SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — State Rep. Diane Blair-Sherlock, D-Villa Park, introduced and passed a bill ensuring Homeowners Associations (HOAs) and Condominium Associations (COAs) cannot prohibit first responders from parking their marked vehicles on their own property.

“Our first responders work hard day in and day out to keep our communities safe,” said Blair-Sherlock. “Preventing them from parking their vehicles on their own property, for whatever reason, is actively making a difficult job even more difficult. It is their responsibility to respond to emergencies as quickly as possible. When these organizations restrict parking, that response time can be significantly delayed.”

House Bill 67 prohibits HOAs and COAs from designating marked police and fire vehicles as commercial vehicles, and subsequently preventing them from parking at their property. Under this bill, first responders should be able to park their vehicles—as long as they are under 12,000 pounds—on their property. This is especially vital to employees on duty, as quick access to their vehicles is vital to rapid response situations.

“This bill isn’t just about the ability to park on their own property, but the overall safety of the community they serve. With these new regulations on HOAs and COAs, we hope first responders are able to effectively respond in emergency circumstances, without facing obstacles based on where they live,” said Blair-Sherlock.

House Bill 67 passed the House and the Senate, and now heads to the governor.

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – State Rep. Gregg Johnson, D-Rock Island, passed a resolution on Thursday, May 28 calling for a memorial to be established on the Illinois State Capitol Complex honoring the lives of correctional officers who have fallen in the line of duty. 

“Our correctional officers have a difficult, grueling job that often goes unnoticed,” said Johnson. “But there is no denying the essential work they do every day to keep our communities safe. This memorial would recognize and honor those correctional officers who have paid the ultimate sacrifice.”

Johnson’s House Resolution 815 calls upon the Office of the Architect to establish a Corrections Fallen Heroes Memorial on State Capitol Grounds. Its purpose is to not only recognize the lives of correctional officers who have lost their lives in the line of duty, but to also acknowledge the inherent risk and danger that they must confront daily while serving the public. 

Correctional officers face struggles that many people are not forced to confront in their daily lives, and they have an average life expectancy of only 59 years. Across all states, Illinois has the third highest fatality rate for correctional officers who have lost their lives in the line of duty. 

Currently, there is a Memorial Wall for fallen heroes of the Illinois Department of Corrections (IDOC) at their training ground in Springfield, but they are in the process of vacating the property. With the IDOC leaving, the Memorial Wall is no longer available for public viewing, so it has become necessary to establish a memorial at a different location. With the Illinois State Capitol already hosting memorial structures for firefighters and police officers, it is the ideal location to either move the Memorial Wall or establish a new memorial. 

“We can’t let the sacrifice of our correctional officers be forgotten,” said Johnson. “It’s time that we move their memorial to the State Capitol, so anyone can come and remember the lives of these exceptional people.”

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – State Rep. Thaddeus Jones, D-Calumet City, is making homeownership more affordable in Illinois through a measure that empowers the state to better regulate the industry and review the bills corporations charge ratepayers monthly.

“It is not right that Illinoisans are shouldering the cost of living in a high-risk state in their monthly premiums, and it is up to us to make sure that changes,” Jones said. “The cost of responsibly owning property should be based on the conditions of the area where the property is located, not other locations where the climate is vastly different.”

Jones’ House Bill 4273 will lower the cost of owning property in Illinois through new regulations such as preventing companies from raising monthly rates by more than 10% without at least 60 days’ notice, empowering the state to review and reject unfair or discriminatory rate increases, and requiring companies to use Illinois-based data when setting rates for properties located in the state.

“As climate change continues to evolve and floods, tornadoes, hurricanes and other extreme weather become more common in states such as Texas, Oklahoma and Florida, we have to ensure that cost is not being passed on to Illinois,” Jones said. “At a time when our working families and small business owners are struggling to pay at the pump, in the checkout line and elsewhere, they deserve relief, not added stress from our insurance companies.”

House Bill 4273 passed both chambers of the Illinois General Assembly and now awaits Gov. JB Pritzker’s signature to become law.

