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Illinois General Assembly· HB 3345Governor Approved

HEARING INSTRUMENT EXTENSION, the official text

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HB3345 Enrolled                      LRB104 10473 AAS 20548 b

1   AN ACT concerning regulation.

2   Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,

3 represented in the General Assembly:

4   Section 5. The Regulatory Sunset Act is amended by

5 changing Sections 4.36 and 4.38 as follows:

6   (5 ILCS 80/4.36)

7   Sec. 4.36. Acts repealed on January 1, 2026. The following

8 Acts are repealed on January 1, 2026:

9   The Barber, Cosmetology, Esthetics, Hair Braiding, and

10 Nail Technology Act of 1985.

11  The Collection Agency Act.

12  The Hearing Instrument Consumer Protection Act.

13  The Illinois Athletic Trainers Practice Act.

14  The Illinois Dental Practice Act.

15  The Illinois Roofing Industry Licensing Act.

16  The Illinois Physical Therapy Act.

17  The Professional Geologist Licensing Act.

18  The Respiratory Care Practice Act.

19 (Source: P.A. 99-26, eff. 7-10-15; 99-204, eff. 7-30-15;

20 99-227, eff. 8-3-15; 99-229, eff. 8-3-15; 99-230, eff. 8-3-15;

21 99-427, eff. 8-21-15; 99-469, eff. 8-26-15; 99-492, eff.

22 12-31-15; 99-642, eff. 7-28-16.)
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1   (5 ILCS 80/4.38)

2   Sec. 4.38. Acts repealed on January 1, 2028. The following

3 Acts are repealed on January 1, 2028:

4   The Acupuncture Practice Act.

5   The Behavior Analyst Licensing Act.

6   The Clinical Social Work and Social Work Practice Act.

7   The Dietitian Nutritionist Practice Act.

8   The Elevator Safety and Regulation Act.

9   The Fire Equipment Distributor and Employee Regulation Act

10 of 2011.

11  The Funeral Directors and Embalmers Licensing Code.

12  The Hearing Instrument Consumer Protection Act.

13  The Home Medical Equipment and Services Provider License

14 Act.

15  The Illinois Petroleum Education and Marketing Act.

16  The Illinois Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology

17 Practice Act.

18  The Interpreter for the Deaf Licensure Act of 2007.

19  The Music Therapy Licensing and Practice Act.

20  The Naprapathic Practice Act.

21  The Nurse Practice Act.

22  The Nursing Home Administrators Licensing and Disciplinary

23 Act.

24  The Pharmacy Practice Act.

25  The Physician Assistant Practice Act of 1987.

26  The Podiatric Medical Practice Act of 1987.
    HB3345 Enrolled           -3-        LRB104 10473 AAS 20548 b

1   The Professional Counselor and Clinical Professional

2 Counselor Licensing and Practice Act.

3   The Wholesale Drug Distribution Licensing Act.

4 (Source: P.A. 102-715, eff. 4-29-22; 102-878, eff. 5-13-22;

5 102-879, eff. 5-13-22; 102-880, eff. 5-13-22; 102-881, eff.

6 5-13-22; 102-882, eff. 5-13-22; 102-945, eff. 5-27-22;

7 102-953, eff. 5-27-22; 102-993, eff. 5-27-22; 103-154, eff.

8 6-30-23.)

9   Section 10. The Hearing Instrument Consumer Protection Act

10 is amended by changing Sections 8 and 9.5 as follows:

11  (225 ILCS 50/8) (from Ch. 111, par. 7408)

12  (Section scheduled to be repealed on January 1, 2026)

13  Sec. 8. Applicant qualifications; examination.

14  (a) In order to protect persons who are deaf or hard of

15 hearing, the Department shall authorize or shall conduct an

16 appropriate examination, which may be the International

17 Hearing Society's licensure examination, for persons who

18 dispense, test, select, recommend, fit, or service hearing

19 aids. The frequency of holding these examinations shall be

20 determined by the Department by rule. Those who successfully

21 pass such an examination shall be issued a license as a hearing

22 instrument dispenser, which shall be effective for a 2-year

23 period.

