West Bills Now Law, Strengthening Public Health and Safety

ROCKFORD, Ill. — Working to improve critical gaps in privacy, public health and public safety, state Rep. Maurice West, D-Rockford, is highlighting a series of bills championed through the state legislature this spring that were signed into law by Gov. Pritzker on July 24.

“Each of these bills fix significant, and potentially dangerous, issues that many Illinoisans are unaware of—instances that affect the quality of our health, safety and privacy—that have gone undetected or under-advocated for until now,” said West. “Our families deserve assurance that protections put in place aren’t swept under the rug and our government remains dedicated to the wellbeing of Illinoisans in all realms of our day-to-day lives.”

West led the following measures during the spring’s legislative session to counteract growing concerns regarding Illinois families’ privacy, health and safety:

• Senate Bill 2886: Strengthens privacy protections for modern medical genetic testing by preventing disclosure of testing results and barring insurers from using this information to make coverage decisions.
• Senate Bill 2918: Expands school guidelines to better report student violence towards teachers and staff to law enforcement, advancing both student and teacher safety on school campuses.
• Senate Bill 1743: Improves continuity of care by repealing a rule that prevented psychologists from prescribing medication to Illinoisans over 65 years old.
• Senate Bill 2774: Ensures meal kits and ready-to-eat meal options are subject to the same health and safety standards as other food.

“These are all common sense ideas: our schools should be safe, the meals we feed our kids should be safe, seniors should have unparalleled access to their medication and genetic testing shouldn’t be used to deny families care they need,” said West. “I’m proud to see each of these measures receive the support they deserve.”