Villanueva to push prenatal vitamin coverage across the finish line

• Prenatal
• Women
• Health care

SPRINGFIELD – State Senator Celina Villanueva (D-Chicago) is sponsoring a measure expanding women’s access to healthy pregnancies by requiring insurance companies to cover prenatal vitamins.

“Having access to prenatal vitamins is equally as important as having access to breast feeding supplies,” said Villanueva. “These measures both prioritize the health and safety of mothers and their babies by reducing the economic barriers preventing them from doing what’s best for their well-being.”

House Bill 4338 requires insurance policies that already cover prescription drugs to also cover prenatal vitamins when prescribed by a licensed physician. Coverage for prenatal vitamins will allow policyholders to obtain vital supplements that endorse healthy and sustained pregnancy. While most nutrients supporting healthy pregnancy can come from foods, prenatal vitamins provide additional opportunities to foster fetal growth and development. In addition to this measure, Villanueva is sponsoring Senate Bill 3634, which exempts breast feeding supplies from sales tax.

“Women deserve every opportunity to promote their baby’s wellness at all stages of their pregnancy,” said Villanueva. “Making these opportunities affordable lets Illinois mothers know we have their backs before, during and after their tremendous childbirth journey.”

HB 4338 passed the Senate Insurance Committee Wednesday and now goes to be considered by the full Senate.

Breast pump exemptions measure passed the Senate

• Nursing
• Child Care
• Breast Pumps

SPRINGFIELD – A measure removing sales taxes on supplies related to child nursing passed the Senate Friday thanks to the work of State Senator Celina Villanueva (D-Chicago).

“Sales taxes on basic necessities create unnecessary barriers that only add to the challenges of motherhood,” Villanueva said. “A mother’s ability to provide for her child should not be stunted by these needless financial obstacles.”

The measure, an initiative spurred by Parity for Pumps, exempts breastfeeding supplies from sales tax to include these supplies with existing feeding exemptions. Eight other states already provide these exemptions, and infant formula is exempt from sales tax in nearly every state. Adding nursing tools to the list of exemptions allows mothers to generate and collect breast milk more easily by removing some of the financial burden associated with maintaining their milk supply. In doing so, Illinois moves toward more equitable feeding options for mothers and their children.

“Breast pumps are necessary to give mothers autonomy in their nursing process,” Villanueva said. “Protecting the children of the state begins with protecting a mother’s ability to provide the highest level of care according to her means.”

Senate Bill 3634 passed the Senate on Friday and now heads to the House for further consideration.

Villanueva’s measure supporting students with dependents advances

• Higher Education
• Child Care

SPRINGFIELD – Thanks to the work of State Senator Celina Villanueva (D-Chicago), a measure to inform college students who are parents or have dependents of child care and other assistance programs passed the Senate Wednesday.

“Being a parent requires an enormous amount of time and mindfulness, and it has the potential to make other areas of life far more challenging,” Villanueva said. “The demands of receiving an education on top of being a student make balancing the two lifestyles extremely difficult, which is why we should do what we can to support our most vulnerable students.”

Senate Bill 3149 will help student parents focus on their education by ensuring they are notified of child care assistance available to them. It also gives higher learning institutions the ability to create a student-parent liaison to assist with applying for public benefits programs. The idea behind the measure was brought to Senator Villanueva by Young Invincibles, an organization working to bring equity to the political, educational, social and economic structures in the country.

Because nearly 100,000 students in Illinois are parents or have dependents, Senator Villanueva is working to combat the nationwide decline in child care availability on college campuses to preserve students’ opportunity to pursue an education and fortify their future.

“Without access to child care and other assistance programs, Illinois fails to build up generations of workers, leaders and active community members,” Villanueva said. “We have an obligation to make known all resources that will help our students prosper.”

Senate Bill 3149 passed the Senate and moves to the House for further consideration.

Villanueva measure will expand mothers’ access to basic necessities

• Childcare
• Nursing

SPRINGFIELD – State Senator Celina Villanueva (D-Chicago) is aiming to exempt breast pumps and related supplies from all sales taxes with a measure that passed the Senate Revenue Committee Wednesday.

“Tax exemptions on breast pump supplies will empower mothers to prioritize their nursing without having to forsake their economic needs,” Villanueva said. “Breast feeding is a natural part of child care, and reducing the financial obstacles mothers face helps them make healthy decisions that benefit both them and their babies.”

Senate Bill 3634 will help mothers afford important breastfeeding supplies, avoid supplementing feedings with formula and maintain their milk supply by removing the sales tax on these products.

The initiative would align Illinois practices with those of eight other states including New York, Oklahoma and Louisiana. Infant formula is already exempt from sales tax in nearly every state, and Illinois will provide more equitable feeding options to mothers by adding breast pumps and other nursing tools to the list of exemptions.

This issue was brought to Villanueva’s attention by Parity for Pumps, a coalition working to improve access to breast feeding across the nation through advocacy and legislation. Mothers use pumps and supplies to generate and collect breast milk for a variety of reasons. These supplies offer important benefits to mother and child health, a mother’s ability to produce milk and her ability to return to work.

“There is a large number of supplies associated with breastfeeding, and the taxes associated with them poses an unnecessary barrier to mothers,” Villanueva said. “Breast pumps, like infant formula, are a basic necessity that should be easily available to mothers.”

SB 3634 awaits consideration before the full Senate.