Metro East Sun

Katie Stuart introduced HB2676 in the Illinois House on Feb. 4, 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 Underserved Health Care Provider Workforce Act. Changes the definition of "designated shortage area" to mean an area designated as a medically underserved area or a health professional shortage area (rather than a physician shortage area, a medically underserved area, or a critical health manpower shortage area). Changes the term "eligible medical student" to "eligible student", and includes in the definition of that term a person who is studying optometry in an optometry college or institution located in Illinois and that a person may agree to practice full-time in a designated shortage area as an optometrist or anesthesiologist one year for each year he or she is a scholarship recipient. Includes a rural health center, a federally qualified health center, a federally qualified health center look alike, and an optometric office in the definition of "medical facility". Includes an optometrist in the definition of "eligible health care provider". Includes an obstetrician or gynecologist in the definition of "primary care physician". Includes loan repayment recipients in a provision regarding scholarship recipients who fail to fulfill specified obligations, and provides that the amounts paid by these scholarship or loan repayment recipients shall be deposited into the fund where the payment originated from (rather than the Community Health Center Care Fund). Repeals a different provision defining "primary care physician". Effective January 1, 2026."

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 Underserved Health Care Provider Workforce Act in Illinois by revising definitions and sections related to designated shortage areas, eligible students, medical facilities, and scholarship requirements. It aims to provide scholarships for Illinois residents studying medicine, chiropractic medicine, or optometry in-state, contingent on their agreement to practice in designated shortage areas for a specified time. Recipients failing their service obligation must repay triple the scholarship amount plus interest. The bill also allows fund transfers to support financing programs for community health centers. The act, which repeals Section 3.05, will take effect Jan. 1, 2026.

Katie Stuart has proposed another 14 bills since the beginning of the 104th session.

Stuart graduated from Rutgers University in 1989 with a BA.

Katie Stuart is currently serving in the Illinois State House, representing the state's 112th House District. She replaced previous state representative Dwight Kay in 2017.

