Here you will find information on Federal and State legislative issues which may have an impact on children with special health care needs. This includes information on legislative bills currently being considered at the state and federal level; information about how to contact your state and federal legislators; and information about other legislative issues and resources.
Federal and State Bills
The following list provides summary information on current Federal and Illinois legislation which may impact children with special health care needs. If you would like to express your opinions on any of these bills, we have provided information about how to contact your legislators elsewhere on this page. Federal bills are available at the Library of Congress web site if you would like to review a more detailed account about a specific bill. The State of Illinois website also provides detailed information about pending legislation.
The listing of Federal and State bills is for informational purposes only and neither advocates endorsement or opposition by DSCC, nor is it an attempt to influence or provide guidance to individuals viewing the information.
For Up to Date Federal Legislative Information
Go to the Association of Maternal & Child Health Programs web site's Legislative Action Center at www.amchp.org
S.401 SCHIP
Addresses budget deficits for SCHIP programs
FYI - Illinois Legislation - Bill Reference
For the latest legislative action on a bill go to http://www.ilga.gov/ and click on Legislation - Status and Text. Then type in the bill number.
HB5321
$DPH-Newborn Hearing Program
SB2112
Medicaid - Family Member Caregiver
Tips for Contacting your Legislators
There are many ways of contacting your legislator to share your opinions and views on pending legislation. It is always best to communicate your position on a single issue in each correspondence. For more detailed information about the best way to contact your legislator and for more letter writing tips, see the American Library Association's Ways to Communicate with Legislators.
Illinois Legislators
The Illinois House of Representatives has 118 members, each representing their local district. The Illinois House has a web site listing the current representatives and information on their district and capitol offices. Address, phone, and fax number are provided for each representative's district and capitol office.
The Illinois Senate has 59 members who represent their local district. The Illinois Senate web site also provides a listing of the current senators and information on their district and capitol office address, phone, and fax number.
Federal Legislators
The Federal government has a website for each member of the House of Representatives (Congress) and the Senate. For more information about your federal Representatives or Senators, go to the U.S. House of Representatives or the US Senate website. Both of these web sites provide either an alphabetical listing of legislators by last name or a listing of legislative members by the state they represent.
Resources
To learn more about the legislative process visit the following web sites:
Reading
of Legislative Bills
This site provides a very helpful explanation about the meaning of the
different type-features used in the bill transcript, such as underscoring
and CAPITAL letters.
How
a Bill becomes a law in Illinois
This web site document provides a flow chart outlining the legislative
process, from the drafting of the initial legislation to the point when
the bill becomes law. This form is in PDF format - you will need the Adobe
Acrobat Reader to view and print this information. The Reader is available
free from the Adobe
web site.
Current Legislative Issues and Events
Legislation concerning the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) and the Government Pension Offset (GPO) was introduced into the 108th session of Congress. Now that the 109th Congress has been sworn into office, new bills will be introduced.
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