ILLINOIS GENERAL ASSEMBLY:
The Illinois General Assembly was in session last week and both chambers returning March 4 – 6. Friday, March 21 is the deadline to pass substantive legislation out of committee in the first chamber.
While there was little substantive floor action this week, the Senate did approve numerous appointment messages and moved several bills from Second to Third Reading in preparation for final passage. The House floor also saw little substantive action.
Legislators continue to review legislation at the committee level. While most committees had scheduled hearings for this week, several cancellations took place as legislation was not ready for consideration. A mere 43 bills passed out of committee this week (29 House Bills and 14 Senate Bills).
The House Insurance Committee unanimously approved HB 1141 (Hauter), which prohibits insurance companies from denying coverage for anesthesia that exceeds a certain length of time. The measure now heads to the full House.
Unanimous approval was given to SB 291 (Morrison) by the Senate Public Health Committee. The measure creates the One Health Framework Task Force to develop a strategic plan that promotes and improves interdisciplinary communication and collaboration among physicians, veterinarians, and other scientific professionals, as well as state agencies. The sponsor noted that more than 60% of infectious diseases in humans originate from animals. The bill now heads to the full Senate.
Also off to the full Senate is SB 1605 (D. Turner) after passing unopposed from the Senate Education Committee. The bill clarifies that agricultural education, agricultural business or any other agriculture-related course can satisfy the vocational education requirement for public high school students beginning with the 2025-2026 school year. (Currently, one year of music, art, foreign language, vocational education or speech and debate is required to graduate from high school.)
Giving workers more options for retirement savings by expanding the Secure Choice Savings Program is the aim of SB 1441 (Peters). The Senate State Government Committee unanimously endorsed the bill, which will now be considered by the full Senate. Companion legislation HB 1435 (Johnson) passed 8-4 from the House Personnel and Pensions Committee; the full House will now take up the measure.
A list of upcoming House hearings is here; Senate hearings are here.
At a news conference this week, the Illinois Pharmacists Association and Illinois Council of Health System Pharmacists expressed support for the Governor’s plans to address prescription drug pricing – primarily by regulating PBMs and increasing access to community pharmacies. Legislation is expected to be filed next week.
2025 Spring Session Key Dates and Deadlines:
March 21: Deadline – Committee Deadline Both Chambers
April 11: Deadline – Third Reading Deadline Both Chambers
May 9: Deadline – Committee Deadline Bills in Opposite Chamber
May 23: Deadline – Third Reading Deadline Bills in Opposite Chamber
May 31: Adjournment
GOVERNOR’S HIGHLIGHTS:
Governor Asks White House to Address Withholding of Federal Funds: Governor JB Pritzker, with Democratic members of Illinois’ Congressional Delegation, sent a letter to OMB Director Russell Vought. The missive calls for action on $1.88 billion in withheld funds despite court orders and a rescinded memo from January 27, 2025.
Many Illinois agencies and organizations report being unable to access funds, risking operation pauses, project cancellations, or layoffs. As of mid-February, impacts include:
· Agencies, boards, and commissions having $692 million in obligated but unreleased federal funds.
· 10 state entities with $1.19 billion in anticipated/awarded but unobligated federal funds, pausing grants/programs.
· 14 state entities are affected — totaling $1.88 billion in federal funds: the departments of Agriculture, Commerce, Community Colleges, Emergency Management, Environment, Finance, Human Rights, Natural Resources, Power, Transportation, Education, Commerce, Labor, and Healthcare Services.
Medical Debt: The latest round of the Illinois Medical Debt Relief Program was announced by the Governor, who noted over $220 million in medical debt was abolished for some 170,000 additional Illinoisans. The average debt abolished per person was nearly $1,300. In total, the program’s erased debt is more than $345 million for nearly 270,000 Illinois residents. Launched in 2024, the initiative aims to relieve $1 billion in medical debt over several years. The FY26 budget proposes a $15 million appropriation from the Medical Debt Relief Pilot Program Fund to continue acquiring outstanding, unpayable medical debt for Illinois residents.
