📜🏛️End of Session Updates: Important Bills We Passed
Dear Neighbor,
Last week, I shared some highlights from the budget that we just passed in Springfield. Today, I'd like to share some of the major legislative initiatives that passed the General Assembly this year and are headed to the Governor's desk.
One of the most ambitious bills we passed takes on bad practices in the health insurance industry. HB 5395 goes after a few of the most egregious abuses in healthcare. First, it bans "step therapy." When your doctor prescribes you a medication, sometimes the insurance company will require you take a less expensive drug first. Then you have to wait until that medication doesn't work to get the drug your doctor prescribed in the first place. This "fail first" approach has nothing to do with health, it's just about saving insurance companies money. So we're getting rid of it. The bill also bans junk insurance, the short-term limited-duration plans that don't meet the minimum standards of the federal ACA. It goes after "ghost networks" — ever look up a doctor on your insurance company's website, only to find that they don't actually exist? — by requiring companies to audit their networks every 90 days. And it controls rate hikes by allowing the Department of Insurance to approve or reject premium increases for large-group insurance plans.
We also passed ambitious and important legislation in a number of other areas. We eliminated the state's 1% sales tax on groceries, because we don't believe people should pay taxes to put food on their table. We strengthened reproductive health protections in advance of some of the US Supreme Court decisions we expect in the coming months around emergency room care and medication abortions. We put in place a two-year moratorium on carbon pipelines and created some of the most stringent regulations in the country on how carbon capture and storage could happen in Illinois. And we prohibited captive-audience meetings — a classic union-busting tool where an employer requires their employees to attend a mandatory two-hour workshop on why unions are terrible. A number of auto manufacturers and most notably Amazon have used these meetings to try to thwart unionization drives in recent years.
These are just some of the nearly 500 bills that passed the General Assembly this year. In my next update, I'll tell you about some of the bills I introduced that are headed to the Governor's desk.
Sincerely,
Will
Free Health Screenings
On Wednesday June 19, the Advocate Mobile Health Van will be providing free health screenings, like blood pressure, glucose, and cholesterol screenings, from 10am to 2pm at St. Nicolai Church, 3000 N Kedzie. There will also be a grocery giveaway market from 12:30pm to 1:30pm. Services and groceries will be on a first come, first service basis.
Homebuyer Expo
The Spanish Coalition for Housing is hosting a Homebuyer Expo on Saturday, June 22 from 10am to 2pm at the Plumber’s Union Hall, 1340 W Washington Blvd. Register at sc4housing.org/getyouhome.
Belmont Cragin Bike Rides
Join Northwest Center for weekly bike rides every Monday evening at 6pm! Rides will start at Riis Park, 6100 W Fullerton Ave., be led by the Northwest Center Transit Ambassadors, and are open to all members of the community.