Sangamon Sun

William E Hauter introduced HB1270 in the Illinois House on Jan. 10, 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 Department of Professional Regulation Law of the Civil Administrative Code of Illinois. In a provision concerning the requirements that a health care professional must meet before he or she can have his or her license placed on volunteer status (rather than being granted a volunteer license), provides that a health care professional must possess an active license that is not currently subject to discipline or under investigation by the Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (rather than satisfaction of all requirements of the State licensing Act that applies to his or her health care profession and the rules adopted under the Act). Removes the volunteer licensure fee and removes references to volunteer licenses. Provides that a health care professional whose license is in volunteer status may request that the Department change the status of the license to active as long as the request for the change is made during the same renewal period in which the license was previously active or the license is renewed in the same manner, at the same time, and with the same conditions as an active license. Provides that a health care professional who holds an active license that was previously a volunteer license is subject to the requirements of the State licensing Act that applies to his or her health care profession and the rules adopted under the relevant Act. Provides that the Department may adopt rules for the administration of the provisions regarding volunteer licenses (rather than determining by rule the total number of volunteer licenses to be issued). Makes conforming and other changes."

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

In essence, this bill amends the Department of Professional Regulation Law of the Civil Administrative Code of Illinois to establish a volunteer license status for certain health care professionals. Under the bill, physicians, dentists, optometrists, physician assistants, nurses, and advanced practice nurses can apply for volunteer status if they have an active, non-disciplined license and agree to provide care without compensation in free or public health clinics. These professionals are exempt from paying application or renewal fees for the volunteer status. A health care professional can revert their volunteer license back to active within the same renewal period, provided they meet conditions for an active license. The bill specifies that practicing outside these parameters constitutes unlicensed practice and emphasizes compliance with existing professional statutes and regulations. The Department of Professional Regulation may implement rules to administer these provisions.

William E Hauter has proposed one other bill since the beginning of the 104th session.

Hauter graduated from the University of Illinois College of Medicine in 1997.

William E. Hauter is currently serving in the Illinois State House, representing the state's 87th House District. He replaced previous state representative Keith Sommer 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
HB1270	01/10/2025	Amends the Department of Professional Regulation Law of the Civil Administrative Code of Illinois. In a provision concerning the requirements that a health care professional must meet before he or she can have his or her license placed on volunteer status (rather than being granted a volunteer license), provides that a health care professional must possess an active license that is not currently subject to discipline or under investigation by the Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (rather than satisfaction of all requirements of the State licensing Act that applies to his or her health care profession and the rules adopted under the Act). Removes the volunteer licensure fee and removes references to volunteer licenses. Provides that a health care professional whose license is in volunteer status may request that the Department change the status of the license to active as long as the request for the change is made during the same renewal period in which the license was previously active or the license is renewed in the same manner, at the same time, and with the same conditions as an active license. Provides that a health care professional who holds an active license that was previously a volunteer license is subject to the requirements of the State licensing Act that applies to his or her health care profession and the rules adopted under the relevant Act. Provides that the Department may adopt rules for the administration of the provisions regarding volunteer licenses (rather than determining by rule the total number of volunteer licenses to be issued). Makes conforming and other changes.
HB1141	01/09/2025	Amends the Illinois Insurance Code. Provides that a group or individual policy of accident and health insurance or managed care plan that is amended, delivered, issued, or renewed on or after January 1, 2026 shall provide coverage for medically necessary general anesthesia, regardless of the duration, for any procedure covered by the policy, and that medical necessity shall be determined by the attending anesthesiologist or licensed anesthesia provider. Provides that an individual or group policy of accident and health insurance is prohibited from denying payment or reimbursement for anesthesia services solely because the duration of care exceeded a preset time limit. Amends the State Employees Group Insurance Act of 1971, the Counties Code, the Illinois Municipal Code, the School Code, the Health Maintenance Organization Act, the Limited Health Service Organization Act, the Voluntary Services Plans Act, and the Illinois Public Aid Code to require coverage under those provisions. Effective immediately.