2025 Legislative Scorecard

2025 State Legislative Scorecard Bills

Healthcare Access and Affordability

Enhanced Pharmacy Benefit Manager (PBM) Regulation - HB 1697 (Manley/Koehler)

HB 1697 lowers prescription drug costs and improves access by curbing exploitative PBM practices like spread pricing, steering, and rebate withholding. The bill mandates that PBMs pass 100% of rebates to health plans or consumers, ensures fair reimbursement for critical access pharmacies, and increases transparency through independent audits. By banning steering and spread pricing, this bill protects consumers from inflated costs and supports community pharmacies, particularly in underserved areas.

NICU Parental Leave - HB 2978 (Faver Dias/Cunningham)

HB 2978 provides essential unpaid, job-protected time off for parents with babies in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). Employees at smaller employers (16-50 staff) get 10 business days, while larger employers (51+) offer 20 days—separate from FMLA. This bill ensures parents have the time and security to support their critically ill newborns without risking their jobs.

Mifepristone Access - HB 3637 (Avelar/Villa)

HB 3637 protects access to mifepristone in Illinois, making sure people can get the safe, effective reproductive healthcare they need without unnecessary barriers. This bill fights back against attempts to restrict medication abortion and defends people’s right to make decisions about their own bodies.

Reproductive Care on Campuses- HB 3709 (Moeller/Villanueva)

HB 3709 expands access to birth control and medication abortion on college campuses, so students can get affordable, timely care where they live and learn. Access to these services means students have the freedom and support to make decisions about their futures and stay healthy.

HIV Prior Authorization Ban - HB 2584 (Cassidy/Fine) House Vote Only

HB 2584 would ban health insurers and Medicaid from utilizing prior authorizations on HIV treatment & prevention medications. By ensuring that all patients can access the right HIV medications based on their individual needs, open access policies keep individuals healthy, reduce inequities, and move Illinois closer to ending the HIV epidemic.

Consumer Protections

Ban Junk Tenant Fees - HB 3564 (Syed/Simmons) House Vote Only

Renters in Illinois face an uphill battle against unjust fees that drive up the cost of housing and create barriers to finding a safe and affordable place to live, disproportionately impacting low-income families. This bill aims to address this by eliminating junk fees like those for routine maintenance, lock-outs, walk-throughs, and online portals, limiting landlords to either a move-in fee or a security deposit (not both), and requiring transparent disclosure of all fees on lease agreements.

Holding Corporations Accountable - SB 328 (Hoffman/Harmon)

SB 328 ensures that out-of-state corporations conducting business in Illinois and using hazardous substances that harm workers, consumers, or children can be held accountable in Illinois courts. This bill levels the playing field for Illinois-based companies and provides justice for victims of prolonged exposure to toxic substances by addressing a gap in jurisdiction that previously allowed foreign corporations to evade liability.

Workers’ Rights

Collective Bargaining Rights Expansion - SB 453 (Johnson/Guzmán)

SB 453 protects collective bargaining rights in the public sector by expanding access for all bargaining units to interest arbitration provisions for the establishment of first contracts following the original certification of a bargaining unit. It is not uncommon for employers to engage in tactics to delay settling first contracts to undermine the union’s credibility with its members and deprive workers of the benefits of a union contract.

Protecting Public Services - HB 1586 (González, Jr./Castro)

HB 1586 codifies existing federal merit requirements into Illinois state law, ensuring that even if the federal government weakens or eliminates its requirements, the federal grant programs will continue to be administered by qualified and capable state employees. This legislation would ensure individuals who are eligible for federal programs, like Medicaid, SNAP or unemployment insurance, won’t have to submit applications or appeal claims to companies that are financially incentivized to deny them coverage or deprive them of benefits they are entitled to.

Workers’ Rights and Safety - SB1976 (Evans/Peters)

SB1976 preserves long-established workplace protections under the Occupational Health and Safety Act, the Fair Labor Standards Act, and the Coal Mine Health and Safety Act by prohibiting state agencies from amending or revising workplace rules to be less stringent than those established under federal wage and hour law or federal coal mine safety law as of April 28, 2025. State agencies retain the authority to establish more stringent requirements than federal standards to enhance workers' rights and safety.

