SPRINGFIELD – Native Americans in Illinois will soon have a stronger voice in state government under a measure sponsored by State Senator Suzy Glowiak.

Glowiak (D-Western Springs) passed Senate Bill 727, which creates the Native American Advisory Council to increase the number of Native American state employees, on Thursday.

“The State of Illinois encompasses land that generations ago was the ancestral home of American Indians,” Glowiak said. “The Native American population of Illinois should have a seat at the table. This is about ensuring Illinois government reflects all Illinoisans.”

Senate Bill 727 is an initiative of The Native American Chamber of Commerce of Illinois.

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SPRINGFIELD – To advocate for Illinois Alzheimer’s patients, State Senator Suzy Glowiak (D-Western Springs) passed a measure to create a specialized position within the Illinois Department of Public Health to oversee the state’s Alzheimer’s efforts.

“I know as someone who cared for a husband and mother with Alzheimer’s disease, it can be stressful,” Glowiak said. “We need to ensure that caregivers have someone fighting to help them provide their loved ones with the best possible care.”

Glowiak’s Senate Bill 1726 creates the position of Dementia Coordinator in the Department of Public Health to oversee the implementation of the Illinois Alzheimer's Disease State Plan. Having a dedicated coordinator would help to address the complications and cost of a disease that has only gotten deadlier.

The Alzheimer’s Disease Illinois State Plan was established in January 2014 and is required to be updated every three years.

Nationally, the cost of caring for those with Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia was estimated at nearly $236 billion in 2016, and is expected to increase to $1.1 trillion in 2019 dollars by mid-century. Medicare and Medicaid cover about 68 percent of the total health care and long-term payments. In 2016, the Medicaid cost of caring for people with Alzheimer’s in Illinois was $1.5 billion.

Currently, the state plan cannot be implemented by IDPH due to lack of staff and other resources.

“Under the leadership of a statewide Dementia Coordinator, those living with Alzheimer’s will have a designated advocate to fight for state policies that will improve their level of care,” Glowiak said. “This new position would ensure our state is actively engaged in the fight against dementia.”

An equivalent position exists in state government in Georgia, Hawaii, Mississippi, New Mexico, North Carolina, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington and Puerto Rico.

Senate Bill 1726 passed the Senate with bipartisan support and now moves to the House for consideration.

WESTERN SPRINGS – Illinois will join other states in raising the smoking age to 21 after the governor signed legislation supported by State Senator Suzy Glowiak on Sunday.

Glowiak (D-Western Springs) advocated for the passage of “Tobacco 21” (House Bill 345), which raises the legal smoking age from 18 to 21, prohibiting the purchase of alternative nicotine products, electronic cigarettes and tobacco products by individuals under the age of 21.

“The health risks of smoking are well known, but young adults still have access to tobacco products,” Glowiak said. “This new law will help stop this dangerous addiction at an early age. It is absolutely imperative that we take every necessary step to help save lives.”

Glowiak cited studies that found 90 percent of all adult smokers started when they were kids.

In Illinois, 34 jurisdictions have raised the age, including Chicago, Highland Park, Buffalo Grove, Evanston and Peoria.

A key benefit to raising the age is documented decreases in the number of high schoolers who smoke. In Chicago, authorities recorded a drop from 13.6 percent in 2011 to 6 percent in 2017. Raising the age was cited as a key component of the decrease.

According to the Department of Health and Human Services it is estimated that each day approximately 2,100 youth and young adults who are occasional smokers become daily smokers.

“Stopping the cycle of addiction will protect our young adults from the numerous early and long-term negative effects of smoking such as early health disease, reductions in lung function, and growth and respiratory problems,” Glowiak said. “Raising the age is a proven method to reduce smoking rates among our teens who can be easily addicted to the negative effects of nicotine and are susceptible to beginning a deadly lifelong dependency.”

This measure was supported by the DuPage County Health Department, American Lung Association in Illinois, American Cancer Society and American Heart Association along with many others.

On Sunday, Illinois become the first Midwest state to adopt Tobacco 21, joining states such as California, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Oregon, Hawaii and Maine. The new law goes into effect July 1, 2019.

SPRINGFIELD – Companies would need to notify Illinois consumers of cybersecurity breaches and compromised personal data sooner, thanks to State Senator Suzy Glowiak.

Glowiak (D-Western Springs) advanced Senate Bill 1624, which would require companies that hold Illinois residents’ personal information to report data breaches which affect more than 500 Illinois residents to the Attorney General as soon as possible.

“We live in a time when we can do everything online from paying our bills to buying groceries,” Glowiak said. “To achieve that, companies store our sensitive information on their servers. If this information gets in the hands of cybercriminals, consumers can end up dealing with years of identity theft and financial loss. Such breaches should be reported immediately for the same reasons that burglaries or car accidents should.”

Senate Bill 1624 will require the Attorney General to publish breach notices which will ensure the information is easily accessible to residents.

Under current law, if there is a data breach that compromises Illinois residents’ personal information, the company is required to notify the residents, but there is not yet a mechanism in place to ensure compliance.

Including the Office of the Illinois Attorney General in the process will help ensure businesses are fulfilling their duty to notify residents in a timely manner, Glowiak said.

“Illinois residents deserve to be notified in a timely manner to take steps to protect themselves,” Glowiak said. “It’s our duty to ensure there are protections in place to protect consumers during these unfortunate events and give them enough notice to make sound decisions.”

Senate Bill 1624 passed the Senate’s Committee on Telecommunications and Info Technology and heads to the full Senate for consideration.