Apprenticeship Expansion Grant Program: Up to $10 million in funding for the Apprenticeship Expansion Competitive Grant Program has been announced by the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity. This program aims to support workforce initiatives that expand Registered Apprenticeship Programs (RAPs) and pre-apprenticeship programs leading to RAPs. Grantees will be selected through a competitive Notice of Funding Opportunity process.
The goal of the Illinois Apprenticeship Expansion Program is to increase RAP opportunities for job seekers while supporting employers by funding Intermediaries. These Intermediaries play a key role in developing and administering programs, as well as offering direct services to participants enrolled in RAPs or pre-apprenticeship programs.
Prioritized programs for this round of grants: non-traditional, in-demand RAPs and pre-apprenticeships leading to RAPs, such as those in healthcare, IT, finance, business, architecture, engineering, creative industries, public sector, and government.
Eligibility for the funding is broad-based, including community-based organizations, municipalities, educational institutions, industry associations, state agencies, workforce boards, and non-profits that can serve as high-impact Intermediaries and meet the program requirements. Read more here.
IDOT Disadvantaged Business Enterprise Program Workshops: Free virtual workshops will be held in March, hosted by the Illinois Department of Transportation. As part of the Building Blocks of Success series for Disadvantaged Business Enterprise firms, the outreach effort will help these companies enhance skills, expand their business, and increase bidding on state projects. Both new and existing DBEs, as well as firms interested in program certification, are invited to attend. Read more here.
Gubernatorial Appointments: Governor Pritzker appointed the following:
· Sherly Chavarria will continue to serve as a Member of the Illinois State Board of Education.
· Stephen Kouri II will continue to serve as a Member of the Illinois Human Rights Commission.
· David Olson will continue to serve as a Member of the Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority.
· Kendal Parker will continue to serve as a Member of the Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority.
· Luz Ramirez will continue to serve as a Member of the Illinois Housing Development Authority.
· Shirley Perez will continue to serve as a Member of the Quality Care Board.
Division of Behavioral Health and Recovery: David Albert, the current head of the Division of Mental Health, will lead the new Division of Behavioral Health and Recovery at the Department of Human Services. Rafael Rivera, interim head of the Division of Substance Use Prevention and Recovery, will assume the role of assistant director.
OTHER NEWS:
Health Benefits for Adults and Seniors: The Auditor General this week issued findings from the performance audit of the Health Benefits for Adults and Seniors programs operated by HFS. The audit report found that the Pritzker administration significantly underestimated the cost and popularity of two health insurance programs for non-citizen immigrants — which have cost the state $1.6 billion since launching in 2020.
Also uncovered were several issues with the programs’ enrollment and eligibility. Over 6,000 enrollees were listed as “undocumented” despite having Social Security numbers, and nearly 700 enrollees were younger than the 65+ age requirement for one of the programs. Additionally, almost 400 enrollees appeared to qualify for Medicaid, which is jointly funded by the federal government.
Particularly severe cost overruns occurred in the program for recipients under 65; actual costs came in nearly four times over expected costs (projected price tag: $126 million; actual over three years: $485 million). The audit findings come just a week after the Governor proposed eliminating funding for the under-65 program in FY 26 to help close the budget gap.
Read more about the audit findings here. The full report is here.
Unregulated Weight Loss Drugs: Attorney General Kwame Raoul is co-leading a bipartisan coalition of 38 states and territories in urging the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to take swift action against bad actors endangering consumers with counterfeit versions of the weight loss and diabetes drugs Mounjaro, Zepbound, Ozempic, and Wegovy (GLP-1 medications).