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
HB2676	02/04/2025	Amends the Underserved Health Care Provider Workforce Act. Changes the definition of "designated shortage area" to mean an area designated as a medically underserved area or a health professional shortage area (rather than a physician shortage area, a medically underserved area, or a critical health manpower shortage area). Changes the term "eligible medical student" to "eligible student", and includes in the definition of that term a person who is studying optometry in an optometry college or institution located in Illinois and that a person may agree to practice full-time in a designated shortage area as an optometrist or anesthesiologist one year for each year he or she is a scholarship recipient. Includes a rural health center, a federally qualified health center, a federally qualified health center look alike, and an optometric office in the definition of "medical facility". Includes an optometrist in the definition of "eligible health care provider". Includes an obstetrician or gynecologist in the definition of "primary care physician". Includes loan repayment recipients in a provision regarding scholarship recipients who fail to fulfill specified obligations, and provides that the amounts paid by these scholarship or loan repayment recipients shall be deposited into the fund where the payment originated from (rather than the Community Health Center Care Fund). Repeals a different provision defining "primary care physician". Effective January 1, 2026.
HB2602	02/04/2025	Amends the Criminal Code of 2012. Provides that a prosecution for involuntary servitude, involuntary sexual servitude of a minor, or trafficking in persons and related offenses may be commenced at any time (rather than within 25 years of the victim attaining the age of 18 years). Provides that this statute of limitations applies to prosecutions for such conduct arising on or after the effective date of the amendatory Act.
HB2486	02/03/2025	Amends the Children with Disabilities Article of the School Code. Provides that "separate public special education day school" does not mean any school in a school district that exceeds its Adequacy Target under the evidence-based funding formula. Effective immediately.
HB2490	02/03/2025	Creates the Firefighter Paid Family Leave Act. Provides that a firefighter shall receive 6 weeks of paid family leave that may be used: (1) for the birth of a child in order to care for the child; (2) to care for a newly adopted child under 18 years of age, a newly placed foster child under 18 years of age, or a newly adopted or placed foster child older than 18 years of age if the child is incapable of self-care because of a mental or physical disability; and (3) to care for a family member with a serious health condition. Provides that an employer shall compensate a firefighter granted leave under the Act at the firefighter's regular rate of pay, paid at the same interval the firefighter was paid while working, for those regular work hours during which the firefighter is absent from work. Sets forth provisions concerning employment protection and maintenance of benefits; prohibited acts, limitations of the Act; waiver of leave under the Act; and collective bargaining agreements. Limits home rule. Provides that the Department of Labor may adopt any rules necessary to implement the Act. Effective immediately.
HB2522	02/03/2025	Amends the Nursing Mothers in the Workplace Act. Provides that an employer shall provide 30 minutes of paid break time (rather than reasonable break time) to an employee who needs to express breast milk for her nursing infant child each time the employee has the need to express milk for one year after the child's birth. Provides that the employee may use other paid break time or meal time for any time needed in excess of 30 minutes. Provides that an employer shall provide paid break time (rather than reasonable break time) as needed by the employee unless to do so would create an undue hardship.
HB2332	01/30/2025	Amends the State Universities Article of the Illinois Pension Code. Provides that a Tier 2 member who has at least 20 years of service in this system as a police officer or firefighter is entitled to a retirement annuity upon written application on or after the attainment of age 55 (instead of age 60) if a specified rule is applicable to the participant. Provides that the changes apply retroactively to January 1, 2011. Provides that any benefit increase that results from the amendatory Act is excluded from the definition of "new benefit increase".
HB1809	01/28/2025	Amends the Capital Development Board Act. Provides that the Capital Development Board shall establish uniform statewide minimum qualification requirements for code inspectors and shall maintain a statewide registry and certification program for qualified inspectors to demonstrate their compliance with the minimum qualification requirements. Provides that any municipal building code or county building code must ensure that all code inspectors meet at least the minimum certification requirements required by the Board for non-building code jurisdictions. Limits home rule powers. Amends the Public Community College Act. Provides that the Illinois Community College Board shall create a specific listing in its directory of programs for courses and programs that prepare students to become code inspectors. Provides that the State Board shall conduct a survey of all community colleges in the State to determine the current and historical enrollment in currently existing building code-related courses.
HB1647	01/23/2025	Amends the Civil Service In Cities Division and Board Of Fire and Police Commissioners Division of the Illinois Municipal Code. Expands the definition of "firefighter" to include persons appointed to a fire department or fire protection district, or employed by a State university, unit of local government, or Emergency Medical Services (EMS) System, and sworn or commissioned or employed to perform (i) firefighter duties, (ii) paramedic, emergency medical technician (EMT), emergency medical technician-basic (EMT-B), emergency medical technician-intermediate (EMT-I), or advanced emergency medical technician (A-EMT) duties, (iii) or both (rather than persons appointed to a fire department or fire protection district or employed by a State university and sworn or commissioned to perform firefighter duties, paramedic duties, or both).
HB1573	01/22/2025	Amends the Illinois Income Tax Act. Creates an income tax deduction for any amounts paid by the taxpayer's employer on behalf of the taxpayer as part of an educational assistance program. Creates an income tax deduction for any amounts paid by the taxpayer on behalf of an employee of the taxpayer as part of an educational assistance program. Provides that the deductions are limited to the first $5,250 of such assistance so furnished to any individual. Effective immediately.
HB1574	01/22/2025	Amends the Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund (IMRF) Article of the Illinois Pension Code. Authorizes sheriff's law enforcement employee (SLEP) status for a person who is not eligible to participate in a downstate firefighter fund and is employed on a full-time basis by a participating municipality to perform duties as a paramedic, emergency medical technician (EMT), emergency medical technician-intermediate (EMT-I), or advanced emergency medical technician (A-EMT); but only if the governing authority of that municipality has approved sheriff's law enforcement employee status for such employees by adoption of an affirmative resolution. Provides that the resolution must specify that SLEP status shall be applicable to such employment occurring on or after the adoption of the resolution and that the resolution shall be irrevocable. Amends the State Mandates Act to require implementation without reimbursement.
HB1293	01/13/2025	Amends the Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Systems Act. Makes a technical change in a Section concerning the short title.
HB1294	01/13/2025	Amends the Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Systems Act. Makes a technical change in a Section concerning the short title.
HB1271	01/10/2025	Amends the Fire Investigation Act. Provides that, beginning July 1, 2026, the Office of the State Fire Marshal shall, in consultation with the Mutual Aid Box Alarm System (MABAS), annually determine what funding is necessary for MABAS to sufficiently alleviate difficulties that emergency responders face in coordinating personnel and equipment from participating agencies and units of local government when responding to tornado disasters at large warehouse complexes in this State. Provides that, by January 1, 2027, the Office shall, in consultation with MABAS, establish a formula for the distribution of that funding, with certain requirements. Provides for a continuing appropriation from the General Revenue Fund to the Office for the maintenance, operation, and capital expenses of MABAS. Makes findings. Defines terms. Effective immediately.
HB1062	01/09/2025	Amends the Illinois Century Network Act. Provides that the connection of anchor institutions to the Illinois Century Network shall be prioritized according to the type of anchor institution, starting with schools and libraries.
HB1086	01/09/2025	Amends the Liquor Control Act of 1934. Provides that "alcoholic liquor" does not include frozen desserts containing alcoholic liquor. Provides that "frozen desserts containing alcoholic liquor" means ice cream or other frozen desserts that are made with liquor, wine, beer, cider, or any combination thereof and that contain more than 0.5% but not more than 5% of alcohol by volume. Provides that no person shall sell a package of frozen desserts that contains more than 5% alcohol by volume. Provides that no person shall sell, give, or deliver frozen desserts containing alcoholic liquor to a person under the age of 21. Provides that a person under the age of 21 may not purchase, possess, or consume frozen desserts containing alcoholic liquor. Provides that no person shall sell a package of frozen desserts containing alcoholic liquor for consumption off the premises or for consumption on the premises unless it contains specified notices and warnings. Provides that no manufacturer or distributor of frozen desserts containing alcoholic liquor shall sell the product to a person intending to sell at retail individual servings of frozen desserts containing alcoholic liquor or packages of frozen desserts containing alcoholic liquor for consumption off the premises, unless, with each shipment, the manufacturer or distributor provides a written notice that frozen desserts containing alcoholic liquor may be sold at retail only if the retailer complies with specified requirements and provides a written copy of those requirements. Provides that frozen desserts containing alcoholic liquor are subject to all applicable food safety laws, rules, standards, and requirements, including, but not limited to, the provisions of the Illinois Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act. Makes conforming changes. Amends the Illinois Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act to make a conforming change.