The General Assembly’s Spring Legislative session is in full swing. The deadline to introduce bills passed early last month, and now begins the long process of moving bills through committees. I am carrying over 20 bills in the House this session, and you can read about several of these initiatives in the newsletter below.
On February 21st, Governor Pritzker gave his annual State of the State and Budget. The Governor highlighted many of Illinois’ milestones over the last year and outlined his budget plans for Illinois, proposing significant investments in early childhood education as well as maternal healthcare. You can read about a few of the Governor’s proposals in this newsletter. The
General Assembly will begin hearings on the Governor’s proposed budget. As Vice-Chair of the House Human Services Appropriations Committee and Medicaid Working Group, I will be part of the Human Services and Medicaid budget-making process. A final budget will be considered by the General Assembly towards the end of May and in time for the July 1st start of our new fiscal year.
On February 14th, my office partnered with Representative Suzanne Ness’ office and Advocate Sherman Hospital to provide community Valentines Cards to Healthcare Workers at our third annual Hearts for Healthcare Heroes. This event is our way of showing the community’s appreciation for our nurses and doctors.
We also have several events coming up in March, including a Mobile DMV for Seniors with the Illinois Secretary of State’s office on March 20th. You can find more details in the Events section of this newsletter.
If you ever have any questions, concerns or requests for assistance please do not hesitate to contact my office at staterepmoeller@gmail.com or 847-841-7130. It is an honor to represent you in Springfield and my staff and I look forward to serving you.
Warmest Regards,
Anna
Governor’s Budget Address
Critical Services to Families and Individuals
The Governor’s outlined budget proposes $75 million in new funding for early childhood education to add 5,000 new preschool slots in underserved areas as well as a $13 millioninvestment to create the Department of Early Childhood. In the last year, Illinois created 5,823 new preschool spots for a total of 82,000 preschool classroom seats.
In Addition, the Governor’s Proposed Budget Includes:
$50 million in new funding for the innovative Home Illinois initiative to uplift the unhoused plus investments in transitional housing, rental assistance and more.
$100 million to annualize raises for direct service providers for individuals with developmental disabilities
$36.5 million increase for the Child Care Assistance Program, to serve an additional 135,000 children.
$19 million in new funding for mental health services, including inpatient and outpatient care and the 988 hotline
Nearly $35 million to continue implementing recommendations of the Children’s Behavior Health Transformation initiative.
Fiscal Responsibility and Tax Relief
Over the past several years we have eliminated short-term and mid-term debt, turning a $17 billion backlog into a surplus. Our budgets have put more than $2 billion dollars into our rainy day fund and we’ve made above and beyond our required pension payments to reduce future liabilities and save taxpayers an estimated $2 billion. Because of these steps, the State of Illinois has earned nine credit rating upgrades and returned the state to A-level credit with every rating agency.
The Governor’s proposed budget continues this fiscal prudence. Illinois’ upcoming fiscal year is projected to finish with accounts payable and short-term debts less than $450 million, down from a peak of nearly $16.7 billion in 2017. The Governor’s proposed budget would fully fund Illinois’ certified pension contribution from the General Funds and increase the statutory funded ratio goal to 100% funded.
The Governor has also proposed eliminating the 1% sales tax on groceries in Illinois.
Rep. Moeller’s Bills and Initiatives – Spring 2024
The following is a summary of several bills introduced by Rep. Moeller this legislative session. Additional bills will be highlighted in the coming months. For a full list of bills chief-sponsored by Rep. Moeller, click here.
The Healthcare and Consumer Access and Protection Act
Rep. Moeller is the Illinois House sponsor for House Bill 5395, known as the Healthcare Consumer Access and Protection Act (HCAPA). This legislation is a top initiative from Gov. JB Pritzker and expected to be debated in March.
This legislation takes a multi-tiered approach to prioritizing patient care over insurance company cost savings:
UTILIZATION MANAGEMENT
Insurance companies cut their costs by denying and delaying access to patients’ necessary medical treatment. The legislation:
Requires insurers to use generally accepted care standards when deciding whether treatments recommended by a doctor will be covered
Bans prior authorization for mental health treatment of in-patient care in hospital settings. Prior authorization requires consumers to get insurance permission before receiving treatment their doctor has prescribed
Prevents delays in proper treatment from step therapy, where patients must first try less-effective – and less costly – treatments before they can get the treatment their doctor recommends
Requires insurers to publicly disclose treatments requiring prior authorization
Stops insurers from using “junk” plans that don’t cover basic ACA-required treatments, such as maternal health and pre-existing conditions
GHOST NETWORKS
Bad-actor insurance companies get around current regulations by using ghost networks, directories of doctors that don’t exist, aren’t in patients’ networks or won’t accept new patients. The legislation:
Requires insurers to internal audits every 90 days to ensure their directories reflect the health care available to patients in those networks
Directs health care providers to inform insurers timely when they’re no longer accepting patients
CHECKS ON PREMIUM INCREASES
In 2023, Illinois banned small group insurance plans from raising insurance premium rates on consumers without having to justify the increases. For large group plans, this legislation:
Requires the Illinois Department of Insurance to approve any rate hikes on consumers
Prevents premiums from being out of line with the actual cost of providing the insurance coverage
Ensuring Public Safety Through a CO2 Pipeline Moratorium
House Bill 4835 seeks to establish a temporary statewide moratorium on the construction of carbon dioxide pipelines until federal regulators adopt safety standards for the transportation of carbon dioxide, and Illinois has commissioned and finalized a study on the safety steps and risks in the event of a pipeline rupture or leak.
Preventing Employment Discrimination over Reproductive Health Decisions
House Bill 4867 amends the Illinois Human Rights Act to make it illegal to discriminate against an employee based on their reproductive health decisions, including family planning, pregnancy testing, contraception, and fertility or sterilization care as well as prenatal, intranatal, and postnatal care.
Protecting Wetlands and Small Streams
Earlier this year, with its decision in Sackett v the USEPA, the U.S. Supreme Court stripped federal oversight from millions of acres of wetlands long protected under the Clean Water Act. Now, the responsibility to provide safeguards to ensure those waters are not polluted, drained or filled in by developers falls to the states. Rep. Moeller has introduced HB5386 that would ensure that the state has the ability to protect wetlands and small streams in Illinois.
Providing Transparency on PFAS Chemicals in Consumer Products
HB4627 amends the PFAS Reduction Act to require the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency to participate in an interstate clearinghouse to promote safer chemicals in products. It would also require manufacturers to register their products containing PFAS to a publicly accessible data collection interface.
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