Contract Enforcement - SB 1799 (Olickal/Villivalam)

SB 1799 strengthens protections for non-instructional school workers by closing loopholes that allow school districts to outsource services to non-union third-party contractors. The bill limits the ability to renew outsourcing contracts, ensuring they respect collective bargaining agreements, maintain transparency, and require public input.

LGBTQ+ Rights

Equality for Every Family Act - HB 2568 (Katz Muhl/Harmon)

The Equality for Every Family Act makes it easier for all families in Illinois to be legally recognized, including LGBTQ+ families and those using assisted reproduction or surrogacy. It clearly defines how someone can be recognized as a parent, streamlines court processes to avoid conflicts, and ensures all children have the legal protections they need, no matter how they joined the family.

Transgender Day of Visibility - HR 221 (Cassidy) House Vote Only

This resolution celebrates Transgender Day of Visibility on March 31, 2025, honoring the resilience and contributions of trans and non-binary siblings and neighbors. It commits to protecting, supporting, and affirming their rights and dignity every day of the year — because everyone deserves to live safely and authentically.

Environment

PFAS Ban - HB 2516 (Rashid/Morrison)

PFAS, known as “forever chemicals,” are toxic substances that don’t break down and are found in everyday items like food packaging, cookware, and clothing. This bill bans the intentional addition of PFAS in many consumer products to protect our health and environment.

Disposable Food Container Act- SB 1531 (Gong-Gershowitz/Fine) Senate Vote Only

Polystyrene is a single-use foam plastic that significantly contributes to waste and pollution. The foam foodware, which breaks up into small pieces but never fully breaks down, pollutes land, water, and air. This compromise bill will ban all foam foodware from distribution beginning in 2030.

Economic Justice

Revenue Omnibus - HB 2755 (Tarver/Villanueva)

This revenue omnibus funds vital public services and includes a proposal to close offshore tax loopholes by applying Illinois’ corporate income tax to 100% of Global Intangible Low-Taxed Income (GILTI). Big corporations shouldn’t get to hide profits overseas while working families carry the tax burden. This measure ensures that large corporations pay their fair share.

Clean Slate Act - SB 1784 (Gordon-Booth/Sims, Jr.)

Over 2.2 million people with arrest and conviction records in Illinois are eligible for sealing or expungement. However, due to inaccessible fines, long backlogs, and burdensome petition processes, only 10% of eligible Illinoisans have started the process. This leaves 90% of eligible Illinoisans in a "Second Chance Gap" where they face permanent barriers to housing, employment, education, and more. The Clean Slate Act will create an automated process to seal or expunge hundreds of thousands of already eligible records.

Traffic Fee Waivers - SB 108 (Cassidy/Cervantes)

This bill will make the traffic fee waiver program in Cook County permanent, waiving traffic fees for residents who qualify, particularly those experiencing financial hardship. This will provide ongoing relief for individuals unable to afford traffic violation fees and address the financial burdens caused by unpaid fees, which can damage credit scores, limit housing access, and create instability for households in poverty.

Gun Safety

Safe Gun Storage - SB 8 (Hirschauer/Ellman)

The Safe Gun Storage Act requires firearm owners to securely store guns whenever minors, at-risk individuals, or prohibited persons could access them. Violations carry civil penalties from $500 to $10,000, based on the consequences of unauthorized access. Fines collected will fund mental health services, helping prevent gun-related harm in our communities.

Public Education

Safe Schools for All - HB 3247 (Jimenéz/Villa) This bill will protect students and families from discrimination based on immigration status. It prohibits schools from excluding or discouraging participation in programs, including requesting social security numbers, and restricts the disclosure or threat of disclosure of immigration-related information. Schools will also be required to develop procedures to address ICE or law enforcement actions on school grounds, keeping kids safe at school.

Continuing Education Rights - HB 2537 (La Ha/Johnson)

Many students and families don’t know they have the right to continue receiving IEP services through high school until age 22. This bill ensures that during transition planning, the IEP team, including the student and family, carefully consider the benefits and challenges of graduating at 18 versus staying in school to continue receiving vital support like life skills and career planning through age 22. It helps students make informed and empowered decisions for their futures.