SPRINGFIELD, Ill.— State Rep. Joyce Mason, D-Gurnee, is supporting a resolution condemning Trump administration Secretary of Health and Human Services and fringe agitator, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and calling for his ouster; as well as pushing back against the reckless and irresponsible spreading of junk science around Tylenol and pregnancy he has recently pushed.

“As a mother myself, I know firsthand the changes our bodies go through during pregnancy,” Mason said. “Spreading myths about the connection between Tylenol and autism is extremely irresponsible because they leave mothers who believe them without a way to treat pain that often arises during pregnancy because they are frightened by disinformation.” 

Recently, Kennedy sparked renewed outrage and derision by claiming, without facts or evidence, that acetaminophen, also known as Tylenol, causes autism when taken by mothers during pregnancy. Critics immediately pointed out that these claims are cruelly dehumanizing toward those living with autism—as well as promoting falsehoods about legitimate treatments in a way that endangers maternal and fetal health by increasing the risk of miscarriage, preterm birth, and complications due to untreated fever.

Kennedy has long been known as a prominent source of baseless and discredited health and medical disinformation—pushing such junk science conspiracy theories as “vaccines cause autism,” wireless tech causing cancer, raw milk, “chemtrails,” AIDS not being caused by HIV, and accusing the FDA of suppressing advancements in health. 

He rose to prominence by playing on disinformation around the COVID-19 pandemic, suggesting that Dr. Anthony Fauci was engaged in a conspiracy to promote “dangerous” vaccines, that COVID-19 “targets Caucasians and Black people”—a trope associated with baseless theories that Chinese people and ethnic Jews are immune, suggesting that they are in some way responsible.

Mason joins many of her colleagues in saying that Kennedy’s documented history of promoting objective falsehoods and suppressing real medical science make him unqualified to influence a modern healthcare system. 

“We have let Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and the Trump administration get away with their reckless propaganda for far too long and the results of that have been disastrous,” Mason said. “I am calling for Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s immediate resignation because people deserve peace of mind and the chance to make educated decisions about their health, especially when they are carrying a child.”

GURNEE, Ill. – In response to multiple outbreaks and issues in Veterans’ homes over the years, state Rep. Joyce Mason, D-Gurnee, sponsored legislation to protect veterans and address problems with veterans’ homes in Illinois and veterans’ services. 

“Over the past few years, we have lost too many heroes in our Veterans’ Homes due to situations that could have been prevented,” said Mason. “We need to hold all areas of government accountable, especially when it comes to the health and safety of our veterans.”

In Fall 2020, a COVID-19 outbreak at the LaSalle Veterans’ Home resulted in the deaths of 36 residents. Years earlier, an outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease at the Quincy Veterans’ Home also resulted in the needless deaths of multiple residents. During the Fall Veto Session, Mason co-sponsored legislation to create the Veterans’ Accountability Unit to investigate complaints and possible misconduct of the Department of Veterans’ Affairs (IDVA). The Veterans’ Accountability Unit will be separate from the IDVA to ensure it can effectively hold them accountable. The new unit will also investigate potential issues with veterans’ services provided by other state agencies outside of the IDVA. The unit will include a toll-free helpline and an email dedicated to receiving complaints, information, and recommendations. The daughter of a veteran, Mason has been working to help veterans, including passing legislation earlier this year to expand access to property tax exemptions for veterans.

“As the daughter of a veteran, I believe heroes like my father deserve the best treatment. Our veterans fought to ensure our freedoms, so we now need to fight for them to make sure they are receiving the proper care they deserve,” said Mason. “As we celebrate Veterans Day and we honor the sacrifices they made in their personal lives, we need to go beyond only words of gratitude and address the issues they are facing.”

GURNEE, Ill. – Continuing her fight against climate change by growing renewable energy in Illinois, State Rep. Joyce Mason, D-Gurnee, co-sponsored legislation recently signed into law to help people in a homeowners association install solar panels on their house.

“Solar panels are a great way for homeowners to do their part in the switch to renewable energy as we continue to fight climate change,” said Mason. “As more and more people are considering placing solar panels on their homes, it is important that systems are in place to protect the interests of everyone involved.”

Mason co-sponsored House Bill 644 recently signed into law by Governor Pritzker. The Mason backed bill helps determine how groups such as home owners associations can work with home owners as they add solar panels to their house. The new law allows associations to create a policy regarding the location of solar panels as long as it does not interfere with their effectiveness. The Mason backed legislation passed both houses of the Illinois General Assembly with bipartisan support along with the support of the Illinois Environmental Council.

