In the early morning hours of Wednesday, May 29th, Illinois lawmakers passed a record $53.1 billion state spending plan before adjourning until the Fall Veto Session. The state’s Fiscal Year 2025 budget (SB251) includes a number of significant investments including $14 million to launch the new Department of Early Childhood, $290 million for the HOME Illinois plan to end homelessness (a $40 million increase), and $50 million for an expanded child tax credit that will bring economic relief to marginalized communities across the state.
Earlier this year, AIDS Foundation Chicago (AFC) introduced a comprehensive policy agenda for the 2024 Spring session of the 103rd Illinois General Assembly. Rooted in addressing the racial health inequities faced by Black, Latiné, and LGBTQ+ communities impacted by HIV and homelessness, AFC’s 2024 policy agenda advances the priorities and goals of the Getting to Zero Illinois (GTZ-IL) plan to end the HIV epidemic in Illinois by 2030.
Speaking of GTZ-IL, we want to thank State Representative Camille Lilly (D-Oak Park) and the Illinois House of Representatives for passing House Resolution 741 in commemoration of the five-year anniversary of GTZ-IL and naming May 15, 2024 as Getting to Zero Illinois Day in the state.
AFC is proud to work with state lawmakers, coalitions, and workgroups to advance legislation that helps the people and communities we serve. Along with many of you, AFC is proud to have advocated for the following measures during the 2024 Spring legislative session:
HB5417: THE CONNECTION TO HIV TESTING AND LINKAGE TO CARE (HIV TLC) ACT
Testing, linkage to care, and HIV treatment are widely recognized as the three critical arms of HIV prevention, especially when prioritized among the Black, Latiné, and LGBTQ+ communities disproportionately impacted by HIV. HB5417 would enact the following reforms:
- At-Home HIV Testing Kits: Mandates insurers and Medicaid provide coverage for home test kits for sexually transmitted infections (STIs), including HIV, without cost-sharing.
- Rapid Start Pilots: Creates eight Rapid Start for HIV Treatment pilot sites that will initiate antiretroviral therapy within 7 days of initial diagnosis or within 7 days of referral to HIV medical care.
- HIV Education in County Jails: Ensures that all county jails provide HIV/AIDS education to people who are incarcerated and visitors, as well as link them to HIV testing as mandated by Illinois’ County Jail Act.
END OF SESSION STATUS: HB5417 passed the Illinois House with a bipartisan, unanimous vote of 106-0 on April 18, 2024. Although HB5417 received a subject matter hearing in the Illinois Senate, we were unable to advance this legislation to final action. We will continue our advocacy on this legislation over the summer and fall with hopes to pass HB5417 during the Illinois General Assembly’s Fall Veto Session. AFC commends our legislative champions, State Representative Kelly Cassidy (D-Chicago) and State Senator Lakesia Collins (D-Chicago) for their tremendous leadership on this legislative measure thus far.
HB5667/SB3809, STRENGTHENING AND PROTECTING ILLINOIS’ HIV FUNDING INFRASTRUCTURE 2.0
AFC was proud to advocate for a $2 million increase in state funding for HIV education, prevention, testing, and treatment in the state’s Fiscal Year 2025 budget, as well as $2.5 million in new funding to launch eight Rapid Start for HIV Treatment pilot sites. This legislation also included the protection of funding for the Getting to Zero Illinois (GTZ-IL) initiative, PrEP4Illinois program, STI testing, treatment, and prevention and the African American HIV/AIDS Response Fund (AAHARF).
END OF SESSION STATUS: For the first time in the last four fiscal years, state legislators did not include any new HIV-related funding in the state’s Fiscal Year 2025 budget (SB251). Here’s a breakdown of the HIV-specific line items in the state’s FY25 budget:
- Level funding for HIV treatment and prevention services, also known as the HIV Lump Sum ($25.5 million)
- Level funding for the African American HIV/AIDS Response Act (AAHARA) that funds grants to Black-led community-based organizations ($15 million)
- Level funding for the GTZ Illinois Omnibus line item ($5.5 million)
- Level funding for HIV services meant to address the disproportionate impact of HIV/AIDS on African Americans and other communities of color ($4 million)
- Level funding for grants and administrative expenses for the distribution of PrEP medication access ($2 million)
- Level funding for the Quality of Life Endowment Fund for grants related to HIV/AIDS prevention and education ($1 million)
- Level funding for grants and administrative expenses for STI testing, treatment, and prevention ($500,000)
While the state budget doesn’t reflect the additional investments we advocated for, we are beyond grateful that the HIV-specific line items were not cut, especially given the state’s precarious fiscal outlook. AFC is especially grateful for State Senators Mike Simmons (D-Chicago) and Lakesia Collins (D-Chicago), State Representatives Hoan Huynh (D-Chicago), Rita Mayfield (D-Waukegan), and Kelly Cassidy (D-Chicago), and the Illinois Legislative Black Caucus for their steadfast work in the General Assembly to champion enhanced HIV-related funding. The state’s FY25 budget passed the Illinois General Assembly on May 29, 2024, and now awaits Governor Pritzker’s signature.
