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Public Act 91-0529
SB673 Enrolled LRB9105945MWgc
AN ACT in relation to sexual assault nurse examiners.
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
represented in the General Assembly:
Section 5. The Illinois Criminal Justice Information Act
is amended by adding Section 7.1 as follows:
(20 ILCS 3930/7.1 new)
Sec. 7.1. Sexual assault nurse examiner pilot program.
(a) Legislative findings and intent. The General
Assembly finds that the compassionate treatment of sexual
assault victims in hospital emergency rooms is necessary to
help alleviate the suffering of sexual assault victims. The
General Assembly also finds that the effective collection and
presentation of forensic evidence in sexual assault cases is
necessary to increase the success rate of prosecutions for
sex crimes in Illinois.
The General Assembly intends to create a pilot program to
establish 4 sexual assault nurse examiner (SANE) projects in
the State of Illinois. For each project, specially trained
sexual assault nurse examiners or specially trained sexual
assault physician examiners will provide health assessments
and collect forensic evidence from sexual assault victims in
the emergency room. The sexual assault nurse examiners or
sexual assault physician examiners will also testify to
victims' injuries during criminal prosecutions.
(b) Definitions. In this Section:
(1) "Sexual assault nurse examiner" means a
registered nurse who has completed a sexual assault nurse
examiner (SANE) training program that meets the Forensic
Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner Education Guidelines
established by the International Association of Forensic
Nurses.
(2) "Sexual assault physician examiner" means a
physician licensed to practice medicine in all its
branches who has completed a sexual assault nurse
examiner (SANE) training program that meets the Forensic
Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner Education Guidelines
established by the International Association of Forensic
Nurses.
(3) "Hospital" means a facility licensed by the
Department of Public Health under the Hospital Licensing
Act or that meets both the definition of hospital and the
exemption provisions of that Act.
(4) "Hospital emergency services" means the health
care delivered to outpatients within or under the care
and supervision of personnel working in a designated
emergency department or emergency room of a hospital.
(c) SANE pilot program. The Authority shall, subject to
appropriation, establish a SANE pilot program to operate 4
pilot projects in Illinois. The projects shall be established
in the emergency rooms of hospitals in 4 counties
geographically distributed throughout the State. Hospitals
located throughout the State may apply to the Authority to
participate in the program. Each project must provide the
following services:
(1) Compassionate health assessment and effective
forensic evidence collection for sexual assault victims
by a trained sexual assault nurse examiner or sexual
assault physician examiner in a hospital emergency room
as part of the provision of hospital emergency services.
(2) Presentation of testimony regarding victims'
injuries during criminal prosecutions for sex offenses.
(d) Each of the SANE projects established under this
pilot program must, at a minimum, meet the Sexual Assault
Nurse Examiner Standards of Practice established by the
International Association of Forensic Nurses.
(e) Each of the 4 pilot projects established by the
Authority under this Section shall be in existence for a
minimum of 3 years.
(f) Report. No later than 2 years after the
establishment of pilot projects under this Section, the
Authority must report to the General Assembly on the efficacy
of SANE programs.
(g) Rules. The Authority shall adopt rules to implement
this Section.
_________________________________
President of the Senate
_________________________________
Speaker, House of Representatives
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