State Senator John J. Millner
District 28 - Republican

 Photograph of Representative John J. Millner (R)
local   Springfield

2580 Foxfield Rd.
St. Charles, IL  60174

  105 State Capitol
Springfield, IL 62706
630/524-9250 phone 217/782-8192
Fax: 630/524-9251 fax 217/782-4079
Date:  February 16, 2006/pk
For Immediate Release

MILLNER’S BILL TO HELP RELIEVE
NURSING SHORTAGE PASSES SENATE

SPRINGFIELD—Legislation aimed at making more nursing candidate qualified to practice in Illinois has gained overwhelming Senate approval, according to its sponsor State Senator John J. Millner (R- Carol Stream).

Senate Bill 2372 waives specific Illinois license requirements for foreign educated nursing students as long as they have acquired certain other qualifications through another certified program.

“A lot of times nurses who where schooled overseas have all the needed skills and the desire to work in Illinois, but we need to make sure they meet our criteria in order to get a license here. This bill will allow Illinois regulators to accept their foreign training and provide a low-cost way to quickly bolster the state’s nursing rolls with qualified people,” Millner said. “It will also add a higher level of protection against unqualified nurses practicing in Illinois by slipping through the cracks in the system.”

Currently all applicants for nursing licenses who are graduates of a program outside the U.S. must have there nursing education credentials evaluated by the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR). Applicants whose first language isn’t English or whose nursing program was taught in another language must pass the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL).

Under the bill, those effected who want to be licensed in Illinois could provide proof they completed the VisaScreen program which is offered through the Commission on Graduates of Foreign Nursing Schools. That program holds the same graduation requirements currently sought after by the IDFPR.

The bill passed unanimously on Thursday Feb. 23 by a vote of 59-0 and will now be sent to the House of Representatives for consideration.

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