Chicago City Wire

Lakesia Collins introduced SB0259 in the Illinois Senate on Jan. 24, 2025, during the general assembly session 104, according to the Illinois General Assembly.

According to the Illinois General Assembly site, the legislature summarized the bill's official text as follows: "Creates the Hospital Staffing Plans Act. Provides that for each hospital there shall be established a hospital professional and technical staffing committee. Sets forth requirements and makeup of committee members and cochairs. Directs the professional and technical staffing committee to develop a written hospital-wide professional and technical staffing plan. Sets forth committee rules of operation. Requires the plan to be consistent with the approved nurse staffing plan for the hospital and takes into account the hospital service staffing plan for the hospital. Provides that if the committee does not adopt a staffing plan, or adopts only part of a plan, then either cochair may invoke an additional 60 day period to continue to develop the plan. Sets forth opportunities to extend the discussion, amendment, or adoption timeframe of the staffing plan. Provides that the committee must meet 3 times per year and additionally at the call of either cochair. Sets forth open meeting and recordkeeping requirements. Requires the hospital to submit the staffing plan to the Department of Public Health. Provides for a hospital service staffing plan in the same manner and methods as the professional and technical staffing committee. Provides that hospitals may combine 2 or more staffing committees into one committee in particular circumstances. Provides for a nurse staffing committee as the same manner and methods of the professional and technical staffing committee. Provides that hospitals may combine 2 or more staffing committees into one committee in particular circumstances. Sets forth the roles and responsibilities of a nurse in a hospital setting. Sets forth arbitration and complaint resolution. Sets forth required periodic reviews. Provides for penalties for violations of the Act. Provides that the Department of Labor may grant a variance to a written hospital-wide staffing plan. Provides for emergency staffing variances. Establishes the Nurse Staffing Advisory Board within the Department of Public Health. Effective immediately."

The following is our breakdown, based on the actual bill text, and may include interpretation to clarify its provisions.

In essence, the bill establishes the Hospital Staffing Plans Act to ensure adequate hospital staffing for patient care. It mandates the creation of a professional and technical staffing committee in each hospital to develop comprehensive staffing plans, consistent with nurse staffing requirements and taking into account various factors such as patient census and national standards. The bill allows for deviations under specific circumstances and requires the submission of plans to the Department of Public Health. It introduces penalties for violations and allows the Department of Labor to grant variances to staffing plans in emergencies. Hospital staffing committees must meet regularly and maintain transparent records. The bill also establishes the Nurse Staffing Advisory Board to assist with oversight and implementation. This law is effective immediately upon enactment.

Lakesia Collins has proposed another seven bills since the beginning of the 104th session.

Lakesia Collins is currently serving in the Illinois State Senate, representing the state's 5th Senate District. She replaced previous state senator Patricia Van Pelt in 2023.

Bills in Illinois follow a multi-step legislative process, beginning with introduction in either the House or Senate, followed by committee review, floor debates, and votes in both chambers before reaching the governor for approval or veto. The General Assembly operates on a biennial schedule, and while typically thousands of bills are introduced each session, only a fraction successfully pass through the process to become law.

You can read more about bills and other measures here.

