Latest news with #WilliePreston
Yahoo
15-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Bill to ban two food additives passes Illinois Senate
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WCIA) — A bill to ban two additives in food products has passed the Illinois Senate. The bill bans potassium bromate and propylparaben, chemicals often found in the flour of baked goods. Businesses in the state would not be allowed to distribute food products with the additives. The Senate sponsor, Sen. Willie Preston (D-Chicago), said these food additives are harmful. 'This legislation emphasizes the importance of consumer protection across our state,' Preston said. 'We must ensure that we prioritize keeping children and families safe from toxic chemicals and making sure they are informed and have access to safer alternative options.' Measure removing cannabis odor as probable cause for warrantless vehicle search passes Senate Preston also added that children face increased risk from chemicals as their bodies grow and their diets consist of many foods with these chemicals. 'We have taken a pivotal step forward to protect all Illinoisans from having a dangerous and poisonous food supply,' Preston said. 'Together, we can set a national standard for safer food, and ensure that every family in Illinois can trust that their food is safe.' This comes after the FDA banned the use of Red Dye 3 in food, beverages and medications earlier this year. The bill passed the Senate Thursday and now heads to the Illinois House of Representatives. If signed into law the ban would go into effect at the start of 2028. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
11-03-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Bill in State Capitol would require insurance companies to cover stuttering for children
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WCIA) — Stuttering can be triggered by trauma and sometimes develops over time, leaving many young people to struggle with communication due to inaccessible treatment. A new bill filed by Senator Willie Preston (D-Chicago) would require private, public, and state health plans including Medicaid who cover habilitative or rehabilitative speech therapy to provide healthcare coverage for children struggling with stuttering, no matter the cause. Broad coalition lays out impacts of potential cuts to Illinois Medicaid Preston, who struggled with stuttering at a young age, said that providing coverage to kids early will help them overcome the challenges and make them more productive members of society. 'We want to ensure that regardless of anybody's economic situation, that every child in Illinois has an opportunity to overcome the speech issue that they are faced with through no fault of their own, including stuttering,' Preston said. Under the state's current law, speech therapy is covered by insurance for habilitative service for individuals under 19 with congenital or genetic stuttering only if it is deemed medically necessary in order to help them learn and improve their speech skills. However, some insurance plans have limitations that could exclude stuttering treatments, leaving many families paying out of pocket. Proposed bill seeks increased oversight for homeschool families The Illinois Life and Health Insurance Council was in opposition at the committee hearing. Kate Morthland, director of policy and advocacy at the Illinois Life & Health Insurance Council, said they are not against the intent of the bill, rather they are concerned about the confusion it would create with current state mandates. 'We're not opposed to the underlying mandate. We just want to make sure that we're operating within existing law compliance,' said Morthland. ' If the bill were to pass now, there would be conflicting definitions within the insurance code, which would lead to compliance issues from insurance companies because they wouldn't know how to handle coverage for two conflicting definitions.' The Illinois Life and Health Insurance Council said they want to work with legislators to expand the existing statute instead of creating a new mandate which they said could create confusion on coverage requirements and make it difficult for insurers to properly do their job. A couple of Democrats backed the bill including Senator Laura M. Murphy (D-Des Plaines). She talked about her experience with her son who also needed therapy but insurance would not cover it unless he was born with it. She said the full coverage will help children receive better treatment and help their development. DOJ gets involved in lawsuit over new Illinois law 'I tried to explain that babies can't speak, babies can't talk. How do you know if it's congenital or not? Because they can't speak and they don't speak really clearly until they're three to four years old,' Murphy said. 'They impede their educational development because of a language problem that could be prevented. It's simply an issue that can be corrected and for our insurance companies not to provide full and comprehensive coverage for speech therapy, regardless of the diagnosis, it's criminal.' The average speech therapy session costs between $100 to $250 per session, and with some appointments even higher based on the location. The bill has been assigned to the Senate Insurance Committee. If it passes it will take effect at the beginning of 2027. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
06-02-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Bill to ban some food additives moves to full Illinois Senate
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — Illinois lawmakers have renewed their push to pass a food safety bill that would ban certain additives shown to negatively impact human health. On Tuesday, Senate Bill 93, also known as the Illinois Food Safety Act, passed the Senate Public Health Committee and will now advance to the full body for consideration. 'We have taken a pivotal step forward to protect all Illinoisans,' said Sen. Willie Preston (D-Chicago). 'A significant milestone in our effort to protect every Illinoisan from having a dangerous, poisonous food supply.' If passed, it would ban certain additives in candy, soda, and other food items sold and manufactured in Illinois. The bill, which is a bipartisan effort, had support in the Senate last spring but failed to make it to the House. 'We've worked diligently to create legislation that is fair, that is science-based, and that is effective,' said Preston, who introduced the legislation. In its current language, which Preston will look to modify considering recent federal developments, Senate Bill 93 includes banning food products containing brominated vegetable oil (BVO), potassium bromate, propylparaben, and red dye No. 3. On Jan. 15, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration banned the use of red dye No. 3 in food, citing the Delaney Clause, a section of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic (FD&C) Act that prohibits the use of cancer-causing chemicals in food. Since its approval in 1969, red dye No. 3 has been found in food, cosmetics, and pharmaceuticals. FDA bans red dye No. 3 from foods: What to know In July, the FDA also banned the use of BVO in food. It previously was used in small amounts as a stabilizer for fruit flavoring in drinks to keep the citrus flavor from floating to the top. Preston plans to keep language to ban propylparaben and potassium bromate in food products produced in the state. The bill would also prohibit businesses from selling or distributing food products with these additives. Propylparaben, according to the Environmental Working Group, is a preservative found in 49-widely available processed foods, including some cinnamon rolls, cakes, and corn tortillas. The group argues propylparaben disrupts the endocrine system, and its been critical of the FDA's failure to take action to ban it in food or to reassess its safety. Potassium bromate, an oxidizing agent used as a food additive, mostly in the bread-making process to strengthen dough and allow for better rising in the oven, has been flagged by some health experts as posing a serious risk, including a potential for cancer. The New Jersey Department of Health and Senior Services said it may be a carcinogen since it has been shown to cause kidney, thyroid, and gastrointestinal cancer in animals. 'Make no mistake: food, and the security of our food, and the quality of our food, is a bipartisan issue,' said Sen. Seth Lewis (R-Carol Stream). Proponents of the bill argue the legislation would impact people in all areas of Illinois, from rural to urban, including areas of Chicago impacted by food deserts. 'Think about how many people in Illinois would be so much healthier if they didn't have all these unnecessary additives in their food,' said Sen. Lakesia Collins (D-Chicago). Not everyone is in support of the bill. During Tuesday's committee hearing, several people voiced opposition, including lawmakers and food industry representatives who testified. 'Different laws in all 50 states would severely disrupt the economy, and a strong collaborative approach between state and federal policymakers is vital to protect the food supply,' argued Jennifer Gardner with the National Confectioners Association. 'I'm not supporting your bill, but not because I don't believe in it. I think it needs to be managed at the federal level,' said Sen. Andrew Chesney (R-Freeport). If enacted into law, which will still require votes in each chamber before reaching the governor's desk, thousands of products would be impacted, lawmakers said during Tuesday's committee hearing. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
