BLOOMINGTON, Ill. –  State Rep. Chung, D-Bloomington, supported legislation allowing qualified speech-language pathologists to diagnose autism spectrum disorder (ASD) if the child is under age three and has no co-occurring medical conditions. With more evaluators, more evaluations can be conducted and more diagnoses given.

“Screening children for autism spectrum disorder at an early age can be life changing for some families to ensure their child is getting all of the support and accommodations they need,” said Chung. “As parents, we’re willing to do whatever it takes to help our kids, and this is one way to tend to our kids’ needs as soon as possible.”

House Bill 5225 would allow a qualified speech-language pathologist to diagnose ASD, so long as the child is under age three and has no pre-existing medical conditions, such as seizures, gastrointestinal problems or sleep disorders. The licensed speech-language pathologist would need to have an active autism evaluation credential issued by the Illinois Early Intervention Program, and the diagnosis must occur as part of the program.

Following diagnosis by a qualified speech pathologist, children must be referred to appropriate medical personnel for further evaluation or management for services outside the scope of practice of a speech-language pathologist.

“An ASD diagnosis is life changing for many reasons, but as a parent it means we can start to understand our children and their needs better,” said Chung. “With this bill, we’ll not only see earlier ASD diagnoses but also care and support plans that are developed much earlier in the child’s life.”

House Bill 5225 passed the House with bipartisan support and heads to the Senate for consideration.

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

“Freedom of speech and press are First Amendment rights, and this bill affirms this is the case for all public media employees at state universities,” said Chung. “We’re maintaining the free speech protections college students already have, and simply ensuring our full-time university public media staff have freedom of press as well.”

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, Chung championed House Bill 4420, which affirms free press and speech protection including all full-time employees working in public media at state-funded institutions of higher education. 

Chung’s bill 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. 

“Full-time college journalists and media employees have rights to freedom of press like everyone else,” said Chung. “I was proud to introduce, defend, and pass this bill, and now I’m excited to see my colleagues in the Senate bring this home!”

The bill passed the House floor and now advances to the Senate for consideration.

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — State Rep. Sharon Chung, D-Bloomington, passed a bill creating the Higher Education Student Support and Academic Freedom Act, protecting the rights and freedoms of college and university students.

“I’m proud to represent students attending Illinois State University, Illinois Central College, Heartland Community College and my alma mater Illinois Wesleyan University,” said Chung. “These students are our future leaders, teachers, engineers and inventors, and I’m proud to protect their freedom in higher education.”

House Bill 4304 creates the Higher Education Student Support and Academic Freedom Act, guaranteeing students that their safety on campus will be a priority, their academic freedom and ability to speak freely will be protected, and their financial interests will be maintained. 

Additionally, as the cost of a college education becomes more and more of a challenge, universities and colleges will be required to disclose tuition, fees, and any other material financial obligations to students for true cost clarity.

This bill responds to federal attacks on higher education funding and students’ freedom of speech, ensuring that Illinois students of higher education can exercise their freedom of speech and opportunity.

“The current administration has attacked higher education and college students through financial and social penalties,” said Chung. “I take my job to represent these students seriously, whether they’re from our community or have chosen to spend their college years, and exciting times in their lives, with us. Students should be empowered to invest in themselves through education, not penalized or silenced.”

House Bill 4304 heads to the Senate for consideration.

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — State Rep. Sharon Chung, D-Bloomington, helped pass a bill encouraging and expanding access to youth civic engagement by requiring high schools to provide voter registration opportunities and information, inspired by the life and legacy of Rev. Jesse Jackson, Sr.

“This bill continues the important work that some schools have already started, encouraging civic engagement at a time when democracy is being tested,” said Chung. “Our civic duty as legislators is to ensure our young people are aware of their civic duties and have the ability to register to vote before they graduate from high school.”

House Bill 4339, establishing the Rev. Jesse Jackson Sr. Young Voter Empowerment Act, ensures that all public high schools offer students of voting age the opportunity to register to vote. Registering to vote can be complicated, especially for first-time voters. This bill will give high schoolers a safe space to learn, ask questions, and take steps towards civic engagement.

This bill honors Rev. Jackson, Sr. and his dedication to equal rights and public service, who passed away earlier this year after a storied career marching alongside Dr. Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., developing the Rainbow Coalition based in Chicago, among other significant accomplishments.

“I am a staunch supporter of the young people of our state being civically engaged and am proud to support legislation supported by civil rights giant Rev. Jesse Jackson Sr.” said Chung. “Giving the next generation the opportunity to register to vote is crucial because every voice matters, and every Illinoisan’s voice should be heard at the ballot box.”

House Bill 4339 was passed unanimously by Democrats, with 24 Republicans voting against and nine not voting, and now heads to the Senate for consideration.

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – Following a series of winning seasons for Illinois State University (ISU) Athletics teams, state Rep. Chung, D-Bloomington issued the following statement:

“I’ve been outspoken about my pride in our ISU athletics program, and as a fan I’ve enjoyed watching these teams compete. Our football and basketball teams have found such success this season through hard work, togetherness, and grit. I’m so proud of all our student athletes.

“Redbirds football ended their 12-5 season placing second in the FCS National Championship, in what was probably the best football game I’ve ever seen.

“Our Men’s basketball team went 23-13 over the season, making it to the Final Four in the National Invitational Tournament.

“The Women’s basketball team placed second in the Women’s National Invitational Tournament to close out their 20-13 season.

“I want to give a special shout out to the Big Red Marching Machine, ISU’s outstanding marching band, for being the true embodiment of Redbird pride! As a musician I am so impressed by you all– you’re the unsung hero of Redbird Athletics!