Bill Number	Date Introduced	Short Description
SB0259	01/24/2025	Creates the Hospital Staffing Plans Act. Provides that for each hospital there shall be established a hospital professional and technical staffing committee. Sets forth requirements and makeup of committee members and cochairs. Directs the professional and technical staffing committee to develop a written hospital-wide professional and technical staffing plan. Sets forth committee rules of operation. Requires the plan to be consistent with the approved nurse staffing plan for the hospital and takes into account the hospital service staffing plan for the hospital. Provides that if the committee does not adopt a staffing plan, or adopts only part of a plan, then either cochair may invoke an additional 60 day period to continue to develop the plan. Sets forth opportunities to extend the discussion, amendment, or adoption timeframe of the staffing plan. Provides that the committee must meet 3 times per year and additionally at the call of either cochair. Sets forth open meeting and recordkeeping requirements. Requires the hospital to submit the staffing plan to the Department of Public Health. Provides for a hospital service staffing plan in the same manner and methods as the professional and technical staffing committee. Provides that hospitals may combine 2 or more staffing committees into one committee in particular circumstances. Provides for a nurse staffing committee as the same manner and methods of the professional and technical staffing committee. Provides that hospitals may combine 2 or more staffing committees into one committee in particular circumstances. Sets forth the roles and responsibilities of a nurse in a hospital setting. Sets forth arbitration and complaint resolution. Sets forth required periodic reviews. Provides for penalties for violations of the Act. Provides that the Department of Labor may grant a variance to a written hospital-wide staffing plan. Provides for emergency staffing variances. Establishes the Nurse Staffing Advisory Board within the Department of Public Health. Effective immediately.
SB1224	01/24/2025	Creates the Fantasy Sports Consumer Protection Act. Provides that the Illinois Gaming Board may regulate the conduct of fantasy contest operators under the Act. Allows the Board to levy and collect fees, surcharges, civil penalties, and, on adjusted gross fantasy contest receipts imposed under the Act, monthly taxes, and identifies other powers and duties of the Board. Includes restrictions, including requiring licensing, of fantasy contest operators. Includes license requirements and requirements for allowable fantasy contests. Contains provisions relating to denial of a license, independent audits, reporting and investigation of prohibited conduct, taxes, compulsive gambling and voluntary self-exclusion, and supplier diversity goals for fantasy contest operators. Amends the Sports Wagering Act. Excludes fantasy contests from the definition of "sports wagering". Amends the Criminal Code of 2012. Provides that participants in fantasy contest wagering shall not be convicted of the offense of gambling when conducted in accordance with the Fantasy Sports Consumer Protection Act. Excludes any real estate, vehicle, boat, or any other property whatsoever used for the purposes of gambling under the Fantasy Sports Consumer Protection Act from the definition of "gambling place" under the offense of keeping a gambling place. Amends the Illinois Administrative Procedure Act. Grants the Illinois Gaming Board emergency rulemaking authority to implement the Fantasy Sports Consumer Protection Act. Effective immediately.
SB0227	01/22/2025	Amends the Illinois Income Tax Act. Provides that, if a taxpayer is awarded a credit by the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity in connection with a qualifying Illinois data center located in a qualified area or a data center developed by a minority-owned business, a women-owned business, or a business owned a person with a disability, then the taxpayer is entitled to an additional income tax credit in an amount equal to 5% of the taxpayer's investment in qualified tangible personal property used in the construction or operation of that data center. Effective immediately.
SB0228	01/22/2025	Amends the Department of Human Services Act. Provides that subject to appropriation, the Department of Human Services shall establish a diaper allowance program for eligible families with children 3 years of age or younger. Requires the Department to create an application process that requires applicants to submit an initial application for a diaper allowance and on an annual basis thereafter an application for a redetermination of eligibility. Requires the Department to maintain on its official website an online application system that permits an Illinois family to apply online for a diaper allowance or a redetermination of eligibility or to download a mail-in application form. Provides that paper application forms shall be made available at WIC offices and at family community resource centers throughout the State. Contains provisions concerning application requirements. Sets the monthly diaper allowance amount at $70 for eligible children whose family income is at or below 100% of the federal poverty guidelines. Provides that families may receive a diaper allowance for each eligible child and that the diaper allowance shall not be considered income for purposes of determining eligibility or the amount of assistance for any public aid benefit provided under State law. Permits the Department to distribute diaper allowance amounts electronically to an eligible family by means of an electronic benefits transfer card issued by the Department. Permits the Department to adopt rules necessary to implement the program. Contains provisions on redetermination application requirements. Provides that an advisory committee shall advise the Department on program implementation. Sets forth the composition of the advisory committee and provides that the committee shall meet monthly beginning September 1, 2025 through July 1, 2027. Effective immediately.
SB0229	01/22/2025	Amends the Illinois Insurance Code. Provides that no later than July 1, 2026, each health plan and pharmacy benefit manager operating in this State shall, upon request of a covered individual, his or her health care provider, or an authorized third party on his or her behalf, furnish specified cost, benefit, and coverage data to the covered individual, his or her health care provider, or the third party of his or her choosing and shall ensure that the data is: (1) current no later than one business day after any change is made; (2) provided in real time; and (3) in a format that is easily accessible to the covered individual or, in the case of his or her health care provider, through an electronic health records system. Provides that the format of the request shall use specified industry content and transport standards. Provides that a facsimile is not an acceptable electronic format. Provides that upon request, specified data shall be provided for any drug covered under the covered individual's health plan. Makes other changes. Defines terms.
