📜🏛️End of Session Wrap-Up, Part 2: Major Legislation
Dear Neighbor,
Last week, I shared some details with you (too many details maybe?) about the recently enacted state budget. As I recap the end of the legislative session, I wanted to talk about some other really important bills we passed and sent to the Governor’s desk this year.
Many of these bills were focused on healthcare. We passed a major reform to “pharmacy benefit managers,” the shady middlemen of the pharmaceutical industry who sit between drug companies and insurance companies. We’ll require them to be transparent about how much money they’re skimming off the top, and to pay a fee per patient they insure to help support rural and independent pharmacies (HB 1697). We also required coverage for NICU stays (HB 2464) and Alzheimer’s medications (SB 126), eliminated prior authorization for mental health treatments (HB 3109) and made sure colleges and universities offer abortion medications to their students who need them (HB 3709).
We also passed a number of significant bills to improve public safety. We required safe storage of firearms in households with children or at-risk adults around (SB 8). We strengthened our provisions around revoking a person’s firearms card if they’re deemed to be a “clear and present danger” (HB 850). In response to the horrific killing of Sonya Massey by a police officer with a long history of violence in other cities, we created provisions that allow police departments to share records with each other to know who they’re hiring (SB 1953). And we created a brand-new statewide Office of the State Public Defender to ensure that everyone has a fair shake in the courts, regardless of how much money they have (HB 3363).
Several bills addressed new AI regulations. We made sure that AI chatbots can’t pretend to be therapists (HB 1806) or college professors (HB 1859). We required the State Board of Education to promulgate new statewide guidance on the ethical use of AI in schools (SB 1920). And we expanded our definitions of cyberbullying to include the use of AI-generated replica images and sexually explicit AI-generated content (HB 3851).
There were many other bills on many other subjects too. We ensured that immigrant students will have a right to a safe public education (HB 3247). We improved access to care for survivors of sexual assault, centering survivors’ needs and ensuring hospitals serve them with dignity (SB 1602). We required paid break time for breast pumping for new moms at work (SB 212). And we allowed all workers to take time off to serve as organ donors (HB 1616).
These are just some of the hundreds of bills we passed this year. In our next newsletter, I’ll focus on the initiatives that I led up.
More soon,
Will
Legislative Town Hall
Join your state elected officials for a community update on what they’ve been working on in Springfield these past few months. Come with your questions, share your thoughts, and enjoy some tacos while you're at it!
Date: Wednesday, July 9
Time: Free Tacos & Refreshments 5:30 - 6:00 pm | Town Hall 6:00 - 7:30 pm
Location: Prosser Career Academy, 2148 N. Long Ave
Center for Changing Lives Mercadito
Center for Changing Lives is hosting their first ever pop up market, featuring businesses that have recently graduated from their Economic Empowerment Center cohort programs on Saturday, June 14 from 10AM to 2PM at Solidarity Triangle, the NW Corner of Milwaukee/Diversey/Kimball Intersection. Shop local, support small businesses, and celebrate emerging entrepreneurs as they showcase their products and passion!
Free Health Screenings
On Wednesday, June 18, the Advocate Mobile Health Van will be providing free health screenings, like blood pressure, glucose, and cholesterol screenings, from 10am to 2pm at St. Nicolai Church, 3000 N Kedzie. There will also be a grocery giveaway market from 12:30pm to 1:30pm. Health services and groceries will be on a first come, first service basis.
Homeowner Help
On Wednesday, June 18 at 5:30pm, Northwest Center will be at Mindy Blanco Allstate Agency, 4357 W. Diversey Ave, to share information about services available to homeowners.
Homeowners can get help with:
Replacement for Roof & more: Learn how to apply for home repair programs that cover roof and porch damage.
Toxic Lead Exposure: Discover free tools and assistance provided by the city for lead inspections.
Tax Delinquency: Know how to save your house from the county and make sure your taxes are paid off.