Public Act 094-0528
 
SB0451 Enrolled LRB094 09293 RAS 39532 b

    AN ACT concerning regulation.
 
    Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
represented in the General Assembly:
 
    Section 5. The Illinois Speech-Language Pathology and
Audiology Practice Act is amended by changing Sections 3, 3.5,
4, 5, 7.1, and 8 as follows:
 
    (225 ILCS 110/3)  (from Ch. 111, par. 7903)
    (Section scheduled to be repealed on January 1, 2008)
    Sec. 3. Definitions. The following words and phrases shall
have the meaning ascribed to them in this Section unless the
context clearly indicates otherwise:
    (a) "Department" means the Department of Professional
Regulation.
    (b) "Director" means the Director of Professional
Regulation.
    (c) "Board" means the Board of Speech-Language Pathology
and Audiology established under Section 5 of this Act.
    (d) "Speech-Language Pathologist" means a person who has
received a license pursuant to this Act and who engages in the
practice of speech-language pathology.
    (e) "Audiologist" means a person who has received a license
pursuant to this Act and who engages in the practice of
audiology.
    (f) "Public member" means a person who is not a health
professional. For purposes of board membership, any person with
a significant financial interest in a health service or
profession is not a public member.
    (g) "The practice of audiology" is the application of
nonmedical methods and procedures for the identification,
measurement, testing, appraisal, prediction, habilitation,
rehabilitation, or instruction related to hearing and
disorders of hearing. These procedures are for the purpose of
counseling, consulting and rendering or offering to render
services or for participating in the planning, directing or
conducting of programs that are designed to modify
communicative disorders involving speech, language or auditory
function related to hearing loss. The practice of audiology may
include, but shall not be limited to, the following:
        (1) any task, procedure, act, or practice that is
    necessary for the evaluation of hearing or vestibular
    function;
        (2) training in the use of amplification devices ,
    including hearing aids;
        (3) the fitting, dispensing, or servicing of hearing
    instruments; and
        (4) (3) performing basic speech and language screening
    tests and procedures consistent with audiology training.
    (h) "The practice of speech-language pathology" is the
application of nonmedical methods and procedures for the
identification, measurement, testing, appraisal, prediction,
habilitation, rehabilitation, and modification related to
communication development, and disorders or disabilities of
speech, language, voice, swallowing, and other speech,
language and voice related disorders. These procedures are for
the purpose of counseling, consulting and rendering or offering
to render services, or for participating in the planning,
directing or conducting of programs that are designed to modify
communicative disorders and conditions in individuals or
groups of individuals involving speech, language, voice and
swallowing function.
    "The practice of speech-language pathology" shall include,
but shall not be limited to, the following:
        (1) hearing screening tests and aural rehabilitation
    procedures consistent with speech-language pathology
    training;
        (2) tasks, procedures, acts or practices that are
    necessary for the evaluation of, and training in the use
    of, augmentative communication systems, communication
    variation, cognitive rehabilitation, non-spoken language
    production and comprehension.
    (i) "Speech-language pathology assistant" means a person
who has received a license pursuant to this Act to assist a
speech-language pathologist in the manner provided in this Act.
(Source: P.A. 92-510, eff. 6-1-02.)
 
    (225 ILCS 110/4)  (from Ch. 111, par. 7904)
    (Section scheduled to be repealed on January 1, 2008)
    Sec. 4. Powers and duties of the Department. Subject to the
provisions of this Act, the Department shall exercise the
following functions, powers and duties:
    (a) Conduct or authorize examinations to ascertain the
fitness and qualifications of applicants for license and issue
licenses to those who are found to be fit and qualified.
    (b) Prescribe rules and regulations for a method of
examination of candidates.
    (c) Prescribe rules and regulations defining what shall
constitute an approved school, college or department of a
university, except that no school, college or department of a
university that refuses admittance to applicants solely on
account of race, color, creed, sex or national origin shall be
approved.
    (d) Conduct hearings on proceedings to revoke, suspend, or
refusal to issue such licenses.
    (e) Promulgate rules and regulations required for the
administration of this Act.
    (f) Discipline the supervisor of a graduate audiology or
speech-language pathology student as provided in this Act for a
violation by the graduate audiology or speech-language
pathology student.
(Source: P.A. 91-932, eff. 1-1-01; 91-949, eff. 2-9-01.)
 
