SPRINGFIELD – An initiative championed by State Senator Karina Villa that fortifies safe drinking water standards passed the Senate on Wednesday.

“Every water source we rely on should meet safe drinking water standards to secure the health of our communities,” said Villa (D-West Chicago). “Safe water is invaluable. Our water sources must be reliable.”

Senate Bill 2266 would allow the Illinois Department of Public Health to impose civil penalties against non-community water supplies that violate drinking water standards and clarifies that the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency is the primary agency responsible for implementing the Safe Drinking Water Act, consistent with federal law.

SPRINGFIELD – A measure addressing increased congenital syphilis cases in Illinois championed by State Senator Karina Villa advanced Wednesday.

“As we continue to see a trend in rising congenital syphilis cases across the country, it is critical that our laws reflect best practice to ensure the health and safety of an expecting parent and their child,” said Villa (D-West Chicago). “The earlier it is caught, the better it can be treated.”

Senate Bill 119 would require the second syphilis test conducted on pregnant individuals to be done between 27 and 32 weeks of pregnancy to ensure treatment can begin at least 30 days before delivery. The measure would also expand authorization to administer the test to health care professionals who are qualified in addition to physicians.

SPRINGFIELD – An initiative addressing discriminatory school disciplinary practices championed by State Senator Karina Villa passed the Senate on Wednesday.

“A student being ticketed for behavior at school can result in them being thrown into the system, hindering their future opportunities,” said Villa (D-West Chicago). “School discipline that mirrors law enforcement practices is ineffective at addressing the root causes of student behavior.”

Senate Bill 1519 would ensure that no person is allowed to issue a fine or fee to a student as a disciplinary consequence for behavior during school. The bill would also require school districts with a school resource officer to have a memorandum of understanding with their local law enforcement agency, establishing that SROs are properly trained and do not use fines or tickets for disciplinary infractions.

SPRINGFIELD – A measure led by State Senator Karina Villa that would increase access to alternative options for opioid prescription medication passed the Senate on Thursday.

“With the potential risk of developing a serious addiction from prescription opioids, our health care system should provide alternative options for pain management if that is what a patient is looking for,” said Villa (D-West Chicago). “The thousands of individuals across our state who depend on pain management treatment should have access to alternatives that do not put them at risk of developing a substance use disorder.”

SPRINGFIELD – To combat housing insecurity and uphold human rights, State Senator Karina Villa advanced a measure that would place restrictions on municipal and county crime-free and nuisance property ordinances (CFNOs).

“Ensuring that our communities are safe is a top priority, but misguided crime-free housing and nuisance property ordinances can do more harm than good in our communities,” said Villa (D-West Chicago). “Individuals should not fear eviction as a result of contacting police. This is counterintuitive and puts the lives of vulnerable and working-class families at risk.”

CFNOs often require landlords to deny housing, evict, fine or penalize tenants for general connection to criminal activity. The breadth of these ordinances leads to unfair penalties and evictions, which disproportionately affect vulnerable groups who are more likely to contact law enforcement agencies.

SPRINGFIELD – State Senator Karina Villa advanced a measure that would address unequitable school disciplinary practices.

“The practice of ticketing in schools does not address the root causes of students’ behavior and instead creates financial hardships for working families, affecting Black and Latino families the most,” said Villa (D-West Chicago). “This creates serious learning disparities between students of color and their white counterparts.”

In 2015, the Illinois General Assembly passed a law ending the ability of schools to issue monetary fines to students for disciplinary infractions at school. However, students in schools across the state continue to be fined due to the practice of students being referred to law enforcement for school-related behavior. 

SPRINGFIELD – State Senator Karina Villa advanced a measure that would increase access to non-opioid prescription medication to address the often-fatal addictiveness of prescription opioids.

“Prescription opioid medications are highly addictive, leading to countless deaths during the opioid epidemic, which our communities are still facing today,” said Villa (D-West Chicago). “By expanding access to non-opioid alternatives, individuals will still be able to receive the care they need while reducing their risk of developing a serious addiction.”

SPRINGFIELD – State Senator Karina Villa stood alongside State Representative Lindsey LaPointe and fellow legislators and advocates to call for equity in mental health and substance use treatment.

“Many individuals across Illinois are being forced to wait extended periods of time to receive care, have to go out-of-network and rack up extreme debt, or not receive any care at all,” said Villa (D-West Chicago). “People who are already paying costly insurance premiums should be able to access the care outlined in their benefits, but can’t because of the lack of in-network providers.”

Senate Bill 55, with corresponding House Bill 1085, would require insurers to cover medically necessary out-of-network mental health and substance use benefits as if they were in-network. The measures would also set minimum reimbursement rates for care providers for proper compensation of their services and incentivize providers to join insurance networks.