SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – State Rep. John Connor, D-Lockport, continued to crack down on health care cost increases with his support of a new law lowering prescription drug prices and reining in pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs).

“Everyone in our community deserves affordable health care, and too often, big pharmaceutical companies stand in the way of that,” Connor said. “Whether it’s by enforcing huge price hikes or concealing inexpensive generic prescription alternatives, they prioritize maximizing profits over keeping people healthy. This law is about combatting those unfair practices and ensuring Illinoisans have the care they need.”  

Connor helped pass House Bill 465, which will curb skyrocketing prescription drug prices by creating comprehensive regulations for PBMs including requirements that they inform customers of cheaper prescription alternatives, comply with oversight from the Department of Insurance and pay fines of up to $50,000 for violating the Illinois Administrative Code in their bookkeeping procedures. The bill also protects the rights of patients in the emergency room by prohibiting any insurer from denying coverage until the patient is considered stable. Combined, these measures should help substantially lower the cost of health care in Illinois. The legislation received bipartisan support and is now law.

As the middlemen between drug manufacturers and pharmacies, PBMs set drug prices on behalf of insurance companies. Until now, they have operated with virtually no oversight even though they manage public money through Medicaid, as well as managing prescription programs for private insurance and self-insured plans.

“Good health is essential to living an full life, that’s why ensuring people have affordable medical care is a central part of my pledge to build a stronger Illinois,” Connor. “If a person, especially a parent or guardian, is living with a chronic illness without help, it can be draining on an entire family. For the sake of all our families, I will continue to fight for better health care in this community.”

LOCKPORT, Ill. – State Rep. John Connor, D-Lockport, recently hosted a celebration honoring local seniors for the leadership roles they have played in the community in the past year.

“Our seniors deserve credit for their accomplishments and contributions to the local community,” Connor said. “The leadership they’ve displayed is just one part of the important role they play in cities and towns across Illinois, and the Golden Spirit award is recognition of that. I’m happy to spend time with people who are also committed to building a stronger Illinois for current and future generations.”

This is the 3rd time Connor has held his annual event recognizing local seniors for their accomplishments with the Golden Spirit award. Connor’s commitment to the senior community has been a driving force deciding his legislative priorities as a representative, where he supported funding for senior services in the most recent state budget, worked to crack down on con artists who target seniors and backed property tax relief efforts for the senior community.

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – State Rep. John Connor, D-Lockport, backed a new law battling elder abuse and exploitation which requires face-to-face assessments of a senior’s living situation and interviews with family members, friends and neighbors in the case of a report of mistreatment.

“We have to do a better job ensuring that seniors are treated with the care and respect they deserve,” Connor said. “The safety and security of our community is my first priority and I will work to ensure criminals can’t take advantage of our senior citizens who are living on a fixed income and already vulnerable to huge and unpredictable health care costs.”

Connor supported House Bill 3065, which requires state agencies investigating reports of abuse, neglect or financial exploitation of senior citizens to interview family members, friends, neighbors and anyone else who may have direct knowledge of the situation. Face-to-face interviews will ensure thorough inquiries into every report, and help eliminate lax examinations that leave elders in abusive situations. The legislation was passed with strong bipartisan support and is now law.

“Retirees deserve to live a safe and comfortable life, and to be left alone by con artists and crooks,” Connor said. “This law requires that, in the case of a complaint, in-person meetings will get every case gets the attention it needs. There is more work to be done, but we are making progress towards our goal of an Illinois that is safer and stronger.”

LOCKPORT, Ill. – State Rep. John Connor, D-Lockport, will be hosting a senior celebration to give out awards and address issues important to the local senior community. The event is on Friday, Oct. 4 from 9 a.m. to noon at the Romeoville Recreation Center, located at 900 West Romeo Road in Romeoville.

“Our seniors carry the wisdom of our community and deserve recognition for all they do and have done, and they deserve to have their voices heard,” Connor said. “I’m excited to hand out this years’ Golden Spirit awards to the seniors who have accomplished so much this year and provided guidance for younger generations. I hope you’ll join me to honor the people who play vital roles as leaders in the community.”