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – State Rep. Thaddeus Jones, D-Calumet City, is taking steps to lower auto insurance costs with a new measure that will ensure Illinois drivers are not exploited by large insurance corporations imposing unfair rate hikes while continuing to rake in record profits.

“It is not right that our residents have to face an affordability crisis and make difficult decisions while companies spend little to no time thinking about how rate increases may impact them,” said Jones. “This bill is about two things—making insurance more affordable for everyday Illinoisans and reining in corporate greed.”

Jones’ Senate Bill 714 would lower the cost of auto insurance by increasing transparency around rate hikes, introducing a program to discount premiums for adults age 55 and older who complete a defensive driving course and prohibiting companies from raising costs by more than 10% without providing at least 30 days’ notice. Additionally, the measure would bring Illinois in line with the majority of states by empowering the Department of Insurance to reject excessive rate increases.

“As chairman of the House Insurance Committee, I am proud of this bill,” said Jones. “The measure we passed today is the product of extensive negotiations between me, my colleagues, the insurance industry, the Secretary of State and, most importantly, our state’s motorists who will save money from its provisions.” 

Senate Bill 714 passed both chambers of the Illinois General Assembly and now heads to the governor’s desk to become law.

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — State Rep. Michelle Mussman, D-Schaumburg, sponsored a bill creating early childhood assessment programs to improve language acquisition for children from birth to age 5 who are deaf, hard of hearing or DeafBlind.

“The first 3 years of life are a crucial time for brain development and language acquisition, but most deaf children enter kindergarten without proficient language skills, which has a lifelong impact on reading, academics, and social interactions.” said Mussman. “By supporting deaf, hard of hearing or DeafBlind children while they begin to learn language, we’re preparing these kids to learn and communicate at the same pace as their peers so they can start elementary school not just on-time, but ready to learn.”

House Bill 1783 creates an advisory committee to work with language and communication professionals on strengthening language assessment programs for deaf, hard of hearing, or DeafBlind children. The program establishes developmental milestones to help parents, healthcare providers, and educators track language development and take corrective action if the child demonstrates they are falling behind. Data will be collected to monitor the progress of individual children and the progress of children state-wide.

One of the most prominent proponents of this legislation is LEAD-K Illinois, part of a nationwide deaf-led movement advocating for better language access and accountability for deaf, hard-of-hearing, and deafblind children. Members of the LEAD-K team include Libby Oxenham, Anita Cervantes-Bowen, Kimberly Mokris, Carol Nemecek-Kowalski, Kate Citti, and Daniel Roche

“After more than eight years of advocacy, we are thrilled to see the bill pass both chambers with bipartisan support,” said LEAD-K. “If signed by Governor JB Pritzker, Illinois will become the 24th state to adopt this legislation supporting better language outcomes for deaf, hard-of-hearing, and deafblind children.”

House Bill 1783 passed the legislature and now moves to the governor to be signed into law.

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – Recognizing that medical examiners and coroners regularly deal with difficult scenes, state Rep. Natalie Manley, D-Joliet, sponsored and supported a plan that would expand insurance coverage for mental health counseling services for these professionals. 

“The work that coroners and medical examiners perform is not easy, but it’s necessary,” Manley said. “They see a lot of the same trauma our first responders do, and it makes sense to ensure they receive the same access to mental health support.”

Under current practice, municipalities and counties that oversee employee health insurance coverage must provide mental health counseling to defined first responders – including firefighters, police and emergency medical services personnel – without a deductible, co-insurance, copayment or other cost sharing requirement.

The Manley-backed Senate Bill 2770 updates this definition to include county medical examiners and coroners, as well as their deputies.

“In the worst moments, our community’s first responders work together as a team and enable us all to move forward,” Manley said. “I appreciate the important role our medical examiners and coroners provide, and thank them all for their dedicated service. This measure can provide meaningful assistance that they should take advantage of.”

Senate Bill 2770 passed with bipartisan support, and will now head to the governor for final approval.

