South Cook News

The following actions were taken on March 29 in the House on House bill HB2495 ("reproductive health act"): "House Committee Amendment No. 2 Rule 19(c) / Re-referred to Rules Committee", "House Committee Amendment No. 1 Rule 19(c) / Re-referred to Rules Committee" and "Rule 19(a) / Re-referred to Rules Committee".

The Rules Committees is a powerful standing committee in the House controlled by the majority. All legislation is assigned to the Rules Committee as a kind of legislative filter that sorts the more-than-6,000 bills introduced each year. The committee considers the legislation and often assigns it to other committees in order to be heard by other lawmakers. Sometimes, legislation dies in the Rules Committee if the committee decides it does not merit further consideration.

In the event that a committee fails to report to the House on a bill by applicable deadlines, it is automatically re-referred to the Rules Committee according to House rule 19(a). This is what happened with this bill.

The bill, as it was introduced in the House by Rep. Kelly M. Cassidy (D-14) on Feb. 13, "creates the Reproductive Health Act" and "provides that every individual has a fundamental right to make autonomous decisions about one's own reproductive health," according to the General Assembly website.

The following house representatives also co-sponsored the bill: Carol Ammons (D-103), Jaime M. Andrade, Jr. (D-40), Luis Arroyo (D-3), Kambium Buckner (D-26), Jonathan Carroll (D-57), John Connor (D-85), Deb Conroy (D-46), William Davis (D-30), Daniel Didech (D-59), Marcus C. Evans, Jr. (D-33), Sara Feigenholtz (D-12), Robyn Gabel (D-18), Jennifer Gong-Gershowitz (D-17), Jehan Gordon-Booth (D-92), LaToya Greenwood (D-114), Will Guzzardi (D-39), Sonya M. Harper (D-6), Gregory Harris (D-13), Elizabeth Hernandez (D-24), Thaddeus Jones (D-29), Theresa Mah (D-2), Robert Martwick (D-19), Anna Moeller (D-43), Bob Morgan (D-58), Michelle Mussman (D-56), Aaron M. Ortiz (D-1), Delia C. Ramirez (D-4), Lamont J. Robinson, Jr. (D-5), Justin Slaughter (D-27), Anne Stava-Murray (D-81), Katie Stuart (D-112), Curtis J. Tarver, II (D-25), Karina Villa (D-49), Celina Villanueva (D-21), Mark L. Walker (D-53), Emanuel Chris Welch (D-7), Ann M. Williams (D-11), Kathleen Willis (D-77) and Michael J. Zalewski (D-23).

The table below shows a history of actions for this bill through March 29.