FUNDING TO PREVENT AND END HOMELESSNESS IN ILLINOIS
Without question, housing is healthcare, especially to people living with or vulnerable to HIV. To keep making progress on the HOME Illinois plan to prevent and end homelessness, AFC and our subsidiary the Center for Housing and Health (CHH) were proud to work alongside community partners Housing Action Illinois, Chicago Coalition for the Homeless, Illinois Shelter Alliance, and the Supportive Housing Providers Association (SHPA) to advocate for $42.2 million beyond Governor Pritzker’s proposed FY25 state budget.
END OF SESSION STATUS: With a total appropriation of $290 million to further implement Governor Pritzker’s HOME Illinois Program, state legislators included an additional $40 million in new state funding primarily focused on rental assistance, homeless prevention, and funding to address youth homelessness. The state’s FY25 budget passed the Illinois General Assembly on May 29, 2024, and now awaits Governor Pritzker’s signature.
HB4472: PRESCRIPTION DRUG AFFORDABILITY BOARD (PDAB)
Many Illinoisans, including people living with and vulnerable to HIV, are often forced to choose between their medication and other necessities, like rent and groceries. Prescription drugs don’t work if people can’t afford them. AFC is proud to support HB4772, legislation that would establish a Prescription Drug Affordability Board (PDAB), an independent, nonpartisan body with the authority to evaluate high-cost prescription drugs and set upper payment limits on what Illinoisans will pay.
END OF SESSION STATUS: Unfortunately, this legislation did not advance in the state legislative process this session. AFC will continue to work alongside Citizen Action Illinois, Protect Our Care Illinois (POCIL) coalition, and our legislative champions Representative Nabeela Syed (D-Palatine) and Senator Dave Koehler (D-Peoria Heights) to advance this important legislation in subsequent sessions of the Illinois General Assembly.
AFC is pleased to work alongside the community partners of the Healthy Illinois campaign to request the full funding of the Health Benefits for Immigrant Adults (HBIA) and Health Benefits for Immigrant Seniors (HBIS) programs in the state’s Fiscal Year 2025 budget to enable re-opening program enrollment without co-pays. This program provides state-funded Medicaid-like coverage for undocumented immigrants, including people living with HIV.
END OF SESSION STATUS: State legislators included an increase in appropriations combined from $440 million from the General Revenue Funds and $189 million from other sources for a total of $629 million for the HBIA/HBIS programs for ages 42 and older in the state’s FY25 budget (SB251). Fortunately, the Healthy Illinois campaign was able to maintain and protect HBIA and HBIS program in its current form.
Of note, the Healthy Illinois campaign released an April 2024 research brief conducted by the Great Cities Institute at University of Illinois Chicago. The brief revealed that expanding healthcare coverage for immigrants provides benefits for society at large, individuals, and their households and offers a significant return on investment.
Moving forward, AFC will continue to work alongside the Healthy Illinois campaign and its partner organizations and the Illinois Legislative Latino Caucus to expand the HBIA program for ages 19 through 41 and advocate to re-open enrollment for both the HBIS and HBIA program. We will work to ensure that all Illinoisans can access quality, affordable health care coverage.
HB2499: BAN ON SHORT-TERM LIMITED DURATION “JUNK” HEALTH INSURANCE PLANS
While short-term limited duration (STLD) health insurance plans, also known as “junk insurance plans”, may appear cheaper, they are not subject to the consumer protections of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) including the requirement to provide coverage of essential health services. HB2499 bans these junk plans that often deny coverage to people with chronic conditions like HIV and result in higher premiums.
END OF SESSION STATUS: Championed by Senator Laura Fine (D-Glenview) and Representative Bob Morgan (D-Deerfield), HB2499 passed the Illinois Senate on May 23, 2024, and the Illinois House on May 25, 2024. HB2499 is the culmination of policy work began in 2018 and the legislation now awaits Governor Pritzker’s signature.
HB5395: HEALTHCARE PROTECTION ACT
For too long, insurance companies have used predatory practices to restrict healthcare consumers’ access to care and boost profits. An initiative of Governor JB Pritzker, the Healthcare Protection Act (HPA) puts the power back into the hands of patients and their doctors. Specifically, the HPA would implement the following healthcare insurance reforms:
- Bans prior authorizations for in-patient hospital-setting mental health treatment for adults and children.
