Latest News

SPRINGFIELD – State Senator Adriane Johnson’s new law will provide transparency and security to individuals in assisted living facilities, when facilities are closing.

“Residents in long-term care settings deserve transparency, accountability and support when major changes occur at their facilities,” said Johnson (D-Buffalo Grove). “With this law, we are taking an important step toward ensuring that closures are handled with greater coordination and oversight so individuals and families are not left without guidance during difficult transitions.”

House Bill 5047 requires owners of assisted living facilities, medically complex for the developmentally disabled facilities and intermediate care facilities to notify the Office of the Long Term Care Ombudsman when the facility is voluntarily closing. Under former law, only residents, resident’s representatives or family members had to be notified when their residence was going to be terminated.

Johnson’s new law will allow long-term care residents to receive advocacy services related to the closures of these facilities and ensure their rights are being upheld through the Office of the Long Term Care Ombudsman.

House Bill 5047 was signed into law Friday.

SPRINGFIELD – To ensure patient’s medical information is kept private, State Senator Adriane Johnson’s new law will remove hormonal medications such as testosterone and estrogen from the Illinois Prescription Monitoring Program.

“No one should fear being monitored or tracked for receiving hormone replacement therapy prescribed by their healthcare provider,” said Johnson (D-Buffalo Grove). “Respecting medical privacy allows patients to access care with confidence and peace of mind.”

Intended to prevent patients from going from one doctor to another to get multiple prescriptions for powerful and addictive pain medications, the Illinois Prescription Monitoring Program collects controlled substance prescription records from pharmacies. The data is provided to authorized individuals for the purpose of clinical care, regulation of professional practice, research and evaluation and law enforcement.

Testosterone was made a controlled substance in the 1990s to regulate the distribution of the hormone to prevent its misuse by athletes. Johnson’s measure will purge the program of existing information concerning the prescribing or dispensing of testosterone on or before Jan. 1, 2027 and will ensure no further records would be created or maintained. Additionally, mifepristone, misoprostol, GnRH analogues and estrogen will be added to a list of prescriptions that are exempt from disclosure.

“Protecting private medical information is essential to ensuring patients feel safe seeking care, asking questions and making personal health care decisions,” Johnson said. “Strong privacy protections preserve trust, dignity and the fundamental right to confidentiality.”

House Bill 4834 was signed into law Sunday.

SPRINGFIELD – To protect the health of students with asthma, State Senator Adriane Johnson’s new law will ensure that life-saving asthma medication will be available in school gyms.

“Every day students with asthma participate in activities with the knowledge that their asthma medication is not within reach,” said Johnson (D-Buffalo Grove). “By enabling gyms and practice fields to have rescue medication, and allowing coaches to administer it can make all the difference in an emergency. Quick access to treatments reduces hospital visits, improves quality of life and gives students greater security.”

House Bill 4247 will allow schools to maintain a supply of asthma medication at practice fields and gyms and permits coaches and athletic trainers to administer undesignated asthma medication.
Asthma affects an estimated 201,000 children in Illinois and results in nearly 13,000 emergency room visits among school-aged children each year. Exercise-induced asthma – where symptoms are triggered by physical activity – can put student athletes at heightened risk of sudden respiratory distress.

BUFFALO GROVE – To help community members protect their personal information, State Senator Adriane Johnson is hosting a community shred event at 11 a.m. on Saturday, July 18.

“When it comes to protecting yourself against fraud and identity theft, you can never be too careful,” said Johnson (D-Buffalo Grove). “Documents with personal information like your address, banking information or social security number should be securely shredded to keep them safe from prying eyes.”

The event is hosted in in partnership with State Representative Rita Mayfield and will be held at the North Chicago Public Library at 2100 Argonne Dr., North Chicago.

At this free community event, residents can securely dispose of any sensitive or confidential documents, like bank statements, paid utility bills and receipts. Electronics and other non-paper waste will not be accepted.

“After spring cleaning and tax season, you may be looking to dispose of sensitive personal documents,” Johnson said. “I encourage you to take advantage of this free and convenient opportunity to make sure your information doesn’t fall into the wrong hands.”

People with questions can reach out to Johnson’s office at 847-672-6201.