MARYVILLE – The Illinois Housing Development Authority (IHDA) has announced the recipients of Strong Communities Program (SCP) grants, and State Senator Rachelle Crowe (D-Glen Carbon) is celebrating the City of Alton’s $161,000 award.

“By providing local governments with assistance to restore abandoned lots and damaged properties, the Strong Communities Program supports leaders in strategically revitalizing their communities,” Crowe said. “The program makes smart investments in communities while our state responds to the fiscal challenges of the pandemic.”

Created in August 2020, SCP provides grants of up to $250,000 to local government agencies to return vacant residential properties to productive and taxable use. To support neighboring residencies from harmful effects of blighted properties, grants can also be used to reimburse municipalities for acquisition, rehabilitation, landscaping maintenance and demolition if necessary.

The City of Alton is one of 68 local governments and land bank authorities to receive funding through SCP.

SPRINGFIELD – Members of the bipartisan, bicameral Restore Illinois Collaborative Commission met Tuesday to discuss the commission’s accomplishments and future goals during its final meeting of 2020.

“The RICC was created to help shape the state’s economic recovery plans after the COVID-19 crisis,” said State Senator Laura Murphy (D-Des Plaines), the Senate co-chair of the commission. “We’ve made progress in adapting our recovery strategy to the needs of people, businesses and communities across the state, but there’s much more work to be done."

SPRINGFIELD – A new law that will prevent pharmaceutical and insurance companies from continuing to excessively profit from Illinoisans suffering from diabetes takes effect Jan. 1, 2021.

Senate Bill 667, pushed by State Senator Scott Bennett (D-Champaign), made Illinois the second state in the nation to cap out-of-pocket insulin costs at $100 per month for all patients using a state regulated insurance plan, regardless of the supply they require. 

“This new law stands up to corporate greed and ensures diabetics are no longer paying exploitative prices for a medication they cannot live without,” Bennett said. “I am eager to work with my colleagues in the upcoming legislative session to continue the fight to reform prescription drug pricing and reduce patients’ out-of-pocket costs.” 

The cap applies to commercial insurance plans regulated by the state and increases annually based on data from the Department of Insurance, the Department of Human Services and the Department of Healthcare and Family Services. The data will include findings on insulin pricing practices and recommendations to control and prevent overpricing of prescription insulin drugs.

Bennett worked alongside the lead sponsor of the legislation, State Senator Andy Manar (D-Bunker Hill), as well as advocacy groups to build a grassroots advocacy campaign to drive this historic legislation through the General Assembly.

SPRINGFIELD – State Senators Christopher Belt (D-Centreville) and Rachelle Crowe (D-Glen Carbon) announced a new law will require pharmaceutical and insurance companies to cap insulin prices for Illinois residents with diabetes starting Jan. 1, 2021.

“For years, pharmaceutical companies took advantage of the millions of Illinois residents who depend on insulin to live,” Belt (D-Centreville) said. “Because of the passage of Senate Bill 667, Illinois residents who need insulin will no longer be subjected to price gouging and other predatory practices.”

Senate Bill 667 will cap patients’ out-of-pocket costs for prescription insulin at $100 for a 30-day supply and requires the Departments of Insurance, Human Services, and Healthcare and Family Services to jointly issue an “insulin pricing report” to the public that details findings on insulin pricing practices and recommendations to control and prevent overpricing of prescription insulin drugs.

According to the American Diabetes Association, over 30 million Americans have diabetes, and approximately 7.4 million Americans depend on insulin. Around 1.3 million Illinois residents live with diabetes and rely on insulin to manage their blood sugar levels. Data has shown that insulin prices tripled between 2002 and 2013, which has led many patients to ration their insulin and sacrifice other daily needs to pay for insulin.

“Over the years, greedy drug companies have lined their pockets at the expense of people with diabetes, who rely on insulin for survival," Crowe said. “By capping the cost of insulin, Illinois is standing firmly with working families to put lives over profits.”

Illinois is the second state in the nation to cap out-of-pocket insulin costs at $100 per month for all patients using a state-regulated insurance plan.

GLENVIEW – To help Illinoisans with diabetes afford life-saving medications, State Senator Laura Fine (D-Glenview) chief co-sponsored a new law that will cap the out-of-pocket cost of insulin at $100 for a 30-day supply starting Jan. 1, 2021 for patients on a state regulated insurance plan.