24  (b) Applicants shall be:
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1   (1) at least 18 years of age;

2   (2) of good moral character;

3   (3) the holder of an associate's degree or the

4   equivalent;

5   (4) free of contagious or infectious disease; and

6   (5) a citizen or person lawfully present in the United

7   States.

8   Felony convictions of the applicant and findings against

9 the applicant involving matters set forth in Sections 17 and

10 18 shall be considered in determining moral character, but

11 such a conviction or finding shall not make an applicant

12 ineligible to register for examination.

13  (c) Prior to engaging in the practice of prescribing,

14 fitting, dispensing, or servicing hearing aids, an applicant

15 shall demonstrate, by means of written and practical

16 examinations, that such person is qualified to practice the

17 testing, selecting, recommending, fitting, selling, or

18 servicing of hearing aids as defined in this Act. An applicant

19 must obtain a license within 12 months after passing either

20 the written or practical examination, whichever is passed

21 first, or must take and pass those examinations again in order

22 to be eligible to receive a license. An applicant may take the

23 written examination no more than 4 times in any consecutive

24 12-month period.

25  The Department shall, by rule, determine the conditions

26 under which an individual is examined.
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1   (d) Proof of having met the minimum requirements of

2 continuing education as determined by the Board shall be

3 required of all license renewals. Pursuant to rule, the

4 continuing education requirements may, upon petition to the

5 Board, be waived in whole or in part if the hearing instrument

6 dispenser can demonstrate that he or she served in the Coast

7 Guard or Armed Forces, had an extreme hardship, or obtained

8 his or her license by examination or endorsement within the

9 preceding renewal period.

10  (e) Persons applying for an initial license must

11 demonstrate having earned, at a minimum, an associate degree

12 or its equivalent from an accredited institution of higher

13 education that is recognized by the U.S. Department of

14 Education or that meets the U.S. Department of Education

15 equivalency as determined through a National Association of

16 Credential Evaluation Services (NACES) member, and meet the

17 other requirements of this Section. In addition, the applicant

18 must demonstrate the successful completion of (1) 12 semester

19 hours or 18 quarter hours of academic undergraduate course

20 work in an accredited institution consisting of 3 semester

21 hours of anatomy and physiology of the hearing mechanism, 3

22 semester hours of hearing science, 3 semester hours of

23 introduction to audiology, and 3 semester hours of aural

24 rehabilitation, or the quarter hour equivalent or (2) an

25 equivalent program as determined by the Department that is

26 consistent with the scope of practice of a hearing instrument
    HB3345 Enrolled      -6-              LRB104 10473 AAS 20548 b

1 dispenser as defined in Section 3 of this Act. Persons
2 licensed before January 1, 2003 who have a valid license on
3 that date may have their license renewed without meeting the
4 requirements of this subsection.
5 (Source: P.A. 102-1030, eff. 5-27-22; 103-495, eff. 1-1-24.)

6   (225 ILCS 50/9.5)

7   (Section scheduled to be repealed on January 1, 2026)

8   Sec. 9.5. Trainees.

9   (a) In order to receive a trainee license, a person must

10 apply to the Department and provide acceptable evidence of his

11 or her completion of the required courses pursuant to

12 subsection (e) of Section 8 of this Act, or its equivalent as

13 determined by the Department. A trainee license expires 12

14 months from the date of issue and may be renewed once for an

15 additional 6 months is non-renewable.

16  (b) A trainee shall perform the functions of a hearing

17 instrument dispenser in accordance with the Department rules

18 and only under the direct supervision of a hearing instrument

19 dispenser or audiologist who is licensed in the State. The

20 licensed hearing instrument dispenser or audiologist is

21 responsible for all of the work that is performed by the

22 trainee.

23  (c) The Department may limit the number of trainees that

24 may be under the direct supervision of the same licensed

25 hearing instrument dispenser or licensed audiologist.
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1  (d) The Department may establish a trainee licensing fee

2 by rule.

3  (e) A trainee may be supervised by more than one licensed

4 hearing instrument professional. The trainee must complete a

5 hearing instrument consumer protection program license

6 verification form for each supervising licensed hearing

7 instrument professional.

8 (Source: P.A. 103-495, eff. 1-1-24.)

9  Section 99. Effective date. This Section and Section 5

10 take effect upon becoming law.
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