SPRINGFIELD – Service members and their spouses will receive professional licenses faster in Illinois thanks to a measure sponsored by State Senator Christopher Belt (D-Swansea) that was signed into law Sunday.

The measure will make transitions easier for those whose jobs depend on having a professional license and whose living arrangements are often changed by a deployment or cross-country transfer. An airman's spouse who works as an optometrist, for instance, would have an easier time receiving their license to practice in Illinois after transferring to Scott Airforce Base under the plan.

“Service members and their spouses will now have their professional licenses reviewed in a timely manner so they can get back to work,” Belt said. “Many individuals who serve at Scott Airforce Base and their spouses relocate from another state. This will make it quicker and easier for them to get back into their careers.”

The new law requires state agencies that issue occupational or professional licenses to review applications for expedited licensure for service members and their spouses within 30 days, rather than 60 days under current law.

“The men and women who serve our country will no longer wait around for their professional licenses to be approved,” Belt said. “The lengthy delays service members and their spouses face will now be cut in half.”

The law takes effect Jan. 1, 2022.