Yang Rohr Reflects on Session Work Addressing Constituent Concerns, Highlights Affordability Legislation

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – With spring session adjourning Monday, state Rep. Janet Yang Rohr, D-Naperville, is highlighting her efforts to address constituent concerns and the affordability crisis while further supporting teachers and students. 

 

“When I am creating my legislative agenda, my priorities are always the concerns local residents bring to me,” said Yang Rohr. “That’s why I am committed to passing legislation that addresses their issues, like rising prices, tight budgets and education reform.”

 

Some highlights of Yang Rohr’s affordability agenda include:

• Making groceries and everyday purchases more affordable by giving everyone access to digital coupons so that the price people see is the price they pay (House Bill 45),
• Creating new protections against artificial intelligence (AI) schemes that use personal data to raise prices (House Bill 4248),
• Delivering transparency requirements to crack down on hidden junk fees (House Bill 228), and
• Requiring medical offices to post notices of increases in their charges for routine medical visits (HB 4698).

 

Yang Rohr also backed a responsible and compassionate budget that is focused on solving everyday problems for Illinois families. The spending plan affirms public safety efforts and increases funding for schools. It protects local government funding, and further restores property tax relief grants for school districts, providing local governments greater flexibility to address property taxes. It also places a temporary freeze on the state gas tax which was expected to increase in July. 

 

“The people of Illinois are facing real challenges every single day,” said Yang Rohr. “This is a sensible budget that is focused on addressing these challenges now and moving forward.”

 

Yang Rohr this session sought to provide additional support to students and teachers throughout the school year. She successfully passed House Bill 4859 which adds sharing tables as an option for schools. These sharing tables are a place where students can leave unwanted whole or opened foods for other students to take at no cost. 

 

Passing House Bill 4862, Yang Rohr backed teacher mental health programs by requiring school districts to develop procedures that support faculty and staff mental health. Not only do they have to develop these procedures, they have to show a commitment to them by applying several different initiatives focused on improving mental health in the workplace. 

 

“There can be no doubt that our children are our future, and to grow to their fullest potential, they need to have a strong foundation,” said Yang Rohr. “With the legislation we passed, not only are we helping students, we’re providing teachers with the resources they need to succeed.”