Bill Text: IL HB5532 | 2023-2024 | 103rd General Assembly | Engrossed

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Bill Title: Amends the Illinois Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology Practice Act. Makes changes in provisions concerning the educational requirements for licensure as a speech-language pathology assistant. Effective January 1, 2025.

Spectrum: Bipartisan Bill

Status: (Introduced) 2024-04-19 - Rule 19(a) / Re-referred to Rules Committee [HB5532 Detail]

Download: Illinois-2023-HB5532-Engrossed.html

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AN ACT concerning regulation.
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
represented in the General Assembly:
Section 5. The Illinois Speech-Language Pathology and
Audiology Practice Act is amended by changing Sections 3.5,
8.5, and 8.6 as follows:
(225 ILCS 110/3.5)
(Section scheduled to be repealed on January 1, 2028)
Sec. 3.5. Exemptions. This Act does not prohibit:
(a) The practice of speech-language pathology or
audiology by students in their course of study in programs
approved by the Department, or the performance of
speech-language pathology assistant services by graduates
who have obtained degrees as set forth in paragraph (2) of
Section 8.5 of the Act, when acting under the direction
and supervision of licensed speech-language pathologists
or audiologists.
(b) The performance of any speech-language pathology
service by a speech-language pathology assistant or
candidate for licensure as a speech-language pathology
assistant, if such service is performed under the
supervision and full responsibility of a licensed
speech-language pathologist. A speech language pathology

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assistant or candidate for speech-language pathology
assistant licensure may perform only those duties
authorized by Section 8.7 under the supervision of a
speech-language pathologist as provided in Section 8.8.
(b-5) The performance of an audiology service by an
appropriately trained person if that service is performed
under the supervision and full responsibility of a
licensed audiologist.
(c) The performance of audiometric testing for the
purpose of industrial hearing conservation by an
audiometric technician certified by the Council of
Accreditation for Occupational Hearing Conservation
(CAOHC).
(d) The performance of an audiometric screening by an
audiometric screenings technician certified by the
Department of Public Health.
(e) The selling or practice of fitting, dispensing, or
servicing hearing instruments by a hearing instrument
dispenser licensed under the Hearing Instrument Consumer
Protection Act.
(f) A person licensed in this State under any other
Act from engaging in the practice for which he or she is
licensed.
(g) The performance of vestibular function testing by
an appropriately trained person under the supervision of a
physician licensed to practice medicine in all its

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branches.
(h) The performance of neurophysiologic intraoperative
monitoring of the seventh and eighth cranial nerve by an
individual certified by the American Board of Registration
of Electroencephalographic and Evoked Potential
Technologists as Certified in Neurophysiologic
Intraoperative Monitoring only if authorized and
supervised by the physician performing the surgical
procedure.
(Source: P.A. 100-530, eff. 1-1-18.)
(225 ILCS 110/8.5)
(Section scheduled to be repealed on January 1, 2028)
Sec. 8.5. Qualifications for licenses as a speech-language
pathology assistant. A person is qualified to be licensed as a
speech-language pathology assistant if that person has applied
in writing or electronically on forms prescribed by the
Department, has paid the required fees, and meets both of the
following criteria:
(1) Is of good moral character. In determining moral
character, the Department may take into consideration any
felony conviction or plea of guilty or nolo contendere of
the applicant, but such a conviction or plea shall not
operate automatically as a complete bar to licensure.
(2) Has received either (i) an associate degree from a
speech-language pathology assistant program that has been

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approved by the Department and that meets the minimum
requirements set forth in Section 8.6, (ii) a bachelor's
degree and has completed course work from an accredited
college or university that meets the minimum requirements
set forth in Section 8.6, or (iii) a bachelor's degree in
speech-language pathology or communication sciences and
disorders from a regionally or nationally accredited
institution approved by the Department that meets the
minimum requirements set forth in paragraph (2) of
subsection (a) in Section 8.6, and evidence of completion
of at least 100 hours of documented field work supervised
by a licensed speech-language pathologist that is
comparable to field work that completed in a
speech-language pathology assistant program in this State,
and completion of requirements for certification as a
speech-language pathology assistant or completion of an
equivalent program as determined by the Department by
rule.
(Source: P.A. 103-302, eff. 1-1-24.)
(225 ILCS 110/8.6)
(Section scheduled to be repealed on January 1, 2028)
Sec. 8.6. Minimum requirements for speech-language
pathology assistant programs.
(a) An applicant for licensure as a speech-language
pathology assistant must have earned 60 semester credit hours

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in a program of study that includes general education and the
specific knowledge and skills for a speech-language pathology
assistant. The curriculum of a speech-language pathology
assistant program must include all of the following content,
as further provided by rule promulgated by the Department:
(1) Twenty-four semester credit hours in general
education.
(2) Thirty-six semester credit hours in technical
content areas designed to provide students with knowledge
and skills required for speech-language pathology
assistants, which must include (i) an introductory or
overview course in of normal processes of communication
disorders; (ii) phonetics an overview of communication
disorders; (iii) speech sound disorders instruction in
speech-language pathology assistant-level service
delivery practices; (iv) language development instruction
in workplace behaviors; (v) language disorders cultural
and linguistic factors in communication; and (vi) anatomy
and physiology of speech and hearing mechanisms
observation.
(3) Completion of at least 100 hours of supervised
field work experiences supervised by a licensed
speech-language pathologist at least 50% of the time when
the student is engaged in contact with the patient or
client. An applicant must obtain written verification
demonstrating successful completion of the required field

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work experience, including a description of the setting in
which the training was received and an assessment of the
student's technical proficiency.
(b) The Department may promulgate rules that change the
curriculum requirements of subsection (a) in order to reflect
the guidelines for speech-language pathology assistant
programs recommended by the American Speech-Language Hearing
Association.
(c) Any applicant for licensure as a speech-language
pathology assistant who applies to the Department prior to the
effective date of this amendatory Act of the 96th General
Assembly or any person who holds a valid license as a
speech-language pathology assistant on the effective date of
this amendatory Act shall not be required to meet the new
minimum requirements for a speech language pathology assistant
program under subsection (a) of this Section 8.6 that are
established by this amendatory Act.
(Source: P.A. 96-1315, eff. 7-27-10.)