“Homeowners should not be prevented from installing solar panels on their property or be forced place them in a less optimal spot,” said Mason. “This law helps protect the rights of homeowners to have effective solar energy for their home.”

GURNEE, Ill. – State Rep. Joyce Mason, D-Gurnee, is partnering with the Citizen’s Utility Board (CUB) to host a virtual Utility Bill Clinic on Wednesday, July 21 from 6 to 8 p.m.

“This is a free opportunity for Lake County residents to check to make sure they are not overpaying on their utility bills,” said Mason. “Even though the General Assembly is not in session, I am continuing my mission to help area residents by hosting free events that can give them some immediate financial relief.”  

Beginning at 6 p.m. on July 21, Mason is hosting a virtual Utility Bill Clinic with experts from CUB to review gas, electric, water and phone bills to explain possible hidden charges or offer suggestion on ways consumers can lower their bills. Residents can register for a 30-minute one-on-one appointment by going online at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/one-on-one-utility-bill-consultation-with-representative-joyce-mason-tickets-158786638109 or by contacting Mason’s constituent office at 847-485-9986. Participants will be sent call login information upon registering and will be asked to provide current utility bills to show the CUB expert.

“I encourage residents to register for an online appointment so they can speak one-on-one with CUB from the comfort of their home about ways they can save on their energy and other utility bills,” said Mason. “In addition to cost saving tips, people can learn about different ways they can be more sustainable with their home energy consumption.”

GURNEE, Ill. – Continuing her work to protect consumers and hold insurance companies accountable, state Rep. Joyce Mason, D-Gurnee, recently passed legislation to prohibit life insurance companies from unjustly denying or charging different rates based on past treatment for substance abuse.

“We need to hold insurance companies accountable and put an end to discriminatory practices that penalize people for treatment they received years prior to applying,” said Mason. “People should not be forced to pay more for reduced benefits simply because of their past. Everyone should feel free to seek treatment without fear of retribution from their life insurance provider.”

Currently, insurance companies can deny coverage or charge higher rates for less coverage because someone received treatment for substance abuse over a decade before applying. Mason is standing up against these discriminatory practices and holding insurance companies accountable with her recently passed legislation. Mason’s legislation, (House Bill 33) would stop life insurance companies from charging higher rates or limiting coverage solely based on whether they have received treatment for substance abuse more than five years prior to applying. House Bill 33 passed both houses of the Illinois General Assembly and has been sent to the Governor to be signed into law.

“People with the courage and determination to recover from substance abuse should not be penalized by insurance companies for their past,” said Mason. “By letting people put their past behind them, we can help encourage more people to seek the help they need, and continue working toward ending the opioid crisis in Illinois.”

GURNEE, Ill. – Serving in public office would be more accessible to working and middle-class parents under legislation supported by state Rep. Joyce Mason, D-Gurnee. Senate Bill 825 passed out of both chambers earlier this month and now goes to the governor’s desk for final approval.

“For many working parents, the idea of running for office or becoming an elected official just isn’t on the table,” Mason said. “The time commitment involved in serving in public office and campaigning can make it difficult to hold down another job at the same time. Since campaign funds can’t currently be used to pay for child care, this can make it difficult, if not impossible, for many parents to run for office.”

Under current law, neither candidates nor elected officials are allowed to use political dollars to pay for child care. If signed into law, Senate Bill 825 will allow campaign funds to be used to cover the cost of child care if that care is necessary for a candidate or elected official to perform job-related duties. Mason introduced her own initiative, House Bill 3939, earlier this year to allow campaign dollars to be used to pay for child care. Mason also filed a similar bill in the previous General Assembly.

“Financial barriers should never stand in the way of a person being able to become more involved in our democratic process,” Mason said. “This legislation is a big step in the right direction toward making sure everyone, no matter their background or socioeconomic status, is able to run for and serve in public office.”

GURNEE, Ill. – Legislation backed by state Rep. Joyce Mason, D-Gurnee, to conduct surveys about sexual misconduct on college campuses passed out of the General Assembly last month. If signed into law, the measure will give the public a better understanding of the climate around sexual assaults at colleges and universities.

“Due to the nature of these crimes and the stigma around them, a large portion of sexual assaults are never officially reported to the police,” Mason said. “This lack of data is understandable and is no fault of any survivor, but it can make it more difficult to know where we should be targeting our prevention efforts.”

Mason helped pass Senate Bill 1610, which requires all higher education institutions in Illinois to conduct annual surveys of their student bodies about the on-campus climate around sexual assaults. The measure requires aggregate survey results to be posted publicly online. All individual responses would remain anonymous.

