Public Act 094-0970
 
HB4461 Enrolled LRB094 18005 HLH 53309 b

    AN ACT concerning state government.
 
    Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
represented in the General Assembly:
 
    Section 5. The Department of Commerce and Economic
Opportunity Law of the Civil Administrative Code of Illinois is
amended by adding Section 605-430 as follows:
 
    (20 ILCS 605/605-430 new)
    Sec. 605-430. Funding; study. To ensure the availability of
a quality health care workforce to meet present and future
health care needs within the State, the Department of Commerce
and Economic Opportunity may, subject to appropriation,
conduct a study of the current and projected academic training
capacity in the State of Illinois specific to the nursing
profession. The study shall address the current supply and
demand for masters-prepared nurses as nursing school faculty
and set specific goals for recruiting and training new nursing
faculty throughout the region. The study shall also determine
the feasibility of the State engaging in the following
activities: (i) the establishment of scholarship funds and
work-study programs to help recruit potential new nursing
school faculty, (ii) the creation of a system to regularly
review and increase nurse faculty salary and benefits to make
academic practice competitive with clinical practice, and
(iii) the development of career track programs for academia
that offer advancement and rewards for nursing school faculty
comparable to those in clinical management. The study shall
include the collaborative input of hospital and other health
care provider associations and public and private educational
institutions from throughout the State.
    Subject to the availability of State funds, the Department
of Commerce and Economic Opportunity shall complete the study
by July 1, 2007 and shall present its findings to the General
Assembly for consideration.
 
    Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon
becoming law.