GRANITE CITY, Ill. – Due to her advocacy to increase access to human breast milk for medically fragile infants, state Rep. Katie Stuart, D-Edwardsville, received an appreciation award from Mothers’ Milk Bank of the Western Great Lakes. Stuart was the primary House sponsor of House Bill 3509 to ensure that families receive insurance coverage for babies that need donated human breast milk to receive the proper nutrition and recover from medically fragile conditions. The measure is now law.

“This law will positively impact many families across Illinois by removing the financial burden if an infant needs donated human breast milk,” continued Stuart. “I would like to thank the Mothers’ Milk Bank of the Western Great Lakes for their work on this legislation and for the award.”

Stuart’s law requires donated human breast milk to be covered under insurance for infants that are critically ill and the mother cannot produce maternal breast milk to meet the infant’s nutritional needs. This law will help infants that are born with congenital heart disease, those with a weight below 1,500 grams at birth, and many other serious medical conditions. This law will take effect on Jan. 1, 2020.