Connor’s event is free and open to any seniors, family members or other residents who are interested in honoring outstanding members of the senior community. Free information on services provided by state and local organizations will be available as well as light refreshments. For more information or to RSVP, please call Connor’s district office at 815-372-0085.

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – State Rep. John Connor, D-Lockport, is working to expand vocational jobs training opportunities in Illinois with his support of a law creating the Training in Building Trades Program, which awards grants to community organizations that offer jobs training classes.

“College isn’t the right choice for every child” Connor said. “Vocational training helps kids not cut out for college and leads to practical, sustainable careers that this law will reinforce.  Illinois families deserve reliable jobs that pay them enough to be comfortable, not bare-boned work that leaves them trapped in a cycle of bills.”

Continuing his efforts to boost economic opportunity and practical, good-paying jobs, Connor passed House Bill 2304, which creates the Training in Building Trades Program in the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO). The goal of this program is to provide opportunities for people between 18 and 35 to learn trade skills, especially in construction, electrical trades or plumbing. Connor’s bill is also required to give grants to at least three organizations in five geographic areas in Illinois: Central, Northeastern, Southern, Western and Metro-East. The bill received robust bipartisan support and is now law.

“Companies in Illinois are finding that there aren’t enough skilled workers with the necessary vocational training to fill jobs already available in the state.  This law is just one of many I have passed so we can grow a thriving economy for our communities, and I plan on many more,” Connor said. “We are going to build up a state with decent salaries, accessible jobs training and affordable college, and where the middle class doesn’t shoulder a skyrocketing property tax burden. It’s time for a stronger Illinois, and the future is looking brighter every day as a result.”

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – State Rep. John Connor, D-Lockport, is fighting to expand higher education prospects by breaking down economic barriers to academic achievement with a new law launching the Illinois Higher Education Saving Program.

“Our children should have the opportunity to explore higher education without taking on a lifetime of debt,” Connor said. “College tuition is very expensive, and with no easy way for parents to save, college is available only to wealthy few. If we make a college education achievable for more college-ready children, it improves the Illinois economy with a more educated workforce so Illinois can compete nationally. It’s a simple proposition – more higher education is better for the whole state. We have to provide a tool for working-class families to be able to introduce their children to the countless possibilities that an education beyond high school can bring.”

Connor passed House Bill 2237 to establish the Illinois Higher Education Saving Program. This program will facilitate saving for college for all children born after December 31, 2020 by opening an omnibus account to hold all contributions to higher education savings, all interest earned on those contributions and $50 in seed money for each participating child. All children born to parents who are residents of Illinois are eligible for the program. The bill was signed into law at the end of August.

“Making sure that kids with the drive and desire to attend college can do so is the first and biggest step towards building a stronger Illinois,” Connor said. “Higher education opens the door to good-paying jobs and economic security, and study after study shows us more education makes people happier, healthier, and more law-abiding. No kid should grow up deprived of this option, and helping families save toward this goal helps the whole state.”

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – State Rep. John Connor, D-Lockport, is combatting con artists in the guise of trusted legal counsel with his new law imposing greater penalties on criminals pretending to be notaries.

“Criminals are ripping off huge fees from confused working families by pretending to be able to do things as public notaries that they can’t do, and it’s time for them to face justice for their wrongdoing,” Connor said. “Building a stronger, safer Illinois is my priority as a legislator. This law fights back against con artists who try to exploit our communities for personal gain.”

Building on his record of protecting the vulnerable from predators, Connor backed House Bill 2176, which requires notaries who are not licensed attorneys to clearly inform clients that they cannot accept fees for legal work, both verbally and on openly-displayed notices. Notaries who do not follow these procedures can be fined up to $1,500 and lose their licenses. The bill received strong bipartisan support and is now law.

“Confused families are giving money to these predators that could be used for their children’s future.  The type of criminals willing to do this to innocent people just to line their wallets will only respond to tough consequences,” Connor said. “They don’t care about who they hurt, they care about money; so we have to send a strong message: trying to con people out of their hard-earned money is going to cost you.”

