Press Releases

SPRINGFIELD – Senator Melinda Bush (D-Grayslake) issued the following statement in response to the release of the Illinois Naloxone Standing Order:

“Naloxone, or Narcan, is a lifesaving drug that is able to reverse the effects of opioid overdoses, which have been occurring at an alarming rate in Illinois,” Bush said. “In 2015, I championed legislation to make Narcan more accessible and affordable for law enforcement agencies. Since taking effect, Narcan has been used by officers to save lives of Illinoisans across the state. I am pleased that the governor issued an order that will make it even easier for first responders and law enforcement officers to administer Narcan and save lives.”

Under current law, a prescription is needed to dispense naloxone. The Standing Order issued yesterday acts as a prescription and allows pharmacists, pharmacies and opioid overdose education and naloxone distribution programs like law enforcement agencies, health departments and community-based organizations to acquire and distribute naloxone.

Over the past few decades, opioid addiction has become a major problem throughout the state of Illinois. As of last year, Illinoisans were dying of heroin overdoses at twice the rate they were in 1999. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, from 2014 to 2015 the opioid-related death rate in Illinois increased 120 percent.

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SPRINGFIELD — Illinois’ most important economic development tool has been reinstated, thanks to a measure from Senator Melinda Bush (D-Grayslake).

House Bill 162 reinstates the Economic Development for a Growing Economy (EDGE) tax credit program, allowing the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity to offer incentives to businesses that create new full-time jobs, retain existing jobs and make capital investments in Illinois.

“It's important for us to have every tool available to attract and retain businesses in Illinois and ensure we can offer incentives that allow us to compete with neighboring states,” Bush said. “I represent an area that borders Wisconsin. The EDGE program is essential in helping border communities like mine stay competitive.”

The bill requires the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity to recapture the economic development funds if the recipient does not fulfill its end of the bargain. That money would then be disbursed to the local workforce investment area.

House Bill 162 was signed into law today. It extends the EDGE credit program through June 30, 2022.

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SPRINGFIELD – State Senator Melinda Bush (D-Grayslake) issued the following statement today after Illinois became the 10th state to enact automatic voter registration:

“We should be doing everything possible to make it easier for eligible citizens to participate in our elections,” Bush said. “Automatically registering eligible voters when they interact with state agencies instead of requiring them to fill out duplicative paperwork is a common-sense reform that removes a barrier to voting and saves taxpayer dollars. I am proud that Illinois lawmakers came together to unanimously support this good-government measure.”  

Senator Bush is a chief co-sponsor of Senate Bill 1933, which will automatically register eligible Illinoisans when they interact with certain state agencies. If an individual does not want to be registered, they can opt out. Currently, there are more than 2 million Illinoisans who are eligible to vote but aren’t registered.

Senate Bill 1933 was signed into law today.

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SPRINGFIELD – Senator Melinda Bush’s (D-Grayslake) measure to increase transparency in pricing among service providers and expose gender-based price discrimination was signed into law today.

Senate Bill 298 requires hair salons, barbers, dry cleaners and tailors to provide customers with a price list for services upon request, giving consumers the resources necessary to make educated choices when deciding which businesses to frequent.

“Women have been unfairly charged more than men for the same services for far too long,” Bush said. “Transparent pricing among service providers will help women know whether they are getting a fair deal for services.”

Dry cleaners, barbers and tailors have frequently been examined in studies on gender-based pricing and have been found to charge women more than men for the same services.

“My hope is that this new law will make service providers take a second look at their prices and charge women more fairly,” Bush said.

Last year, Senator Bush’s “pink tax” legislation repealed sales tax on feminine hygiene products. This latest measure builds on Senator Bush’s work to remove economic barriers for Illinois women.

Senate Bill 298 takes effect on January 1, 2018.

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