The second week of veto session brought with it a flurry of activity in the General Assembly. This update will highlight the key issues and votes we took on the House Floor this week:
Healthcare Right of Conscience
After a relatively calm beginning to the week, the action picked up Wednesday evening when the House took up SB1169, a bill with specific language to amend the Health Care Right of Conscience Act (HCRCA) to prevent the people of Illinois from using the HCRCA to object to mandated COVID-19 vaccinations and testing. My fellow Republican colleagues, and even some Democrat colleagues, voted against this measure. I have long felt that only individuals, and their physicians, know what’s best for their health. This bill flies in the face of that morally held belief.
For my full statement on the vote, click here.
Parental Notification
Wednesday evening also saw a vote on HB370, a bill to repeal parental notification of abortion for minors in Illinois. I am disgusted that members of the majority party would push such a measure. Parents must have the right to know their child’s healthcare. This bill explicitly removes parents from knowing that their daughter is going through a traumatic, life-altering procedure, one that comes with severe risks.
My colleague, Representative Avery Bourne, best spoke to this issue on the house floor. You can find her speech here.
Congressional Maps
Finally, and possibly the least surprising news of the week, Democrat lawmakers in both chambers voted on and passed new congressional maps for Illinois. Like the legislative maps from earlier this year, these maps were drawn purely for political reasons. The people of Illinois, including experts and advocates, overwhelmingly call for fair, competitive maps. I continue to support calls for a new, independent commission for map-making in Illinois. The gerrymandering process of politicians picking their constituents instead of constituents picking their politicians must end.
You can view the new map here.
What’s Next?
With adjournment just after midnight Friday morning, both the House and Senate are scheduled to reconvene on January 4th, 2022. Next year’s session is scheduled to adjourn on April 8th instead of the traditional May 31st date. This likely means a fast, jam-packed, session. I look forward to that time, but until then, I will first continue to serve as your State Representative. So please reach out to my office with any concerns, questions, bill ideas, or anything else you might want to discuss. My door is open.
To keep up to date on my current legislation, click here.
If you would like to contact my office with questions and concerns, please reach out by visiting my website, Facebook, or by calling 618-282-7284.
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