Chicago City Wire

Lisa Davis introduced HB1697 in the Illinois House 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: "Amends the Illinois State Police Law. Provides that, beginning January 1, 2026, all 9-1-1 telecommunicators who provide dispatch for emergency medical conditions shall be required to be trained, utilizing the most current nationally recognized emergency cardiovascular care guidelines, in high-quality telecommunicator cardiopulmonary resuscitation (T-CPR). Defines telecommunicator cardiopulmonary resuscitation for the purposes of the provisions."

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

In essence, the bill amends the Illinois State Police Law and the Emergency Medical Services Systems Act to enhance training and certification for emergency telecommunicators. It mandates the development of trauma-informed and victim-centered guidelines for managing sexual assault or abuse calls and establishes required training for Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP) telecommunicators. Effective January 1, 2026, 9-1-1 telecommunicators handling medical emergencies must be trained in telecommunicator cardiopulmonary resuscitation (T-CPR) following recognized guidelines. It also sets requirements for licensure, continuing education, and emergency medical dispatcher training consistent with national standards. The Illinois State Police are authorized to adopt rules for implementation, including testing, certification, and compliance for telecommunicators, and requires continuous quality improvement programs for dispatch agencies.

Davis graduated from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign in 2001 with a BA and again in 2007 from Northern Illinois University with a JD.

Lisa Davis is currently serving in the Illinois State House, representing the state's 32nd House District. She replaced previous state representative Cyril Nichols in 2025.

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
HB1697	01/24/2025	Amends the Illinois State Police Law. Provides that, beginning January 1, 2026, all 9-1-1 telecommunicators who provide dispatch for emergency medical conditions shall be required to be trained, utilizing the most current nationally recognized emergency cardiovascular care guidelines, in high-quality telecommunicator cardiopulmonary resuscitation (T-CPR). Defines telecommunicator cardiopulmonary resuscitation for the purposes of the provisions.