SPRINGFIELD – In an effort to recognize and honor Illinois veterans, State Senator Loughran Cappel led a measure that would allow the Secretary of State to issue United States Submarine Veterans special license plates

“After hearing from a number of constituents, I saw the reason this was important to submarine veterans,” said Loughran Cappel (D-Shorewood). “We have to honor the sacrifices all our veterans have made and this is one way we can show our support.”

House Bill 1581 would allow the Secretary of State to issue United States Submarine Veteran license plates to Illinois residents who served in the United States Navy as a submariner. New York and Connecticut offer similar submarine service license plates.

The Illinois Secretary of State's Office offers a number of different specialty license plates. Requests for these license plates can be accepted at Driver Services Facilities.

“Our armed forces uproot their lives, leave their families and head off to fight for our country and we can’t thank them enough for that,” Loughran Cappel said.

SPRINGFIELD – A new initiative from State Senator Laura Fine will require the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services to maintain a database on the safety of consumer products, making safety information much more accessible to protect Illinois children.

“It can be difficult for parents to know where to look for the most up-to-date information about product safety,” said Fine (D-Glenview). “Having a standard database that caregivers trust will bring peace of mind to parents, as well as prevent tragedies from taking place.”

Currently, families and caregivers do not have a clear resource to check if a product or toy is safe for their child to use, or if there were any recalls of the product. DCFS is currently only required by state law to contact childcare facilities without internet access about relevant product recalls. Those facilities with internet access must research recalls through their own means.

House Bill 3363 requires DCFS to establish and maintain a public database on their website on the safety of consumer products regulated by the department. Additionally, the bill changes the definition of children’s products to include products intended for the use of a child under age 12. This puts DCFS in compliance with the federal Consumer Product Safety Act. 

“This consumer friendly resource will help better inform parents and caregivers about recalls of dangerous or hazardous toys on the market,” said Fine. “This initiative is a convenient way to protect our children.”

House Bill 3363 passed the Senate on May 4.

SPRINGFIELD – To bring awareness to Tuberous Sclerosis Complex (TSC), which impacts one in every 6,000 newborns in the U.S., State Senator Laura Fine introduced Senate Resolution 60 commemorating May 15 as Tuberous Sclerosis Complex Awareness Day.

“TSC can cause long-lasting complications on a young person’s health and is unfortunately often misdiagnosed,” said Fine (D-Glenview). “Observing Tuberous Sclerosis Complex Awareness Day will increase knowledge of this disease and hopefully help people find a correct diagnosis to get the most effective treatment to improve their health.”

TSC is a multi-system genetic disease that causes non-cancerous tumors in the brain and other vital organs such as the kidneys, heart, eyes, lungs and skin. It can also affect the central nervous system leading to seizures, impaired intellectual development, autism, behavioral problems, skin abnormalities and kidney diseases. Most people with TSC start experiencing symptoms when they are a year old. However, identifying symptoms of the disease take longer to develop so TSC can be misdiagnosed or missed for many years.

Approximately 40,000 to 80,000 people in the U.S. have TSC. There is no cure for TSC; however, treatments are available based on individual symptoms. Observing Tuberous Sclerosis Complex Awareness Day urges those in Illinois to support research to find a cure in addition to assisting individuals and families affected by this disease.

Senate Resolution 60 establishes May 15, 2023 as Tuberous Sclerosis Complex Awareness Day in Illinois.

SPRINGFIELD – State Senator Dave Koehler is leading an initiative to prohibit price gouging of essential medication.

“People shouldn’t have to burn a hole in their wallets to receive the medication they need,” said Koehler (D – Peoria). “This legislation will ensure that every Illinoisan has access to medication at a fair price.”

House Bill 3957 creates the Illinois Generic Drug Pricing Fairness Act, which would prohibit manufacturers and distributors from engaging in price gouging of essential off-patient and generic drugs.

“It’s time we hold these companies accountable for what should be considered robbery,” said Koehler. “Medication shouldn’t be priced at ridiculous rates to the point where people are turned away.”

House Bill 3957 passed the Senate Health and Human Services Committee Tuesday. It now heads to the full Senate for further consideration.

SPRINGFIELD – State Senator Adriane Johnson led a measure through the Senate to allow people with previous felony convictions to serve as an executor of someone else’s estate if expressly named.  

“We are taking a vital step to restore dignity and honor to families throughout Illinois to carry out the last wishes and affairs of loved ones,” said Johnson (D-Buffalo Grove). “Families should be free to choose who takes on this sacred duty. This measure will be one less domino in the effects of permanent punishments that devastate children, families, and communities of color across Illinois.”

House Bill 1268 would allow people with previous felony convictions to act as executor of someone else’s estate. Under the measure, a convicted felon could only serve as an executor if the deceased person expressly names that person in their will and acknowledges they know the person is a convicted felon.