    (225 ILCS 110/5)  (from Ch. 111, par. 7905)
    (Section scheduled to be repealed on January 1, 2008)
    Sec. 5. Board of Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology.
There is created a Board of Speech-Language Pathology and
Audiology to be composed of persons designated from time to
time by the Director, as follows:
        (a) Five persons, 2 of whom have been licensed
    speech-language pathologists for a period of 5 years or
    more, 2 of whom have been licensed audiologists for a
    period of 5 years or more, and one public member. The board
    shall annually elect a chairperson and a vice-chairperson.
        (b) Terms for all members shall be for 3 years. Partial
    terms over 2 years in length shall be considered as full
    terms. A member may be reappointed for a successive term,
    but no member shall serve more than 2 full terms.
        (c) The membership of the Board should reasonably
    reflect representation from the various geographic areas
    of the State.
        (d) In making appointments to the Board, the Director
    shall give due consideration to recommendations by
    organizations of the speech-language pathology and
    audiology professions in Illinois, including the Illinois
    Speech-Language-Hearing Association and the Illinois
    Academy of Audiology, and shall promptly give due notice to
    such organizations of any vacancy in the membership of the
    Board. The Director may terminate the appointment of any
    member for any cause, which in the opinion of the Director,
    reasonably justifies such termination.
        (e) A majority of the Board members currently appointed
    shall constitute a quorum. A vacancy in the membership of
    the Board shall not impair the right of a quorum to
    exercise all the rights and perform all the duties of the
    Board.
        (f) The members of the Board shall each receive as
    compensation a reasonable sum as determined by the Director
    for each day actually engaged in the duties of the office,
    and all legitimate and necessary expenses incurred in
    attending the meetings of the Board.
        (g) Members of the Board shall be immune from suit in
    any action based upon any disciplinary proceedings or other
    activities performed in good faith as members of the Board.
        (h) The Director may consider the recommendations of
    the Board in establishing guidelines for professional
    conduct, the conduct of formal disciplinary proceedings
    brought under this Act, and qualifications of applicants.
    Notice of proposed rulemaking shall be transmitted to the
    Board and the Department shall review the response of the
    Board and any recommendations made in the response. The
    Department, at any time, may seek the expert advice and
    knowledge of the Board on any matter relating to the
    administration or enforcement of this Act.
        (i) Whenever the Director is satisfied that
    substantial justice has not been done either in an
    examination or in the revocation, suspension, or refusal of
    a license, or other disciplinary action relating to a
    license, the Director may order a reexamination or
    rehearing.
(Source: P.A. 90-69, eff. 7-8-97.)
 
    (225 ILCS 110/7.1)
    (Section scheduled to be repealed on January 1, 2008)
    Sec. 7.1. Graduate audiology students. Full-time Graduate
students enrolled in a program of audiology in an accredited
college or university may engage in the dispensing of hearing
instruments as a part of a program of audiology without a
license under the supervision of an audiologist licensed under
this Act.
    The supervisor and the supervisor's employer shall be
jointly and severally liable for any acts of the student
relating to the practice of fitting or dispensing hearing
instruments as defined in the rules promulgated under this Act.
(Source: P.A. 91-932, eff. 1-1-01.)
 
    (225 ILCS 110/8)  (from Ch. 111, par. 7908)
    (Section scheduled to be repealed on January 1, 2008)
    Sec. 8. Qualifications for licenses to practice
speech-language pathology or audiology. The Department shall
require that each applicant for a license to practice
speech-language pathology or audiology shall:
        (a) (Blank);
        (b) be at least 21 years of age;
        (c) not have violated any provisions of Section 16 of
    this Act;
        (d) present satisfactory evidence of receiving a
    master's or doctoral degree in speech-language pathology
    or audiology from a program approved by the Department.
    Nothing in this Act shall be construed to prevent any
    program from establishing higher standards than specified
    in this Act;
        (e) pass a national an examination recognized
    authorized by the Department in the theory and practice of
    the profession, provided that the Department may recognize
    a certificate granted by the American
    Speech-Language-Hearing Association in lieu of such
    examination; and
        (f) for a license as a speech-language pathologist,
    have completed the equivalent of 9 months of full-time,
    supervised professional experience; and .
        (g) for a license as an audiologist, have completed a
    minimum of 1,500 clock hours of supervised experience.
    Applicants have 3 years from the date of application to
complete the application process. If the process has not been
completed within 3 years, the application shall be denied, the
fee shall be forfeited, and the applicant must reapply and meet
the requirements in effect at the time of reapplication.
(Source: P.A. 92-510, eff. 6-1-02.)
 
    Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon
becoming law.