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OUR PRIORITIES

Children may have difficulty accessing the services they need  because of income inequity, insurance-related barriers, poor care coordination and communication, long wait lists, and limited availability of appropriate primary care.

our policy priorities

OUR POLICY AREAS

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Key Policy Issue Areas*​

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*Underlying all issue areas is the belief that system capacity must be strengthened to overcome barriers to health services.

SPRING 2026 POLICY PRIORITIES 

Ensure passage of the Responsibility in Firearm Legislation (RIFL) Act

HB 3320 / SB 2279 

Shifts the direct costs of gun injury from the injured and their families to the firearm industry via a no-fault victim compensation fund financed 100% by firearms manufacturers

Codify a statewide universal newborn support program to provide postpartum home visits

HB 4606

Codifies into law a statewide universal newborn support program to offer three-week postpartum nurse home visits to all families with newborns, administered by IDHS

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Protect children from accidental ingestion of edible cannabis products

HB 4501 / SB 2866

Amends the Cannabis Regulation and Tax Act to enhance education, signage, storage availability and product warnings related to cannabis-infused products

Provide eligible high school students with the opportunity to register to vote

HB 4339

Requires school districts maintaining any of grades 9 through 12 to provide all eligible students graduating from high school with the opportunity to register to vote

Pass legislation that would restructure the MCO provider tax to comply with HR 1 requirements

HB 5111 / SB 3832

Amends the Managed Care Organization Provider Assessment Article of the Illinois Public Aid Code to comply with requirements laid out by H.R. 1 

Prevent insurance discrimination based on genetic testing
results 

HB 4897 / SB 2799

Amends the Genetic Information Privacy Act to protect Illinoisans seeking life, disability, and long-term care insurance from discrimination based on genetic testing results

Ensure passage of regulations
that would enhance e-bike safety for young people

HB 4925 / SB 3336

Provides that a person 16 or younger may ride as a passenger on a Class 3 low-speed electric bicycle that is designed to accommodate passengers if operator is 18 or older 

Our values

OUR VALUES

Our common values guide how we approach child health:

  • We acknowledge that each child, family, and community is unique. 

  • We employ a developmental approach recognizing that health evolves over the life course and is embedded in family and community well-being.

  • We acknowledge that health in infancy, childhood and adolescence shapes health in adulthood.

  • We recognize that health and development are influenced by many factors, including racism, inequality, disability, isolation, special health care needs and immigration.  

  • We believe investments in children and adolescents strengthen the long-term economic and social well-being of our state.

  • We consider access to services a core component of health equity. 

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How we partner

HOW WE PARTNER

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  • We recognize that everyone – families and youth of all income levels, and all sectors and disciplines – has a role to play.

  • We reach more children and create real change when we work together.

  • We engage the people and organizations most affected by the policy in its development.

  • We promote the use of data, including local data and local knowledge, evidence-based policies, and evaluation.

  • When supporting health equity, we work to enhance existing infrastructure, sustainability, implementation, and funding.

  • We strive to ensure that any potential negative effects of any types of policies are minimized and not borne by already disadvantaged populations.

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