As many as 200,000 adopted adults will soon be able to obtain copies of
their original birth certificate, something that non-adopted people have
always been able to do. The bill (HB 5428) was sponsored by state Rep.
Sara Feigenholtz, who is an adoptee herself. Under the legislation,
adopted adults over the age of 21 will be able to obtain their birth
certificates beginning November 2011. The delay is due to an effort to
inform birth parents that they must file denial forms if they don't want
their identities revealed to their biological children.
When lawmakers talk about protecting "crucial state services," funding for HIV/AIDS prevention programs like the Illinois AIDS Drug Assistance Program
(ADAP) should be at the top of the list. "Withdrawing any of the
provisions of the program right now," Rep. Sara Feigenholtz (D-Chicago)
said at a Springfield press conference yesterday, "would literally be a
death sentence to its clients."
Feigenholtz joined an array of lawmakers and HIV/AIDS awareness advocates to push for SB 3821, an appropriations bill that would send
$18 million in new funding towards prevention and medical programs for
low-income patients in Illinois. Just over $10 million would flow into
ADAP, which has seen a huge uptick in enrollment since the recession
hit. Another $7.4 million would restore funding for prevention and
housing services that was redirected this year to cover medical costs
for new ADAP enrollees. It's obiously a tough time to request additional funding for any program. But the AIDS Foundation of Chicago estimates that
Gov. Pat Quinn's FY 2011 budget proposal underfunds
HIV services by $22 million.
Below are some highlights from yesterday's
press conference, in which participants stressed the importance of the
state's HIV services:
Currently, 4,600 Illinoisans rely on the Illinois AIDS Drug Assistance Program
(ADAP), with over 100 additional people -- many of them unemployed -- applying each month. To meet an anticipated 15 percent surge in enrollees this year, the state is now being forced to cut back on another important service: HIV prevention. Last week, State Rep. Sara Feigenholtz (D-Chicago) convened a public hearing in Chicago to brainstorm "a balanced and
sustainable solution to this public health emergency.” David Ormsby has more on the latest casualty of the state budget crisis.
After endorsing Mike Quigley in the 5th Congressional District special election today (no surprise there), the Chicago Tribune editorial board goes on to note that Quigley's successor on the county board will be chosen at an April 11 public meeting of the Democratic ...
