Legislative Priorities

IPHA Policy and Legislative Committee

2025 - 2026

Chair: Duane Stevens

Contact IPHA Advocacy Team at advocacy@ipha.com

2025 - 2026 Legislative Priorities

Improve the health of all Illinoisans by investing in and prioritizing prevention.
Improve vaccine uptake by addressing vaccine misinformation. Coverage of routine vaccines for kindergarten entry is still lower than pre-pandemic levels.
Create community environments that encourage healthy food choices and physical activity.
Ensure access to preventive care and reproductive health services.
Expand access and eligibility to essential safety net programs that address health, safety, and wellbeing, including WIC, SNAP, childcare and early education subsidies, housing and utility assistance, transportation access.
Advance and modernize the public system by ensuring sustainable funding and improving the public health infrastructure.
Strengthen the public health and healthcare workforce by increasing the number and diversity of trained professionals, improving working conditions, and addressing systemic barriers to employment and career advancement.
Advocate for adequate federal and state funding to ensure monies flow to the state and local health departments equitably and efficiently.
Address climate change impacts through both mitigation (reducing greenhouse gas emissions) and adaptation (preparing for the impacts of climate change).

As an affiliate of the American Public Health Association (APHA), IPHA partners with APHA and other state affiliates to address policy issues at the national level.

Increase and protect funding for vital public health agencies (CDC, NIH, HRSA) and programs and strengthening the nation’s public health infrastructure.
Uphold the Affordable Care Act and expand access to health coverage and services.
Address the health impacts of climate change.
Protect access to reproductive health care.
Address the nation’s gun violence epidemic.
Uphold and strengthen critical public health laws and regulations and reverse damaging rollbacks by the Trump administration.

Spring 2025 Legislative Priorities

IPHA will be focused on the following overarching health policy recommendations to guide legislative analysis and policy development efforts.

• Improve the health of all Illinoisans by investing in and prioritizing prevention.

• Strengthen and modernize the governmental public health system by ensuring sustainable funding and improving the public health workforce and infrastructure .

• Support innovation and preparation for future public health emergencies.

• Encourage data modernization to ensure timely, accurate public health data.

• Leverage the expertise and on-the-ground knowledge of local health department and other public health professionals.

• Address vaccine uptake as an important step to addressing health equity.

• Combat violence in Illinois communities.

Spring 2024 Legislative Priorities

Supporting LHD Infrastruture Needs

Capital bill for LHD Infrastructure improvements - seeking funding for capital grants to certified local health departments for “ready-to-launch projects,” i.e., ADA compliance; facility life and health safety projects; HVAC and plumbing repairs/replacements; expansion to serve changing population needs, etc.

Funds for Local Health Protection Grants to LHDs

Supporting efforts to reinstate the $5 million to maintain LHPG funding at FY2024 levels. In FY24, the appropriation was increased from $19.1M to $25.1M by Rep. Gabel and Sen. Morrison. The FY25 introduced budget removed the $5M increase. IPHA seeks to restore that funding with an ultimate goal of funding the Local Heatlh Protection Grant at $30.1 million annually from sustainable revenue.

$ for Prostate Cancer Grants

Fund $350K in grants to LHDs and CBOs to promote prostate and testicular cancer screening and educate about the provisions of House Bill 5318, signed by Governor Pritzker in June 2022 and effective on January 1, 2024, requiring health insurance and managed care plans are required to provide prostate cancer screenings without imposing a deductible, coinsurance, copayment, or any other cost-sharing requirement.

Licensure Fee Exemption for LHDs

Exempt Certified Local Health Departments from licensure fees for Hospice Programs and Home Health Agencies. ertiﬁed local health departments (LHDs) are exempt from some but not all licensure fees under the Home Health, Home Services, and Home Nursing Agency Licensing Act [210 ILCS 55/]. In the past, many certiﬁed LHDs provided services under this Act and some LHDs were formed for this purpose. Today only 13 certiﬁed LHDS are licensed to provide home health nursing and only four (4) provide hospice services.

Spring 2023 Legislative Priorities

Fund Local Public Health Priorities through Increases to the Local Health Protection Grant

Proposal: For FY2024, appropriate $30,000,000 from the State Coronavirus Urgent Remediation Emergency Fund to the Department of Public Health to Certified Local Health Departments to fund Health Protection Programs and to address the Certified Local Health Department’s critical health priorities.

Fund Physical Infrastructure Improvements at Certified Local Health Departments Statewide

Proposal: For FY2024, appropriate $25,000,000 from the Build Illinois Bond Fund to the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity for grants to Certified Local Health Departments for costs associated with physical infrastructure improvements.

Exempt Certified Local Health Departments from GATA Requirements for Public Health and Safety Grants Issued by IDPH

Proposal: Amend the Grant Accountability and Transparency Act (GATA) to provide that the requirements do not apply to awards, including all state and federal appropriated funds, made by the Department of Public Health to certified local health departments for the purposes of public health, public safety, and healthcare related projects.