Caucus News

SPRINGFIELD – State Senator Bill Cunningham’s legislation to prevent genetic marker data from being used by employers and insurers has passed out of the Senate.

“With the field of medicine progressing, we face a new set of privacy challenges,” said Cunningham, a Democrat who represents portions of Chicago and the Southwest Suburbs. “We want to encourage people to take part in these new beneficial practices, while keeping important genetic data about them out of the wrong hands.”

Senate Bill 2886 would update Genetic Information Privacy Act to expand existing safeguards to include biomarker testing, in addition to genetic testing. The measure clarifies that information derived from these tests is confidential and privileged, and may only be released to the individual tested or to those specifically authorized in writing.

SPRINGFIELD – State Senator Bill Cunningham’s legislation to formalize mobile IDs and protect people’s personal device advanced to the House.

“Your phone holds some of your most personal information, and no one should be required to hand it over just to prove who they are,” said Cunningham, a Democrat who represents portions of Chicago and the Southwest Suburbs. “Losing possession of your phone for so many of us means losing your wallet, your ID and a bank of your personal information and photos.”

SPRINGFIELD – State Senator Bill Cunningham has advanced legislation to help Illinois public schools develop solar energy projects.

“As the federal administration cuts back on clean energy, we want to provide schools with alternative energy opportunities that will lower costs and benefit students,” said Cunningham, a Democrat who represents portions of Chicago and the Southwest Suburbs. “This legislation will streamline the process so districts can install solar projects without unnecessary delays.”

SPRINGFIELD – State Senator Bill Cunningham advanced legislation which will formalize the use of mobile identification while strengthening protections for residents’ personal devices.

“As more residents use digital IDs, our laws need to reflect that reality,” said Cunningham, a Democrat who represents portions of Chicago and the Southwest Suburbs. “This measure modernizes our statutes while making sure individuals’ rights and personal devices remain protected.”

SPRINGFiELD – State Senator Bill Cunningham is introducing legislation to better privacy protections for individuals undergoing genetic and biomarker testing.

“As technology evolves, our privacy laws need to keep up,” said Cunningham, a Democrat who represents portions of Chicago and the Southwest Suburbs. “No one in our state should have to worry about sensitive medical information effecting job opportunities or their insurance rate.”

SPRINGFIELD – State Senator Bill Cunningham backed an energy relief package Thursday that is projected to save Illinois households more than $13 billion over the next two decades, marking a turning point in Illinois’ pursuit of a sustainable and renewable energy future.

“Nationwide, we’ve seen electricity bills skyrocket this summer,” said Cunningham, a Democrat who represents portions of Chicago and the Southwest Suburbs. “Without meaningful relief, this trend will continue – leaving families and small businesses to foot the bill for a broken system.”

SPRINGFIELD – State Senator Bill Cunningham’s measure to give law enforcement stronger tools to track down the criminals bringing illegal guns into Illinois neighborhoods was signed into law.

“This will give the police the tools they need to track down illegal guns and the criminals that traffic them into our communities,” said Cunningham, a Democrat who represents portions of Chicago and the Southwest Suburbs. “Tracing guns used in crimes and sharing data across jurisdictions will help solve crimes and keep dangerous individuals off our streets.”

Under current law, firearm tracing is limited to specific scenarios. Cunningham’s measure broadens that scope by requiring firearm tracing in all cases where a gun is recovered at the scene of a crime, is used unlawfully or is believed to be associated with a crime. The new law also asks every law enforcement agency in Illinois to participate in the federal eTrace program, providing investigators with faster, more complete data on gun origins, trafficking patterns and crime links. This will ensure consistent reporting and firearm tracing across all counties, helping to close investigative loopholes and make communities safer statewide.

SPRINGFIELD – State Senator Bill Cunningham advanced a bill through the Senate that gives law enforcement stronger tools to track down the criminals bringing illegal guns into Illinois neighborhoods.

“This is about giving our police the tools they need to track down illegal guns and the people that traffic them into our communities,” said Cunningham, a Democrat who represents portions of Chicago and the Southwest Suburbs. “When we can trace more guns and share more data across jurisdictions, we can solve more crimes and keep more dangerous individuals off our streets.”