SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WAND) — Legislation heading to Gov. JB Pritzker's desk could make Illinois the first state to issue vaccine recommendations independent of the CDC. Sponsors believe the state should ensure healthcare regardless of decisions made by the federal government.
The Illinois Department of Public Health currently has an advisory committee responsible for reviewing vaccines. However, this plan could expand its authority and allow the department to issue evidence-based recommendations on vaccines and treatments during disease outbreaks and public health emergencies.
House and Senate Democrats said they want to protect public health and uphold science-based care as the Trump administration dismantles the country's healthcare system.
"That section is also going to give us the opportunity to make sure there is insurance coverage," said Rep. Bob Morgan (D-Highland Park). "All of us, I believe, have heard from our constituents about the lack of certainty about whether or not their vaccination and other healthcare is going to be covered by insurance. This clarifies that."
The plan also states IDPH would follow vaccine guidance from the World Health Organization if the Food and Drug Administration does not approve the treatment. Republicans strongly oppose this idea, as they argue it is an example of "Trump derangement syndrome."
"We are pro-vaccination, but this bill makes sure that we can't vote for it," said Rep. Bill Hauter (R-Morton). "We have a bill that's signaling to their base how much they're battling the evil Trump administration."
Hauter, an emergency rule doctor, said he is still upset IDPH was able to mandate people receive COVID-19 vaccines during the pandemic. Hauter said the Pritzker administration used authoritarian and coercive tactics that made people lose their jobs and livelihoods.
Yet, Democrats stressed lawmakers should do everything in their power to keep people healthy.
"The problem here is that we have created a situation where the federal government is standing in the way of good healthcare for 13 million people in the state of Illinois," Morgan said. "We are not going to stand for that."
House Bill 767 passed out of the House and Senate along partisan lines.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services told WAND News the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices remains the nation's scientific compass for vaccine policy.
HHS Press Secretary Emily Hilliard said the Trump administration will ensure future public health decisions are grounded in rigorous evidence and gold standard science instead of "failed politics of the COVID-19 pandemic."
"Democrat-led states that imposed unscientific school closures, toddler mask mandates, and vaccine passports during the COVID era are the ones who destroyed public trust in public health," Hilliard said. "Now, the same governors who eroded that trust are trying to reinvent public health under the guise of coordination."
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