SB0230	01/22/2025	Amends the Illinois Insurance Code. In a provision concerning services provided by nonparticipating providers, provides that "health care facility" in the context of non-emergency services, includes a facility or office in which a patient receives reproductive health care, as defined in the Reproductive Health Act.
SB0237	01/22/2025	Creates the Community-Based Corrections Act. Provides that the Department of Corrections shall establish a program that funds community-based nonprofit providers to serve emerging adults as an alternative to traditional incarceration. Provides that community-based providers shall offer housing, workforce training, mental health counseling, and restorative justice programming in alignment with State guidelines. Provides that the program shall be subject to judicial discretion, allowing sentencing judges to assign eligible individuals to community-based settings instead of Department of Corrections facilities. Provides that all community-based providers must have a written agreement with a restorative justice court for all emerging adults within their care to participate in the restorative justice court programs. Provides that community-based providers shall be compensated at a rate equivalent to the monthly per-inmate cost of incarceration as determined by the Department in its Fiscal Impact Statement. Community-based providers shall be paid on a monthly basis for the number of individuals within their care. Provides that the Department of Corrections shall allocate existing budget authority for contractual services to fund the program created by the Act. Provides that the Department of Human Services shall establish operational standards, including housing conditions, workforce training quality, and mental health support services, to ensure program efficacy. Provides that the Department of Human Services shall monitor and evaluate providers to maintain compliance with State and judicial requirements. Provides that community-based providers shall submit annual reports to the Department of Corrections and the Department of Human Services detailing participant outcomes, including recidivism rates, employment statistics, and community reintegration success. Provides that the Department of Corrections shall report program performance to the General Assembly annually, including cost savings from reduced incarceration based on emerging adults participating with community-based providers for fewer years than they would serve in a Department of Corrections facility. Effective immediately.
SB0238	01/22/2025	Creates the Fantasy Sports Consumer Protection Act. Provides that the Illinois Gaming Board may regulate the conduct of fantasy contest operators under the Act. Allows the Board to levy and collect fees, surcharges, civil penalties, and, on adjusted gross fantasy contest receipts imposed under the Act, monthly taxes, and identifies other powers and duties of the Board. Includes restrictions, including requiring licensing, of fantasy contest operators. Includes license requirements and requirements for allowable fantasy contests. Contains provisions relating to denial of a license, independent audits, reporting and investigation of prohibited conduct, taxes, compulsive gambling and voluntary self-exclusion, and supplier diversity goals for fantasy contest operators. Amends the Sports Wagering Act. Excludes fantasy contests from the definition of "sports wagering". Amends the Criminal Code of 2012. Provides that participants in fantasy contest wagering shall not be convicted of the offense of gambling when conducted in accordance with the Fantasy Sports Consumer Protection Act. Excludes any real estate, vehicle, boat, or any other property whatsoever used for the purposes of gambling under the Fantasy Sports Consumer Protection Act from the definition of "gambling place" under the offense of keeping a gambling place. Amends the Illinois Administrative Procedure Act. Grants the Illinois Gaming Board emergency rulemaking authority to implement the Fantasy Sports Consumer Protection Act. Effective immediately.
SB0239	01/22/2025	Amends the Ambulatory Surgical Treatment Center Act. Removes a provision which provides that, in ambulatory surgical treatment centers, anesthesia service shall be under the direction of a physician who has had specialized preparation or experience in the area or who has completed a residency in anesthesiology. Specifies that with respect to anesthesia service in an ambulatory surgical treatment center, a certified registered nurse anesthetist shall seek consultation regarding development of an anesthesia plan and treatment of patients as is appropriate to the certified registered nurse anesthetist's level of expertise and scope of practice and as is warranted by the needs of the patient. Removes a requirement that an anesthesiologist participate through discussion of and agreement with the anesthesia plan and remain physically present and be available on the premises. Provides that a certified registered nurse anesthetist with clinical privileges may perform acts of advanced assessment and diagnosis and may provide such functions for which the certified registered nurse anesthetist is educationally and experientially prepared. Makes conforming changes to the Hospital Licensing Act. Amends the Medical Practice Act of 1987. Provides that a written collaborative agreement shall be adequate with respect to collaboration with certified registered nurse anesthetists if all of the following apply: (1) the agreement is written to promote exercise of professional judgment by the certified registered nurse anesthetist commensurate with his or her education and experience; (2) the certified registered nurse anesthetist provides service based on a written collaborative agreement with the collaborating physician; and (3) methods of communication are available with the collaborating physician in person or through telecommunications for consultation, collaboration, and referral as needed to address patient care needs. Amends the Nurse Practice Act. Provides that an Illinois-licensed advanced practice registered nurse certified as a certified registered nurse anesthetist shall be deemed by law to possess the ability to practice without a written collaborative agreement. Sets forth requirements of a certified registered nurse anesthetist. Makes conforming changes in the Illinois Dental Practice Act. Effective immediately.