IPHA Annual Business Meeting | December 14, 2023 at 1:00PM CST

All active IPHA members are invited to attend. Each paid member carries one vote in Association business matters. Zoom link and materials will be posted one week prior to the meeting.

Stay Informed

Legislative Update

April 21, 2023

Bills in Committee the Week of April 25

SENATE EXECUTIVE

Wed., Apr. 26, 2023, 1:30 PM, Capitol Building Room 212

Sen. Castro: (217) 782-7746

Witness Slip - SUPPORT

HB1540 ELECTRONIC SMOKING DEVICE (LILLY C) Amends the Smoke Free Illinois Act. Provides that a retail tobacco store that derives at least 80% of its gross revenue from the sale of electronic cigarettes and electronic cigarette equipment and accessories in operation before the effective date of the amendatory Act qualifies for a specified exemption for electronic cigarettes only. Provides that a retail tobacco store claiming an exemption for electronic cigarettes shall annually file with the Department of Public Health by January 31 an affidavit stating the percentage of its gross income during the prior calendar year that was derived.

 

SENATE PUBLIC HEALTH

Tue., Apr. 25, 2023, 1:30 PM, Capitol Building Room 400

Sen. Villa: (217) 782-0471

Witness Slip - SUPPORT

HB2039 ACCESS TO PUBLIC HEALTH DATA (MOELLER A) Creates the Access to Public Health Data Act. Provides that the Department of Public Health, the Department of Human Services, and the Department of Children and Family Services shall, at the request of a local health department in Illinois, make any and all public health data related to residents of that local health department's jurisdiction available to that local health department for the purposes of preventing or controlling disease, injury, or disability. Provides that the Department of Public Health, the Department of Human Services, and the Department of Healthcare and Family Services . NIPHC will provide oral testimony.

 

SENATE APPROPRIATIONS - HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Wed., Apr. 26, 2023, 5:30 PM, Capitol Building Room 400

Sen. Gillespie: (217) 782-4471

SB1294 DHS-DIAPER ALLOWANCE (VILLA K) Amends the Department of Human Services Act. Provides that a person is eligible for a diaper allowance in the amount of $70 per month per eligible child if all of the following conditions are met: (1) the person's household income is at or below 100% of the federal poverty guidelines updated periodically in the Federal Register by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services; and (2) the person is responsible for the welfare of an eligible child. Defines "eligible child" to mean any child who is 3 years of age or younger and whose primary residence is the State of Illinois. SUBJECT MATTER HEARING

 

SENATE EDUCATION

Tues., April 25, 1:30 PM, Capitol Building Room 2012

Witness Slip – SUPPORT

HB 2471SCH BREAKFAST/LUNCH-SUPP AID Replaces everything after the enacting clause. Amends the School Breakfast and Lunch Program Act. In provisions concerning reimbursement of sponsors, provides that the State Board of Education shall reimburse not less than $0.15 or the actual cost, whichever is less, to non-profit welfare centers for each free breakfast and lunch. Provides that the State Board of Education shall establish the Healthy School Meals for All Program to begin on July 1, 2023. Provides that each school board of a school district or governing body of a nonpublic school that chooses to participate in the Healthy School Meals for All Program shall offer eligible meals, without charge, to all students enrolled in schools that participate in the National School Breakfast Program and National School Lunch Program.

 

Other 103rd General Assembly News

The Illinois General Assembly returned from a two-week spring break with both chambers convening session Tuesday through Thursday of this week. Both chambers return to Springfield for four days of session starting Tuesday, May 25. Friday, April 28 is the committee deadline for substantive legislation to pass out of the second chamber. Four weeks remain in the spring legislative session; adjournment is scheduled for May 19.

Chicago Mayor-elect Brandon Johnson visited Springfield this week. Johnson addressed a joint session of the General Assembly on Wednesday and met privately with several caucuses including the Black, Asian, Progressive, and Latino caucuses.

“I am excited to join our dedicated leaders in Springfield and discuss how we can invest in people to lift up all of our communities,” said Johnson. “Building a better, stronger, safer Chicago will take all of us, and I look forward to establishing a strong foundation for collaboration.”

