SPRINGFIELD – Hearing from constituents who face barriers to accessing their medical supplies from pharmacies even when they had a prescription, State Senator Mike Simmons new law will help these individuals’ access necessary supplies from their pharmacy.

“This law ensures that patients who have prescriptions for injectable medications get the supplies they need and ensures the supplies are clean and safe,” said Simmons (D-Chicago). “This law will allow pharmacists to make the decision to protect patients and safeguard public health.”

Before this law, pharmacists are allowed to sell up to 100 sterile hypodermic needles or syringes to a person who is at least 18 years old.

SPRINGFIELD – To protect cyclists in Illinois, State Senator Mike Simmons’ new law ensures proper and safe signage around bike paths in Illinois.

“As an avid bike rider myself, I know how many people use our pathways every day for work or for just incidental travel, and this will help keep people safe,” said Simmons (D-Chicago). “When someone rides their bike in our communities, for enjoyment or commuting, they can now be confident they are safe.”

Simmons’ laws, House Bill 2675, states that if a crossing is controlled by an official traffic control device or sign, there is no need for crossing signage. The law also ensures that if there is a known emergency or hazard, local authorities who hold ownership of a physical road or path must erect signage or other warning markers on publicly owned bicycle trails.

CHICAGO – State Senator Mike Simmons joined community advocacy groups, hospital staff and local officials Friday morning to denounce the closure of Weiss Memorial Hospital and demand that it be preserved as a safety net hospital.

“Uptown is the landing ground for many immigrants and refugees and asylum-seekers from all around the world who would not have access to life-saving health care if it were not for Weiss Memorial Hospital. This is a mournful event. We cannot lose a safety net hospital on the far North Side of Chicago,” said Simmons (D-Chicago). “As a lifeline for residents of Uptown and surrounding neighborhoods, Weiss has served our most vulnerable populations for decades, providing critical emergency services and inpatient care to those who often have nowhere else to turn.”

Weiss Memorial Hospital on Chicago’s North Side was cut from Medicare and Medicaid after a years-long pattern of being in and out of compliance with state and federal regulators for everything from not having enough nurses per shift to failing to prevent inappropriate delays in treatment.

SPRINGFIELD – To remove barriers to unhoused residents, State Senator Mike Simmons passed into law the removal of notary fees to obtain a state ID.

“With no form of legal identification, unhoused individuals cannot access housing, jobs, or transit and this law will help,” said Simmons. “This bill makes it one step easier to obtain state identification, which in turn means folks will have quicker access to jobs, transportation, and housing.”

Prior to this law, application fees for standard Illinois state IDs are waived for unhoused individuals, but their application must be accompanied by a notarized affirmation. This is a difficult task for individuals with little financial resources, as notary fees can cost up to $25.