Announcement erasing medical debt for 170,000 residents thanks to Simmons' law

CHICAGO — State Senator Mike Simmons celebrated that the latest round of relief in the Illinois Medical Debt Relief Program has erased more than $220 million in medical debt for approximately 170,000 additional individuals statewide.

"As one of the first states in the country to tackle medical debt, Illinois has taken a monumental step toward improving health equity by assisting with burdensome debt weighing on residents across our state," said Simmons (D-Chicago). "When someone has medical debt, they are less likely to seek out medical care that could improve or save their life – a decision no one should have to make. I am proud to have championed this legislation forward into action and I am thrilled Illinois is providing relief to residents while improving the health of our communities in the long run."

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Morrison calls for collaborative approach to public health

SPRINGFIELD — With more than 60% of infectious diseases in humans originating from animals, State Senator Julie Morrison is working to address public health challenges in Illinois through improved collaboration between health care professionals, veterinarians and environmental experts.

“The well-being of people, animals and our environment are all interconnected,” said Morrison (D-Lake Forest). “Through improved communication and collaboration among agencies, we can more effectively prevent and address health risks across the state.”

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Car seats, cribs for new moms would be covered by insurance under Belt measure

SPRINGFIELD — State Senator Christopher Belt introduced a new measure to alleviate some costs for new mothers in Illinois by requiring all health insurance plans to cover car seats and cribs.

“New moms are shelling out a couple hundred bucks to purchase cribs and car seats, which is essentially a hidden tax on becoming a parent,” said Belt (D-Swansea). “Every mother in our state should be afforded the luxury of keeping their child safe in their home and on the road.”

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Sound of the State: The 100-year anniversary of the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters

In this episode, State Senator Elgie R. Sims, Jr. (D-Chicago) sits down with the president of the National A. Philip Randolph Pullman Porter Museum, Dr. David Peterson Jr., to discuss the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters – a pivotal moment in the labor and civil rights movements.

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SPRINGFIELD — Joined by realtors and advocates at a press conference Thursday, State Senator Cristina Castro outlined legislation she’s sponsoring to incentivize saving for a first home.

“I keep hearing from young people who are starting their professional careers, and a lot of them don’t feel like homeownership is attainable,” said Castro (D-Elgin). “This bill will help them prepare for that, and it will help make owning a home attainable.”

Years of low housing inventory have created an inflationary effect on the housing market in Illinois, driving home prices up by nearly 40% in the last five years. Ballooning prices mean that new homebuyers have to put down more of their savings for down payments, further driving up the burden of buying a home. To address this imbalance, Castro is leading a proposal to help consumers save responsibly and create a pathway to homeownership.

CHICAGO – State Senator Mike Simmons celebrated Governor JB Pritzker’s announcement that the latest round of relief in the Illinois Medical Debt Relief Program has erased more than $220 million in medical debt for approximately 170,000 additional individuals statewide.

"As one of the first states in the country to tackle medical debt, Illinois has taken a monumental step toward improving health equity by assisting with burdensome debt weighing on residents across our state," said Simmons (D-Chicago). "When someone has medical debt, they are less likely to seek out medical care that could improve or save their life – a decision no one should have to make. I am proud to have championed this legislation forward into action and I am thrilled Illinois is providing relief to residents while improving the health of our communities in the long run."

The average amount of debt erased per person during this round is nearly $1,300, bringing the program’s total erased debt to more than $345 million dollars for nearly 270,000 Illinois residents.

SPRINGFIELD — To address unnecessary and burdensome Illinois School Code mandates, State Senator Mary Edly-Allen worked with multiple statewide education stakeholders to create Senate Bill 1740, which passed the Senate Education Committee on Tuesday.

“As an educator, I know personally how overly burdensome and duplicative educational mandates can harm schools that are already struggling due time constraints and limited funding,” said Edly-Allen (D-Libertyville). “This bill aims to increase administrative efficiency and create more flexibility for local school districts.”

Senate Bill 1740 initiates the reduction of unnecessary school code mandates agreed upon by statewide educational stakeholders. The bill would create the School Code Mandate Reduction Council, comprised of eight members of the General Assembly and one member from each of the 12 statewide educational organizations, to identify and recommend the removal of mandates that align with the state's goal of providing high-quality education tailored to each student.