Senate Bill 1610 also creates the Task Force on Campus Sexual Misconduct Climate Surveys, which would be comprised of college students, representatives of sexual assault survivors, and representatives of organizations that advocate for domestic violence survivors, members of the LGBTQ community, and immigrant rights. The task force would also include individuals from higher education boards, representatives of the state’s executive branch and members of the legislature. The task force would be charged with creating a base collection of survey questions to be used for the campus-wide surveys. Senate Bill 1610 also allows colleges and universities to add additional questions to their surveys.

“With this legislation, we would finally have a clearer, more comprehensive picture of sexual misconduct on college campuses,” Mason said. “This new data would allow us to take more targeted action toward preventing these crimes and would help keep college students better protected at school.”

GURNEE, Ill. – State Rep. Joyce Mason, D-Gurnee, is asking residents to join her for the next meeting of her Women’s Advisory Council on Zoom at 6 p.m. on Monday.

“When I’m not in Springfield, I try to spend as much time as possible working hand in hand with local residents to come up with new ideas for legislation,” Mason said. “My district is diverse and has an equally diverse number of problems facing it. To ensure I’m meeting the needs of our community as a whole, I host advisory councils focused on specific issues to make sure I’m staying up to date on the work that needs to be done in every area of my district.”

Mason’s Women’s Advisory Council is one of several advisory councils she hosts on a recurring basis. Other councils Mason leads include her Environmental Advisory Council and Senior Advisory Council. Mason is set to launch two new councils later this summer, one centered around veterans’ issues and another focused on problems facing her constituents who live near the state’s northern border.

Residents can participate in Mason’s Women’s Advisory Council by video or phone. To join by video, please click https://zoom.us/j/97176447930. To join by phone, please dial 312-626-6799 and enter meeting ID 971-7644-7930.

“From the disproportionate number of women becoming unemployed during the pandemic to the persistent gender pay gap, we still have a lot of work to do to achieve true equality for women,” Mason said. “I encourage residents interested in issues affecting women to join us on Monday for a productive discussion about ways to improve the quality of life for women throughout our community.”

GURNEE, Ill. – Young people would spend time in the classroom learning how to analyze and assess various forms of news media under legislation supported by state Rep. Joyce Mason, D-Gurnee.

“Social media and the digitization of the news industry has made it easier for everyday residents to stay up-to-date on the latest headlines, but at the same time, it has also made it easier for illegitimate organizations to quickly spread misinformation,” Mason said. “Unfortunately, we’ve seen the ways these disingenuous articles can cause serious, real-world harm by promoting dangerous conspiracies about issues like the legitimacy of our elections and the safety of our vaccines. We need to take action to prevent these sort of lies from continuing to spread unchecked.”

Mason is sponsoring House Bill 234, legislation that would require all public schools to include a course on media literacy as part of their high school curriculums. In the class, students would learn how to evaluate the trustworthiness of media organizations, analyze the objectives of news stories, produce media messages and engage in thoughtful dialogue on issues covered in the news. House Bill 234 is currently awaiting a vote on the House floor.

“It’s time we start equipping our young people with the tools they need to be able to responsibly evaluate the validity of the news they’re consuming,” Mason said. “We’re all better off when we as a society can consistently and confidently distinguish fact from fiction, and this legislation would make sure that future generations will enter into adulthood being able to do that with ease.”

GURNEE, Ill. – State Rep. Joyce Mason, D-Gurnee, is inviting residents with questions about finding a health care plan on the public exchange to join her for a virtual informational session on the Affordable Care Act (ACA) health insurance marketplace’s extended special enrollment period at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, April 8.

“The COVID-19 pandemic has caused record numbers of residents to experience job loss in the past year, which means a lot of individuals have also lost access to their employer-sponsored health care coverage,” Mason said. “The good news is that there’s currently a special enrollment period being offered through the ACA marketplace, so residents can easily sign up for a new, affordable health insurance plan that meets their needs.”

Mason’s discussion on the ACA health insurance marketplace’s extended special enrollment period is being hosted in partnership with Get Covered Illinois and the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services. During the event, residents will be able to ask health insurance experts questions about enrolling in health care through the public exchange. Residents may join the informational session at the following link https://zoom.us/j/94261120988. To find an alternate way to join the event, please contact Mason’s constituent service office at 847-485-9986 or Info@RepJoyceMason.com.

“This informational session is a great opportunity for residents to learn more about the extended special enrollment period and how it affects them,” Mason said. “I invite anyone with questions about enrolling in a health care plan on the public exchange to join us for this event.”