“I’m so proud of what our Redbirds have accomplished so far, and can’t wait to see our baseball, softball, and men’s and women’s track and field teams follow in their footsteps!”

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – Working to improve election transparency, state Rep. Chung, D-Bloomington, is sponsoring legislation that will prevent corporations from financially supporting candidates or ballot initiatives, expanding existing state law to mitigate financial election interference.

“Citizens United changed the landscape of elections for the worst,” said Chung. “Allowing corporations and elites to influence election outcomes and bolster candidates takes power away from the people. We need to restore the voting power to the people who should truly determine their representatives and what initiatives should be executed.”

House Bill 4435 will prohibit corporations from engaging in any and all election activities, from impacting a candidate’s nomination to influencing ballot initiatives on potential policies or programs. Additionally, super PACS and other similar organizations would no longer be able to donate to campaigns.

“Voters should determine elections, not billionaires and corporations,” said Chung. “This is just one step in removing elitism from elections and leaning into grassroot organizing and fundraising.”

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – State Rep. Sharon Chung, D-Bloomington, helped pass a formal resolution opposing a Republican bill introduced last week to the Illinois State Senate, seeking to classify reproductive healthcare services—including in vitro fertilization (IVF) treatments—as capital murder.

“In Illinois we believe in women’s fundamental rights and will continue to protect healthcare and reproductive care,” said Chung. “Unlike the male senator who introduced this bill, I have been pregnant and experienced reproductive healthcare. To assert that conception care, let alone termination care, could result in capital punishment is absurd and shameful.”

Senate Bill 3572 severely punishes women seeking reproductive healthcare, specifically abortion services, with no exceptions for rape or incest. The legislation states that all embryos and fertilized eggs are considered human beings in the eyes of the law. Thus, under this bill, abortion and IVF treatments would be labeled as murder, and the subsequent penalties for women and medical professionals would be harsher than the penalties for rapists and abusers. 

House Resolution 695 vehemently opposes Senate Bill 3572, reaffirming support for survivors of rape and incest, parents trying to start a family, and any and all women seeking legal reproductive healthcare, for any reason, in Illinois. The resolution also highlights similar legislation made legal in Alabama in 2024, where anti-choice Republicans nationwide remarked that IVF would be protected—indicating that extremist bills like Senate Bill 3572 would never be supported within their party. 

“As a mother, I will continue to protect women’s rights to dictate their reproductive health. As a legislator in this body, I will not stand for vitriol and violence towards women,” said Chung. “I will continue to advocate for reproductive healthcare across the board, unlike my colleagues who claim to stand for family values and rights.”

​SPRINGFIELD, Ill. –  State Rep. Chung, D-Bloomington, helped pass a formal resolution Wednesday demanding the Trump administration end its illegal censoring of the Epstein files and calling for an independent investigation into the file’s significant, potentially politically-aligned, redactions. 

“The president campaigned on releasing the Epstein files once elected, so my colleagues and I are simply asking the president to fulfill a campaign promise,” said Chung. “Jeffrey Epstein and his fellow abusers need to be held accountable, and their survivors deserve justice. The first step in this long process is releasing the unredacted files so all the necessary information on Epstein’s abuse of children is publically available; this isn’t a tall order and it’s already been demanded by U.S. Congress.”

House Resolution 697 demands that the Trump administration abide by the requirements included in the bipartisan Epstein Files Transparency Act and make redactions explicitly to shield the identities of survivors, as well as releasing all files related to the crimes of Jeffrey Epstein and his accomplices. 

The resolution comes after months-long concerns have been raised over how the U.S. Department of Justice has handled and responded to the act’s disclosure requirements, and whether politically-motivated redactions, or other politically-favored changes, have occurred.

House Resolution 697 passed the House floor partisanly, with zero Republican members voting in favor.

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. –  State Rep. Chung, D-Bloomington, released the following statement in response to the U.S. Supreme Court declaring tariffs President Donald Trump initiated with emergency orders are illegitimate:

“Today the U.S. Supreme Court ruled some of the president’s campaign of tariffs are invalid. We already know that these tariffs weren’t working— they’ve been punishing the American people, not foreign countries. Now, at least some of these tariffs will be ineffective, which is a step in the right direction.

“This set of tariffs were ruled illegitimate because of the president’s overreach to assert them, feigning an emergency situation that rendered the tariffs necessary, and without Congressional oversight. The president is not a king, this Supreme Court ruling shows there can be consequences for his unlawful overreach.

“Last month I proudly supported House Resolution 623. The resolution called for the president to rescind his tariffs, even though tariff is his favorite word, and to reimburse the people who really paid for these tariffs— American taxpayers. 

“Let’s take this victory in stride and continue to work to ensure checks and balances in our government.”

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – Following Governor JB Pritzker’s budget address, state Rep. Chung, D-Bloomington, released the following statement:

“The Governor’s budget address is the first step in establishing a responsible budget that will ultimately serve families and individuals across the state. My priority is crafting a financially responsible budget that continues the work to make our communities affordable.

“Federal policies and executive orders are making the cost of living unlivable, and it’s our job to work towards remediating this as much as possible with our state budget. We saw the damage that was done in the first year of the Trump Administration, with millions of funds cut for Illinois child care and food access programs, and we cannot let history repeat itself.

“There are countless high priority issues for me in our budget, from ensuring higher education is adequately funded and grants are available to students, to funding the Department of Agriculture, to working to ensure utilities and groceries are affordable and our communities are safe.”