New Illinois law bans retaliation against nursing home residents

CHICAGO - A new bill was recently signed into law that aims to enhance protections for nursing home residents in Illinois.

State Sen. Lakesia Collins (D-Chicago) sponsored the bill and joined Good Day Chicago in the studio to talk about what the law will mean for nursing home residents.

New protections

What we know:

Under the new law, H.B. 2474, nursing homes are prohibited from retaliating against a resident who exercises their rights.

If a resident faces retaliation, they would be able to file a civil lawsuit against the nursing home and potentially recover damages.

Under the new law, nursing homes must also annually notify residents of their rights pertaining to retaliation and how to make complaints.

Nursing home staff are now also required to undergo in-service training designed to prevent retaliatory action from taking place.

Gov. JB Pritzker signed the bill last Friday. It will go into effect on Jan. 1, 2026.

What they're saying:

Collins is a certified nursing assistant and used to work in nursing homes for over a decade.

"I came across so many residents and heard so many stories, and so now as a legislator, some of those stories are still true today," she said. "And when advocates came to me, and told me about a lot of their recent issues that they were having in a nursing home, I felt that this bill would fit the situation and give them an alternative and some resolution."

Collins added there were "too many horror stories out there" and not enough accountability for nursing home operators.

"[For] residents, these are places where they should feel respected," she said. "They should feel protected and we should be catering to their needs and their wants, and often times, it doesn't go that way. That's not to say that all nursing homes are bad, it's just that there are some bad operators out there and they should definitely be held accountable."