SPRINGFIELD – According to the Food Allergy Research & Education organization (FARE), 33 million Americans have a food allergy, with the most common allergies including milk, tree nuts, shellfish and peanuts. To increase the accessibility of epinephrine to help those having an allergic reaction, State Senator Mary Edly-Allen worked with House Assistant Majority Leader Maurice West to bring House Bill 2462 to the Senate Judiciary Committee.

House Bill 2462, modeled after a law passed in Wisconsin in 2017, is named after 18-year-old Dillon Mueller, who died in 2014 after being stung by a bee without any previous knowledge of an allergy. No epinephrine was available in the first aid kits of either the Eagle Scout with him or the arriving first responders. This legislation would allow individuals who are properly trained to carry and administer the epinephrine to individuals having an allergic reaction.

SPRINGFIELD – Nationally, an estimated $2.8 billion worth of medications are wasted annually. To provide Illinoisans with cheaper alternatives and transparency within the Illinois Drug Reuse Program, State Senator Mary Edly-Allen worked with State Representative Laura Faver Dias to bring House Bill 2346 to the Senate Public Health Committee.

“Medications can be ridiculously expensive, often leaving people to decide between rent, groceries or their life-saving medicine,” said Edly-Allen (D-Libertyville). “This bill is critical to helping our most vulnerable communities and improves a well-established program that has helped countless Illinoisans.”

SPRINGFIELD – In Illinois last year, an estimated 25,832 people experienced homelessness. To increase the accessibility of resources available to help homeless individuals, State Senator Mary Edly-Allen worked with State Representative Lindsey LaPointe to bring House Bill 3761 to the Senate Health and Human Services Committee.

“People experiencing homelessness are often in and out of emergency rooms. Hospital staff, like social workers, are usually under-equipped to connect our unhoused neighbors to services. It is difficult to find resources and we do not have enough emergency shelters to meet the needs,” said Edly-Allen (D-Libertyville). “This bill solves one of those problems — by providing clear information online on how to begin the process to access shelter and services.”

SPRINGFIELD – Recording artists could soon have more protections from artificial intelligence (AI) replicating their voice or work under legislation from State Senator Mary Edly-Allen and State Representative Jennifer Gong-Gershowitz.

“We need strong regulations and protections in place to safeguard artists when people try to steal their work and pass it off as their own using artificial intelligence,” said Edly-Allen (D-Libertyville). “This bill was made to clarify existing law using language approved by both the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) and the Motion Picture Association (MPA).”