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – Big insurance companies will have to cover diagnostic mammograms under a new law supported by state Rep. John Connor, D-Lockport, which combats big insurance companies’ efforts to deny patients coverage for critical procedures.

“We want health insurance to make us healthier, not abandon us when we face our our most frightening battle, the battle for our survival against conditions like cancer.  Big insurance companies are endangering countless women who may not be able to afford critical procedures,” Connor said. “Diagnostic mammograms save lives and drastically improve womens’ odds in the fight against breast cancer.  Mammograms more than pay for themselves in the cost savings accomplished by early detection.  But big insurance doesn’t want to pay for them.  It is beyond reprehensible that they are willing to endanger so many lives just for the sake of a better bottom line.”

Connor voted to pass Senate Bill 162, which requires insurance companies to cover diagnostic mammograms, which are typically done to follow up and collect more information after a preventative screening indicated signs of breast cancer. Currently, regularly-scheduled preventative mammograms must be covered, but physician-requested diagnostic mammograms are not, and patients are forced to share the cost of the procedure. Connor’s legislation received strong bipartisan support and was recently signed into law.

In 2016, the CDC reported 17.3 million mammograms. In about 12% of cases, women were called back for another, more thorough diagnostic mammogram—which is currently not covered by many health insurance providers. Estimates indicate that doctors regularly requesting a second mammogram has lowered cancer mortality by about 40%.

“I’ve pledged to build a stronger Illinois, and that means ensuring that what someone earns doesn’t determine whether they get the treatment they need,” Connor said. “Big insurance companies want to be penny wise and pound foolish as they ransom women’s health care needs. I want to say loud and clear that they’re wrong.”

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – State Rep. John Connor, D-Lockport, is promoting better attitudes towards mental health with his backing of a new law requiring mental health education programs focus on students’ understanding of behaviors that promote mental well being.

“People struggling with mental health issues deserve to have a supportive community that is well-educated about what they’re going through,” Connor said. “This legislation will address shortcomings in our mental health instruction policies and help ensure that we approach these problems from an informed perspective.  As the old saying goes, never judge someone before you’ve walked a mile in their shoes.  This helps people walk in the shoes of someone struggling with mental illness, and discover that it’s not something that you can just ‘snap out of’or ‘power through’ all alone, without treatment assistance.  There is a lot of misinformation and superstition surrounding mental illness, even in our modern society.”

Building on his long history of working for a better mental health support system in Illinois, Connor supported Senate Bill 459, which requires instruction in Illinois mental health courses to include information on the relationship between mental and physical health. The goal of this change is to foster greater understanding of how mental health problems occur and can be managed. This legislation received strong bipartisan support and is now law.

“I am committed to building a stronger Illinois; an Illinois where no one is limited by the trying diseases they face, whether mental or physical,” Connor said. “This law will ensure that people with mental health problems have an understanding community to support them in trying times.”

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – A new law backed by state Rep. John Connor, D-Lockport, will help students at public colleges stay safe and healthy by providing access critical mental health resources.

“It is extremely important that we address the mental health needs some of our kids are facing while they attend college,” Connor said. “Kids attending college are going without the support of their families for extended periods, often for the first time in their lives. They are in a new environment, usually feeling tremendous pressure to perform academically, and this can lead to serious mental health issues brought on by stress. We need to be there to help when they need it.”

Connor helped pass the Mental Health Early Action on Campus Act, which requires Illinois public colleges and universities to form panels of mental health experts to deal with issues that are common on campuses, such as depression and anxiety. The bill also calls on the Illinois Board of Higher Education create a technical assistance center to support schools’ mental health policy plan development. The bill received bipartisan support and was recently signed into law.

“College should be a great experience for every kid. It’s a time when they have the freedom to learn and grow and prepare to become an adult. That won’t happen if they’re left feeling alone to face health problems that are sure to pose a challenge for many,” Connor said. “This law will ensure our schools take significant steps to provide the help a lot of kids need.”