do not represent themselves by the title of "genetic counselor" or "licensed genetic counselor". This Act does not prohibit the practice of nonregulated professions whose practitioners are engaged in the delivery of human services as long as these practitioners do not represent themselves as or use the title of "genetic counselor" or "licensed genetic counselor".

(b) Nothing in this Act shall be construed to limit the activities and services of (i) a student, intern, resident, or fellow in genetic counseling or genetics seeking to fulfill educational requirements in order to qualify for a license under this Act if these activities and services constitute a part of the student's supervised course of study or (ii) an individual seeking to fulfill the post-degree experience requirements in order to qualify for licensing under this Act, as long as the activities and services are supervised by a qualified supervisor. A student, intern, resident, or fellow must be designated by the title "intern", "resident", "fellow", or any other designation of trainee status. Nothing contained in this subsection shall be construed to permit students, interns, residents, or fellows to offer their services as genetic counselors or geneticists to any other person and to accept remuneration for such genetic counseling services, except as specifically provided in this subsection or subsection (c).

(c) Corporations, partnerships, and associations may employ students, interns, or post-degree candidates seeking to fulfill educational requirements or the professional experience requirements needed to qualify for a license under this Act if their activities and services constitute a part of the student's supervised course of study or post-degree professional experience requirements. Nothing in this subsection shall prohibit a corporation, partnership, or association from contracting with a licensed health care professional to provide services that they are licensed to provide.

(d) Nothing in this Act shall prevent the employment, by a genetic counselor, person, association, partnership, or corporation furnishing genetic counseling services for remuneration, of persons not licensed as genetic counselors under this Act to perform services in various capacities as needed, if these persons are not in any manner held out to the public or do not hold themselves out to the public by any title or designation stating or implying that they are genetic counselors.

(e) Nothing in this Act shall be construed to limit the services of a person, not licensed under the provisions of this Act, in the employ of a federal, State, county, or municipal agency or other political subdivision or not-for-profit corporation providing human services if (i) the services are a part of the duties in the person's salaried position, (ii) the services are performed solely on behalf of the person's employer, and (iii) that person does not in any manner represent oneself as or use the title of "genetic counselor" or "licensed genetic counselor".

(f) Duly recognized members of any religious organization shall not be restricted from functioning in their ministerial capacity provided they do not represent themselves as being genetic counselors or as providing genetic counseling.

(g) Nothing in this Act shall be construed to require or prohibit any hospital, clinic, home health agency, hospice, or other entity that provides health care to employ or to contract with a person licensed under this Act to provide genetic counseling services.

(h) Nothing in this Act shall be construed to prevent any licensed social worker, licensed clinical social worker, licensed clinical psychologist, licensed professional counselor, or licensed clinical professional counselor from practicing professional counseling as long as that person is not in any manner held out to the public as a "genetic counselor" or "licensed genetic counselor" or does not hold out that person's services as being genetic counseling.

(i) Nothing in this Act shall be construed to limit the practice of a person not licensed under this Act who is a physician licensed to practice medicine in all of its branches under the Medical Practice Act of 1987 or intern, fellow, or resident from using the title "genetic counselor" or any other title tending to indicate they are a genetic counselor.

(j) Nothing in the Act shall prohibit a visiting ABGC or ABMGG certified genetic counselor from outside the State working as a consultant, or organizations from outside the State employing ABGC or ABMGG certified genetic counselors providing occasional services, who are not licensed under this Act, from engaging in the practice of genetic counseling subject to the stated circumstances and limitations defined by rule.

(Source: P.A. 103-763, eff. 1-1-25.)