Avelar Bills Prioritizing Healthcare Voted to House Floor

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — Committed to strengthening healthcare protections and patient safety for residents statewide, Assistant Majority Leader Dagmara “Dee” Avelar, D-Bolingbrook, passed influential measures out of the Health Care Availability & Accessibility Committee to be considered on the House floor later this Spring.

“We live in an uncertain political climate where we on the state-level really need to be putting our best foot forward, thinking ahead, and anticipating any federal changes that will impact our most vulnerable residents and upend everyday Illinoisans,” Avelar said. “These bills fill crucial gaps to strengthen protections and expand freedoms for our residents; I’m prepared to fight for them on the House floor.”

In effort to expand state protections for reproductive healthcare, Avelar’s House Bill 3637 passed out of the Health Care Availability & Accessibility Committee and would strengthen Illinois’ Shield Law by reinforcing the Illinois Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to safeguard access to medication abortion. The measure “future-proofs” Illinois law and preempts federal overreach, ensuring residents have access to medically necessary and life-saving reproductive health medications.

Additionally, Avelar passed House Bill 3593 out of the committee, extending protections under the Fair Patient Billing Act to patients who receive services from third-party vendors, reinforcing explicitly that if a hospital outsources a service, patients aren’t met with excessive charges and costs that would otherwise be covered under the Act.

“These bills reflect the importance of people-first policy and how when we prioritize our community’s needs, impact is felt statewide” said Avelar. “Protecting our most vulnerable is always top of mind and when we care for those who need it most, communities are safer, healthier, and thrive.”

Avelar advanced several measures to expand workforce opportunity, enhance housing rights, and improve protections for small businesses, which will be among the legislation considered on the House floor this Spring.