SPRINGFIELD – State Senator Dave Koehler is championing a measure to highlight future career opportunities for children with disabilities.

“In many situations, children with disabilities and their families feel as if there aren’t a lot of options for work after graduation,” said Koehler (D – Peoria). “We must provide equal opportunities for all students to lead them on the path toward a bright future.”

Under House Bill 3224, students with individualized education plans – or IEPs – and their parents would be provided information on the school district’s career and technical education and dual credit opportunities.

“All students – regardless of a diagnosis – deserve career advancement opportunities,” said Koehler (D- Peoria). “This measure gives our students and their parents a clear understanding of the variety of opportunities that are available to them.”

According to the National School Boards Association 2019 analysis, students with disabilities who were in career and technical educational programs had an 89 percent graduation rate nationwide during the previous school year, which was 20 percent higher than the disabled student graduation rate overall.

House Bill 3224 passed the Senate Education Committee Tuesday and heads to the full Senate for further consideration.

SPRINGFIELD – State Senator Dave Koehler is spearheading a measure to require insurance providers to cover hearing aids and related services for people of all ages.

“Illinoisans shouldn’t have to face financial burdens for something that is necessary for a high quality of life,” said Koehler (D – Peoria). “Hearing aids are devices that should be covered by insurance, and not by the wallets of those who wear them.”

House Bill 2443 builds upon the 2018 measure Koehler-supported measure that required insurance to cover hearing aids for children under the age of 18. Koehler’s measure expands upon that by requiring insurers to provide coverage for everyone if their doctor prescribes a hearing instrument – which can cost up to $4,000.

“If your doctor is prescribing something to you, it should be covered by your insurance,” said Koehler. “People shouldn’t have to forgo their hearing. It’s time we make hearing aids more accessible for all who need them.”  

House Bill 2443 passed the Senate Insurance Committee Tuesday and now heads to the full Senate for further consideration.

SPRINGFIELD – State Senator Dave Koehler is leading a measure to prorate debts of students who are recipients of scholarship programs who need to fulfil their obligations at a later time.

“There are many instances where students have to take a leave of absence or cannot complete their education when they originally planned,” said Koehler (D – Peoria). “Students who are pursuing an education degree shouldn’t have to pay more if they fulfill their teaching obligations at a later time.”

House Bill 3498 would allow a recipient of either the Minority Teachers of Illinois, Special Education Teacher Waiver or the Golden Apple Scholar of Illinois to have their debt prorated for completing their teaching obligations at a later time, up to a five year window.

“We have many students who have jobs and responsibilities that can take their time away from the classroom,” said Koehler. “We shouldn’t be punishing these students for trying to accomplish their goals – we should be giving them the opportunities they need to succeed.”

House Bill 3498 passed the Senate Higher Education Committee Tuesday and now heads to the full Senate for further consideration.

SPRINGFIELD – When Bloomington resident Curt Richardson got his DNA test results back from Ancestry.com, his life – and those of his parents – changed forever when they learned they had been victims of fertility fraud.

Richardson’s story is similar to hundreds of others across the state and nation who have lived most of their lives thinking the very people who raised them were their biological parents. State Senator Dave Koehler is working to bring awareness to fertility fraud and provide justice to the families who fall victim to the heinous act.

“Fertility fraud is an issue that has been overlooked for far too long,” said Koehler (D – Peoria). “This is a horrible practice that has gone unpunished. Illinois needs to join other states in taking a stand for those who have been affected by this horrendous act.”

Fertility fraud occurs when a health care provider knowingly or intentionally uses their own human reproductive cells during an assisted reproductive treatment without the patient’s informed written consent.

When Richardson received his at-home DNA test results in June of 2021, he knew he couldn’t be silent. Richardson reached out to Koehler for help to ensure that if any other Illinoisans becomes victim of fertility fraud, they would be able to take legal action.

Senate Bill 380 would create the Illinois Fertility Fraud Act, which would allow people to bring action against health care providers who knowingly or intentionally use their own reproductive cells without the patient’s informed written consent.

The measure provides a civil cause of action for donor fertility fraud against health care providers who treat patients for infertility using donated human reproductive material without consent. It also states that any child born as a result of fertility fraud is entitled to a qualified protective order allowing the child access to the personal medical records and health history of the person who committed the fraud.

Illinois would join states like Texas, California and Indiana in outlining penalties for fertility fraud. The Illinois Fertility Fraud Act, the staunchest legislation of its kind currently being considered, is most similar to the legislation passed in Indiana, brought about in 2019 after a woman’s Ancestry.com DNA test revealed she had at least 50 biological half siblings due to a fertility doctor using his own sperm to impregnate his patients throughout the 70s and 80s.

Senate Bill 380 passed the Senate Friday and now heads to the House for further consideration.