Bill
HB 3512
Hospitals must ensure adequate staffing, report metrics to DPH, limit CNA/PCT assignments, curb mandated overtime, and empower DPH to enforce standards and penalties.
Summary: HB 3512 amends the Illinois Hospital Licensing Act to strengthen staffing, transparency, competency validation, and worker protections in hospitals. It requires hospitals to staff to meet patient-care needs, report staffing metrics to the Department of Public Health (DPH), limits certain patient assignments for certified nursing assistants (CNAs) and patient care technicians (PCTs), addresses nurse mandated overtime and rest periods, establishes procedures for competency validation and “assignment despite objection,” and creates DPH reporting, investigative, and rulemaking duties. The Governor signed the bill 6/20/2025; it becomes effective 9/1/2025.
Purpose and intent
- Ensure hospitals employ and schedule sufficient hospital workers to provide quality patient care and protect patient safety.
- Increase transparency about how hospitals determine staffing and empower DPH to recommend minimum staffing standards.
- Provide procedural protections for hospital workers around assignments and overtime.
Key provisions
- Definitions: “hospital worker” includes any person paid hourly by a hospital directly or via subcontractor; “staffing metric” and “unit” are defined.
- Staffing requirement: Hospitals must employ and schedule enough hospital workers to provide quality patient care and ensure safety.
- Transparency and reporting:
- Hospitals must make all staffing matrices/metrics available on request and share all such materials with DPH annually (at the start of each calendar year).
- DPH will publish an annual report using the collected disclosures and may recommend minimum staffing standards for each unit.
- Competency validation & assignment-objection procedures: Establishes requirements for competency credentials for each hospital worker hired and creates an “assignment despite objection” form/process and resolution procedure (full text truncated in provided document).
- CNA/PCT assignment limits: A hospital may not assign a CNA or PCT to more than 7 patients during a day or evening shift, or more than 11 patients during a night shift.
- Direct-care RN-to-patient ratios: The bill sets forth provisions for RN-to-patient ratios and permissible deviations (specific ratio numbers and deviation rules referenced but not fully included in the truncated text).
- Mandated overtime (amends existing Sec. 10.9):
- Mandated overtime for nurses is prohibited except in unforeseen emergent circumstances and only as a last resort.
- Mandated overtime is limited to no more than 4 hours beyond an agreed-to predetermined shift.
- If a nurse is mandated to work up to 12 consecutive hours, the hospital must provide a specified off-duty/rest period after the shift (text indicates a required off-duty period but is partially truncated).
- Retaliation prohibited for refusing unlawful mandated overtime.
- Complaints may be filed with DPH; proof requires clear and convincing evidence that overtime was compelled. Hospitals may rebut by showing an unforeseen emergent circumstance existed.
- Complaint, investigation, penalties, recordkeeping, and rulemaking: The bill empowers DPH to receive complaints, investigate violations of the staffing provisions, impose penalties for violations, require recordkeeping by hospitals, and adopt implementing rules.
Who is affected
- Hospitals licensed under the Hospital Licensing Act (including their management and staffing processes).
- Hospital workers paid hourly, including nurses (RNs, LPNs, APRNs), CNAs, PCTs, and subcontracted personnel.
- Patients, through potential changes in staffing levels and care delivery.
Enforcement, timeline, and status
- Filed/introduced Feb–Mar 2025; passed both chambers; signed by Governor June 20, 2025.
- Effective date: September 1, 2025.
- DPH to begin annual reporting the first year after the effective date and to develop recommendations and rules based on collected data.
Sponsors
- Primary sponsor: Rep. Kam Buckner
- Multiple co-sponsors including Rep. Sonya M. Harper (chief co-sponsor), Nicolle Grasse, Michael Crawford, La Shawn K. Ford, Yolonda Morris, Curtis J. Tarver II, and others.
Notes and caveats
- Portions of the bill text provided were truncated (notably full language for Section 10.20 , detailed RN-to-patient ratio language, meal/rest specifics, penalties, and recordkeeping). The summary above reflects the enacted bill’s stated provisions as contained in the available text and legislative actions; reviewers should consult the final enrolled act for exact statutory language and any implementing rules adopted by DPH.
Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.
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