(SPRINGFIELD) More than 300,000 Illinois residents stand to be cleared of all outstanding medical debt through the creation of the Medical Debt Relief Pilot Program Fund, which is now sitting on Governor Pritzker’s desk. House Bill 5290 seeks to alleviate medical debt for families across the state residing in households with individuals falling below 400% of the Federal Poverty Level or those saddled with medical debt equating to 5% or more of their household income. If approved by the Governor, the five-year pilot program will work with a nonprofit to use $10 million to pay off up to $1 billion worth of medical debt.
(SPRINGFIELD) One Illinois county may be ahead of the curve with warning signs that link marijuana use with potential suicide. Citing national studies & local stats, McHenry County requires marijuana dispensaries to post prominent “warning” signs stating that cannabis use may lead to mental health problems, including increased thoughts of suicide. The State DPH says suicide is the 16th leading cause of death in Illinois with more than 1,000 a year.
(SPRINGFIELD) A state commission did not vote this past Friday on a proposal to close two state prisons because the board lacked enough members at the meeting, a meeting that only was moved to Springfield at the last minute, but also required in-person attendance by commission members. Now with the Illinois Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability missing the June 15th deadline to vote on its recommendation for the planned prison closures of Logan Correctional and Stateville prisons, there is no word yet about when and where the Commission’s next meeting will be held with it’s new agenda.
(SPRINGFIELD) At this summer’s Illinois State Fair, The Arena will host a variety of family friendly events, including the Monsters of Destruction, a monster truck show scheduled for Thursday, August 8th. Then two days later, Saturday, August 10th, fairgoers will be treated to a full slate of rodeo events by Wooten Rodeo. The Illinois Tractor Pulling Association will be at The Arena on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, August 12th, 13th, and 14th. The tickets for all of these fan-favorite events, as well as others, are now on sale by going to the State Fair website, at statefair.illinois.gov. The fair runs August 8th through the 18th.