Debbie Meyers-Martin, Illinois State Representative from the 38th District | Official website
Debbie Meyers-Martin, Illinois State Representative from the 38th District | Official website
According to the Illinois General Assembly site, the legislature summarized the bill's official text as follows: "Amends the Hospital Licensing Act. Provides that a hospital licensed under the Act must, at the time a patient is being checked in, give the patient an opportunity to designate an emergency contact to be notified if the patient dies or experiences a significant change in condition. If an emergency contact is designated, hospital staff must communicate with the emergency contact and ask whether the emergency contact would prefer to be notified by telephone call, by hospital staff when the emergency contact reaches the hospital, or by some other method."
The following is our breakdown, based on the actual bill text, and may include interpretation to clarify its provisions.
In essence, this bill amends the Caregiver Advise, Record, and Enable Act by introducing changes to the process of designating emergency contacts and caregivers for hospital inpatients. It mandates that hospitals offer patients or their legal representatives the chance to designate an emergency contact and a caregiver upon admission. If the patient is incapacitated, the decision is deferred to a suitable time as determined by medical personnel. Any changes to designations must be recorded, and hospitals are required to notify emergency contacts about a patient’s death if authorized. The bill also clarifies that designations do not impose after-care obligations on individuals, and it protects hospitals from liability for contacting or failing to contact emergency contacts, except in cases of willful or wanton misconduct. Additionally, this act does not create a private right of action against hospitals related to contacting emergencies or caregiver instruction. The bill does not affect the timing of patient care or discharge processes.
Meyers-Martin graduated from the University of Illinois at Chicago with a BA.
Debbie Meyers-Martin is currently serving in the Illinois State House, representing the state's 38th House District. She replaced previous state representative Al Riley in 2019.
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 |
|---|---|---|
| HB1332 | 01/14/2025 | Amends the Hospital Licensing Act. Provides that a hospital licensed under the Act must, at the time a patient is being checked in, give the patient an opportunity to designate an emergency contact to be notified if the patient dies or experiences a significant change in condition. If an emergency contact is designated, hospital staff must communicate with the emergency contact and ask whether the emergency contact would prefer to be notified by telephone call, by hospital staff when the emergency contact reaches the hospital, or by some other method. |
| HB1361 | 01/14/2025 | Amends the Illinois Income Tax Act. Creates a credit for certain small businesses in an amount equal to the lesser of (i) 10% of the property taxes paid by the qualified small business during the taxable year for eligible real property or (ii) $1,500. Effective immediately. |
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