Bill Text: IL HR0613 | 2023-2024 | 103rd General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: Urges the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) to continue taking appropriate action to facilitate equitable access to adolescent and adult vaccinations, including establishing appropriate programs and initiatives to raise public awareness on the importance of adolescent and adult vaccinations. Urges the IDPH to continue working with the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), in-state healthcare providers, and patients to implement an effective and actionable state immunization strategy that includes adult immunizations. Urges the IDPH to continue increasing community resilience to communicable and other emerging disease threats. Urges the IDPH to continue determining goals on which to center the immunization plan. Urges the IDPH to continue exploring federal funding opportunities and partnerships to support vaccine awareness and access programs aligned with the goals established in the state immunization strategy.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 2-0)

Status: (Introduced) 2024-03-22 - Added Co-Sponsor Rep. Anne Stava-Murray [HR0613 Detail]

Download: Illinois-2023-HR0613-Introduced.html

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HOUSE RESOLUTION
WHEREAS, Adult vaccines reduce the burden of widespread
disease and enable individuals to live longer, healthier, and
more productive lives; and
WHEREAS, Despite vaccine recommendations made by the
United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
and the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP),
many adults do not receive all recommended vaccines; and
WHEREAS, Vaccine-preventable diseases cause long-term
illness, hospitalization, and death; the CDC estimates that,
since 2010, influenza-related hospitalizations in the U.S.
have ranged from 140,000 to 710,000 and influenza-related
deaths have ranged from 12,000 to 56,000; further, roughly
150,000 people are hospitalized with pneumococcal pneumonia,
and 5 to 7% of those individuals die each year; for individuals
65 years of age and older, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV)
can lead to as many as 160,000 hospitalizations and 10,000
deaths in the U.S. each year; an estimated 880,000 to 1.89
million people in the U.S. have chronic hepatitis B, which can
cause serious health problems, including liver damage,
cirrhosis, liver cancer, and death; finally, human
papillomavirus (HPV) causes over 37,000 cancers in women and
men each year, and approximately 4,000 women die each year

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from cervical cancer; and
WHEREAS, The U.S. annually spends more than $21 billion
treating adults 50 years of age and older for influenza and
pneumococcal disease, both of which are vaccine-preventable;
and
WHEREAS, Influenza, like many vaccine-preventable
diseases, also contributes to workplace productivity loss; a
typical, full-time employee may lose up to 3.5 workdays due to
absenteeism and presenteeism from an influenza infection; and
WHEREAS, Despite the burden and consequences of
vaccine-preventable diseases, adult vaccination rates remain
low in the U.S. and far below national targets; in 2021,
pneumococcal vaccine coverage among adults 65 years of age and
older was 65.8%; similar trends were seen with hepatitis B
vaccination coverage, with only 34.2% of adults 19 years of
age and older receiving a hepatitis B vaccine; and
WHEREAS, As a result of low vaccination rates, adults
experience higher rates of morbidity and mortality from
vaccine-preventable diseases; and
WHEREAS, Furthermore, racial and ethnic minority
populations report consistently lower rates of immunization

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than white individuals; for example, in the U.S., the shingles
vaccination rate was 35.5% among non-Hispanic white adults and
19.9% among non-Hispanic Black/African American adults;
additionally, less than 43% of Black/African American,
Hispanic, and American Indian/Alaska Native adults received an
influenza vaccine for the 2021-2022 season compared to 54% of
white adults; this is attributable in part to decreased
vaccine awareness and suboptimal knowledge of vaccination
schedules; and
WHEREAS, Reported adult vaccination rates are often lower
in rural communities than in urban settings; for example, the
CDC reports rural counties had first-dose COVID-19 vaccination
coverage of 58.5% compared to 75.4% in urban counties between
December 2020 and January 2022; and
WHEREAS, Providing targeted education and awareness of
adult vaccinations among racial and ethnic minority
populations in the State through evidence-based strategies can
increase uptake; and
WHEREAS, Supporting access to vaccines is a necessary
public health tool that will protect individuals from
vaccine-preventable diseases; and
WHEREAS, Provisions of the federal Inflation Reduction Act

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expanded access to vaccine coverage without cost-sharing; the
law removed cost-sharing for vaccines covered under Medicare
Part D in January 2023 and mandated coverage for all
ACIP-recommended vaccines administered to adults covered by
traditional Medicaid in October 2023; and
WHEREAS, Developing a state immunization strategy focused
on adults may assist in reducing the impact of disruptions to
adult routine vaccines, decreasing preventable healthcare
utilization and burden, reducing absenteeism due to illness,
and helping protect populations from vaccine-preventable
diseases; therefore, be it
RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE
HUNDRED THIRD GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
we urge the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) to
continue taking appropriate action to facilitate equitable
access to adolescent and adult vaccinations, including
establishing appropriate programs and initiatives to raise
public awareness on the importance of adolescent and adult
vaccinations; and be it further
RESOLVED, That we urge the IDPH to continue working with
the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), in-state healthcare
providers, and patients to implement an effective and
actionable state immunization strategy that includes adult

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immunizations, which will align stakeholders on shared
objectives and efforts to facilitate broad vaccine
availability and access and provide greater clarity to
patients and providers on age-appropriate options; and be it
further
RESOLVED, That we urge the IDPH to continue increasing
community resilience to communicable and other emerging
disease threats; and be it further
RESOLVED, That we urge the IDPH to continue determining
goals on which to center the immunization plan, and these
goals may include but are not limited to strengthening adult
and adolescent immunization infrastructure, improving access,
assessing vaccine administration fees, increasing community
demand, lowering vaccine hesitancy, and promoting health
equity initiatives to improve uptake; and be it further
RESOLVED, That we urge the IDPH to continue exploring
federal funding opportunities and partnerships to support
vaccine awareness and access programs aligned with the goals
established in the state immunization strategy; and be it
further
RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
delivered to the Director of the Illinois Department of Public

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