 Voices for Illinois Children Legislative Alert
March 24, 2021
From Voices Executive Director Tasha Green Cruzat
At 2:00 p.m. today, the Illinois Senate Executive Committee will hear HB 158. The bill contains health and human services reforms put forward by the Illinois Legislative Black Caucus. Among the bill’s provisions is a measure Voices for Illinois Children has worked on for several years – the creation of a state Racial Impact Note Act. The Racial Impact Note Act would require, upon the request of a member of the General Assembly, a state agency (or board or commission) to prepare a statement or note on introduced legislation that provides a reliable estimate of the anticipated impact on racial and ethnic minorities likely to be affected by the bill. Other provisions of HB 158 include a new certification process for community health workers, required implicit bias awareness training for specified health care professionals, creation of an Anti-Racism Commission, and various other steps designed to address racial and ethnic disparities in the state’s health care system. We urge you to file a witness slip in support of HB 158. Just follow this link to the General Assembly’s website. Thank you. | |
