Summary as Introduced
Amends the Community Health Worker Certification and Reimbursement Act. Makes a technical change in a Section concerning the short title.
Staff Analysis
Senate Amendment 1
Senate Floor Amendment 1 to SB 593 amends a shell bill to establish the Health Care Workforce Commission Act. The amendment focuses on creating a structured body to address health care workforce issues in Illinois.
Here are the key elements of the amendment:
1. Creation of the Health Care Workforce Commission:
The amendment creates a new commission housed within the Department of Financial and Professional Regulation. This commission is tasked with studying and making recommendations on challenges facing the state’s health care workforce.
2. Commission Structure and Administration:
The amendment outlines details regarding:
• Membership: Likely to include representatives from health care sectors, educational institutions, government agencies, and possibly labor or trade organizations (though specifics would be detailed in the full text).
• Terms: Specifies how long members will serve.
• Meetings: Establishes how frequently the commission will meet.
• Compensation: Provides information on whether and how commission members are compensated.
• Administrative Support: The Department will provide staffing and logistical support to the commission.
3. Duties and Responsibilities:
The commission is charged with making policy and strategic recommendations aimed at strengthening, growing, and supporting the healthcare workforce in Illinois. This may include addressing issues like worker shortages, training needs, workforce diversity, regional disparities, and retention strategies.
4. Reporting Requirements:
The commission will be required to produce reports—likely on a regular basis—to inform the General Assembly, the Governor, or other relevant stakeholders of its findings and policy recommendations.
Summary:
Senate Amendment 1 to SB 593 proposes the creation of a new state-level Health Care Workforce Commission. The goal is to bring stakeholders together to study the ongoing challenges in the health care labor market and offer formal recommendations to policymakers. The amendment provides the administrative framework for the commission and ensures ongoing oversight through reporting. This change represents a proactive approach to addressing workforce shortages and structural issues in Illinois’s health care system.
Senate Amendment 2
Senate Amendment 2 to SB 593 places the Health Care Workforce Commission within the Department of Public Health rather than the Department of Financial and Professional Regulation. It also removes the Director of Labor as a member of the Commission.