SPRINGFIELD — Together with advocates, colleagues and constituents, State Senator Graciela Guzmán spoke about the importance of establishing a Prescription Drug Affordability Board in Illinois to keep costs of essential medications down for working families and her plans to champion legislation establishing this board during spring legislative session. 

“Every day, families are making the impossible decision between purchasing prescription drugs they need to function, or putting food on the table,” said Guzmán (D-Chicago). “We cannot in good conscience let people suffer when we have the means to solve the issue. Founding a prescription drug affordability board will limit how much drugs cost, keeping people healthy and able to invest in other areas of their lives.”  

A Prescription Drug Affordability Board is an independent board responsible for assessing which prescription drugs present affordability challenges to a state's health care system. Senate Bill 66 would establish a Health Care Availability and Access Board in Illinois, which would be required to conduct cost reviews of specific prescription drugs to determine which are high-cost drugs and inaccessible to patients, as well as to impose maximum payment limits on purchases or payment plans on prescription drugs in the state. This will ensure prescriptions are not too expensive for working Illinoisans to afford them. 

CHICAGO – In partnership with teachers, advocates and public officials, State Senator Graciela Guzmán announced new legislation at a press conference this morning that would address the statewide pattern of underfunding education in Illinois, and a plan to fill existing gaps in investment.

“I know firsthand what it means to rely on public schools, not just for education, but for opportunity,” said Senator Guzmán (D-Chicago). “If we require our schools to provide them, the state has an obligation to fund them. At a time when the Trump administration is attacking education, this bill is a line in the sand. It is how we will face cuts with investment and face division with equity.”

Senate Bill 3701, sponsored by Guzmán, and House Bill 5409, sponsored by State Representative Will Davis, do two things. First, the proposals fix a current gap in school funding for what are called “mandated categoricals,” or programs and services the state requires but provides no resources for to school districts, such as transportation, nutrition, social work and counseling. Second, the proposals keep the state on track with the Evidence-Based Formula goal of ensuring all districts are adequately funded by 2027.

SPRINGFIELD—In solidarity with home health workers, teachers, homelessness advocates, and other state officials, State Senator Graciela Guzmán advocated for the Fiscal Year 2027 budget to utilize progressive revenue measures, ensuring essential programs like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and Medicaid do not face cuts from a shortage of federal dollars.

“Parents are anxious about being able to afford food on the table while billionaires are ordering catering to their fleet of yachts,” said Guzmán (D-Chicago). “This gross disparity between our lived experiences is not okay. We need to make sure our most wealthy are paying their fair share, because cutting essential programs for the working families that make up the heart of Illinois isn’t an option. We cannot balance this budget by cuts to working class people that are already hurting.”

The most recent federal budget could gut funding for several essential state programs, including Medicaid, support for home care workers, SNAP, education funding and more, unless alternative revenue sources are found. In response, several state senators have introduced legislation that would secure funds by taxing the most wealthy individuals or corporations. These officials joined advocates and front line workers at a press conference Wednesday to discuss the importance of these measures and to call for broader support.

CHICAGO —Thanks to advocacy from State Senator Graciela Guzmán, the North location of Metropolitan Family Services will soon receive a $550,000 state grant through the Illinois Works Pre-Apprenticeship Program.

“Metropolitan Family Services does amazing work to support our community members, including offer support for folks to start a career in trades, which may have been inaccessible otherwise,” said Guzmán (D-Chicago). “I am grateful that the Illinois Works program is investing in such a great organization with a longstanding history of uplifting my neighbors, and look forward to how this funding will further their mission of helping residents.”

The Illinois Works Pre-Apprenticeship Program launched in 2021 with the goal of increasing diversity and access to apprenticeship programs. Comprehensive pre-apprenticeship programs help participants gain admission to apprenticeship programs, which provide a greater opportunity to obtain employment in the construction trades and secure a lifelong career.

In the district Guzmán represents, the North location of Metropolitan Family Services received $550,000 thanks to this program.

Through Illinois Works, DCEO is expanding its statewide network of providers to recruit, prescreen and provide pre-apprenticeship skills training. Equally important, the program providers offer structured pathways and manage the program graduates' transition from the pre-apprenticeship program to a full apprenticeship program in construction and the building trades.  

Click here to learn more about the Illinois Works Pre-Apprenticeship Program.