Illinois House Passes 81 Bills Including Junk Fee Ban, Abortion Access Fund and Consumer Protection Measures
Illinois House Moves Forward on Consumer Protection and Healthcare Bills
The Illinois House of Representatives passed 81 bills on Thursday, bringing the week's total to 133. The legislation includes measures to ban hidden junk fees, create an abortion access fund, require stores to accept cash payments, expand in-state college tuition eligibility, and mandate Narcan availability for incarcerated persons with drug-related offenses.
The bills advance consumer protection initiatives, healthcare access, and financial relief for Illinois families while moving to the Senate for further consideration.
Junk Fee Ban Passes After Three Years
The House voted 77-18 to ban hidden junk fees that are often added to the total cost of tickets, hotel stays, and other purchases. House Bill 228 amends the Consumer Fraud and Deceptive Business Practices Act to make it a violation for a business to not display all mandatory fees and charges they are adding on top of a listed price.
Rep. Bob Morgan, D-Deerfield, sponsored the bill and told lawmakers during floor debate that the legislation delivers on a simple promise: the price that you see should be the price that you pay. Morgan estimated that hidden fees cost an average Illinois family 3,000 dollars annually.
Junk fees have long been a target for consumer advocates and progressive lawmakers. The Illinois House approved a ban in 2024 but it never received a Senate vote. The bill now moves to the Illinois Senate.
Abortion Access Fund Advances
The House voted along party lines 69-36 to pass House Bill 5408, which would create a grant fund to cover abortion care for uninsured and underinsured people. The bill would utilize an under-used provision of the Affordable Care Act that requires insurance plans that offer coverage for abortions in instances that go beyond rape, incest and the life of the mother to collect at least 1 dollar a month from enrollees to cover the cost of abortion claims.
Rep. Anna Moeller, D-Elgin, the bill sponsor, said she anticipates an amendment in the Senate because of concerns from Illinois health insurance industry. Moeller stated that this is an important bill that helps support reproductive health care providers in the state of Illinois and ensure that women who need this health care are able to access it.
The bill was introduced by Governor JB Pritzker as part of his push for expanded abortion access through insurance funding mechanisms.
Cash Payment Requirement Passes Unanimously
Many Illinois stores would be required to accept cash in most circumstances under House Bill 4592, which passed the House unanimously on Thursday. The bill requires any store with a physical location that employs someone to accept in-person transactions to accept cash for transactions under 500 dollars. Stores would not be required to accept currency larger than 20 dollars. The bill would take effect in 2028 and now awaits further consideration in the Senate.
Digital Coupon Access Mandate Approved
House Bill 45 would require retailers to provide digital promotions or coupons to eligible customers. Bill sponsor Rep. Janet Yang Rohr, D-Naperville, said the bill came from concerns that eligible customers were being denied access to the same benefits because paper coupons were not available. The original version of the bill required merchants to provide paper coupons, but the amendment broadened the regulation to ensure all eligible customers for a coupon are afforded access to the promotion. There is no penalty to the merchant unless the establishment does not cure a violation within 15 days of being notified of the violation. The bill passed unanimously and moves on to the Senate.
In-State Tuition Expansion for High School Attendees
House Bill 5093 removes a requirement in state law that a student who attended an Illinois high school could only receive in-state tuition at an Illinois university if they did not establish residency outside the state before enrolling in an Illinois university. With the change, students who attend at least two years of high school in Illinois could receive in-state tuition regardless of whether they moved out of state before going to college.
Rep. Barbara Hernandez, D-Aurora, told Capitol News Illinois that as a first generation immigrant, she could not imagine having to live in Illinois all her life but then be considered for out-of-state tuition when she went to college because she moved. She said of course in-state tuition is cheaper and she wants more students to be able to access that. The bill passed the House on Thursday on a partisan 71-37 vote, with Republicans arguing the bill would unfairly benefit non-citizens. It now moves on to the Senate.
Narcan Availability for Incarcerated Persons
House Bill 5302 would require the Illinois Department of Corrections to provide opioid antagonists like Narcan to any incarcerated person who was charged for a drug-related offense or has a substance abuse disorder upon their release. Bill sponsor Rep. Justin Slaughter, D-Orland Park, said overdose rates have decreased and initiatives like this would further the initiative to decrease overdose deaths. The bill passed 77-29 and awaits further consideration in the Senate.
Other Consumer Protection Measures
The Illinois House also approved additional measures designed to benefit consumers, including expanding access to coupons and cash payments. The legislation demonstrates the state legislature's efforts to support working families and ensure more equitable access to essential goods and services.
The bills now head to the Senate, where they will face additional scrutiny before potentially becoming law.