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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: June 4, 2025

Contact Information:
Media Contact: Garth Reynolds, executive director
Illinois Pharmacists Association
Phone: (217) 522-7300
Email: greynolds@ipha.org
Website: ipha.org | @ILPharmacists

IPhA applauds historic passage of HB1697: 
The Prescription Drug Affordability Act

IPhA applauds historic passage of HB1697: The Prescription Drug Affordability Act comprehensive PBM reform law strengthens patient protections and supports community pharmacies statewide
 

SPRINGFIELD – The Illinois Pharmacists Association (IPhA) celebrates the General Assembly’s passage of HB1697, the Prescription Drug Affordability Act, a landmark achievement in the fight to protect patients, enhance transparency, and preserve access to pharmacy care across Illinois.

This legislation was a central focus of Governor JB Pritzker’s 2025 State of the State address, where he emphasized the need to confront harmful pharmacy benefit manager (PBM) practices that have driven up drug costs, jeopardized local pharmacies, and strained patient access to care. HB1697 now delivers on that call to action with sweeping, enforceable reforms.

“I am thrilled that this legislation will finally reverse the alarming trend of pharmacy closures across our great state,” IPhA President Dave Bagot said. “HB1697 represents not just a policy victory, but a commitment to preserving access to essential health care services in communities throughout Illinois.”

IPhA extends its sincere gratitude to Senator David Koehler and Representative Natalie Manley for championing this legislation. Their leadership has resulted in one of the most significant PBM reform packages in the country, built on transparency, accountability, and patient-centered care.

HB1697 directly targets systemic failures in the prescription drug marketplace. The law eliminates spread pricing that has diverted millions away from patient care, ends PBM steering practices that restrict pharmacy choice, and mandates 100 percent rebate passthrough to ensure savings are returned to patients and health plans. It also institutes robust regulatory oversight through required annual transparency reports, plan audits, and market conduct examinations.

The bill also provides vital financial relief to the state’s most vulnerable pharmacies. HB1697 allocates $45 million annually to sustain critical access pharmacies and invests an additional $25 million to enhance pharmacy access. These provisions are designed to stop the ongoing wave of pharmacy closures and restore access in both rural and urban areas.

“This bill is a turning point. Illinois is making it clear that we will no longer allow corporate middlemen to undermine patient care and community health,” said Garth Reynolds, executive director of IPhA. “HB1697 restores transparency, puts patients first, and gives independent and community pharmacies a fair chance to survive and serve.”

HB1697 would not have been possible without the relentless advocacy of pharmacists, student pharmacists, pharmacy technicians, and patients across the state. As the legislation now heads to Governor Pritzker for signature, IPhA remains focused on supporting its full implementation and defending its critical protections.

“We reached this moment because our profession stood united and refused to accept the status quo,” Reynolds added. “This law is a meaningful step forward in building a health care system that works for Illinois patients.” 

About the Illinois Pharmacists Association

The Illinois Pharmacists Association (IPhA) is dedicated to enhancing the professional competency of pharmacists, advancing the standards of pharmacy practice, improving pharmacists’ effectiveness in assuring rational drug use in society, and leading in the resolution of public policy issues affecting pharmacists. 
 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 21, 2025

Contact Information:
Contact: Campaign Team
Campaign Office - Long for Senate 2026
Phone: (618) 209-2261
Email: vote@longforsenate2026.com
Website: www.LongForSenate2026.com

Dr. Pamela Denise Long announces bold 2026 U.S. Senate bid
to reclaim Illinois' voice in Washington

Madison County resident, conservative educator, and national policy advocate enters race to challenge political dysfunction and defend working families

EDWARDSVILLE, Illinois — [May 21, 2025] — Dr. Pamela Denise Long, a nationally recognized educator and principled conservative voice, today announced her candidacy for the United States Senate in Illinois. Running as a Republican, Dr. Long is positioning her campaign as a direct challenge to the entrenched political class and a call to restore integrity, public safety, and economic security for the people of Illinois. As Republicans pursue a permanent “big tent” majority in federal and state government, Long brings a rare crossover appeal to the Black American community.

“I’m not a career politician, and I’m not for sale,” said Dr. Long. “I’m running because Illinois deserves more than finger pointing and lip service in Washington. We deserve a senator who will fight for families, pursue consistent criminal justice, and say what needs to be said — even when it’s not politically convenient.”

Denise, who holds a Doctorate in Education and has served as a public health leader, trauma-informed consultant, and university instructor, brings a record of real-world problem solving to the race. A proud seventh-generation American and dedicated Illinoisan, she has spent her life helping working-class families, supporting parental rights, and framing common-sense reform at every level of government.

Her campaign platform includes:

• Border Security & Sovereignty – Finish the wall, enforce the law, and stop policies that undercut American workers.
• Education, Not Indoctrination – Empower parents, remove radical ideology from classrooms, showcase the whole of American history, and raise academic standards.   
• Lineage-Based Investment – Target and monitor solutions for descendants of U.S. chattel slavery, not one-size-fits-all identity politics.
• Economic Growth – Replace the federal income tax with a national consumption tax and end inflationary spending. 
• Free Speech & Constitutional Rights – Defend the First and Second Amendments against political weaponization.

Born in Mississippi, Dr. Long is a first-generation college graduate, member of a 150-plus-years farming family in Illinois, and former homeschooling parent of a recent college graduate. She is known for her national commentary on outlets like Newsweek, The Hill, and Fox News, for her grassroots leadership about curbing mass immigration, her courageous debates on reining in divisive ideologies in education, and her push for accountability in use of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA).

“Illinois is a diverse state with shared values: faith, family, work, and a fighter’s spirit,” said Long. “Illinois Republicans are not looking for permission to be heard — we’re taking a seat at the table to deliver real results. It’s time to send someone to D.C. who owes nothing to the establishment and everything to the people.”

Pamela Denise Long will begin her campaign with a statewide listening tour and weekly virtual town halls. The campaign is actively organizing in all 102 counties and plans to engage voters across every region — from Chicago to Cairo.

For more information or to get involved, visit www.LongForSenate2026.com or follow the campaign @Long4Illinois on X.

Paid for by Long for Senate 2026 – PO BOX 573 Edwardsville, IL 62025