SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (April 19, 2022)—The Illinois General Assembly has passed SB 157, a budget implementation bill that includes language exempting breast pumps and related supplies from sales tax effective July 1, 2022. The legislation is now headed to Governor JB Pritzker’s desk for signature. On Tuesday the governor tweeted his congratulations to one of the lead advocates of the measure for the passage of the bill.
Once signed into law, this bill is estimated to save Illinois providers $1.1 million annually. The legislation follows similar bills that have been passed in eight other states, including Connecticut, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Pennsylvania and New York. These efforts have been supported by the American Association for Homecare’s (AAHomecare) Breastfeeding Coalition, who have been helping coordinate the work of providers maternal health stakeholders, as well as funding state-level lobbying partners.
“Our strong champion in the Illinois House, Rep. Barbara Hernandez, has worked with providers and other maternal health advocates for two years to see this legislation through,” said Tilly Gambill, director of marketing communications for AAHomecare. “By activating grassroots support, engaging International Board Certified Lactation Consultants (IBCLC) professionals to testify, and inviting likeminded stakeholders to weigh in on the issue, our coalition was able to impress upon legislators the benefit of a tax exemption and reach the finish line. We look forward to duplicating these efforts in states without sales tax exemption laws currently in place for medically necessary items for families.”
The Breastfeeding Coalition is open to AAHomecare member companies who want to take part in the fight for fair medical policies for breast pumps and suppliers from all payers and the work to exempt these essential products from sales tax in all states.
Visit aahomecare.org for more information.
