Halpin Fights for Economic Recovery, Affordable Health Care, Strong Unions

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – State Rep. Mike Halpin, D-Rock Island, issued this statement following the end of the 2021 spring session:

“Despite the challenges of COVID-19, we have taken big steps towards our goals. I’m proud of the work I’ve done bringing our community’s economy back to pre-Covid strength, working for more affordable health care, and protecting our workers from corporate attack. Thanks to our public health community’s effective vaccine distribution program, Illinois will begin to return to normal as the pandemic finally fades, and this progress will remain.

“If anything, COVID-19 showed us that making health care accessible is more important than ever. People need their doctors and their medicines, and they should not be forced to pay skyrocketing prices or clear miles of red tape to get them. This session, I worked to pass numerous bills to curtail big insurance and pharmaceutical companies’ efforts to pad their profits by overcharging working families, and I’m proud of the progress made.

“A significant part of rebuilding our local economy following the coronavirus is ensuring unions remain strong. I pushed for a constitutional amendment to secure the rights of workers to unionize. Powerful corporations have been working to prevent legislation like this from passing for years, but we overcame their efforts to maintain the rights of Illinois workers. This success will have huge benefits for our community immediately and in the long-term.

“I will always advocate for our community during my time in Springfield, and I firmly believe that the work I have done will help us prosper. More than that, facing challenges that may seem too difficult to overcome, as we have done this past year, becomes easier when we face them together and don’t stray into partisan bickering. Our community has done that and we should all be proud of that accomplishment.”