SPRINGFIELD – From making public transit safer and more environmentally friendly to providing reduced fares and financial assistance for at-risk communities, members of the Illinois Senate Democratic Caucus are leading a comprehensive public transit plan, which they outlined at a press conference Tuesday.

“Public transit is essential to people’s lives and livelihoods,” said State Senator Ram Villivalam (D-Chicago), Chair of the Senate Transportation Committee. “Illinois must build an equitable future for public transportation that prioritizes all of our neighbors.”                                

The measure – spearheaded by Villivalam – would allow public transit agencies to suspend problematic riders if the rider commits or provides a reasonable apprehension of assault, battery, sexual assault, or violations of public indecency.

“HB1342 is a significant step to get our public transportation systems on the right track,” said Frances Orenic, Illinois AFL-CIO Coalitions Director. “Transportation operators have been under assault and are asking for solutions. This legislation provides operators with the resources they need to care for themselves, and to guarantee optimal conditions for riders by putting public safety first.”

Edly-Allen passes measure to crack down on harmful "deepfakes"

SPRINGFIELD – State Senator Mary Edly-Allen passed a measure through the Senate to crack down on the abusive and harmful use of digital imitations known as “deepfakes.”

“Deepfakes are a way to deploy gender-based violence, harnessing artificial intelligence to exploit, humiliate and harass through the ages-old tactic of stripping women of sexual autonomy and to silence innocent women,” said Edly-Allen (D-Libertyville). “Despite the rise of deepfakes there are no consequences for bad actors.”

Read more.

Fine measure to make specialty services more accessible for HMO patients passes Senate

SPRINGFIELD – State Senator Laura Fine’s legislation to eliminate hurdles HMO patients face when seeking treatment by medical specialists passed the Senate, moving it one step closer to becoming law.

“The current HMO system can cause serious delays for people who need specialized care, which can lead to adverse health effects,” said Fine (D-Glenview). “This new measure will ensure patients can get the care they need as soon as possible to allow them to start feeling healthy again.”

Read more.

Senate Democrats honor fallen firefighters at Springfield ceremony

SPRINGFIELD – To honor fallen firefighters, members of the Illinois Senate Democratic Caucus attended the 30th Annual Illinois Fallen Firefighter Memorial ceremony in Springfield.

“Firefighters put themselves in harm’s way and into traumatic situations daily to protect us, whether it’s going to a traffic accident or fighting a fire,” said State Senator Bill Cunningham, a Democrat who represents portions of Chicago and the Southwest Suburbs. “Today we honor their courage and sacrifice, and support the families of the brave men and women who have made the ultimate sacrifice and fallen in the line of duty.”

Read more.

Sound of the State: The Underground Railroad Task Force

State Senator Dave Koehler (D-Peoria) was joined by John Ackerman, the Tazewell County Clerk, to discuss efforts to highlight the role of the Underground Railroad in Illinois on this week's episode of Sound of the State.

Listen here.

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SPRINGFIELD – To ensure people of all genders have access to the health care they need, Senator Pacione-Zayas’ new legislation will remove gendered restrictions in insurance codes regarding coverage of pap smears or prostate exams. 

“Transgender and gender non-conforming people have historically struggled with accessing health care, which has led to adverse health effects. Making language in the insurance code gender inclusive, rather than gender specific, removes barriers to accessing care aligned with people’s biology versus gender identity and lowers the risk of denial of care reported by transgender individuals,” Pacione-Zayas (D-Chicago) said. “The Trans and gender non-conforming community already faces myriad obstacles to basic services. This legislation is a small but important step in correcting this longtime shortcoming of our healthcare system that prevents too many from getting the live-saving care they need.”

The current Illinois insurance code is gender-specific, meaning patients who are listed as female or male can only be covered for pap smears or prostate exams respectively. This specificity prevents many patients from getting the care they need if they are not registered as the same gender as they were assigned at birth. With these restrictions, patients may not be able to access necessary cancer screenings without incurring massive out-of-pocket costs.

House Bill 2350 would make the insurance code gender-inclusive rather than gender-specific, removing barriers to accessing care aligned with people’s biology versus gender identity and lowers the risk of denial of care reported by transgender individuals.  Additionally, this initiative would require prostate screenings for people 40 years and older who have a genetic predisposition to prostate cancer, which would ensure that insurance covers important preventative treatment.

This issue was highlighted in the Reproductive Justice working group in response to the Dobbs decision by State Representative Kelly Cassidy, who was the House sponsor of the bill.

“Early detection and prevention are key to saving lives,” said State Representative Kelly Cassidy (D-Chicago). “We should remove any barriers we can identify that prevent people from getting the care that they need, in particular barriers that impact vulnerable populations like the trans community.”

House Bill 2350 passed the Senate on May 4.