New 12 months, new guidelines: three-state introduction of legal guidelines, measures to take impact January 1st | Tri-State Information

A law in Illinois due to go into effect Friday, January 1, limits insulin prices to $ 100 for a 30-day delivery.

It’s one of the new measures in Illinois, Iowa, and Wisconsin due to go into effect in early 2021.

Typically, Illinois has the lion’s share of these measures among the three states as it often sets the start date for new measures passed by lawmakers for the first day of the following year.

For example, on the first day of 2020, more than 250 new laws came into the books.

However, at the beginning of 2021, the total has dropped significantly due to the COVID-19 pandemic that affected state lawmakers this year.

“We were only in session for a few days,” said Illinois Rep. Andrew Chesney, R-Freeport. “So it was pretty meager this year.”

A passed bill limits the price of a 30-day insulin supply to $ 100.

Chesney said he was proud to “cross the aisle” and join the Democratic supporters of the bill.

“There are some people in my party who believe that free market principles have been restricted,” he said. “But if I can cut drug bills for people who need insulin – and that’s what this law did – I will. It wasn’t perfect and could have been wider. You want to make savings on all drugs in general. “

This is a familiar law in the tri-state area, as a bipartisan group of Dubuque County state lawmakers tabled a very similar bill in the last two sessions.

A bill was introduced in the 2019 session by Iowa Rep. Lindsay James, D-Dubuque, and Iowa Rep. Andy McKean, then Republican, with a Senate companion by Iowa Senator Carrie Koelker, R-Dyersville. It would have authorized a pharmacist to refill an insulin prescription without medical approval in an emergency. That happened to the Senate but was blocked in the House of Representatives.

That year, Iowa MP Shannon Lundgren, R-Peosta, joined the same group to pass a bill with a price cap of $ 100 for 30 days.

That happened to the House, but not the Senate, before the session screeched to a halt due to the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak.

“This is where lawmakers are trying to regulate an industry that puts vulnerable people under pressure,” said James. “Since the cost of making insulin is so low, it is not reasonable that the cost should be that high.”

Koelker told the Telegraph Herald that she and other lawmakers have been meeting with industry lobbyists and other groups since the end of the session to work out more of a collective bill for Iowa.

“We haven’t agreed on the final language,” she said. “But I also see it as a teaching aid for resources that are available. That and emergency caps and some cost caps for those who need the services and prescriptions. “

More in Illinois

On New Years Day, the minimum wage across the state of Illinois will be up to $ 11 an hour as the state gradually increases to $ 15 an hour.

Chesney said he was opposed to this original piece of legislation, which was passed in 2019, not because of its spirit but because of its oversized impact on rural Illinois.

“Fifteen dollars an hour is very different in Chicago from what it is in Jo Daviess County,” he said. “This will be an additional expense to be covered by the employer amid a pandemic.”

Another law coming into the books this week expands an existing program to keep the addresses of victims of domestic violence confidential, including victims of sexual assault and stalking.

Wisconsin

In Wisconsin, unless the language states otherwise, most laws take effect when the governor signs them.

Often times, those who wait until January 1st of the next year for it to go into effect have to deal with taxes.

For example, on Friday appraisers must tell owners that appraisers cannot change the appraised value of a property based on the recent sale of that property alone.

Another rule that comes into effect provides an exemption from a tax imposed on telephone company property when that property is used to provide broadband access.

Iowa

Similarly, in Iowa, laws are most commonly made at signature.

However, part of a bill that lowered the excise tax on petrol with at least E-15 ethanol included a provision that the reduction had to be based on a review period starting on Friday. The bill received praise from ethanol makers nationwide when it was passed after Iowa legislation rejoined in June after its month-long hiatus due to COVID-19.