IL HB5320

Expands "hospital worker" definition in mandated overtime provisions to include all hourly wage workers employed directly or via subcontractors, broadening protections beyond nurses.

Requires hospitals to employ sufficient staffing to provide quality patient care and ensure patient safety, with mandatory disclosure of staffing matrices and metrics to the Department of Public Health at the beginning of each calendar year.

Mandates competency validation for all new hospital workers within the first month of employment at no cost and annual ongoing verification, with hospitals required to submit documentation to the Department and maintain a public registry of competent employees.

Establishes an "assignment despite objection" process allowing hospital workers to formally object to unsafe assignments and assigns hospital liability; includes a Safety Review Panel and binding third-party dispute resolution if needed.

Imposes daily civil penalties equal to 0.1% of a hospital's annual revenue for violations of competency validation and assignment despite objection requirements; creates a Hospital Safety Advocate position within the Department of Public Health to enforce new requirements.