SPRINGFIELD – In response to predatory towing practices that take advantage of Illinois motorists, State Senator Celina Villanueva introduced a measure to strengthen enforcement against bad actors and ensure safer roads for drivers during a press conference Wednesday. 

“Legitimate, law-abiding towers also suffer from these bad practices,” said Villanueva (D-Chicago). “This legislation is about protecting drivers, cracking down on predatory towers, and ensuring that Illinois has the enforcement tools necessary to hold violators accountable.”

Currently, the Illinois Commerce Commission issues fines to violators, but many of the worst offenders ignore penalties and continue operating under new business names. Senate Bill 2040 would strengthen enforcement by allowing the ICC to impound unregistered tow trucks, authorizing the Secretary of State to suspend license plates for unpaid fines, and requiring tow operators to register business and storage locations to prevent vehicles from being held at unlisted lots. The bill also would ban fraudulent towers from obtaining new licenses for three years and prohibit operators from placing liens on essential personal property left in a towed vehicle.

SPRINGFIELD — With more than 60% of infectious diseases in humans originating from animals, State Senator Julie Morrison is working to address public health challenges in Illinois through improved collaboration between health care professionals, veterinarians and environmental experts.

“The well-being of people, animals and our environment are all interconnected,” said Morrison (D-Lake Forest). “Through improved communication and collaboration among agencies, we can more effectively prevent and address health risks across the state.”

Senate Bill 291 would establish a One Health Framework Task Force within the Illinois Department of Public Health charged with developing a strategic plan to promote collaboration among physicians, veterinarians and other scientific professionals. The task force would work closely with state agencies to advance health initiatives that benefit both humans and animals, and submit a report of recommendations to the governor and General Assembly by Jan. 1, 2027.

SPRINGFIELD – State Senator Bill Cunningham held a press conference Tuesday to introduce legislation aimed to address a projected energy deficit for Illinois.

“With energy prices skyrocketing across the country and leaders in Washington opening the floodgates for fossil fuels, our bill makes it clear that Illinois will remain at the forefront of lowering energy costs while investing in clean energy,” said Cunningham, a Democrat who represents portions of Chicago and the Southwest Suburbs. “This legislation proves to the nation that we don’t have to choose between taking care of our communities, our economy, or our planet.”

Senate Bill 2497 would address Illinois’ energy crisis caused by rapid inflation and steep tariffs on many goods used to build and maintain energy infrastructure. The bill would also address and rectify significant delays in connecting clean energy projects to regional energy grids.

Senate Democrats begin FY 26 budget negotiations

SPRINGFIELD – Members of the Illinois Senate Democratic Caucus heard the governor’s state budget proposal Wednesday and will immediately begin bipartisan, bicameral conversations to bring forth a balanced budget.

“We have our work cut out for us, not just balancing Illinois’ budget, but also doing what we can to protect democracy,” said Senate President Don Harmon (D-Oak Park). “I applaud the governor for his leadership and look forward to working with him on our shared goals of assembling a balanced, responsible budget and building a better Illinois.”

The governor outlined that his Fiscal Year 2026 budget proposal is built on six years of historic fiscal progress that included balanced budgets, nine credit rating upgrades, eliminating the bill backlog and more. It includes funding for education, public safety, economic development and more.

The proposed budget would continue the commitment of a $350 million increase toward the evidence-based funding model for K-12 education – bringing the EBF total to $8.9 billion since its inception.

Under the plan, $15 million would go to the Illinois Senate Democrat-backed Medical Debt Relief Pilot Program Fund – a program to erase medical debt for 300,000 Illinois residents.

HOME Illinois – a program that began in 2023 – would also see a nearly $283 million investment to target the prevention of homelessness, provide crisis response, expand housing support and increase job opportunities for homeless individuals.

A number of other sectors – from enhancing violence prevention to assisting veterans – are part of the proposed budget.

“The governor’s proposed budget for Fiscal Year 2026 is a good first step toward investing and preparing for our future, but our work is far from done,” said Majority Appropriations Leader Elgie R. Sims, Jr. (D-Chicago). “I look forward to joining my colleagues in the General Assembly in having a robust discussion about this year’s budget and passing a budget that is balanced, extremely bright, and addresses the very real needs of the people of this great state.”

Members of the Illinois Senate Democratic Caucus will now spend the following months negotiating the final budget.

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