Johnson: Insurance companies shouldn’t discriminate against those who’ve put in the work to get clean

SPRINGFIELD – To ensure someone’s past doesn’t prevent them from pursuing a brighter future, State Senator Adriane Johnson (D-Buffalo Grove) has sponsored a measure to prohibit life insurance companies from denying coverage or increasing rates because an individual has undergone treatment for substance abuse.

“Getting help for a substance abuse disorder takes a lot of grit and determination—recovery should be celebrated,” Johnson said. “If you’ve put in the hard work to get clean, your insurance company shouldn’t hold that against you.”

Johnson’s plan would prohibit a life insurance company from denying or limiting coverage or charging higher rates based solely on whether an individual has participated in a substance use treatment or recovery support program more than five years prior to application.

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Peters takes on recidivism by providing soon-to-be-released incarcerated people more resources

SPRINGFIELD – A measure sponsored by State Senator Robert Peters (D-Chicago) that would help reduce recidivism rates is one step closer to becoming law.

“Incarcerated people who are coming out of the system need to be able to live their best lives, and that requires providing proper services and support,” Peters said. “Otherwise, they may face challenges that push them to the brink and risk further destabilization, which could result in them ending up back in prison.”

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Villanueva: Schools should offer instruction on citizenship

SPRINGFIELD – So students better understand the naturalization process, State Senator Celina Villanueva (D-Chicago) passed legislation in the Senate Education Committee that would allow schools to offer courses on naturalization and citizenship.

“More than two-thirds of students that take the U.S. Citizenship test in their history courses end up failing,” Villanueva said. “Schools should offer instruction on citizenship so that students from all backgrounds know the effort it takes to go through the naturalization process.”

The legislation would allow public high schools in Illinois to include a unit of instruction on the process of naturalization in their curricula. The course would include content from the actual citizenship test administered by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. The measure allows local school boards to determine the amount of instructional time.

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Hastings seeks to prevent exploitation of veterans through new law

SPRINGFIELD – To prevent the exploitation of veterans and promote the availability of free service programs, State Senator Michael E. Hastings (D-Frankfort) passed a measure through the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee Tuesday that seeks to penalize deceptive service providers.

“The past year has demonstrated just how easy it can be for those with malicious intent to take advantage of the innocent,” Hastings said. “It is our obligation to protect our veterans from these bad actors.”

Under House Bill 3865, any advertisement for veteran and military service benefits must include that these services are available free of charge from federal, state and county veteran service offices.

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