Johnson promised Chicago will continue its strong relationship with labor and protect reproductive-rights, and called for increasing funding for Chicago Public Schools, providing a nurse and a social worker at each school, and boosting state funding for the Local Government Distributive Fund.

Of interest this week:

  • Legislation to codify and clean up the Governor’s COVID-19 Executive Orders regarding healthcare and the healthcare workforce -- HB 559 (Morgan/Glowiak Hilton) – passed the Senate unanimously, as amended, and now heads back to the House for concurrence. The legislation was expedited since the public health emergency is ending on May 11.
  • HB 3957 (Syed) which prevents “price gouging” of generic medications received an extended Third Reading Deadline in the House and was returning to the order of Postponed Consideration. HB 3957 previously failed on the House Third Reading deadline day. The measure is now pending again before the full House.
  • HB 2248 (Cassidy/Peters) increases the baseline financial penalty for civil rights violations. Specifically, the legislation would allow state claims for violations of federal civil rights acts to be heard in any court with jurisdiction. The measure also provides that Illinois courts may award no less than $4,000 in damages. Passed the Senate Judiciary Committee 6-3 and is now pending before the full Senate.
  • SB 76 (Rezin/Yednock), which lifts the ban on new nuclear construction, passed the House Public Utilities Committee 20-1 and is now pending before the full House.
  • HB 3524 (Faver Dias) creates the Air Quality in Schools Task Force to study and make recommendations: on air quality goals for K – 12 schools; on processes to assess current ventilation systems in schools; on processes to improve ventilation after assessment; and on potential State and federal funding sources to improve school air quality in the State. Passed the House 88-24 and now heads to the Senate.
  • HB 2189 (Guzzardi/Murphy) which lowers the co-pay cap for insulin from $100/month to $35/month passed the Senate Insurance Committee unanimously.
  • SB 1561 (Morrison/Lilly) which adds e-cigarettes to the Indoor Smoking Act -- effectively banning the use of e-cigarettes in public indoor spaces -- passed the House Public Health Committee 7-0 and now heads to the full House.

 

Representative Will Davis was involved in a traffic accident following an unspecified medical emergency according to an announcement from his family. No word yet on the nature of the medical emergency or when Representative Davis will return to session. Davis is chair of the House Appropriations – Elementary and Secondary Education Committee.

Note: the House Energy and Environment Committee, the House Public Utilities Committee, the Senate Energy and Public Utilities Committee and the Senate Energy and Conservation Committee will hold a virtual joint subject matter hearing on April 24 at 11am to discuss carbon capture and storage in Illinois.  

The House Executive Committee will hold a virtual subject matter hearing on April 24 at 1pm to discuss the creation of the new Chicago Elected Representative School Board districts.

 

2023 Key Dates: 

April 28: Deadline – Substantive Bills Out of Committee in both chambers

May 11: Deadline – Third Reading Substantive House Bills in Senate

May 12: Deadline – Third Reading Substantive Senate Bills in House

May 19: Adjournment

 

Lawsuit Filed Against Insulin Manufacturers and Sellers: The Lake County State’s Attorney filed a lawsuit against insulin manufacturers and pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) alleging that they illegally conspired to artificially increase insulin prices in violation of the Illinois’s Consumer Fraud and Deceptive Business Practices Act. The lawsuit argues that manufacturers Eli Lilly, Novo Nordisk, and Sanofi, and PBMs CVS Caremark, Express Scripts, and OptumRx, have leveraged their market power to increase profits at the expense of Lake County and the payors who need the lifesaving medication.

Federal district judge rulings jeopardize public health

APHA has put out statements against the ruling on March 30 that limits the availability of proactive care procedures that reduce unnecessary pain, suffering and death and the ruling on April 7 that makes Mifepristone unavailable and undermines the FDA’s ability to authorize safe medications to improve the health of our nation. APHA is following the appeals and will continue to speak about the harm these rulings would cause, if allowed to go into effect.

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