For more information, please contact repmanley@gmail.com.

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — Working to protect access to objective news, state Rep. state Rep. Chung, D-Bloomington, led a bill ensuring that media outlets affiliated with colleges and universities are not subject to editorial control by administration.

“Public media is under attack at the federal level,” said Chung. “We’re so lucky to have a thriving media landscape in our communities, so this is just one way to protect those keeping us informed.”

Many National Public Radio and public television affiliates across Illinois broadcast from college campuses, and their reporters and editorial staff often work as school employees. In order to ensure these partnerships don’t stifle journalists’ ability to report fairly and accurately, House Bill 4420 affirms free press and speech protection including all full time employees working in public media at state-funded institutions of higher education. 

Chung’s measure makes free speech and press coverage explicit, to ensure that all employees in public media at college and universities can express themselves without the burden of needing prior university review or approval. 

The bill also grants immunity to public media employees from lawsuits over expressive content, allowing these employees to have the same rights as any other journalist. 

“College students already had explicit coverage from state oversight, so this legislation specifically protects full time college media staff,” said Chung. “Full time staff must be protected as they work with and teach students the crafts of radio and newspapers.”

Chung’s House Bill 4420 passed in both the House and Senate and is waiting to be signed into law by Governor Pritzker.

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – In an effort to make driving safer in Will County, state Rep. Anthony DeLuca, D-Chicago Heights, advanced a plan out of the House Thursday that would require the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) to conduct a road safety assessment of the 10 most hazardous intersections under state jurisdiction in Will County south of Interstate 80.

“We should always be pushing for safer roads, and if we need to make some design adjustments at our intersections, this measure starts us on that path,” DeLuca said. “This is important legislation that can save lives, and I appreciate the work from IDOT and local residents to push for this needed study.”

Senate Bill 3275 will help inform IDOT on ways the agency can recommend safety improvements to the General Assembly. IDOT will consult with local agencies to target intersections for review, with assessments handled independently and comprehensively. Local roads will be the focus, with expressways excluded from the assessments.

Subsequently recommended design changes, traffic control adjustments and other possible fixes could reduce crashes and improve roadway safety for the region.

“It’s important that we start with these assessments so we can address intersection safety efficiently and effectively,” DeLuca said. “We’re listening to the concerns of local drivers, and I want to make sure our future investments in roadways provide a safer experience for families across our community.”

The DeLuca-led measure passed the House with bipartisan support, and will now head to the governor for final approval. For more information, please contact RepDeLuca@SBCGlobal.net.

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — State Rep. Nabeela Syed, D-Palatine, passed monumental legislation years in the making on Thursday that would create a Prescription Drug Affordability Board to review the affordability and accessibility of medication and set upper payment limits if deemed necessary.

“We have seen many instances where those who need life-saving medications can’t afford them. Illinoisans deserve a say against intimidating medicine costs,” Syed said. “For too long, billion-dollar drug companies have had a free hand to push up the prices of lifesaving and life-enabling medications out of all proportion with the cost of producing them. We are standing up for the most vulnerable—those who are making heartbreaking decisions to ration their medication or not take it at all because they can’t afford it.” 

Syed’s House Amendment 1 to Senate Bill 3496 creates a state Prescription Drug Affordability Board. The five-member board is to consist of experts in health care economics, pharmaceutical markets, pharmacy, and clinical medicine who are not members, employees, board members of, or consultants to a drug manufacturer or trade association for drug manufacturers. Board members would serve for five years.

The board is permitted to meet in closed session to discuss proprietary information, but will otherwise meet in open session, with meetings announced at least three weeks in advance. Opportunities for public comment at open meetings are required, and the board is also required to solicit public input as to which drugs are thought to be creating affordability challenges.

“It’s past time for medicine to be about people before profit,” Syed said. “The industry has had years to voluntarily do right by the billions of people worldwide who depend on modern medications to stay alive and healthy. Illinois families, at least, will soon be done waiting.” 

The bill passed the House with only Democrats in support, and now goes back to the Senate on concurrence.