* Tribune…

The Illinois legislature has passed a bill that would cap patient costs for prescription inhalers at $25 a month. […]

The bill passed the House 87-21 on Wednesday, and now moves to the governor for his signature. When asked whether the governor plans to sign the bill, a spokesperson for Gov. J.B. Pritzer’s office said in an email Thursday that he “will give it a careful review” once it reaches his desk.

No insurance industry group opposed the bill, but some Republican lawmakers spoke against it during floor debate, before it passed. […]

The bill would not apply to all insurance plans, only those regulated by the state. Many large employers have plans that are regulated by the federal government.

* WAND…

The Illinois House unanimously passed a plan Thursday to curb the amount of young people purchasing fruit flavored malt drinks containing 4-6% alcohol.

This bill requires retailers to separate soda and juice from liquor that looks like soda. The proposal prohibits retailers from displaying alcopop drinks next to soft drinks, bottled water or snacks catered to young customers.

“If it’s an area that is designated where individuals who are not 21 shouldn’t be, then you don’t have to worry about those items being co-branded or alcohol-infused products being adjacent to those others because it’s in the area that’s supposed to be for 21 anyway,” said Rep. Curtis Tarver (D-Chicago). […]

Senate Bill 2625 passed unanimously out of the House and now moves to Gov. JB Pritzker’s desk for his signature of approval. The legislation previously gained unanimous support in the Senate.

* WCIA…

A proposal to reform the requirements of owning mobile home parks has passed both chambers of the Illinois statehouse.

Under the bill, the Illinois Department of Public Health would be required to conduct annual inspections on all the mobile home parks in the state.

The bill would also require increased licensing fees for mobile homes park owners and IDPH to come up with an annual report on the state of mobile home ownership. […]

The bill passed the Illinois House 93-12 and the Illinois Senate 47-12.

* Sen. Celina Villanueva…

State Senator Celina Villanueva advanced a measure to allow driver’s license holders more notice for court appearances prior to suspension.

“By eliminating license suspensions for a failure to appear in court, we are able to more effectively use law enforcement resources,” said Villanueva (D-Chicago). “A lot of the time, these initial court notices are not reaching people at their correct addresses. It is simply unfair to revoke driving privileges when people are not even getting proper notice.”

Under House Bill 277, if a person fails to appear in court, the court may text, call or email the person’s last known contact information with notice regarding the continued court dates. The notice will include a statement that a future failure to appear could result in a warrant or consequences affecting their driving privileges. The current penalty for failure to appear in court is immediate license suspension by the Secretary of State.

“It is imperative we offer drivers the courtesy of an electronic continued court date notice before we issue warrants or license suspension,” said Villanueva. “Individuals who lose their licenses are likely to continue to drive out of necessity, leading to further legal penalties and creating a cycle of legal non-compliance.”

House Bill 277 passed the Senate on Thursday and heads to the governor for further consideration.

* Capitol News Illinois…

Authorities in Illinois would not be allowed to aid another state’s investigation of people coming to Illinois to seek abortions or other reproductive health care under a bill that cleared the General Assembly Thursday.

House Bill 5239, which needs only a signature from Gov. JB Pritzker to become law, also gives individuals the right to sue for civil damages if their information is improperly disclosed.

Further, it gives minors the right to apply for public aid to obtain family planning services without the consent of their parents. And it gives the state exclusive authority to define and regulate “lawful health care activity,” prohibiting local units of government from exercising similar authority.

The bill is one of several responses Illinois lawmakers have passed in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in 2022 that overturned Roe v. Wade. It came in response to legislative efforts in other states to ban or severely limit access to abortion services.

* Rep. Dagmara Avelar…

Working to help people engage with government and access critical services in their preferred language, state Rep. Dagmara “Dee” Avelar, D-Bolingbrook, passed legislation through the House expanding language offerings in state offices.

“Illinois faces a critical opportunity which can change lives for residents statewide — providing accessible resources for a significant community of people who don’t use English as their first language, or not at all,” Avelar said. “It’s more important than ever that we consider and adapt to the state’s colorful range of cultures and languages — we can do so by reshaping our state agencies to provide accessible and equitable assistance to all, especially the non-English speaking, immigrant communities that have been residing in and contributing to our state’s longevity for decades.”

The Avelar-led Senate Bill 3762 seeks to ensure each state agency has the resources or staffers to assist Illinoisans with limited English proficiency. By ensuring agencies have a communication plan to cater to preferred languages noted by Illinois respondents in the U.S. Census, Avelar’s bill will help people access state services, activities and resources, plus resolve issues in the language they are most comfortable with.

Senate Bill 3762 passed out of the House Thursday and awaits the governor’s action.

* Sen. Omar Aquino…

State Senator Omar Aquino led a measure through the Senate that calls on Illinois’ labor oversight boards to work together to streamline the resolution process at worksites involved in unfair labor complaint proceedings. […]

The Illinois Labor Relations Act lays out the rights public sector employees are entitled to in Illinois, including the right to form, join or assist a labor organization without fear of penalty, discrimination or retaliation. When a public employer or labor organization interferes with the exercise of rights provided under the ILRA, the employee, union or employer can file unfair labor practice charges with the labor board overseeing their sector. In recent years, labor unions representing public sector workers have seen wait times as long as 400 days on their unfair labor practice claims.

To ensure there is publicly available data on how long it takes to resolve cases and begin taking steps to speed up this process, Aquino worked with the AFL-CIO on legislation calling on the Illinois Labor Relations Board and the Illinois Educational Labor Relations Board to expedite their consideration and resolution of unfair labor practices and report the timeline of these steps annually to the governor and General Assembly. […]

House Bill 5324 passed the Senate Thursday and is one step closer to becoming law.

* Sen. Celina Villanueva…

State Senator Celina Villanueva championed a measure through the Senate to ensure reproductive health care records are not being improperly disclosed.

“As the war on reproductive rights continues throughout the nation, we must ensure that those who are seeking reproductive health care are protected in every way possible,” said Villanueva (D-Chicago). “As a safe haven state, we have a responsibility to protect individuals’ rights to care and ensure their health care records remain private.”

Last year Villanueva led House Bill 4664 – a law to shield out-of-state patients and in-state providers from legal action originating from other states regarding abortions performed here. To expand upon that measure and provide further protections, Villanueva led House Bill 5239 this year.

The measure would ensure that location information and health records for reproductive health care performed in Illinois would not be subject to the Freedom of Information Act. Further, it would ensure that units of local governments could not assist in imposing a civil or criminal liability against a person or provider who received reproductive or gender affirming care in Illinois. […]

House Bill 5239 passed Senate Thursday and heads to the governor for further consideration.

* Sen. Mary Edly-Allen…

State Senator Mary Edly-Allen passed an initiative to align nutrition and restraint protections for pregnant and postpartum incarcerated individuals in state prisons. […]

House Bill 5431 seeks to align rights statewide to address the lack of humane treatment of pregnant and postpartum people. Additionally, this legislation requires annual reporting on pregnancies, births, miscarriages, and the use of restraints in facilities as well as requiring supplemental nutrition for pregnant and breastfeeding prisoners. […]

House Bill 5431 passed the Senate on Tuesday and now heads to the governor for further consideration.