- Requires insurance companies to conduct 90-day internal audits to ensure their provider directories reflect the reality of healthcare that’s available to consumers in that network.
- Requires insurance companies to obtain prior approval from the Illinois Department of Insurance before large group plans hike rates on consumers.
- Requires health insurance premiums to align with the actual cost of providing healthcare insurance.
END OF SESSION STATUS: Championed by Senator Robert Peters (D-Chicago) and Representative Anna Moeller (D-Elgin), passed the Illinois General Assembly on May 25, 2024. AFC is proud to work alongside the Protect Our Care Illinois (POCIL) coalition, Citizen Action Illinois, Small Business Majority, the Illinois Department of Insurance, and many others to advance this critical legislation. HB5395 now awaits Governor Pritzker’s signature.
HB2: OVERDOSE PREVENTION SITES (OPS) PILOT
The HIV epidemic and overdose crisis across Illinois are inextricably linked. People who use drugs are vulnerable to acquiring HIV—both related directly to sharing equipment for injection drug use and to the complex role drug use can play in sexual transmission. AFC is proud to support legislation that would create one OPS pilot site on Chicago’s West Side, meet people where they are while also connecting them to community support and other existing medical care, treatment, recovery programs and harm reduction services.
END OF SESSION STATUS: Unfortunately, this legislation did not advance in the state legislative process this session. However, through the leadership of AFC’s Policy & Advocacy Manager Aces Lira, the Illinois General Assembly passed House Resolution 665 that declared April 14 through April 20, 2024 as Harm Reduction Solidarity Week in the state of Illinois and also raised awareness about the principles and practices of harm reduction, emphasizing its vital role in public health and safety in ending the opioid epidemic.
As a member of the Illinois Harm Reduction and Recovery Coalition (IHRRC), AFC will continue to work alongside harm reduction advocates, people with lived experience, and our legislative champions Representative LaShawn Ford (D-Chicago) and Senator Sara Feigenholtz (D-Chicago) to advance this critical legislation in subsequent sessions of the Illinois General Assembly.
HB5251/SB2158: STOP THE REVOLVING DOOR FROM RE-ENTRY TO HOMELESSNESS TO PRISON
Housing is the basis for stability and success, but current Illinois registry and housing banishment laws systematically displace, exclude and reincarcerate people—disproportionately Black men—with past convictions while failing to support survivors and prevent victimization. AFC and CHH are proud to work alongside the Chicago 400 to support legislation that would reduce housing banishment zones from 500 to 250 feet, allow Illinoisans experiencing homelessness to register at police stations annually or quarterly (like housed people) instead of weekly, and shrink the registry footprint by making “failure to register” a misdemeanor.
END OF SESSION STATUS: Unfortunately, this legislation did not advance in the state legislative process this session. AFC and CHH will continue to work alongside the Chicago 400, people with lived experience, and our legislative champions Representative Camille Lilly (D-Oak Park) and Senator Kimberly Lightford (D-Hillside) to advance this critical legislation in subsequent sessions of the Illinois General Assembly.
HB5051: BAN ON PRIOR AUTHORIZATIONS IN HEALTH INSURANCE PLANS
Prior authorization is a requirement by health insurance plans for patients to obtain approval of a health care service or medication before the care is provided. However, these requirements often cause delays for patients, including those with chronic conditions like HIV, and in turn, result in negative clinical outcomes. AFC supports legislation that bans prior authorization in health insurance plans for insulin, gender-affirming care/ hormonal therapy, as well as HIV/HCV treatment and prevention.
END OF SESSION STATUS: Unfortunately, this legislation did not advance in the state legislative process this session. AFC will continue to work alongside Equality Illinois and other community partners to advance this needed legislation in subsequent sessions of the Illinois General Assembly.
Now that the 2024 Spring Session of the Illinois General Assembly has concluded, it is a perfect time to acknowledge the advocates, allies and people living with HIV that make these legislative victories possible. During HIV Advocacy Day back in April, 140 pledged advocates flooded the inboxes of state representatives and senators with a unified message: “nothing about us without us!” Your collective advocacy resulted in over 1,300 messages in support of AFC’s legislative priorities and over 6,000 people engaged with Advocacy Day content via AFC’s social media channels. The stories and voices of advocates like you made the difference. For that and much more, we are eternally grateful. THANK YOU.
Although this legislative session has ended, I encourage you to stay engaged in our advocacy work over the summer and fall by signing up for AFC’s Mobile Action Network. With your help, we can continue moving forward in our efforts to end the HIV epidemic in Illinois by 2030–together.
