Support HB1615

Please ask your Senator to vote "YES" for HB 1615 and become a co-sponsor. Please vote ‘yes’ for a strategy to address the statewide nursing shortage! 

The COVID pandemic uncovered and exacerbated long-standing nursing workforce issues.  The nursing profession in Illinois is in turmoil. We are in an unprecedented time of immense change and transformation.  In all regions of Illinois and all practice settings, there is a common thread: there is a nursing shortage now, and it will get worse. Some believe that there is no nursing shortage because there are over 200,000 licensed Registered Nurses recognized by IDFPR. The State must find answers and specifics to this question. The first step is acquiring specific data about nurses on an ongoing basis. HB 1615 is the first step to developing a strategy to solve the shortage of nurses being experienced by Illinois healthcare employers. 

HB 1615 amends the Nurse Practice Act: 

• Requires the Illinois Nursing Workforce Center within the Illinois Department of Professional Regulation to develop a strategic plan for the nursing workforce so stakeholders know who works where, in what facilities, and with what level of education.
• Supply data collection shall begin with the 2024 license renewal cycle. Data will be collected during each renewal (every two years) for all nurses (LPN/RN/APRN). This will generate an updated set of data for each individual nurse every time their license is renewed.
• The nurse workforce survey will utilize the National Nursing Workforce Minimum Supply Dataset*
• The Center shall report recommendations to the Governor, President of the Senate, and Speaker of the House.
• Additionally, in 2027 the Center shall develop a nurse demand and employer survey to be collected biennially and utilizing the National Nursing Workforce Minimum Demand Dataset.
• The nurse demand and employer survey shall be reported to the Governor, President of the Senate, and Speaker of the House of Representatives.

Illinois must know how many nurses are working and where!

*DEMOGRAPHICS - Gender, Ethnicity, Race, Year of birth, Entry level education, Highest level of nursing education, Highest level of education in another field
LICENSE/CERTIFICATION INFORMATION - license type, year of initial US licensure, County of initial RN/LPN licensure, license status, APRN License/Certification
EMPLOYMENT INFORMATION - Employment status, Reason for being unemployed, # of positions employed in, Hours worked per week, Employer’s state/zip code, Employment setting, employment position