NASW-IL Initiative HB 1806 Passes IL Senate Unanimously, Protecting Illinoisans from AI "Therapists"

NASW-IL Staff
May 22
2 min read

NASW-Illinois Chapter membership helps us to push for legislation that benefit Illinois social workers and the clients they serve. As the largest membership association in Illinois advocating on behalf of social workers, consider adding your voice to our efforts and join/renew your NASW membership today.

SPRINGFIELD—Today we celebrate a BIG WIN in Illinois! HB1806 just passed the Illinois Senate 56-0!

This brings us one step closer to protecting mental health clients from unregulated AI posing as therapy. The bill, an initiative of NASW-IL and sponsored by Sen. Ram Villivalam and Rep. Bob Morgan, now heads back to the house for a concurrence vote on senate amendments.

This legislation is critical for social workers and mental health professionals as it ensures that care is delivered by licensed, trained providers—not unregulated chatbots. Without these protections, AI tools could exploit vulnerable clients, compromise confidentiality, and undermine the trust at the core of our profession.

Thank you to everyone who called, e-mailed, and shared action alerts—your advocacy is making history as Illinois is the first state to pass laws around AI protection.

If you haven’t yet taken action, there’s still time to make your voice heard. Let’s finish strong and share this with your colleagues, groups, friends and all who support banning AI "therapists"! Take Action TODAY

For more advocacy-related news from the NASW-Illinois Chapter, visit the "Advocacy" sub-tab on our "News" page. Or check out our Bill Tracker which shows all of the bills the NASW-Illinois Chapter is tracking for the current Illinois legislative session.

The National Association of Social Workers (NASW) is the largest membership organization of professional social workers in the world, with over 120,000 members. The NASW-Illinois Chapter is one of the association's largest chapters representing over 20,000 licensed Illinois social workers and school social workers, with over 5,000 active members. NASW strives to advance social work careers, grow social work businesses, and protect the profession.