The coalition contends that online retailers are not only selling the active ingredients of GLP-1 drugs directly to consumers, illegally and without a prescription, but also are claiming the ingredients are “for research purposes only” or “not for human consumption.” In reality, the companies advertise the products directly to consumers via social media, positioning them as a more convenient and affordable way to obtain GLP-1 medications.
Raoul and the coalition cautioned that, like counterfeit versions, the active ingredients come from unregulated, undisclosed sources, posing risks of contamination and inclusion of foreign substances. Read more here.
Illinois Attorney General Defends Federal CFPB: Attorney General Raoul has joined a coalition of 23 state attorneys general in defending the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) against efforts by the Trump administration and Elon Musk to defund and dismantle the agency. The CFPB is an independent federal agency that oversees major banks, lenders, credit card companies, and mortgage servicers, ensuring they comply with consumer protection laws. In an amicus brief filed with the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland, the coalition argues that dismantling the CFPB would significantly harm consumers and impede enforcement of vital federal consumer protection statutes. Read more here.
AG Requests US Supreme Court Protect Preventative Care Under ACA: Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul, along with a coalition of 23 attorneys general, has filed an amicus brief requesting the U.S. Supreme Court to protect a provision of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) that ensures access to preventive care for Americans. The coalition is asking the Supreme Court to reverse a lower court decision that deemed the structure of the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force unconstitutional, potentially affecting access to medical care.
The coalition urges the Supreme Court to overturn the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit’s decision in Kennedy v. Braidwood Management Inc. According to the brief, the task force’s authority over insurance plans is constitutional because its members are appointed and overseen by the secretary for the Department of Health and Human Services. The coalition also notes that if enforcement of the preventive services provision is prohibited, it could create a gap in health coverage that states cannot address due to federal laws regulating certain insurance plans. Read more here.
AG and Coalition Urge Congressional Action on Organized Retail Crime: Attorney General Raoul, along with a bipartisan coalition of 38 states and territories, sent a letter to Congress urging action to address organized retail crime in the country.
The letter highlighted the fact that organized retail crime has led to financial losses exceeding $121 billion in the U.S. Furthermore, 76% of retail asset protection managers reported that their employees have encountered violence from organized retail criminals. One particularly significant aspect of organized retail crime is cargo theft; it affects supply chains and contributes to inflationary pressures on various goods, including baby formula and clothing. Read more here.
AG Urges Congress to End Energy Emergency: Raoul also has joined nine other state attorneys general in urging the U.S. Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources to fully consider and support Senate Joint Resolution 10. This resolution would terminate the national energy emergency declared by former President Trump in Executive Order 14156.
In its letter, the coalition explains that U.S. energy production is thriving, and the country has been a net energy exporter since 2019. They also clarify that extreme weather, not an underproduction of fossil fuels, poses the most urgent threat to America’s energy grid. For example, Raoul notes that burning fossil fuels increases the frequency of severe weather events that damage critical infrastructure and endanger lives.
Ultimately, Raoul and the coalition urge the Senate Committee to approve the resolution, as there is no evidence to support the continued emergency declaration. If left unchecked, the swift deregulation would make the nation’s energy and electricity supply less reliable and affordable. Read more here.
Illinois Commerce Commission: The Illinois State Senate confirmed Doug Scott as Chairman of the Illinois Commerce Commission. Scott was reappointed to a five-year term by the Governor in January 2024 after serving out the remainder of former Chairman Carrie Zalewski’s term.
ISBE Releases Data on AP Performance: Illinois’ Class of 2024 set new records in Advanced Placement (AP) participation and performance, according to new data from the College Board released by the Illinois State Board of Education. The report highlights the state’s commitment to college readiness and equity, as evidenced by the increased access to advanced coursework.
Specifically, Illinois graduates scoring a 3 or higher on an AP exam has increased by 6.7 percentage points in the last decade (21.6% in 2014 to 28.3% in 2024). This outpaces the national average of 22.6%, demonstrating Illinois’ success in supporting student achievement in AP programs. Read more here.