The Flinn Report: Illinois Regulation

              Illinois Regulation is a summary of the weekly regulatory decisions of State agencies published in the Illinois Register and action
taken by the Illinois General Assembly's Joint Committee on Administrative Rules. Illinois Regulation is designed to inform and
involve the public in changes taking place in agency administration.
VOL. 35 Issue 27
Regulation Illinois
(cont'd page 2)
New Regulations
Proposed
Regulations
NEW REGULATIONS: Rules adopted by agencies this week.
PROPOSED REGULATIONS: Rules proposed by agencies this week, commencing a 45-day First Notice period. Public comments must be accepted
by the agency for the period of time indicated.
: Symbol designating rules of special interest to small businesses, small municipalities, and not-for-profit corporations. Agencies are required to consider
comments from these groups and minimize the regulatory burden on them.
QUESTIONS/COMMENTS/RULE TEXT: Direct mail or phone calls to the agency personnel listed below each summary. Providing volume and issue number
of The Flinn Report or the Illinois Register will expedite the process. Some agencies charge copying fees. However, copy requests do not have to
be made under the Freedom of Information Act .
The Flinn
Report
(cont'd next page )
July 1, 2011
Claire B. Eberle, Editor Joint Committee on Administrative Rules 700 Stratton Office Bldg., Springfield IL 62706
Elaine Spencer, Assoc. Editor Illinois General Assembly 217/785-2254 ilga.gov/commission/jcar
-1-
HEARING INSTRUMENTS
The DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC
HEALTH adopted a comprehensive
update of the "Hearing Instrument
Consumer Protection Code" (77 Ill
Adm Code 682; 35 Ill Reg 1508),
effective 6/17/11, which concerns li-censure
of those who dispense hear-ing
aids. New regulations add a 6-
month "trainee" hearing instrument
dispenser license for those who work
under the direct supervision of a li-censed
hearing instrument dispenser
or audiologist and require Illinois busi-nesses
that sell hearing instruments
by mail order or through the internet
to employ only Illinois licensed dis-pensers
or audiologists. Provision is
made for licensure through reciproc-ity,
and the incorporations by refer-ence
of federal regulations and cer-tain
national organization standards
are updated. Other covered topics
include extension of the refund period
if hearing instruments/accessories are
returned to the manufacturer or sup-plier
for adjustment or repair and how
formal complaints should be handled.
Fees levied for license application
processing, other licensing fees, and
some examination fees are increased,
and new trainee, mail-order organiza-tion,
reciprocity, and examination fees
are imposed. Passing examination
scores will be those recommended by
the International Institute for Hearing
Instrument Studies. The examples of
dishonest, unethical, and unprofes-sional
conduct are expanded, and
trainee supervisor requirements are
expanded, also. Those affected by
this rulemaking include hearing instru-ment
dispensers.
Questions/requests for copies: Susan
Meister, DPH, 535 W. Jefferson St., 5th
Fl., Springfield IL 62761, 217/782-2043,
e-mail: dph.rules@illinois.gov.
LOBBYISTS
The SECRETARY OF STATE adopted
an amendment to "Departmental Du-ties"
(2 Ill Adm Code 552; 35 Ill Reg
4767), effective 6/20/11, authorizing
the SOS Office of the Inspector Gen-eral
to investigate credible evidence
of a violation of the Lobbyists Regis-tration
Act. In instances whereby an
investigation is concluded and a case
summary report is completed, the
inspector general may submit the in-vestigation
to the appropriate state's
STATE TOLL HIGHWAYS
The ILLINOIS STATE TOLL HIGHWAY
AUTHORITY (ISTHA) proposed a new
Part titled "Office of the Inspector
General" (OIG) (2 Ill Adm Code 3430;
35 Ill Reg 10298) that establishes cri-teria
for initiating, conducting, and
completing investigations conducted
by the Authority's inspector general
concerning alleged violations of the
State Officials and Employees Ethics
Act. The rulemaking covers the OIG's
jurisdiction over ISTHA and its Board
members, officers, employees, ven-dors,
subcontractors, and anyone else
doing business with the Authority;
sets a 5-year statute of limitations for
investigating alleged violations; pro-vides
that all preliminary investiga-tions,
inquiries, investigations, and
recommendations for discipline will
be in accordance with applicable col-lective
bargaining agreements; and
sets confidentiality requirements. Ad-ditional
regulations establish proce-dures
for initiating an investigation,
which may be complaint-driven or
self-initiated, and include timelines for
notification of affected parties. The
rulemaking also outlines the investi-gation
process; provisions for inter-
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