SPRINGFIELD – A measure led by State Senator Mattie Hunter (D-Chicago) to protect access to low cost prescription drugs passed the Senate Wednesday.

“Prescription drugs are a health need for a lot of people, and therefore, they should be more affordable and easier to access,” Hunter said. “We must ensure that people don’t go broke trying to keep themselves healthy.”

House Bill 4595 protects access to low cost "340B" prescription drugs for uninsured and low-income patients by prohibiting pharmacy benefit managers and third party payers from using certain contractual provisions in contracts they enter into with safety-net healthcare providers.

The federal 340B Drug Pricing Program allows entities to stretch scarce federal resources as far as possible, reaching more eligible patients and providing more comprehensive services.

“People living with different diseases and disorders need access to medication, and we have to make it easy for them to get it,” Hunter said. “The Drug Pricing Program was created to lower medication costs, and this measure stays true to that.”

Similar laws have been passed in 16 other states.

House Bill 4595 passed the Senate Wednesday and goes to the House for concurrence.

SPRINGFIELD – When Bloomington resident Curt Richardson got his DNA test results back from Ancestry.com, his life – and those of his parents – changed forever when they learned they had been victims of fertility fraud.

Richardson’s story is similar to hundreds of others across the state and nation who have lived most of their lives thinking the very people who raised them were their biological parents. State Senator Dave Koehler (D-Peoria) is working to bring awareness to fertility fraud and provide justice to the families who fall victim to the heinous act.

SPRINGFIELD – State Senator Sara Feigenholtz (D-Chicago) spearheaded a measure through the Senate Wednesday that would add MRSA to the list of qualifying diseases that Chicago firefighters can receive a disability benefit for if they were to get the infection on duty.

“Firefighters are exposed to toxic substances on a daily basis when responding to emergencies,” Feigenholtz said. “This measure aligns Chicago firefighters with the rest of the state’s firefighters.”

SPRINGFIELD – State Senator Ann Gillespie (D-Arlington Heights) passed legislation in the Illinois Senate to end surprise medical bills on Tuesday.

“After an already expensive medical procedure, the last thing a patient needs is to be strapped with additional costs,” Gillespie said. “Our plan will protect consumers from receiving surprise bills long after receiving treatment.”

SPRINGFIELD – To improve accessibility and offer additional protections to workers, the Illinois Senate approved an initiative by State Senator Suzy Glowiak Hilton (D-Western Springs) to modernize the Occupational Safety and Health Act.

“Illinois’ OSHA protects all state and local government workers,” said Glowiak Hilton, chair of the Senate Commerce Committee. “To ensure employees have adequate working conditions, it’s critical for employers to have inspection details and citations as quickly as possible.”

SPRINGFIELD – After the Illinois State Board of Education reported an increase in cases of college students substitute teaching on a temporary license, State Senator Meg Loughran Cappel (D-Shorewood) advanced a plan through the Senate that would expand the pool of substitute teachers.

“Substitute teachers are in high demand and short supply, and that has left school districts scrambling to find different ways to ensure students are being educated and supervised throughout the day,” Loughran Cappel said.

Under Loughran Cappel’s measure, currently-enrolled Illinois students in the field of education who have at least90 credit hours would be able to obtain a substitute teaching license. By giving them creditable hours for this on-the-job training, more students will be able to substitute teach, and schools will have additional resources for finding temporary, short-term teachers.

SPRINGFIELD – State Senator Patrick Joyce (D-Essex) passed a measure in the Illinois Senate on Wednesday that incentivizes the use of biodiesel.

“Incentivizing use of higher biodiesel blends helps the Illinois economy by increasing soybean demand while supporting a cleaner-burning fuel for the environment,” Joyce said. “Putting Illinois on a path towards more biodiesel usage is good for the environment, Illinois farmers and our economy.”

Under current law, diesel blends of over 10% biodiesel (B11) are exempt from all sales taxes until Dec. 31, 2023. Joyce passed Senate Bill 1146, which would exempt proceeds of sales of biodiesel and renewable diesel from sales tax.

SPRINGFIELD – To reduce the cost of course materials and make them more accessible to Illinois students, Senate Higher Education Committee Chair Scott Bennett (D-Champaign) advanced legislation through the Senate to save students money.

“Cost and convenience play an important role for students when purchasing their course materials,” Bennett said. “With this legislation, higher education institutions will put course materials in students’ hands the right way and at the right price.”

Under the measure, students would receive digital access to their online course materials at a significantly reduced cost. These materials can be viewed on a computer, laptop or smartphone on the first day of class.