Shield law, university admissions, foster placement bills clear General
Assembly
[June 03, 2025]
By Bridgette Fox and UIS Public Affairs Reporting (PAR)
SPRINGFIELD – More than 150 bills moved through the General Assembly in
the final week of the legislative session and will make their way to the
governor, including measures touching on drug approval, college
admissions and foster placement.
House Bill 3637 aims to protect medical providers who prescribe drugs
that were previously approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration
but had the approval revoked, provided the drug is still recommended by
the World Health Organization.
The bill is part of a larger trend of blue states adopting “shield” laws
— legislation guaranteeing the legal backing of medical providers from
federal and interstate litigation, typically over abortion medications
or vaccinations.
HB 3637 is sponsored by Rep. Dagmara Avelar, D-Romeoville, and has more
than two dozen co-sponsors. Under the bill, if the FDA pulled its
approval of a drug any time after Jan. 1, 2025, it can’t be considered
“adulterated” as long as it’s still recommended by the WHO.
“This current administration has made it very clear that there are
certain drugs that they would like to pull approval from,” Avelar said.
When a drug is considered adulterated, that means it’s generally not
normal or made to “conform with good manufacturing practice,” like an
FDA approved drug. Doctors, nurses and other medical providers can lose
their licenses for providing adulterated drugs.
But the bill would make it so the providers would not be subject to the
penalties provided in law for prescribing such drugs.
The law also includes provisions that the Department of Financial and
Professional Regulation can’t revoke or suspend the ability to practice
medicine from a slew of medical professions based solely on the person’s
license, registration or permit status.
Speaking in opposition, Rep. Bill Hauter, R-Morton, a practicing
physician, said it was dangerous to base a drug’s safety on a WHO
recommendation.
“It’s not just for a small amount of drugs here, it’s for all the
drugs,” Hauter said.
Rep. Jackie Haas, R-Kankakee, also voiced concerns about whether
insurance companies and Medicaid would cover non-FDA approved drugs when
they’re prescribed to patients.
The bill language does not touch on the formula for Medicaid or any
requirements about what insurance companies must cover. However,
Medicaid is required to cover the cost of any FDA-approved drug.
The bill passed the House 76-39, cleared the Senate 38-19 and awaits the
governor’s signature.
Automatic university enrollment
If signed by the governor, a bill would mandate high school seniors and
community college students automatically be offered enrollment to all
state schools for which their GPA qualifies them.
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Rep. Dagmara Avelar, D-Romeoville, speaks on the House floor on
Saturday, May 31, the final day of session. Avelar’s bill regarding
non-FDA approved drugs passed the House this week. (Capitol News
Illinois photo by Andrew Adams)
The bill does not change universities’ and colleges’ GPA standards or
admission requirements. Schools can revoke a student’s automatic
admission if, after reaching out to the student, they discover they
don’t meet other eligibility requirements.
The main sponsor of House Bill 3522, Katie Stuart, D-Edwardsville, said
the state wants to encourage students not to leave Illinois for other
institutions.
“Every student who is what we – I don’t love the term – but college
material, for lack of a better term, knows the opportunities that they
have in higher education in the state of Illinois,” Stuart said.
If it becomes law, the Illinois Board of Higher Education and the
Illinois Community College Board would start the program during the
2027-28 school year.
It passed the House by a vote of 103-10.
Foster placement excluding traffickers
A bill clarifying that the Department of Children and Family Services
can’t place children in a household with anyone who has a history of
human trafficking or sex trafficking is one step away from becoming law
as well.
House Bill 871 cleared both chambers without opposition. Its chief
sponsor Amy Briel, D-Ottawa, said it was brought forward because of an
incident in her district.
However, House Republicans pointed out that a bill with the same
intention, House Bill 4095, was introduced in a previous General
Assembly by Republicans. Their draft came after a report was published
by CBS News Chicago about DCFS placing a 16-year-old sex trafficking
victim with a 24-year-old man with sex trafficking charges.
While the current bill and previous bill were similar, the previous bill
would have amended one law. Briel’s bill would amend two laws – the
Child Care Act of 1969 and the Children and Family Services Act.
Rep. Steve Reick, R-Woodstock, and the old bill’s sponsor Rep. Tom
Weber, R-Lake Villa, called everyone to vote yes for the bill despite
criticisms toward Democrats.
“This bill could have been passed two years ago,” Reick said. “And I’m
wondering how many kids that this bill could have helped keep them out
of bad situations.”
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