“For too long, people with diabetes have had to decide between purchasing food or life-saving medication,” said Senator Fine. “Especially when so many families are facing economic hardship, good health shouldn’t be a luxury—it’s a right.”

On Jan. 1, Illinois will become the second state in the nation to cap out-of-pocket insulin costs at $100 per month for all patients using a state regulated insurance plan, regardless of the supply they require.SB667

Over 34 million Americans have diabetes, including 1.3 million Illinoisans, who rely on insulin to manage their blood sugar levels. Between 2009 and 2017, the price of insulin nearly tripled, leaving many patients struggling to pay for the drug and at risk of death without it.

The new law also requires the Departments of Insurance, Human Services, and Healthcare and Family Services to jointly issue an "insulin pricing report" to the public that details findings on insulin pricing practices and recommendations to control and prevent overpricing of prescription insulin drugs.

Senate Bill 667 passed the General Assembly with overwhelming bipartisan support in November 2019 and was signed into law in January 2020.

GRAYSLAKE – Illinoisans with diabetes will receive relief from skyrocketing insulin prices at the turn of the year thanks to a measure co-sponsored by State Senator Melinda Bush (D-Grayslake).

“No person should be forced to skip a meal or default on their mortgage just to be able to afford a medication they need to live,” Bush said. “The cap on rising insulin costs will protect people with diabetes and their families.”

Senate Bill 667 — which takes effect Jan. 1 — caps patients’ out-of-pocket costs for prescription insulin at $100 for a 30-day supply.

More than 30 million Americans have diabetes, and 7.4 million Americans require prescription insulin every day to survive, according to the American Diabetes Association. However, the price of insulin has risen sharply in recent years, driving many patients to give up other daily needs to pay for insulin or to ration their supply.

“People will no longer have to take shortcuts or seek out other ways to get their hands on insulin,” Bush said. “The days of prescription drug companies prioritizing profit over people must come to an end — and that starts with this new law.”

The measure makes Illinois the second state to cap prescription insulin co-payments.

SPRINGFIELD – To bolster affordable housing opportunities Downstate, $200,000 in revitalization grant funding has been made available to the City of Springfield through the Illinois Housing Development Authority Board.

State Senator Andy Manar (D-Bunker Hill) championed the program during negotiations for the Rebuild Illinois construction plan.

“Quality, affordable housing is a fundamental human need. We negotiated the landmark, bipartisan Rebuild Illinois capital plan because we recognized it’s a need that government has the ability to play a critical role in providing,” said Manar, who chairs the Senate Appropriations II Committee. “Repurposing vacant buildings not only makes it easier for struggling families to put a roof over their head, but it also gives Downstate municipalities that have seen their budgets devastated by COVID-19 the opportunity to add value to their communities.”

The grants where made available after the Illinois Housing Development Authority Board approved $10 million in funding for the initiative. Awarded under the new Strong Communities Program (SCP), the initiative will provide municipalities across the state with funding for the attainment, maintenance, restoration and demolition of abandoned residential properties.

The program, which began in August, awards grants of up to $250,000 to local governments to return vacant residential properties to productive use. A total of $30 million in grant funding will eventually be awarded through multiple funding rounds.

SCP Funding will reimburse municipalities for acquisition, rehabilitation, maintenance and other costs related to returning abandoned properties to a useable state. Program funds may also be used for demolition in cases where properties are beyond repair and negatively impacting neighboring residences.

OAKBROOK TERRACE – On Jan. 1, 2021, Illinois will become the second state to cap out-of-pocket costs for prescription insulin, and State Senator Suzy Glowiak Hilton (D-Western Springs) is reaffirming her support for working families over pharmaceutical profits.

“Pharmaceutical corporations have profited off the lives of residents with diabetes for too long,” Glowiak Hilton said. “By capping the cost of life-saving insulin at $100 for a 30-day supply, Illinois is standing firmly on the side of hardworking families. Families should not be forced to choose between food or prescriptions.”

Nearly 30 million children and adults in the U.S. are diagnosed with diabetes, according to the American Diabetes Association. Individuals with the lifelong condition of Type 1 diabetes will on average spend $5,705 per year on prescription insulin alone.

The new law also requires the Departments of Insurance, Human Services, and Healthcare and Family Services to issue a joint "insulin pricing report" to the public that details findings on insulin pricing practices and recommendations to control and prevent overpricing of prescription insulin drugs.

The measure, Senate Bill 667, was signed into law in January 2020 and chief sponsored by State Senator Andy Manar (D-Bunker Hill).