Avelar Prioritizes Affordable Health Care, Economic Relief, and Responsible Budget in First Legislative Session

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. –  At the conclusion of this spring’s legislative session, state Rep. Dagmara “Dee” Avelar, D-Bolingbrook, issued the following statement:

“At the conclusion of my first legislative session as State Representative, I am proud of what we have accomplished so far and what we will continue to accomplish for the state of Illinois.

 “One of my most important accomplishments is being Chief Sponsor of House Bill 653, which protects our ground drinking water for decades to come. House Bill 653 puts regulations into place for construction waste dumping into debris sites. This bill was put together through a working group of environmental groups, labor organizations and legislators from both sides of the aisle. As my first bill in the General Assembly, I am incredibly proud that it received bipartisan support.

“One of my biggest priorities is providing affordable healthcare and prescriptions to all residents of Illinois. I am happy to report we passed several bills to bring affordable accessible healthcare to Illinois. I was Chief Sponsor of Senate Bill 1682 which requires all pharmacies to provide the market price value of all prescriptions sold. The bill was able to pass the Senate and House unanimously. I also introduced and pass House Bill 3596, which requires all Schedule II, III, IV and V drug prescriptions to be sent electronically, to lower the chances of fraudulent prescriptions. I am happy to say that this bill also passed the House and Senate unanimously.

“The effects of the COVID-19 pandemic continue to ravage our families and communities. That’s why I sponsored several initiatives to lift up our working families and small businesses through grants and other programs set up specifically to help recover from the COVID-19 pandemic. One of those bills being House Bill 2877, which creates the Rental Assistance Program for tenants and landlords in the state of Illinois. Under the program, tenants and landlords throughout the state can apply for up to $25,000 in financial assistance to cover up to 12 months of past or current rent. This bill is bringing much needed relief to all our state’s residents.

“For the past several months, bipartisan meetings were held to put together a balanced and fiscally responsible budget. I am happy to have supported a balanced budget that funds critical community resources like community health centers, domestic violence shelters and also works to better our state’s foster care system. Aside from a balanced budget, we unanimously passed Senate Bill 58 to lower the cost of trailer fees from $118 to $36 saving taxpayers money and answering the requests of many constituents who have reached out concerned about this issue.

 “I am proud to serve the residents of Illinois and I look forward to continuing to fight for our families, the environment, and affordable healthcare.”