DECATUR, Ill. (AP) — A Decatur woman’s ambition to become a nurse has led to new legislation allowing some convicted felons to petition the state for a health care worker license.
The Pantagraph reports that Gov. Bruce Rauner signed a measure into law Thursday with personal meaning for 43-year-old Lisa Creason.
After earning an associate degree at Richland Community College in 2014, Creason found out she was prohibited from taking the Illinois exam to become a registered nurse because of an attempted robbery conviction 20 years prior.
Creason vocalized her dilemma and became part of a task force organized by Democratic state Rep. Camille Lilly of Chicago to change the law.
The new measure allows anyone convicted of a forcible felony, other than one requiring sex offender registration, to petition the Illinois Department of Public Health for a health care worker license.
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